# Sitcoms that should have never been made



## Divisive Cotton (Jun 29, 2012)

Allo Allo

This was such bad taste. Featuring comic Nazis making silly Nazi salutes and underground resistance fighters talking in hilarious false French accents. They should have featured a Jewish family hiding in the cupboard and been done with it.

Bread

Awful and full of Liverpudlian dole scrounging stereotypes. Nearly all of it was set in one house on one street – it was so claustrophobic. Amazing, the episode where Aveline married the vicar was watched by 21 million people. Although that is more of a comment on the awful state of TV in Britain in the 1980s.

The Liverbirds

A great sitcom ruined by Nerys Hughes (who I hate from the heart)


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## Citizen66 (Jun 29, 2012)

Can we slag non sit com 'comedy' off too please?

Modern Toss. Only watched one episode (couldn't bare to watch more) and I didn't laugh once. Plus comedy which is supposed to be funny because someone says 'cock' grates on me.


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## Divisive Cotton (Jun 29, 2012)

Lets just keep to sitcoms. Slagging off _all_ failed comedy would require a thread 20 pages long


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## DotCommunist (Jun 29, 2012)

Love Thy Nieghbour


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## Citizen66 (Jun 29, 2012)

Divisive Cotton said:


> Lets just keep to sitcoms. Slagging off _all_ failed comedy would require a thread 20 pages long


 
Which would make it a roaring success.


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## not-bono-ever (Jun 29, 2012)

up the fuckin elephant and round the fuckin castle

brushfuckinstrokes


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## DotCommunist (Jun 29, 2012)

will and grace can fuck right off as well-


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## Reno (Jun 29, 2012)

Divisive Cotton said:


> Allo Allo





Divisive Cotton said:


> This was such bad taste. Featuring comic Nazis making silly Nazi salutes and underground resistance fighters talking in hilarious false French accents. They should have featured a Jewish family hiding in the cupboard and been done with it.


 
I used to love 'Allo 'Allo 

....and it made me laugh exactly because it was bad taste.


As to sitcoms about Nazis and Jews, there also was the notorious Heil Honey I'm Home !

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heil_Honey_I'm_Home!


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## Orang Utan (Jun 29, 2012)

I love Allo Allo. 

Gimme Gimme Gimme
Two Pints of Crisps
Colin's Sandwich
Derek


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## DotCommunist (Jun 29, 2012)

My Family ffs


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## xenon (Jun 29, 2012)

2 pints of lager. - For 1.
There were a lot of shit ones in the 80's. French Fields, The Upper Hand, that one with the older bloke and his younger teacher girlfirend. 

Been loads of shit since of course but I only put the TV on for something specific since mid 90's.

IF we're including radio sitcoms. That one Andrew Colins wrote Mr Blue Sky, is pretty gash. Shame, I quite like him really.


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## not-bono-ever (Jun 29, 2012)

mind your fucking language

The green green grass of home or whatever the shit spin off to Only fools was called


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## xenon (Jun 29, 2012)

DotCommunist said:


> My Family ffs



I used to accidentily watch this. And might have smerked once or twice.


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## zoooo (Jun 29, 2012)

I love 'Allo 'Allo. And Brush Strokes. And The Upper Hand.


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## tufty79 (Jun 29, 2012)

xenon said:


> 2 pints of lager.


i was at uni with the person responsible for that. sorry for not taking her out


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## discokermit (Jun 29, 2012)

DotCommunist said:


> Love Thy Nieghbour


the film was a stinging critique of racism on a class basis.


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## discokermit (Jun 29, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> I love Allo Allo.
> 
> Gimme Gimme Gimme


i liked allo allo.

i thought gimme gimme gimme was great too.


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## zoooo (Jun 29, 2012)

tufty79 said:


> i was at uni with the person responsible for that. sorry for not taking her out


'Cos she's rich as fuck?
I really like Two Pints. And Grownups which she also made. Silly and fun.

Ohhhh, you mean the other kind of taking her out. Nice!


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## smmudge (Jun 29, 2012)

That one on BBC3, Not Going Out or something. O lordy it is awful.


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## SpookyFrank (Jun 29, 2012)

Gavin and Stacey.

Lots of people don't like James Corden. I can't fault them on that. But that Matthew Horne bloke is even worse, he's like something that's been genetically engineered to be the least engaging thing it's possible to put on a TV screen.


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## Puddy_Tat (Jun 29, 2012)

I vaguely recall seeing something based round a black family in S London, some of whom worked as station staff on the underground. I can't remember what the heck it was called, but I found it kinda crap.  (ETA - bit of inspired googling came up with 'The Crouches')

"Oh Doctor Beeching" - someone came up with the idea of combining most of the cast of Hi-de-Hi with steam trains. If they had made any of it funny, it might have helped...

And most of 'On the Buses' was fairly


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## zoooo (Jun 29, 2012)

smmudge said:


> That one on BBC3, Not Going Out or something. O lordy it is awful.


Not Going Out's on BBC1.


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## zoooo (Jun 29, 2012)

I think the world could have coped without Big Top.


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## Orang Utan (Jun 29, 2012)

Oh yeah Gavin & Stacey - why on earth was it so popular? Was it the silly Welsh accents?


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## Frankie Jack (Jun 29, 2012)

tufty79 said:


> i was at uni with the person responsible for that. sorry for not taking her out


I liked two pints of crisps... *runs*


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## smmudge (Jun 29, 2012)

zoooo said:


> Not Going Out's on BBC1.


 
Oh bloody hell, then they must have promoted it!!


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## purenarcotic (Jun 29, 2012)

SpookyFrank said:


> Gavin and Stacey.
> 
> Lots of people don't like James Corden. I can't fault them on that. But that Matthew Horne bloke is even worse, he's like something that's been genetically engineered to be the least engaging thing it's possible to put on a TV screen.


 
I like Gavin and Stacey but that comment proper made me lol. 

I love Allo Allo, not a big fan of The Green Green Grass, Will and Grace, Not Going Out, there was some sitcom done recently with Nicholas Lyndhurst (not the piglet files or goodnight sweetheart) which was just horrendous, anything with fucking miranda hart.  Leave the slapstick to the geniuses.


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## Divisive Cotton (Jun 29, 2012)

the last few Only Fools and Horses specials should never have been made either. They were really awful


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## MrSki (Jun 29, 2012)

I use to be a fan of certain sitcoms that if you watched now would be embarrassing. Desmonds springs to mind. Good at the time but quickly dated. 

I used to watch Metal Mickey for fucks sake!

There is a difference fro shite sitcoms & ones that don't age well.


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## DotCommunist (Jun 29, 2012)

I never had much time for 'Open All Hours, since most of the comedy was just a humerous speech impediment which gets old well quick


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## Orang Utan (Jun 29, 2012)

Did anyone see Paris?


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## purenarcotic (Jun 29, 2012)

Doesn't ring a bell, no. 

Everybody Loves Raymond drives me mental. Urgh.


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## zoooo (Jun 29, 2012)

I LOVE Miranda.


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## tufty79 (Jun 29, 2012)

zoooo said:


> 'Cos she's rich as fuck?
> I really like Two Pints. And Grownups which she also made. Silly and fun.
> 
> Ohhhh, you mean the other kind of taking her out. Nice!


on reflection, that might have been a bit strong 
(sorry, my SOH's a bit skewed at the moment)


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## Divisive Cotton (Jun 29, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> Did anyone see Paris?


 
give us more info - where was it set?


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## zoooo (Jun 29, 2012)

purenarcotic said:


> there was some sitcom done recently with Nicholas Lyndhurst (not the piglet files or goodnight sweetheart)


After You've Gone.


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## purenarcotic (Jun 29, 2012)

zoooo said:


> After You've Gone.


 
That was it, cheers.  Fucking terrible.


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## Orang Utan (Jun 29, 2012)

Divisive Cotton said:


> give us more info - where was it set?



 it was Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews' first sitcom


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## felixthecat (Jun 29, 2012)

purenarcotic said:


> I like Gavin and Stacey but that comment proper made me lol.
> 
> I love Allo Allo, not a big fan of The Green Green Grass, Will and Grace, Not Going Out, there was some sitcom done recently with Nicholas Lyndhurst (not the piglet files or goodnight sweetheart) which was just horrendous, anything with fucking miranda hart. Leave the slapstick to the geniuses.


