MetaFilter posts tagged with UK and comedy

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fearfulsymmetry — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:43:15 -0800

Webbed, For Her Pleasure

Christ, what an asshole — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:16:37 -0800

There is no God. More Mitchell and Webb: Homeopathic A&E Annoying Vegetarian Education Reform Mac vs. PC Football, Football, Football Bad Vicar Abraham and Isaac Apprentice UK Spoof Candidates Getting Over Lucy Banana Dance Angry Art Avocdo Bathroom Dying Kid Identity Killer Identity Killer 2 Alien Invasion Cryogenics Who is the Captain? Levitation Holmes and Watson Corner Shop Sir Digby Chicken Caesar Toothbrush Company Party Organizer Realtor Torture Psychologist Friends of Moneypenny Wavy Arms Swimming Pool Sale Myth Child Speedo Cheesoid Boy With an Arse for a Face Hole in the Ring The Fun Historian Chiropractor Wordwang A History of Numberwang Scarecrow German SS Officers Henchmen Good Samaritan Social Misunderstanding Gap Year Backpedaling Idiots Gap Year Backpedaling Idiots 2 Gap Year Backpedaling Idiots 3 Israel/Bible Pitch Science Fiction Cricket Dave Gorman Football Young Love The Insulting Librarian First Television Chip and Pin Heroin Addict Christmas Arguing Couple Big Talk Detectives Global Warming Skeptic Hospital Drama Counterfeit Sell That House to Them Daydream Believers Daydream Believers 2 Daydream Believers 3 Rat Poison Library Psycho Sarcastic Paramedic Bad Poker Player IT Recruiting Sarcastic Egg Farmer Biscuit Levitation The Green Clarinet Angel Summoner and BMX Bandit Garden Center Natives Naming a Dry Cleaner Massive Yacht Table of Reds Dreamy Pastures Insurance Jump Off a Cliff Sometimes Fires Go Out Primetime Welsh TV Yorkshire Airlines Bad Waiter Casino Carnivale My Shag as a Whore Captain Todger Screw Back in Anger Little Guy Emotionally Repressed Action Figures The Greatest Invention Yet Dog Bell Lights Out Ring Cycle Alcoholics Hotel Vectron Community Policeman Community Policeman 2 Guru Meditation Kitchen Nightmares Die Hard Doctor and Ice Cream Tester Remain Indoors Remain Indoors 2 Remain Indoors 3 Prankster Doctors Alcoholic Isotonic Drink Polite Taxi Driver Helivets Helivets 2 Biohazard Biohazard 2 Biohazard 3 Bronze Age Orientation Everything is Now Fine Lecherous Director Hospital Innuendo Pet Hospital Tina Edwards Hercules Poirot Professor Death Queen Victoria Text a Blog Best Man Speech Brain Surgeon Caveman Detectives Now We Know Write This Cheese

You'd never guess you're an actor, Brian.

permafrost — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:39:59 -0800

Brian Blessed presents Have I Got News For You. In other Blessed news, Brian will apparently be appearing in Kenneth Brannagh's upcoming adaptation of Marvel's Thor. Loki? All valkyries! DIIIIIIIIIIVE! Bonus Blessed: Brian commentates the snooker.

I piss on Gods stupid world!

Artw — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:26:24 -0800

"Our boss is a madman! I was in the sorting office and he said our system was outdated! I spat in his face! He fired me! I have to look for a job now!" Would Klaus Kinski have been so angry if he hadn't been so famous? A vintage column by Graham Linham (Father Ted, The IT Crowd) from the late lamented Neon magazine. (via).

Visual Comedy

fearfulsymmetry — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 06:44:14 -0800

Have you heard the one about the deaf comedian? John Smith is Britain's only BSL (British Sign Language) stand-up.

Geoffrey Perkins is dead

humblepigeon — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 01:11:53 -0800

Legendary British comedy producer Geoffrey Perkins died in a freak accident yesterday. Chances are if you watched some British comedy over the last 20 years, and liked it, Geoffrey Perkins had a hand in it.

"Sid James is Silenus... Barbara Windsor is Aphrodite. Hattie Jacques is Athena."

fearfulsymmetry — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:32:34 -0800

The Carry On films have been a much-loved part of British life for the last 50 years, and they may even be making a new one. This give a quick feel of what you might of missed (slightly NSFW) And though it does have its knockers, one person liked them so much he made a religion out of them, literally.

