Tonight's show was the first I've seen in the series, and I thought it was okay, but nothing special. The bloke with the big nose and the specs was obviously the star.
Comedy Lab - 2008 Series Page 12
Quote: Seefacts @ August 25 2008, 10:12 PM BSTYes, the stuff that wasn't location was done in a theatre in London in front of any audience. The audience was virtually entirely family and friends so you'd expect a hyped response.
Ahhhhhh, ok. That makes sense then. Were they screened the location sketches, or were those just played in on your secretC4bunker screening?
Quote: Aaron @ August 26 2008, 6:27 PM BSTAhhhhhh, ok. That makes sense then. Were they screened the location sketches, or were those just played in on your secretC4bunker screening?
Yeah, we got shown the location stuff in between set changes.
That also explains the soul-destroying audience laughter as well then! Interesting to know, thanks. 
So any thoughts on Mr & Mrs Fandango? Not sure what to make of it myself.
I turned over after about 10 minutes.
Quote: Nil Putters @ August 27 2008, 12:06 AM BSTI turned over after about 10 minutes.
It kind of grew on me, rather to my surprise.
Quote: Timbo @ August 26 2008, 11:58 PM BSTSo any thoughts on Mr & Mrs Fandango? Not sure what to make of it myself.
Awful acting, face pulling, silly voices. It stinks and I don't like it.
Sorry to bring it back to me again. But having checked the credits of School of Comedy most of the writers have worked on Mitchell and Webb!
Where my Mitchell and Webb credit?!
Dara O'Brien was best man at their wedding Seefacts.
Quote: Marc P @ August 27 2008, 9:54 AM BSTDara O'Brien was best man at their wedding Seefacts.
NOOOOOOO!!!
I thought last nights Mr and Mrs Fandango, like the other Comedy Labs I've seen, was pretty awful. You know you're in trouble when the show starts with a skit about Princess Diana and Dodo - how long ago did they die again? 1997. And I thought there was something curiously backward looking about the whole thing, with parodies and send ups of TV from twenty or thirty years ago.
Both these performers have done better in other stuff, so it was a disappointment. That said, it was a very slight improvement on that awful shite with the Irish people in the other night.
What surprises me about all these Comedy Labs is the the distinct lack of vision in them all. The people involved don't seem to have a clear cut idea of what they're doing or what they hope to achieve, other than pissing a bit of Channel 4 money up the wall.
Quote: chipolata @ August 27 2008, 10:26 AM BSTI thought last nights Mr and Mrs Fandango, like the other Comedy Labs I've seen, was pretty awful. You know you're in trouble when the show starts with a skit about Princess Diana and Dodo - how long ago did they die again? 1997. And I thought there was something curiously backward looking about the whole thing, with parodies and send ups of TV from twenty or thirty years ago.
Both these performers have done better in other stuff, so it was a disappointment. That said, it was a very slight improvement on that awful shite with the Irish people in the other night.
What surprises me about all these Comedy Labs is the the distinct lack of vision in them all. The people involved don't seem to have a clear cut idea of what they're doing or what they hope to achieve, other than pissing a bit of Channel 4 money up the wall.
I think a lot of the time what ends up on screen is a million miles away from what the writer wants (in some case)
I might be wrong, but first time writers get a rough deal on Comedy Labs of their own unless the producer has the same vision.
Quote: Seefacts @ August 27 2008, 10:28 AM BSTI think a lot of the time what ends up on screen is a million miles away from what the writer wants (in some case)
I might be wrong, but first time writers get a rough deal on Comedy Labs of their own unless the producer has the same vision.
Fair point. Although as a viewer I'm largerly interested in what's on the screen and not the process it was arrived by.
Yes, I did wonder about the Dodi and Di thing - how long do you think this had been knocking around before it hit the screen? But then pilots often appear a bit past their sell-by date because of the long gestation period. And she did do a rather good Lady Di.
The programme did at least have the merit of being distinctive, but perhaps tried to hard to achieve this. The performances were very broad, and I wonder if this was a legacy of stage work. Factor in the frantic production, and it made it difficult to gauge the merits of the script. However a lot of the sketches did strike me as being gag lite.
Despite my initial determination to hate the show, the energy and silliness did win me over a little. And Baruka O'Shaughnessy is a name to look out for.