 
You and me will get on just fine

I'd like someone to wall Miranda Hart up in a soundproof room somewhere - she does my head in.


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## DotCommunist (Jun 29, 2012)

Divisive Cotton said:


> give us more info - where was it set?


 

Troy


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## purenarcotic (Jun 29, 2012)

felixthecat said:


> You and me will get on just fine
> 
> I'd like someone to wall Miranda Hart up in a soundproof room somewhere - she does my head in.


 
Yes fucking please.


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## Corax (Jun 29, 2012)

I give you...



> White Van Man is BBC Three’s latest comic endeavour. Starring Will Mellor, of Three Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps fame, he plays Ollie – you guessed it – a white van man. Rocket science, it ain’t.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## zoooo (Jun 29, 2012)

So, did he look like him?


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## Corax (Jun 29, 2012)

zoooo said:


> So, did he look like him?


No, and he had Downs!  It was _hilarious!_


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## Corax (Jun 29, 2012)

FFS.


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## elbows (Jun 29, 2012)

I would say this was legendarily bad, except I never even knew it existed until a year or two ago.



It does have its moments though,and plenty of 'oh shit - its him!'


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## Orang Utan (Jun 29, 2012)

All That Glitters, the sitcom starring Gary Glitter as a lollipop man outside a girls' school. He's a bit of a rascal. Like Fonz, but more sinister.


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## DaveCinzano (Jun 29, 2012)

So Haunt Me


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## mr steev (Jun 29, 2012)

Duty Free
Sorry
Birds of a Feather
Hi De fucking Hi


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## ViolentPanda (Jun 29, 2012)

xenon said:


> 2 pints of lager. - For 1.
> There were a lot of shit ones in the 80's. French Fields, The Upper Hand, that one with the older bloke and his younger teacher girlfirend.


 
May To December.


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## paolo (Jun 29, 2012)

Citizen66 said:


> Can we slag non sit com 'comedy' off too please?
> 
> Modern Toss. Only watched one episode (couldn't bare to watch more) and I didn't laugh once. Plus comedy which is supposed to be funny because someone says 'cock' grates on me.




I absolutely love Modern Toss, *especially* Space Argument


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## Citizen66 (Jun 29, 2012)

paolo said:


> I absolutely love Modern Toss, *especially* Space Argument


 
 

Why? 

It's terrible. Horses for courses I guess. enjoyed the animation but didn't really get the gags as there wasn't any. Guess it's a certain kind of mentality you need.


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## Artaxerxes (Jun 29, 2012)

Only Fools and Horses, always shit, always fucking repeated.

*runs away*


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## paolo (Jun 29, 2012)

White Van Man... Joel Fry, who plays Darren, drinks in Brixton.


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## Gingerman (Jun 29, 2012)

_Heil Honey I'm Home!_
_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heil_Honey_I'm_Home!_


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## Citizen66 (Jun 29, 2012)

Artaxerxes said:


> Only Fools and Horses, always shit, always fucking repeated.
> 
> *runs away*


 
It's pretty formulaic and relies heavily on catchphrase comedy. But it has had its moments. So only flogging dead horses after the 57th episode but not completely shit.


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## paolo (Jun 29, 2012)

Citizen66 said:


> Why?
> 
> It's terrible. Horses for courses I guess. enjoyed the animation but didn't really get the gags as there wasn't any. Guess it's a certain kind of mentality you need.



Trying to explain won't help, but here goes:

It's a juxtaposition gag. Apparently the root of the idea is what would happen if spacemen were like posties? Same banter, same cocking around, same language. (I've drunk in a few London posties pubs, and it's spot on in that respect).

Of course, whether that's funny or not is subjective.


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## Citizen66 (Jun 29, 2012)

paolo said:


> Trying to explain won't help, but here goes:
> 
> It's a juxtaposition gag. Apparently the root of the idea is what would happen if spacemen were like posties? Same banter, same cocking around, same language. (I've drunk in a few London posties pubs, and it's spot on in that respect).
> 
> Of course, whether that's funny or not is subjective.


 
See, the idea is good. It's just they fucked up the delivery. They should have developed the idea so that it was implicit that that's what it was I think. It's hard to pull stuff like that off in animation form as anything goes in animation so you're not really seeing the juxtaposition iyswim. Because I didn't. Dunno, maybe everyone else did?


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## paolo (Jun 29, 2012)

Citizen66 said:


> See, the idea is good. It's just they fucked up the delivery. They should have developed the idea so that it was implicit that that's what it was I think. It's hard to pull stuff like that off in animation form as anything goes in animation so you're not really seeing the juxtaposition iyswim. Because I didn't. Dunno, maybe everyone else did?



Judging by the responses when I've posted clips on Facebook, *some* people get it, and some it's clearly *whoosh*. My ex GF didn't find it funny in the slightest.


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## Divisive Cotton (Jun 29, 2012)

Artaxerxes said:


> Only Fools and Horses, always shit, always fucking repeated.
> 
> *runs away*


 
the early episodes from the 80s were classic comedy


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## Citizen66 (Jun 29, 2012)

paolo said:


> Judging by the responses when I've posted clips on Facebook, *some* people get it, and some it's clearly *whoosh*. My ex GF didn't find it funny in the slightest.


 
Anyway, I only posted that clip as it was one of the top ones on youtube. I pretty much hated that whole episode. I'm kinda against comedy that replaces actual crafted gags with sweary stuff as I think it assumes my mentality. Swearing is best left out of comedy I think. Or the odd word can work really well when placed perfectly against generally clean language. The exception of the rule was malcolm in The Thick of It as that was basically his character and other stuff was going on that was clever so it wasn't solely relying on it for the gags.


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## paolo (Jun 29, 2012)

Divisive Cotton said:


> the early episodes from the 80s were classic comedy



Now there's one I have *always* hated.


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## paolo (Jun 29, 2012)

Citizen66 said:


> Anyway, I only posted that clip as it was one of the top ones on youtube. I pretty much hated that whole episode. I'm kinda against comedy that replaces actual crafted gags with sweary stuff as I think it assumes my mentality. Swearing is best left out of comedy I think. Or the odd word can work really well when placed perfectly against generally clean language. The exception of the rule was malcolm in The Thick of It as that was basically his character and other stuff was going on that was clever so it wasn't solely relying on it for the gags.



Well, yes-ish. It's not the swearing that's the gag though. It's the characters as a whole. The line in that particular clip I find the funniest is "Tony did it". You're seeing it in a completely different way to me.


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## Citizen66 (Jun 29, 2012)

paolo said:


> Well, yes-ish. It's not the swearing that's the gag though. It's the characters as a whole. The line in that particular clip I find the funniest is "Tony did it". You're seeing it in a completely different way to me.


 
I guess because I couldn't see the gag the swearing was the only thing that stood out. And I ought to see the gag, I've been a blue collar worker all of my adult life. It sailed right over my head. I wonder if it's more how the middle class writers think that people in those kind of jobs act was why it sailed over my head? Dunno.


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## paolo (Jun 29, 2012)

As it happens I was just now pondering whether it's a gag that appeals more to a middle class mindset. Dunno.

But I don't think it's inaccurate - based on my experience of postie pubs. Plenty of characters like that on the lash from late afternoon.


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## Gingerman (Jun 29, 2012)

Bread was terrible unfunny aul shite


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## elbows (Jun 29, 2012)

Gingerman said:


> _Heil Honey I'm Home!_
> _http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heil_Honey_I'm_Home!_


 
Hoorah for youtube!



Completely unwatchable, I lasted less than a minute.

Although to be honest this seems very similar to 'Thats My Bush' in that its trying to take the piss out of awful US sitcoms of the past, rather than anything political.


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## DaveCinzano (Jun 29, 2012)

not-bono-ever said:


> brushfuckinstrokes


 


mr steev said:


> Sorry
> Birds of a Feather


 


ViolentPanda said:


> May To December.