Video Chronology of The History of British TV Comedy

Foci for Analysis — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 01:38:57 -0800

For the past 50 years, The British have made some of the funniest Comedy TV Shows. Come inside for A Video Chronology of The History of British TV Comedy. [Hover over the Wikipedia links for show descriptions. Noteworthy shows highlighted with star (*). All links are double-checked but BBC seems to be on the war path, resulting in removed clips.] 1950s Hancock's Half Hour (1954-1961): Crown Vs Sid James | Assorted sketches 1960s * Steptoe and Son (1962-1974): Upstairs, Downstairs, Upstairs, Downstairs | And So To Bed That Was The Week That Was (1962-1963): Intro | Desmond Leslie Punches Bernard Levin * Not Only But Also (1965-1971): John Lennon | Best of compilation | Father and Roger (better version) | North Circular | Superthunderstingcar Till Death Us Do Part (1965-1975): 1972 Christmas special | Else & Rita are very drunk | Christmas Dinner | Alf gets in a pub fight The Likely Lads (1964-1966): [no clips found] Dad's Army (1968-1977): If The Cap Fits | Menace From The Deep | Don't tell him Pike (and other sketches) Morecambe and Wise (1968-1983): The Original Morecambe and Wise | The Breakfast Sketch | In bed | Several sketches | Eric and the Bee On the Buses (1969-1973): An episode from 1969 | Christmas Duty episode * Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-1974): Season Two Intro | Dead Parrot Sketch | Spam | Frontiers in Medicine | Argument Clinic | Silly walk | Self-Defense Against Fresh Fruit | How Not To Be Seen | The Funniest Joke In The World * (Spike Milligan's) Q (1969-1982): The Lord's Prayer Epilogue | The Fresh Fruit Song | Kilt Chimes | Sandwich * The Benny Hill Show (1969-1989): Hospital | The Life of Maurice Dribble | 1978 episode | The Lover | Casanova 1970s The Two Ronnies (1971-1987): Fork handles | Squash match | Crossed Lines | Opticians | Swedish Made Simple/FUNEX Are You Being Served? (1972-1985): No Sale episode | A Change is as Good as a Rest | By Appointment episode * Love Thy Neighbour (1972-1976): Getting the bedroom suite Last of the Summer Wine (1973-): First Contact | 30 years of Last of the summer wine Porridge (1973-1977): Illegal Game Night | What's a Rilk? | Gentleman Prisoner | Stealing Pineapple Chunks Rising Damp (1974-1978): Things that Go Bump in the Night | A Body Like Mine | Come On in the Water's Lovely * It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974-1981): The Curse of The Sadhu | The Road To Bannu | Lofty's Little Friend | My Lovely Boy * Fawlty Towers (1975-1979): The Germans | Basil Snaps | Too Much Butter | I Speak English | How to manage your staff The Good Life (1975-1978): from The Green Door episode | Margo V Jerry | Margo loses it! * The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976-1979): Title Sequence | Grot | Weekend Safari Trip | Ravioli | Forces of anarchy Open All Hours (1976 and 1985): [no clips found] George and Mildred (1976-1979): All Work and No Pay | House for Sale | You Must Have Showers To the Manor Born (1979-1981): Raising Money | After The Funeral | Watch The 2007 Christmas Special Episode * Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979-1982): Gerald the Gorilla | Darts | Barry Manilow | The Judge | General Synod's Life of Christ | Songs Of Praise | Bathroom Plan 1980s * Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister (1980-1988): How's the Environment? | The Empty Hospital | Complete Confidence | Planes, Trains and Boats | A Clear Conscience | Former PM's Memoirs | Who Reads the Papers Hi-de-Hi! (1980-1988): Bad Acting? Only Fools and Horses (1981-2003): Time On Our Hands episode | May the Force Be With You * 'Allo 'Allo! (1982-1992): The Season One Pilot | Dance Of Hitler Youth | The Nicked Knockwurst episode The Young Ones (1982-1984): Neil's Letter | Exploding Kettle | Entrance | Teetering Crockery * Blackadder (1983-1989): Lord Flashheart | Amy and Amiability | MacBeth | Flashheart Redux | The Cavalier Years Special | General Hospital | Private Baldrick singing Spitting Image (1984-1996): Never Met a Nice South African | Madness sing Our House spoof | Every Bomb You Drop | Princess Di sings Morrissey Chance in a Million (1984-1986): [no clips found] * The Plank, classic British comedy (Youtubed: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) Starring Eric Sykes, who despite being partially deaf appeared in his own show Sykes and elsewhere with 'sister' Hattie Jacques, and the odd interesting guest, and Tommy Cooper, Britain's worst magician but funniest man (Spoon Jar, Bottle Glass, Magic Cloak, Hats, Card Trick, Paper Tear, Milk) who finally died on stage for real, live on television.

At Last, the 1967 "At Last, the 1948 Show" Show

ubiquity — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 18:16:51 -0800

In 1967, before "Monty Python", before "The Goodies", and before "Marty", John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Marty Feldman teamed up to create a groundbreaking show that influenced (and provided sketch material and dialog for) much of what we know today as British Comedy. Most of the material was erased when its owner, Rediffusion London, disappeared in England's 1967 TV franchise reshuffle. Here is almost all of what survives of "At Last, the 1948 Show".

Master of the TV Theme Tune

fearfulsymmetry — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:56:21 -0800

Ronnie Hazlehurst RIP. Who? Well if you've seen any of the BBC's sitcoms and light entertainment programmes from the 70s onwards, you would have probably heard his work... He wrote the theme tunes to, among others, Are You Being Served?, Last Of The Summer Wine, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (where the title is spelled out in Morse Code), To The Manor Born, Yes Minister, Sorry!, The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin (brief blurry nudity), Three Up, Two Down, The Two Ronnies, Blankety Blank and Wogan. And he arranged the themes for Butterflies, Only Fools And Horses and Just Good Friends. He was also heavily involved with the Eurovision Song Contest, being the musical director of the event three times when it was held in the UK and conducting the UK entry for seven years (one year conducting the German entry as well)... most notably on this occasion. Oh and, ahem, he co-wrote 'Reach' for S Club 7 as well. BBC Tribute.

