Alternative Comedies

davecov · 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)

So, what are yours?

Dave

David Doherty

1. Allo Allo
2. Are You Being Served?
3. Up Pompeii (missus!)
4. Porridge
5. Red Dwarf

I could go on and on and on....... Exclamation

davecov

I could also go on and on! Laughing

Interesting to see Porridge features in both of our lists though.

Dave

David Doherty

The genius of Ronnie B.

The List Should Read:

1. Porridge
2. Open All Hours
3. The Two Ronnies
4. Going Straight
5. Porridge

Porridge twice because it was REALLY good! Laughing

wonder_will

My top 5 are in the following order:

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.

davecov

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!

Dave

lemonski

1. Dad's Army

Still the favourite, by a long way.

2. Man About The House

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?

iq

OK then, here goes.

Hi De Hi

Spaced

Open Doors

Father Ted

One Foot in The Grave

Black Adder

All in no particlular order

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.....

yeapb

I think I'd go for The Cosby Show and MASH. I don't do much watching these days so that's all I have!

davecov

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.

Dave

fluff75

but surely you like Howard's girl friend, don' t you?
Ron

davecov

Sorry Ron, she's too old for a youngster like me! Wink

Dave

yeapb

Hear, hear!

fluff75

David Doherty

I dont know, in a certain light........

jo

1. Dads Army
Not necessarily as smooth, clever or perfectly edited as modern comedies - but still retained a magic that has never been recreated in anything I've ever seen. I could wax lyrical all day and all night, only I'm busy spending all my spare time making a video compilation for YouTube. I could watch Arthur Lowe and Frank Williams for ever, I wish the BBC would release more of his stuff for critters like me who weren't alive in his lifetime. Sitting on their old tapes like dragon's on a pile of gold... ooo, it makes my blood boil...

2. Family Guy (does this count?)
About as far away from dads army as is possible - but sometimes it's funny to laugh at toilet humour... or am I simply too immature? I hope I don't stir up a can of worms and get thrown off the site.

3. Blackadder
Anything with Rowan Atkinson or Stephen Fry is usually good. Brilliant scripts, simply done - those two can get so much out of a single word... reminds me of a few other actors I could mention.

4. Porridge
I put this in simply as I love Ronnie Barker, but I've never managed to put the hours in to become 'obsessed'.

5. Father Ted
Used to hate - now I love. Irreverent priests have always tickled me, and the more stupid and corrupt the better. I even find the tea-lady funny - quite a controversial topic in my house.

6. Peep Show
Mitchell & Webb before they started doing adverts. So simple but effective. The idea of voicing people's thoughts outloud on TV I don't think has ever been done and it's such a neat trick with hilarious results.

7. Allo Allo
Haven't seen many - but silly accents just kill me - and all the better if they're German. It doesn't take much to please me (as you can tell), but I could watch the Germans for ever.

8. Black Books
Bill Bailey is a highly talented comic genius, and although this programme seemed on a limited scale, the script-writing was brilliant combined with some excellent physical humour placed carefully. Confined comedies work the best sometimes.

As you can see, I've never been on a comedy forum and I'm letting off a little steam. I'm sure I'll calm down in the near future.
I welcome comment - what fun this is, ho ho...

David Doherty

keep it up potaketl !!!

blakey · Re: Alternative Comedies

Dave Homewood

Dad's Army will always be my favourite TV comedy, closely followed by The Simpsons.

I'm a big fan of British comedy and don't think I could narrow down a ranked list of five, but the others I most enjoy watching include in no particular order:

It Ain't Half Hot Mum
You Rang M'Lord
First of the Summer Wine
Open All Hours
Only Fools and Horses
One Foot in the Grave
Last of the Summer Wine (till Foggy left anyway)
Porridge
Red Dwarf
Blackadder
Yes Minister / Yes Prime Minister
Fawlty Towers

There are plenty others I like too like Father Ted, Ripping Yarns, Black Books, etc but those on the list above are those I have to watch whenever they're on.

Alternative Comedies

Re: Alternative Comedies