 
I liked all of them. I mean, they were all very watchable.


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## 1927 (Jun 29, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> Oh yeah Gavin & Stacey - why on earth was it so popular? Was it the silly Welsh accents?


 
would have been better if the accents were actually appropriate to Barry where it was set!


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## The Octagon (Jun 29, 2012)

Excluding The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother, everything on E4 right now. 

2 Broke Girls especially.


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## Citizen66 (Jun 29, 2012)

paolo said:


> As it happens I was just now pondering whether it's a gag that appeals more to a middle class mindset. Dunno.
> 
> But I don't think it's inaccurate - based on my experience of postie pubs. Plenty of characters like that on the lash from late afternoon.


 
There probably is. I just didn't make that connection.


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## zoooo (Jun 29, 2012)

I like 2 Broke Girls, but hate How I Met Your Mother. (Big Bang is ace though, obviously.)


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## Citizen66 (Jun 29, 2012)

I probably missed the point on this one too, but I hated that Look Around You one. Again, it just seemed to rely on the fact it was a spoof to be funny with no cleverly scripted gags.


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## ViolentPanda (Jun 29, 2012)

DaveCinzano said:


> I liked all of them. I mean, they were all very watchable.


 
I liked Brush Strokes (for Elmo, mostly) and May to December, but Brids of a Feather always got on my tits.


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## DaveCinzano (Jun 29, 2012)

I liked that David Essex one where he's the lock keeper, so my judgement may be flawed.


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## DaveCinzano (Jun 29, 2012)

ViolentPanda said:


> I liked Brush Strokes (for Elmo, mostly) and May to December, but Brids of a Feather always got on my tits.



Elmo was a wonderful tragicomic character!


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## Johnny Canuck3 (Jun 29, 2012)

The Wire.


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## DaveCinzano (Jun 29, 2012)

Johnny Canuck3 said:


> The Wire.



That wasn't a sitcom, you big silly, it was a musical.


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## King Biscuit Time (Jun 29, 2012)

Surgical Spirit.


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## Corax (Jun 29, 2012)

Not technically a sit com, but I only got one laugh out of the whole of Bambi.


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## ViolentPanda (Jun 29, 2012)

DaveCinzano said:


> Elmo was a wonderful tragicomic character!


 
With his legendarily-odd cussword "chisel!".


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## ViolentPanda (Jun 29, 2012)

Corax said:


> Not technically a sit com, but I only got one laugh out of the whole of Bambi.


 
It was the bit where Bambi's mum got murderated, wasn't it?


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## Corax (Jun 29, 2012)

ViolentPanda said:


> It was the bit where Bambi's mum got murderated, wasn't it?


Stop it, stop it!..... can't.....breathe!......stop it!.......


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## zoooo (Jun 29, 2012)

King Biscuit Time said:


> Surgical Spirit.


I LOVED that!


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## Greebo (Jun 30, 2012)

zoooo said:


> I LOVED that!


So did I - didn't get to see much of it though as it often clashed with what I was doing.


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## GarfieldLeChat (Jun 30, 2012)

Terry and fucking June.


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## smmudge (Jun 30, 2012)

The Octagon said:


> Excluding The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother, everything on E4 right now.


 
Innit, two top class sitcoms. I didn't care for either that much when I first came across them but when I got into them I found they were both very funny, very clever.


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## DaveCinzano (Jun 30, 2012)

zoooo said:


> I LOVED that!


I bet you liked _Three Up Two Down_ as well


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## Wolveryeti (Jun 30, 2012)

Two pint of lager and a packet of crisps. Horrendously bad.


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## stuff_it (Jun 30, 2012)

Darling buds of bastard may - fucking utter shite.


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## Termite Man (Jun 30, 2012)

stuff_it said:


> Darling buds of bastard may - fucking utter shite.


was that a comedy


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## Mungy (Jun 30, 2012)

i watched 'allo 'allo with my little girl a few months ago. she loved it, though it was disturbing hearing her say "oh rene" whilst she was playing with her dolls/sylvanians/whatever else gets dragged into her playing. I did worry that she would start shouting "heil hitler" in the middle of Caernarfon when we went out shopping


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## zoooo (Jun 30, 2012)

DaveCinzano said:


> I bet you liked _Three Up Two Down_ as well


Hehe, I haven't seen it but I probably would.


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## xenon (Jun 30, 2012)

I don't say should never have been made but looking back, there was somethihing really cringey about Ever Decreasing Circles and the Good Life. I was a bit too young to get the fwar thing for whatshername and the other peple in it were irritating too.


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## wayward bob (Jun 30, 2012)

elbows said:


>




sorry but it's great  gonna find part 2 now


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## biggus dickus (Jun 30, 2012)

Worst british ones ever were Land of Hope and Gloria and that one where Ardlan o'hanlon was a superhero in a normal family

American ones often have this weird quality were even though they are utter shit you still see them all the time. Maybe it's just the programming is aimed at people like me to feel depressed lol. I think I've watched tons of episodes of Grace Under Fire and Everyone hates Raymond even though I can't stand the characters and they don't even have any jokes in them per se.


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## Corax (Jun 30, 2012)

wayward bob said:


> sorry but it's great  gonna find part 2 now


I'm already writing the pitches for "_Oh, Sama!"_ and _"Between Iraq and a Hard Place"_


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## Knotted (Jun 30, 2012)

wayward bob said:


> sorry but it's great  gonna find part 2 now


 
I enjoyed it too. Very poor taste, but pretty funny.


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## Corax (Jun 30, 2012)

> ​The show spoofed elements of 1950s and 1960s American sitcoms such as Leave It to Beaver and I Love Lucy, including the corny title, light (even vacuous) plots and dialogue, and unwarranted applause whenever a character appeared on screen.​


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## wayward bob (Jun 30, 2012)

this was my favourite bit 



> Only the pilot was ever screened, although eight episodes were planned and a number were recorded in which a story arc was about Adolf and Eva's attempt to kill the Goldensteins without the Goldensteins knowing it's Adolf and Eva.


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## Orang Utan (Jun 30, 2012)

The Brittas Empire


also, what was that shit one in which a bunch of girls, including some 90s lads mag dolly bird who wasn't Dani Behr, all live with an old lady?


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## Divisive Cotton (Jun 30, 2012)

I thought the Brittas Empire was alright really for mainstream BBC1 output


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## Orang Utan (Jun 30, 2012)

I despised it. Chris Barrie is too annoying


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## zoooo (Jun 30, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> also, what was that shit one in which a bunch of girls, including some 90s lads mag dolly bird who wasn't Dani Behr, all live with an old lady?


Babes In The Wood? But I think they lived with a man (from Brush Strokes) rather than an old lady.

I liked The Good Life, but only for Margot and Jerry. I never reallly liked Tom and Barbara - too smug and annoying.


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## Orang Utan (Jun 30, 2012)

Yeah, I think I was conflating Babes In The Wood with Girls On Top. Both execrable.


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## Orang Utan (Jun 30, 2012)

I still fancy Margot Leadbetter


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## stavros (Jun 30, 2012)

I was quite young when it was on, but was The Thin Blue Line a bit of a low point in Rowan Atkinson's career?


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## Nine Bob Note (Jun 30, 2012)

stavros said:


> I was quite young when it was on, but was The Thin Blue Line a bit of a low point in Rowan Atkinson's career?


 
Err, no, it was great. Might have to dig the DVD out actually, seeing as Casualty's been cancelled


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## DaveCinzano (Jun 30, 2012)

Nine Bob Note said:


> Err, no...



You took your time getting here!


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## kittyP (Jun 30, 2012)

I liked 'Allo Allo' when I was a kid. 
And I *loved* 'Bread'.  My friend called her gerbil Joey Boswell 

'Two pints of shit' makes me make this face  when I even just see the words on the iplayer. 
Hated 'Gavin and Stacey'. 
'Not going out' is cringeworthy. And I am surprised (and sickened) by the people that I know that like it.

Tbh, we don't really watch sitcoms, not that I can think of 

I hate the fact that I really liked 'Friends' but I did  
It was really well written.