Lady Vera down, er, Clitheroe Avenue, she, er, she reads people's farts.

goodnewsfortheinsane — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 02:29:16 -0800

For the duration of three profanity-laden LPs in the 1970s, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore were two disgusting foul mouthed oafs named Derek And Clive. Listen to them here (real); here be transcripts.

The world of double entendre

rolo — Fri, 27 Feb 2004 09:07:28 -0800

The recent post that revived the rude ‘Rainbow’ kids show sketch reminded me of the our (that is, British) obsession with comic double entendre - the ability to accept the filthiest things as long as there is a parallel innocuous interpretation. I think it is something to do our love for wordplay and subtext, our innate hypocrisy and the belief that sex is, in fact, rather naughty. Perhaps the prime example are the Julian and Sandy sketches that ran on the BBC Radio show ‘Beyond Our Ken’ from 1964-69. Over Sunday lunch, millions (there was ONLY the BBC in those days) listened to two very camp characters saying outrageous things in Polari (underground gay slang). A much earlier prime example is the great dirty joke (it’s the one in blue at the bottom of the page) that got comedian Max Miller (died in 1963) banned from the BBC for 5 years. A more recent case of innuendo is, of course, Mrs. Slocombe’s pussy. Of course the double entendre can also be unintentional.

Ricky Gervais And Comedy Radio

MiguelCardoso — Sun, 04 May 2003 22:33:53 -0800

The Funniest Brits Since Monty Python, The Fast Show And The League Of Gentlemen are definitely Ricky Gervais* and Stephen Merchant whose giggly, gloriously silly and shockingly juvenile improvised radio antics can be heard every Saturday on xfm. Radio is so often overlooked and underestimated as a vehicle for comedy that it hurts. This is probably more so in America than in the UK. [Don't know about Canada or Australia, although they produce so many excellent comedians.] Sooooo... What's your idea of radio comedy gold?
*Gervais, in case you've never to have heard of him, is the star of the magnificent The Office, recently aired on cable, along with Ali G, and returning to America in a bastardized version; already featured on MetaFilter.

390,000 Jedi in Britain

rolo — Thu, 13 Feb 2003 07:02:25 -0800

390,000 Jedi in Britain In a recent census 390,000 U.K. residents declared their faith in the Star Wars religion following an e-mail campaign that claimed 10,000 declared Jedites would make Jedi a 'legal and official religion.' So what happens now? Who will build the first Jedi church? (I reckon this says more about British attitutudes to form filling than attitutudes to religion).

Laughter capital of the world ?

Voyageman — Mon, 16 Dec 2002 10:10:03 -0800

Laughter capital of the world? "Declining audiences, dull material, complacent comics: a crisis is looming ....London suddenly appears to be in the grip of a recession for the first time since the alternative comedy boom took off at the beginning of the 1980s." From a nation exporting Bill Bailey(live in NYC this week) ,Eddie Izzard, Ali G, can this really be happening? (BTW I always thought Canada tried to lay a claim to this crown?)

feelinglistless — Wed, 17 Oct 2001 14:50:53 -0800

Comedian Rowan Atkinson is understandably nervous about his career in the light of proposed laws in the UK to outlaw insightment to religious bigotry. Having built his career from playing comedy vicars and priests you can imagine him wondering if all his old material is suddenly worthless. Downing Street has sought to re-assure as usual but you can see why he'd be filled with uncertainty. As he points out in a situation were personal opinion is involved, how would one tell if one was breaking the law. For example, some stand up comedy may be fine, but how about movies? Where does 'The Life of Brian' stand? Or 'Dogma' for that matter...

skallas — Sat, 25 Aug 2001 17:20:42 -0800

Is American TV funnier than British TV? Who watches both? I really don't know but describing American comedies as "machine-tooled one-liners" is pretty damn accurate. (via boingboing.net)

Mocata — Thu, 19 Jul 2001 04:34:38 -0800

Contrary to what you may have heard, the new Brass Eye is indeed about paedophiles. And it's got Phil Collins wearing a "Nonce Sense" t-shirt.

Grangousier — Fri, 06 Jul 2001 09:46:11 -0800

Last night's Brass Eye special was mysteriously pulled from the schedules, seemingly because it concerned "an army of paedophiles". Apparantly, this is not the case

Mocata — Fri, 23 Mar 2001 03:42:59 -0800

Great news! Channel 4 to re-screen Brass Eye - with restored footage.

ecvgi — Tue, 20 Feb 2001 13:05:17 -0800

Britain's best footballer, David Beckham, and his wife Posh Spice are almost as important as royalty. That they have agreed to be interviewed by spoofist Ali G is a tad surprising...read the transcript here.