Posted: Sat 04 Nov 2006 14:32 pm Post subject: Alternative Comedies
Not quite as the title suggests.
We know Will likes Steptoe and Son as much as Dad's Army, but what are your alternative favourites to Dad's Army? My favourite comedy is On The Buses. Dad's Army doesn't even figure in the top five nowadays.
My top five "alternative" comedies are:
1. On The Buses
2. The Likely Lads/Whatever Happened to
3. Rising Damp
4. Porridge
5. The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
(Dad's Army)
1. Steptoe & Son
2. Dad's Army
3. The Office
4. Royle Family
5. The Young Ones
Dave - I remember when we first met you said that Only Fools & Horses was your all-time fave. Interesting to see it's not in your top 5 now. What's Del Boy done to upset you? Personally, the moment they became rich ruined the entire point of that programme for me. The beauty of the pathos in that show and the whole "this time next year" thing was that we all know they'll never do it, that's what made it so good. But no they ruin it and have Del Boy and Rodney sitting on thrones etc. Madness! Anyway that's my rant over.
Dave, I do agree though On The Buses is fantastic - the films are exceptional i think. Arthur is also one of my favourite comedy characters of all time. Period.
I agree with you Will. OFAH went down hill with them becoming millionaires. Even worse was the decision to carry on afterwards. I still watch the first four series regularly but don't like the later ones enough to watch them at all.
Sad really. Just shows what happens when you don't finish at the top!
UKTV ran all (3?) series back to back one weekend, I'd forgotten that it was actually pretty good. We ended up watching it all the way through to the end. There was enough of George & Mildred to make it hilarious, wheras their spinoff used to drive me bonkers. I couldn't stand that dreadful Mr. Formyle and his even more irritating kid.
3. The Two Ronnies
They're still running it Thursday nights here, some wonderful sketches (if you can ignore the 70's music and the boring musical numbers at the end). They had the squash sketch the other night, where Ronnie C is the club squash pro who gets absolutely thrashed by Ronnie B the rank amateur - "Thursday? No can do old man. I'm meeting some chaps called Willis and Botham at Lords to play something called cracket"
4. Are You Being Served?
Predictable but still fun. Got pretty weak towards the end, never mind the terrible reunion series with about 3 of them left.
5. One Foot in the Grave
Hardly ever on TV here though.
I used to like "Spring & Autumn" with Jimmy Jewel (going back a few years now), anyone remember that one?
I always notice that very few ITV comedies feature anywhere, apart from Rising Damp. I know that we have the occasional On The Buses, Bless This House etc, but can anyone name a current ITV comedy that isn't a reality / make over / cookery / quiz programme?
Saying that, I've just realised that the BBC don't have that much to shout about at the moment!
There is a web site that lists all the programmes that have been piloted and shown to an audience. Some don't even get as far as that, some don't even get broadcast, and reading the synopsis on each I'm not surprised (Eg 'Flushed' - a sitcom based in a public lavatory, the attendant being the main character and stories based around his 'customers').
They'll be doing one based in a prison next - oh, hang on..... _________________ We're all dead, but alive for a very short time...
I must say that since I made the original post, Last of the Summer Wine has crept into my list of favourites. I only mean the early few series when it concentrated on the men. I have to say that the later ones which feature the women a great deal do not do much for me... perhaps it should have been renamed "Last of the Summer Whine". Sorry to sound sexist but I am not sexist at all, I just don't find the later programmes as funny with the women.
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