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## zoooo (Jun 30, 2012)

Friends was great! A bit cheesy obviously, but it was genuinely funny.


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## stavros (Jun 30, 2012)

I thought it was shite, made worse by its omnipresence, and the Beeb's shambolic treatment of the far superior Seinfeld.


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## kittyP (Jun 30, 2012)

stavros said:


> I thought it was shite, made worse by its omnipresence, and the Beeb's shambolic treatment of the far superior Seinfeld.


 
Yeah that was really weird. 
They didn't even show it in the correct order sometimes did they?


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## free spirit (Jun 30, 2012)

The Octagon said:


> Excluding The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother, everything on E4 right now.
> 
> 2 Broke Girls especially.


but they have scrubs on as well


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## zoooo (Jun 30, 2012)

(Seinfeld is being reshown now on Sky Atlantic, in case anyone has that channel and hadn't noticed.)


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## Johnny Canuck3 (Jun 30, 2012)

DaveCinzano said:


> That wasn't a sitcom, you big silly, it was a musical.


 
I love it.


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## goldenecitrone (Jun 30, 2012)

Bottle Boys. Utter shite.


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## badseed (Jul 2, 2012)

Birds of a fucking feather.


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## Wolveryeti (Jul 2, 2012)

Phoenix Nights - the comic equivalent of being told you have inoperable metastatic cancer.


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## xenon (Jul 2, 2012)

zoooo said:


> (Seinfeld is being reshown now on Sky Atlantic, in case anyone has that channel and hadn't noticed.)




S'rubbish.


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## MrSki (Jul 2, 2012)

Wolveryeti said:


> Phoenix Nights - the comic equivalent of being told you have inoperable metastatic cancer.


I thought this but had to sit through the episode with the bouncy castle cock & came close to dying laughing. There are not many things make my stomach muscles still hurt two days later.


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## killer b (Jul 2, 2012)

phoenix nights was great. peter kay's previous comedy show (was it called 'the peter kay show'?) was brilliant too.


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## DaveCinzano (Jul 2, 2012)

killer b said:


> phoenix nights was great. peter kay's previous comedy show (was it called 'the peter kay show'?) was brilliant too.



_That Peter Kay Thing_


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## killer b (Jul 2, 2012)

that was it. the ice cream wars episode was hysterical.


----------



## DaveCinzano (Jul 2, 2012)

And the fire safety officer


----------



## MrSki (Jul 2, 2012)

MrSki said:


> I thought this but had to sit through the episode with the bouncy castle cock & came close to dying laughing. There are not many things make my stomach muscles still hurt two days later.


Well apart from a couple of kickings.


----------



## DotCommunist (Jul 2, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> I still fancy Margot Leadbetter


 
Over Felicity Kendals be-jeaned sparkly eyed smirking beauty? You wrong un. Margot would bollock you for elbows on the table. Barbera would let that slide.


----------



## albionism (Jul 2, 2012)

Relative Strangers, starring that bloke from Johnny Jarvis and Mathew Kelly.
Also, Me And My Girl, with Richard O'Sullivan and that girl who couldn't act.


----------



## albionism (Jul 2, 2012)

_Orrible, starring Johnny Vaughan. Why oh why?_


----------



## DotCommunist (Jul 2, 2012)

that never existed. I refuse to believe they commissioned a series with that dickhead as the lead.


----------



## DotCommunist (Jul 2, 2012)

starring jonny vaughn. Are their any words that can make my gorge rise quicker..fuck me


----------



## Greebo (Jul 2, 2012)

DotCommunist said:


> Over Felicity Kendals be-jeaned sparkly eyed smirking beauty? You wrong un. Margot would bollock you for elbows on the table. Barbera would let that slide.


Quite.  But that's the last time I play the tart for you.


----------



## DaveCinzano (Jul 2, 2012)

albionism said:


> _Orrible, starring Johnny Vaughan. Why oh why?_



I liked it.


----------



## DaveCinzano (Jul 2, 2012)

DotCommunist said:


> starring jonny vaughn.



So close!


----------



## DotCommunist (Jul 2, 2012)

David, the beauty of english as a language is that if I deigned to write an ungrammatical atrocity (well, take your pick) it is still perfectly understood despite the incorrectness of the form. Hence if I I said 'favour me one do'
A native speaker would pick up the meaning loud and clear. So let me try this one 'ball breaking grammar/spelling on stop beg matri dios'
yes?


----------



## danny la rouge (Jul 2, 2012)

I'm surprised to see people keep nominating Brush Strokes.  I had no idea it was a sitcom.  Were there even jokes?


----------



## danny la rouge (Jul 2, 2012)

zoooo said:


> I LOVE Miranda.


The sitcom?  Why?  I honestly can't see why anyone watches it, never mind why it wins awards.  Is it meant to be a parody of a shit 70s sitcom or something?


----------



## Greebo (Jul 2, 2012)

danny la rouge said:


> I'm surprised to see people keep nominating Brush Strokes. I had no idea it was a sitcom. Were there even jokes?


Yes.
"So, did you enjoy watching that Watership Down video?"
"Yeah, it was magic"
"It must have been, the video's broken."


----------



## danny la rouge (Jul 2, 2012)

Greebo said:


> Yes.
> "So, did you enjoy watching that Watership Down video?"
> "Yeah, it was magic"
> "It must have been, the video's broken."


OK, I nominate it too, then.


----------



## zoooo (Jul 2, 2012)

danny la rouge said:


> The sitcom? Why? I honestly can't see why anyone watches it, never mind why it wins awards. Is it meant to be a parody of a shit 70s sitcom or something?


It's not a parody or spoof, no. It's just an old fashioned, quite slapstick sitcom. I love it, as do millions of other people! Not everyone is going to find everything funny though, so don't lose sleep over it.


----------



## danny la rouge (Jul 2, 2012)

zoooo said:


> It's not a parody or spoof, no. It's just an old fashioned, quite slapstick sitcom. I love it, as do millions of other people! Not everyone is going to find everything funny though, so don't lose sleep over it.


No, it's fine.  People can like whatever they like.  My 12-year-old daughter likes Miranda.  I even bought her the DVD for Christmas.  I just have to leave the room whenever it's on.


----------



## The Octagon (Jul 2, 2012)

free spirit said:


> but they have scrubs on as well


 
I like Scrubs, but it outstayed it's welcome and did that sitcom thing of turning the lead character more and more ridiculously stupid (see also Joey in Friends).

It gets a pass because I'd walk through fire for Sarah Chalke


----------



## Santino (Jul 2, 2012)

DotCommunist said:


> Over Felicity Kendals be-jeaned sparkly eyed smirking beauty? You wrong un. Margot would bollock you for elbows on the table. Barbera would let that slide.


I bet Kendal would just lie there. Margot clearly went like a train.


----------



## DotCommunist (Jul 2, 2012)

Santino said:


> I bet Kendal would just lie there. Margot clearly went like a train.


 

Absolute fucking lies, You don't have that glint in your eye if you don't do something with it. I'd have done margot, but while thinking of barbera


----------



## albionism (Jul 2, 2012)

Hardware? did anyone mention Hardware starring Martin Freeman? Utter fucking mickey-piss.


----------



## Santino (Jul 2, 2012)

Potatoes


----------



## zoooo (Jul 2, 2012)

danny la rouge said:


> No, it's fine. People can like whatever they like. My 12-year-old daughter likes Miranda. I even bought her the DVD for Christmas. I just have to leave the room whenever it's on.


Ha. It does seem to be massively popular with young teenage girls.


----------



## Buddy Bradley (Jul 2, 2012)

So the outcome of this thread seems to be "Just about every sitcom has fans and you can't judge its quality just based on your own opinion" then?


----------



## SpookyFrank (Jul 2, 2012)

Seinfeld. It's far, far too pleased with itself which would be fine if the jokes didn't range from 'average' to 'not even a joke' and more than half the cast could act.


----------



## Idris2002 (Jul 2, 2012)

The Young Ones.

For a lot of people on here it must be the object of very nostalgic feelings, but looking at it today it doesn't really stand up at all.


----------



## biggus dickus (Jul 2, 2012)

SpookyFrank said:


> Seinfeld. It's far, far too pleased with itself which would be fine if the jokes didn't range from 'average' to 'not even a joke' and more than half the cast could act.


 
Seinfeld was great at the time. Watching it now it could have done without Seinfeld...


----------



## _angel_ (Jul 2, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> I love Allo Allo.
> 
> 
> Colin's Sandwich


I'd forgotten all about this!

The one I literally cannot bear to even look at is Some Mothers Do Av/Em. Then all the twee US ones as well. But for different reasons.


----------



## zoooo (Jul 2, 2012)

If Seinfeld had to lose a character I could do without Kramer.


----------



## kittyP (Jul 2, 2012)

DotCommunist said:
			
		

> Over Felicity Kendals be-jeaned sparkly eyed smirking beauty? You wrong un. Margot would bollock you for elbows on the table. Barbera would let that slide.



3-some?


----------



## Citizen66 (Jul 2, 2012)

DaveCinzano said:
			
		

> That Peter Kay Thing



No, that came after. 

E2a: apparently not.


----------



## kittyP (Jul 2, 2012)

zoooo said:
			
		

> If Seinfeld had to lose a character I could do without Kramer.



Nooooooo no no! 


No!


----------



## nino_savatte (Jul 2, 2012)

Curry & Chips


Terry & June


----------



## killer b (Jul 2, 2012)

6 pages with only a single passing reference to goodnight sweetheart. have you all just blotted it out?


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 2, 2012)

Never saw it - sounded shite


----------



## Stigmata (Jul 2, 2012)

That one with Davina McCall


----------



## kittyP (Jul 2, 2012)

Orang Utan said:
			
		

> Never saw it - sounded shite



This^^


----------



## danny la rouge (Jul 2, 2012)

SpookyFrank said:


> Seinfeld. It's far, far too pleased with itself which would be fine if the jokes didn't range from 'average' to 'not even a joke' and more than half the cast could act.


I thought it was shite.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 2, 2012)

Waiting for God


----------



## Badgers (Jul 2, 2012)

Two Pints of lager has to be the worst surely?


----------



## danny la rouge (Jul 2, 2012)

Badgers said:


> Two Pints of lager has to be the worst surely?


I don't think I ever saw any of that; it was on BBC3 before I had digital.  But there have been some real stinkers, so it'd have to be truly dire to be the worst ever.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 2, 2012)

Where do people stand regards Dear John?


----------



## Citizen66 (Jul 2, 2012)

I found Lab Rats to be particularly un amusing. Again, don't know if it developed into something amazing as I didn't get past the first episode. Hyperdrive the same.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 2, 2012)

Citizen66 said:
			
		

> I found Lab Rats to be particularly un amusing. Again, don't know if it developed into something amazing as I didn't get past the first episode. Hyperdrive the same.



I half liked Hyperdrive. It was hardly great but silly funny and some good bits.


----------



## DotCommunist (Jul 2, 2012)

nowI know this may cause some hackles to raise, but the latter run of Red Dwarf should never have been done. Ressurecting Kochanski was the start- the whole fucking point of liser is that he is an oblivious twat who can't work out why his mrs left and is more interested in scoffing down curry and winding up the anal Rimmer (applause). 

I pray to god the upcoming film does not piss upon the memory of a good early run any further


----------



## Citizen66 (Jul 2, 2012)

DotCommunist said:
			
		

> nowI know this may cause some hackles to raise, but the latter run of Red Dwarf should never have been done. Ressurecting Kochanski was the start- the whole fucking point of liser is that he is an oblivious twat who can't work out why his mrs left and is more interested in scoffing down curry and winding up the anal Rimmer (applause).
> 
> I pray to god the upcoming film does not piss upon the memory of a good early run any further



I think the last series or two used different writers.


----------



## danny la rouge (Jul 2, 2012)

Red Dwarf passed me by. I was given a video once, of series 4 or 5, I think, when in the early/mid 90s I told a mate I'd never seen it. I watched the video, but it didn't grab me. I never made an effort to catch any of the other series.  (Serieses?)


----------



## Meltingpot (Jul 2, 2012)

Here are two no one's mentioned so far;

"Yus My Dear" with Arthur Mullard and Mike Reid sucked big time - only Queenie Watts was any good in that. And "Mind Your Language" was truly terrible - Barry Evans looked like he was embarrassed to be in that (and he should have been).

I liked "Brush Strokes" ; it was laddish but with clear boundaries (for example, not taking advantage of people when they're drunk) and had a nice theme tune too, by Dexys. I never saw it as a comedy though. (What happened to Karl Howman?).

"Seinfeld" was always on too late for me but I liked the episodes I did see. I liked the fact it was an American show totally devoid of sentimentality; the characters weren't likeable nor meant to be.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 2, 2012)

It was good. I watched it late on and found it easy funny watching. 

Should have let it lie though


----------



## andy2002 (Jul 2, 2012)

Meltingpot said:


> And "Mind Your Language" was truly terrible - Robin Nedwell looked like he was embarrassed to be in that (and he should have been).


 
Wasn't 'Mind Your Language' Barry Evans rather than Robin Nedwell?


----------



## danny la rouge (Jul 2, 2012)

Sorry, with Ronnie Corbett.

Chance in a Million, with the beardie guy off Four Weddings.  Him.  Charles Dickens.


----------



## Meltingpot (Jul 2, 2012)

andy2002 said:


> Wasn't 'Mind Your Language' Barry Evans rather than Robin Nedwell?


 
You're right, I'll go back and edit it. Thanks.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 2, 2012)

Meltingpot said:
			
		

> (What happened to Karl Howman?)



He gets a fair bit of coverage in Viz magazine.


----------



## xenon (Jul 2, 2012)

biggus dickus said:


> Seinfeld was great at the time. Watching it now it could have done without Seinfeld...



Just wasn't funny IMO. My houstemate loved it. I got stoned with him one night and in that way you do in that frame of mind, really concentrated on watching it to annalize why it was funny. Found myself laughing at bits that weren't even meant to be jokes, as I think I was trying too hard.



danny la rouge said:


> I don't think I ever saw any of that; it was on BBC3 before I had digital.  But there have been some real stinkers, so it'd have to be truly dire to be the worst ever.



I'm sure it was on annalogue originally. I thought I'd seen it 10 years ago, long before Freeview. It was abismal anyway.



DotCommunist said:


> nowI know this may cause some hackles to raise, but the latter run of Red Dwarf should never have been done. Ressurecting Kochanski was the start- the whole fucking point of liser is that he is an oblivious twat who can't work out why his mrs left and is more interested in scoffing down curry and winding up the anal Rimmer (applause).
> 
> I pray to god the upcoming film does not piss upon the memory of a good early run any further



By no means were all the early episodes brilliant but, aGreed with the Kochanski point.



danny la rouge said:


> Sorry, with Ronnie Corbett.
> 
> I kinda liked that. Though I would have been about 12 at the time. I'm much less tollerant of mediocre comedy now.
> 
> ...


----------



## zoooo (Jul 2, 2012)

Badgers said:


> Where do people stand regards Dear John?


Love it. Have been rewatching it recently. Well, more watching it for the first time. All I remembered of it from childhood was the slightly odd theme tune.


----------



## Frances Lengel (Jul 2, 2012)




----------



## krtek a houby (Jul 2, 2012)

The Fitz. Owen O'Neill sitcom in the wake of Father Ted success. Owen is a fine stand up but this just tanked.


----------



## DaveCinzano (Jul 2, 2012)

Stigmata said:


> That one with Davina McCall


 
No, that one with Rhona Cameron


----------



## DaveCinzano (Jul 2, 2012)

Badgers said:


> I half liked Hyperdrive. It was hardly great but silly funny and some good bits.


 
It wasn't as good as _Galloping Galaxies_ though.


----------



## DaveCinzano (Jul 2, 2012)

Badgers said:


> Where do people stand regards Dear John?


 
It was great. Kirk was another genius tragicomic character


----------



## DaveCinzano (Jul 2, 2012)

Meltingpot said:


> (What happened to Karl Howman?).


 
A lengthy and successful career playing a primary school teacher in the Radio 4 drama series _King Street Junior_.


----------



## nino_savatte (Jul 2, 2012)

_White Van Man_ is truly shite.


----------



## billy_bob (Jul 3, 2012)

So Haunt Me - family moves into house haunted by Jewish mother. One Joke.

2.4 Children - family lives in house.  No jokes.

One Foot in the Grave - grindingly boring.


----------



## DaveCinzano (Jul 3, 2012)

billy_bob said:


> So Haunt Me - family moves into house haunted by Jewish mother. One Joke.


 
Check.

Tessa Peake-Jones, already you've taken _OFAH_ waterskiing through shark-infested waters, but now you have to drag George Costigan down with you as well? For shame!


----------



## Santino (Jul 3, 2012)

DotCommunist said:


> nowI know this may cause some hackles to raise, but the latter run of Red Dwarf should never have been done. Ressurecting Kochanski was the start- the whole fucking point of liser is that he is an oblivious twat who can't work out why his mrs left and is more interested in scoffing down curry and winding up the anal Rimmer (applause).
> 
> I pray to god the upcoming film does not piss upon the memory of a good early run any further


Yes, the essence of Red Dwarf, like lots of good sitcoms, was people sitting around wasting their lives. This was lost after a few series. The opening titles of series 1 and 2 reflected it best, sombre music playing while Lister was engaged on a pointless Sisyphean task, a powerless insect in an uncaring, godless universe.


----------



## seeformiles (Jul 3, 2012)

"May to December"

and "Roll Over Beethoven" with Nigel Planer and Liza Goddard - dire:



Must also register my utter hatred of "Only Fools and Horses" - comedy for simpletons

N.Ireland has made some utter shite which (luckily) never gets shown elsewhere:


----------



## ElizabethofYork (Jul 3, 2012)

George and sodding Mildred.


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 3, 2012)

Santino said:


> Yes, the essence of Red Dwarf, like lots of good sitcoms, was people sitting around wasting their lives. This was lost after a few series. The opening titles of series 1 and 2 reflected it best, sombre music playing while Lister was engaged on a pointless Sisyphean task, a powerless insect in an uncaring, godless universe.


Red Dwarf should never have been made. It wasn't funny and launched Craig Charles and Chris Barrie 'pon the world


----------



## Santino (Jul 3, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> Red Dwarf should never have been made. It wasn't funny and launched Craig Charles and Chris Barrie 'pon the world


But then... who would have presented Robot Wars?


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 3, 2012)

'SMOKE ME A KIPPER, I'LL BE BACK FOR BREAKFAST!' Hahahahahaha! 
'SMEGHEAD' - oh! my sides!


----------



## xenon (Jul 3, 2012)

Remember Weapons of Mass Distraction? That was kack.


----------



## DotCommunist (Jul 3, 2012)

Santino said:


> But then... who would have presented Robot Wars?


 

Slaphead from crystal maze would have been perfect, but he died

Craig Charles must surely be fucking minted by now. He gets ITV dolla for corrie, bbc dolla for his 6 music funk and soul show (and boogaloo. musn't forget the boogaloo. is a good show when hes not speaking mind, an education to funk for me) and Red Dwarf money as well- i imagine he has a cheque sent to him everytime they repeat that stuff on Dave. Should keep him in stone for the rest of his natural span.


----------



## DotCommunist (Jul 3, 2012)

incidently I used to have science lessons with krytens nephew.


----------



## wayward bob (Jul 3, 2012)

DotCommunist said:


> Slaphead from crystal maze would have been perfect, but he died


 
richard o'brien? he's not dead 

robert llewellyn (kryten) was awesome on scrapheap and would have been a million times better than craig charles for robot wars.


----------



## Santino (Jul 3, 2012)

DotCommunist said:


> Slaphead from crystal maze would have been perfect, but he died


Eh what?

Alive and well according to Wikipedia.


----------



## DotCommunist (Jul 3, 2012)

well what the fuck has he been doing then, I thought he'd died of cancer


----------



## krtek a houby (Jul 3, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> Red Dwarf should never have been made. It wasn't funny and launched Craig Charles and Chris Barrie 'pon the world


 Chris Barrie was already well known for his work on Spitting Image, mind


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 3, 2012)

DotCommunist said:


> Slaphead from crystal maze would have been perfect, but he died
> 
> Craig Charles must surely be fucking minted by now. He gets ITV dolla for corrie, bbc dolla for his 6 music funk and soul show (and boogaloo. musn't forget the boogaloo. is a good show when hes not speaking mind, an education to funk for me) and Red Dwarf money as well- i imagine he has a cheque sent to him everytime they repeat that stuff on Dave. Should keep him in stone for the rest of his natural span.


I imagine most of it went up the pipe


----------



## Orang Utan (Jul 3, 2012)

DotCommunist said:


> well what the fuck has he been doing then, I thought he'd died of cancer


Playing the child catcher on the London stage


----------



## Idris2002 (Jul 3, 2012)

DotCommunist said:


> incidently I used to have science lessons with krytens nephew.


 
Quite the social butterfly, aren't you?


----------



## Santino (Jul 3, 2012)

DotCommunist said:


> incidently I used to have science lessons with krytens nephew.


Would he also have taught science to... Doctor Who?


----------



## DotCommunist (Jul 3, 2012)

Santino said:


> Would he also have taught science to... Doctor Who?


 

Mr Taylor? entirely possible- clarification, krtens nephew was a fellow pupil not the teach.  It was clearly a hotbed of nascent sci fi talent and I am bitter about not getting a fucking sniff of work on any long-running science fiction program.


----------



## seeformiles (Jul 3, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> 'SMOKE ME A KIPPER, I'LL BE BACK FOR BREAKFAST!' Hahahahahaha!
> 'SMEGHEAD' - oh! my sides!


 
To be fair it was just kept going long after its sell-by date - also because catchphrases from sitcoms repeated ad nauseum by simpletons makes you hate the original*

*obviously this doesn't include those fucking meerkat ads which are witless to begin with.


----------



## zoooo (Jul 3, 2012)

Most of Red Dwarf was fucking fantastic.


----------



## pogofish (Jul 3, 2012)

nino_savatte said:


> Curry & Chips
> 
> 
> Terry & June




Curry and Chips must be the winner - It is the first "comedy" show I remember watching and even at that early age it was utter shite - And IIRC it got pulled after a few shows because even for the unreconstructed early 70s, it was racist shite.

And yes, I think I remember another one - Oh no its Selwin Froggit, or sutchlike.  Again, complete shite from beginning to end.  Arthur Mullard starred?


----------



## nino_savatte (Jul 3, 2012)

pogofish said:


> Curry and Chips must be the winner - It is the first "comedy" show I remember watching and even at that early age it was utter shite - And IIRC it got pulled after a few shows because even for the unreconstructed early 70s, it was racist shite.
> 
> And yes, I think I remember another one - Oh no its Selwin Froggit, or sutchlike. Again, complete shite from beginning to end. Arthur Mullard starred?


 
_Curry & Chips_ was pulled after a couple of episodes. I recently showed a clip of it to some of my students and they were horrified!

_Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggit_ starred Bill Maynard, who once stood against Tony Benn in Chesterfield and lost. Arthur Mullard was in _Yus, My Dear_. Fucking awful it was too.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 3, 2012)

Oddly I had never heard of Curry & Chips. Seems like a good thing.


----------



## nino_savatte (Jul 3, 2012)

Don't worry, in years to come no one will have heard of _White Van Man_ either.


----------



## fen_boy (Jul 3, 2012)

Goodnight sweetheart
Duty free
The one with the that with the hair and the woman with stripy leggings on a roundabout at the beginning.


----------



## discokermit (Jul 3, 2012)

comrade dad.


----------



## DaveCinzano (Jul 3, 2012)

nino_savatte said:


> Don't worry, in years to come no one will have heard of _White Van Man_ either.


 
You underestimate the programmers at Dave.


----------



## DotCommunist (Jul 3, 2012)

danny la rouge said:


> Red Dwarf passed me by. I was given a video once, of series 4 or 5, I think, when in the early/mid 90s I told a mate I'd never seen it. I watched the video, but it didn't grab me. I never made an effort to catch any of the other series. (Serieses?)


 
series.

there was never going to be love in your heart for red dwarf, its not your bag. man. for what it is it was very good at the time. the books are pretty funny too (listen to yourself jay )


----------



## nino_savatte (Jul 4, 2012)

DaveCinzano said:


> You underestimate the programmers at Dave.


True.


----------



## Termite Man (Jul 4, 2012)

These are ones that I remember watching when I was a kid, which I really don't want to see again because I know they were probably shit but I don't want the memory ruined

Sorry
Dear John
Brush Strokes


----------



## DaveCinzano (Jul 4, 2012)

Wrong
Wrong and
Wrong.

All will withstand the test of reviewing. HTH!


----------



## zoooo (Jul 4, 2012)

Dear John really still is good, promise!
And I got Brush Strokes on DVD recently, but haven't watched yet. Fingers crossed...


----------



## ViolentPanda (Jul 4, 2012)

DotCommunist said:


> Absolute fucking lies, You don't have that glint in your eye if you don't do something with it. I'd have done margot, but while thinking of barbera


 
And just to get you even more turned on, you can bet Barbara would be occasionally thinking of Margot too!


----------



## Balbi (Jul 4, 2012)

Curry and Chips gets mentioned as Sykes passes away


----------



## ViolentPanda (Jul 4, 2012)

Badgers said:


> Waiting for God


 
Nah, bits of that were hilarious, usually when Stephanie Cole and Graham Crowden were fucking over the manager of the "retirement complex".


----------



## paolo (Jul 4, 2012)

ViolentPanda said:


> And just to get you even more turned on, you can bet Barbara would be occasionally thinking of Margot too!


 
Other way round.


----------



## Balbi (Jul 4, 2012)

ViolentPanda said:


> Nah, bits of that were hilarious, usually when Stephanie Cole and Graham Crowden were fucking over the manager of the "retirement complex".


 
Waiting for God was great. Steph Cole's immense 

Quick wiki shows me she's still going, and was only 49 when Waiting for God started


----------



## ViolentPanda (Jul 4, 2012)

Meltingpot said:


> Here are two no one's mentioned so far;
> 
> "Yus My Dear" with Arthur Mullard and Mike Reid sucked big time - only Queenie Watts was any good in that. And "Mind Your Language" was truly terrible - Barry Evans looked like he was embarrassed to be in that (and he should have been).
> 
> ...


 
Karl Howman last spotted a couple of years back doing a Radio 4 comedy about a reforming con-man doing community work.


----------



## ViolentPanda (Jul 4, 2012)

Balbi said:


> Waiting for God was great. Steph Cole's immense


 
It got a bit samey, what with them always putting the boot into Harvey, but some of the episodes were hilarious, usually the ones where Cole and Crowden had long scenes together.


----------



## ViolentPanda (Jul 4, 2012)

paolo said:


> Other way round.


 
Could be. After all, margot did go to an all-gels boarding school.


----------



## ViolentPanda (Jul 4, 2012)

DotCommunist said:


> nowI know this may cause some hackles to raise, but the latter run of Red Dwarf should never have been done. Ressurecting Kochanski was the start- the whole fucking point of liser is that he is an oblivious twat who can't work out why his mrs left and is more interested in scoffing down curry and winding up the anal Rimmer (applause).
> 
> I pray to god the upcoming film does not piss upon the memory of a good early run any further


 
They also fucked up replacing Claire Grogan with Chloe Annette as Kochanski.


----------



## Balbi (Jul 4, 2012)

Too many summers with my grandparents - I was brought up on 60's, 70's and early 80's sitcoms. Explains a lot about my sense of humour really


----------



## King Biscuit Time (Jul 4, 2012)

I recently watched the first series of 'Shelly' on DVD which I found surprisingly charming.

I think the later series (which are the ones I can just about remember watching when they first went out - late 80s) probably went downhill a bit though - Anyone re-watched these lately?


----------



## DaveCinzano (Jul 4, 2012)

ViolentPanda said:


> Karl Howman last spotted a couple of years back doing a Radio 4 comedy about a reforming con-man doing community work.


 
Ooh, I'd forgotten about _Coming Alive_ after _King Street Junior_. Another decent radio series.


----------



## Balbi (Jul 4, 2012)

ViolentPanda said:


> It got a bit samey, what with them always putting the boot into Harvey, but some of the episodes were hilarious, usually the ones where Cole and Crowden had long scenes together.


 
The fact Harvey looks like a proto-Blair, and acts similarly is a source of amusement for me. Visionary


----------



## DaveCinzano (Jul 4, 2012)

ViolentPanda said:


> Nah, bits of that were hilarious, usually when Stephanie Cole and Graham Crowden were fucking over the manager of the "retirement complex".


 
Funny you should mention Harvey - today I was just looking for films about the 1956 Hungarian uprising and instead turned up some crappy looking telemovie about Warsaw 1943, featuring not only Chief Wiggum, Bill from _True Blood_, Donald motherfucking Sutherland and, umm, Sadie Frost(!), but also Daniel Hill...


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## ViolentPanda (Jul 4, 2012)

DaveCinzano said:


> Ooh, I'd forgotten about _Coming Alive_ after _King Street Junior_. Another decent radio series.


 
Ah, that's what it was called! Couldn't remember!
That was a brilliant exit from _King Street_ he did, too. The script-writers really got that right. Just the right mix of anger and pathos.


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## ViolentPanda (Jul 4, 2012)

Balbi said:


> The fact Harvey looks like a proto-Blair, and acts similarly is a source of amusement for me. Visionary


 
If only Janine Duvitsky's character hadn't been quite so wet, it'd almost have been a full-on Tony 'n' Cherie.


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## ViolentPanda (Jul 4, 2012)

DaveCinzano said:


> Funny you should mention Harvey - today I was just looking for films about the 1956 Hungarian uprising and instead turned up some crappy looking telemovie about Warsaw 1943, featuring not only Chief Wiggum, Bill from _True Blood_, Donald motherfucking Sutherland and, umm, Sadie Frost(!), but also Daniel Hill...


 
I always thought he'd do good in serious roles, if only he could lose that slight whine in his voice that he had even when he was in "No Place Like Home".


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## nino_savatte (Jul 4, 2012)

For those of you who have never seen it, here's the opening of an episode of _Yus, My Dear_. I forgot Mike 'Frank Butcher' Reid was in it as Mullard and Queenie Watts' son. Some things are best left forgotten...



Selwyn Froggit, whose catchphrase was "magic".


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## DaveCinzano (Jul 4, 2012)

Ooh, it's Mr "I gave you my fucking soup!" Dean from Scum in that ONISF clip


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## october_lost (Jul 4, 2012)

Don't understand the hatred for 'two pints of larger...' the show is meant to be a harmless.

Surprised no on has mentioned keeping up appearances which was horrible and men behaving badly has aged very, er badly.


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## DotCommunist (Jul 4, 2012)

DaveCinzano said:


> Ooh, it's Mr "I gave you my fucking soup!" Dean from Scum in that ONISF clip


coffee. 'I give you my fucking coffee and you rip the piss? name and number'


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## DaveCinzano (Jul 4, 2012)

Pwned by the Marquess of Misquotation himself, oh for shame!


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## kittyP (Jul 4, 2012)

billy_bob said:


> So Haunt Me - family moves into house haunted by Jewish mother. One Joke.


 
I hate you. 
I have never heard of it before but now I am watching it on fucking you-tube.


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## Spanky Longhorn (Jul 4, 2012)

I can't find it on youtube but I'm sure I remember a sitcom called the guvnor where he runs a garage or something, drives a white rover with loads of parking tickets in the window?

Also a really shit one about a bloke on the dole who responds to Norman Tebbit's instruction to get on his bike by getting a rolls royce??

could be imagining both but reckon DaveCinzano might know 'em.


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## DaveCinzano (Jul 4, 2012)

I'm drawing a blank on both those, sorry.


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## Orang Utan (Jul 4, 2012)

First one sounds like The Gaffer, with Bill Maynard. He's always having a barney with union men.


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## DotCommunist (Jul 4, 2012)

DaveCinzano said:


> Pwned by the *Marquess* of Misquotation himself, oh for shame!


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## DaveCinzano (Jul 4, 2012)

Count de Spoonerism? The Archduke of Hazards? The Earl of Errors?


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## xenon (Jul 4, 2012)

october_lost said:


> Don't understand the hatred for 'two pints of larger...' the show is meant to be a harmless.
> 
> Surprised no on has mentioned keeping up appearances which was horrible and men behaving badly has aged very, er badly.



It was just lowest common denominator stupid OTT rubbish.

I never watched a whole episode of Keeping UP Appearances, it was just not my thing.

Men Behaving Badly was OK back then. But I was about 14 at the time.

Anyone mentioned Vicker of Dibly yet? Again, I never saw a whole episode but it's always used as an example of mediocre sitcoms by wannabe hip comediens.


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## zoooo (Jul 4, 2012)

Aw, I love the Vicar of Dibley. Nice cosy viewing, and actually very funny.


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## Spanky Longhorn (Jul 4, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> First one sounds like The Gaffer, with Bill Maynard. He's always having a barney with union men.


 
Spot on that was it!



Great credits shit show


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## DaveCinzano (Jul 4, 2012)

Orang Utan said:


> First one sounds like The Gaffer, with Bill Maynard. He's always having a barney with union men.


 
Dammit, I remember that'un from a late 80s/early 90s rerun!


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## Spanky Longhorn (Jul 4, 2012)

Crazy Like a Fox - the Dial M for Murder of the early eighties


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## kittyP (Jul 4, 2012)

I am not going to pretend it's not shit but I liked/like the vicar of dibly


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## Spanky Longhorn (Jul 4, 2012)

Which brings us to...



Which I remember being ace but suspect wasn't.


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## DaveCinzano (Jul 4, 2012)

Spanky Longhorn said:


> Crazy Like a Fox - the Dial M for Murder of the early eighties




_Diagnosis Murder_ shurely?


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## DaveCinzano (Jul 4, 2012)

Spanky Longhorn said:


> Which brings us to...
> 
> 
> 
> Which I remember being ace but suspect wasn't.




Raschist


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## xenon (Jul 4, 2012)

Anyone remember this? Not saying it was shit, the only bit I can remember I thought was hilarious at the time. Something called Help IIRC, with Craig Charles. Was about some unemployed scoucer mates. one scene had the James Bond theme playing as they dramatically walked down the street eating Mars bars.


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## Spanky Longhorn (Jul 5, 2012)

DaveCinzano said:


> _Diagnosis Murder_ shurely?


  of course, I was tired


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## Meltingpot (Jul 5, 2012)

ElizabethofYork said:


> George and sodding Mildred.


 
No I didn't get that one either. I think it appealed (and was meant to appeal) to a particular demographic.


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## Meltingpot (Jul 5, 2012)

_angel_ said:


> *The one I literally cannot bear to even look at is Some Mothers Do Av/Em. *Then all the twee US ones as well. But for different reasons.


 
"Ooohhh Bettyyyy..."

That one really divided people, I agree. I had a classmate at school who hated it and said it used to embarrass him.

That having been said, the stunts were great as was the dialogue although Michael Crawford clearly made sure he got all (or most of) the good lines.

He wasn't pleasant to work with apparently - I was once told he used to give all his costars in that show marks out of 10 for their performances each week,.


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## Meltingpot (Jul 5, 2012)

ViolentPanda said:


> Karl Howman last spotted a couple of years back doing a Radio 4 comedy about a reforming con-man doing community work.


 
Thanks for the info (and DaveCinzano too).


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## Meltingpot (Jul 5, 2012)

october_lost said:


> Don't understand the hatred for 'two pints of larger...' the show is meant to be a harmless.
> 
> Surprised no on has mentioned keeping up appearances which was horrible and men behaving badly has aged very, er badly.


 
I never liked it to start with. What was the joke in it? Ab Fab was good IMO because Jennifer Saunders had the brilliant idea of inverting the expected adult-teenager roles and making Edina and Patsy shallow, silly and irresponsible and Saffy sober and sensible, but Men Behaving Badly didn't really seem to have any point to it at all.


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## golightly (Jul 5, 2012)

DotCommunist said:


> Slaphead from crystal maze would have been perfect, but he died.


 
I saw said slaphead, Richard O'brien, in a frock the other day.  I didn't look dead to me.


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## ElizabethofYork (Jul 5, 2012)

Meltingpot said:


> I never liked it to start with. What was the joke in it? Ab Fab was good IMO because Jennifer Saunders had the brilliant idea of inverting the expected adult-teenager roles and making Edina and Patsy shallow, silly and irresponsible and Saffy sober and sensible, but Men Behaving Badly didn't really seem to have any point to it at all.


 
I liked (and still do!) Men Behaving Badly.  Never really got Ab Fab.

SitComs that I liked years ago and still watch and enjoy include Bottom and The Young Ones.


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## gosub (Jul 5, 2012)

Bread.&anything with Reg Varney in it. Last of the summer wine.


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## ElizabethofYork (Jul 5, 2012)

Keeping up Appearances - utter bilge.


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## golightly (Jul 5, 2012)

It's starting to look like most sitcoms should never have been made.

Does anyone recall Comrade Dad?  I remember seeing one episode and found it so dull I never saw any more.  It may have improved but I wasn't convinced.


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## Badgers (Jul 5, 2012)

gosub said:
			
		

> Last of the summer wine.



First mention of LOTSW in the thread I think. Surprised it did not come sooner. I let it pass as my dad liked it.


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## ViolentPanda (Jul 5, 2012)

billy_bob said:


> So Haunt Me - family moves into house haunted by Jewish mother. One Joke.


 
Had a fucking excellent cast, too. Miriam Karlin and George Costigan. If it'd been scheduled a bit later they could have opened the story up and actually *done* something with the comic talent in their cast.



> 2.4 Children - family lives in house. No jokes.


 
Not quite true, There were at least 2 running jokes, one about the dad's rival plumber, "Klinger the Klingon", and one about the insatiable sluttishness of Rhona the neighbour.


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## Gerry1time (Jul 5, 2012)

Badgers said:


> First mention of LOTSW in the thread I think. Surprised it did not come sooner. I let it pass as my dad liked it.


 
I've been watching re-runs of it on UK Gold or some such, and actually the first few series were really very good indeed, almost like half hour long plays, with proper acting and so forth.

By the time it came to an end though, with Russ Abbot as 'a former milkman with ties to MI5' and Bert Kwouk, the only comedic thing about it was that the cast and crew bothered to turn up to film it in the first place.


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## ViolentPanda (Jul 5, 2012)

fen_boy said:


> Goodnight sweetheart
> Duty free
> The one with the that with the hair and the woman with stripy leggings on a roundabout at the beginning.


 
Watching.


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## fen_boy (Jul 5, 2012)

That's the one.


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## zoooo (Jul 5, 2012)

Ah, I thought that when you asked, and actually went and watched the intro to Watching on YouTube, but didn't see a roundabout. Must have changed the intro each series I suppose.
I remember liking that show, but I was pretty young. (I do bloody love Liza Tarbuck, though.)


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## mr steev (Jul 5, 2012)

golightly said:


> It's starting to look like most sitcoms should never have been made.


 
Comedy is a very subjective thing though. On top of that, sitcoms are usually targeted at a specific demograph. Many don't age very well either as they were written for their time.


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## Spanky Longhorn (Jul 5, 2012)

zoooo said:


> Ah, I thought that when you asked, and actually went and watched the intro to Watching on YouTube, but didn't see a roundabout. Must have changed the intro each series I suppose.
> I remember liking that show, but I was pretty young. (I do bloody love Liza Tarbuck, though.)


 
Watching was alright thanks to Ms Tarbuck who I've always fancied to be fair


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## DJ Squelch (Jul 6, 2012)

The one about an Irish priest, his young curate, their house keeper and some old bloke who's always drunk, I can't remember it's name.


ahh yes here we go, Bless Me Father


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