New Irish Sit-com on RTE TWO?????

Tim Robbins

AngelinaJolie wrote: »

ok you've made some fair points; some which I accept ('the reality of commercial TV), some which I don't ('When have you ever seem something like this on RTE? Trouble in Paradise, The Cassidys, Extra Extra spring to mind straight off.')

I will admit that The Roaring Twenties is a bit rough around the edges ( and yes you're right, I am connected with the show) but I don't think you (or anyone, for that matter) should throw the baby out with the bathwater.
I am actually offended that you are comparing The Roaring Twenties with the aforementioned sit-coms because, believe you me, when this sit-com was conceived, it was not with those previous efforts in mind. In fact, (and with all due respect to the writers) it was as far away as possible from those efforts.
If you are comparing it with classics (like, for example, Monty Python) well, yes, it needs its fair degree of polishing; but The English Class? Extra, Extra, The Cassidys? Why, why are you comparing it to these shows? I am guessing that you are old enough to remember, but young enough to actually not remember the details of the latter? I know for a fact the writer tried to get a copy of The Cassidys on DVD (but failed) so as not to repeat the same mistakes.
I would suggest that, instead of being negative, that, maybe, just maybe, you respond with positive suggestions on how to make the show better - even though it may have the horrible warm, fuzzy feeling of a Dr. Phil show or something ya just might see on Friends or Everyone loves Raymond. It's hard at first to do it, but then you'll see, gee whizz, just how great it is, to be, gosh darn it, really nice -ish.....
PS: I am sounding like that guy out of Scrubs.... see how pervasive sit-coms actually are!

At least this program does not patronize immigrants like that smug offering where an entire RTE camera crew go to Cuba or whereever to offer a service which is free on youtube.

Wossack

I enjoyed it, fair fecks to both you and Ray, Stubbs. Wish you all the best with it

definately see potiental in there

Miguel_Sanchez

Only watched a bit of it last night as I was busy but it didn't really do anything for me.

Noticed on IMDB that Ray Sullivan edited it as well as wrote it. That's an extremely bad idea - a writer should not edit his own show, you get way too attached to lines, bits etc. and can leave them in to the detriment of the show. I can't believe that the producer let that happen no matter what sort of budget you were working with.

Wertz

Deiselad22 wrote: »

God – there are all sorts of accusations flying around now.

To clear up a couple of things, I signed up last night because I used to have a username and password, forgot password, couldn’t remember the email address I had signed up with, etc etc, and I thought it easier to sign up with a username and password that I would remember. Is there a rule on here that your first 100 posts have to be complimentary or else you’re open to suspicion?

I have no links to comedy shows on RTE or otherwise, no axe to grind.
And to be fair, all of my posts have been fair criticism. I don’t claim to know the secret to what makes great comedy, but I do know bad stuff when I see it – and I am firmly entitled to give an opinion as a viewer and a licence fee payer.

I will repeat what I said – there is a market and a timeslot for this. 10.55 Monday straight after the Panel is not it. I would rather see RTE develop a Channel 4-type comedy lab series for pilots, maybe at the weekends.

Fair enough, I'm just overly suspicious of new users with strong opinions on things. Shilling is not an unusual occurence on forums.
We're all entitled to our opinion and as a license payer myself I would have far more of an axe to grind with huge salaries for a handful of incumbent RTÉ presenters, than I would with a relatively small sum being handed over to a young start up team.
WRT to the comment on scheduling, when have RTÉ ever gotten their scheduling right? With the subject matter and tone of the show it couldn't have been put on much earlier and if you put it on at the weekend, your target audience are in the pub or watching something else. Monday night has always been "comedy" night on RTÉ2.
My god, it's two episodes long folks, barely even an hour total...you'd swear we were going to be lumbered with a 22 episode run.
So lots of people didn't like it. It doesn't make it much further. No harm done. At least they tried.

BTW someone said something about that show afterwards, Joyriders...I enjoyed that too. But poigniant shorts with sweeping camera shots that deal with urban and social decay are relatively easy to pull off in comparison to upbeat comedy. Also from the look of it, it was done by people with some experience under their belt. I'm not criticising the film, just making the observation that it's apples and oranges...

Miguel_Sanchez

Wertz wrote: »

BTW someone said something about that show afterwards, Joyriders...I enjoyed that too. But poigniant shorts with sweeping camera shots that deal with urban and social decay are relatively easy to pull off in comparison to upbeat comedy. Also from the look of it, it was done by people with some experience under their belt. I'm not criticising the film, just making the observation that it's apples and oranges...

I'll think you'll find as well though that RTE had nothing to do with the production of Joyriders and would have bought it fully formed for the Shortscreen series. (Unless it was a Filmbase or GFC short film in which case RTE would have had one representative involved in choosing who gets funding)

Deiselad22

I suppose at this stage, it's more despair with RTE that they get comedy wrong so often. I suggested bringing foreign comedy writers in - or at least producers and directors that have a track record. I think it might be an idea to accept maybe 8 or ten comedy scripts - bring the writers and directors in for a crash course with these experienced guys - and on the back of that, commission maybe four pilots that might end up with 2 decent series. And maybe spend a bit more money on comedy.

I'm not an RTE basher. I don't think anyone does current affairs or sport better. But the organisation seems to have a big problem in two areas - comedy and general entertainment (You're a star vs X Factor as an example).

Havermeyer

Well we still go on about the cassidy's, upwardly mobile and Mrs. O'Brien

Who the fook still goes on about them???

They were ****e as well. This new show, though, is up there with the english class as being complete and utter bollocks.

Utopia Parkway

Well it wasn't the best although I've seen worse on RTE. The first 5 minutes I was ready to turn it off as that scene in that pub was painful and the voiceover was annoying. However I decided to give it a chance and it did improve marginally as it went on although it was all over the shop at times. A small improvement from painful and annoying isn't good enough all the same. The big curly haired guy seemed to think the key to comedy was to act like a manic amphetamine addict.

Must admit I did chuckle when they pixelated over your man's balls hanging out of his shorts even though that joke has already been done in Alan Partridge and Jackass.

pebblesjm

hmm.......with out being over cruel....It was very very poor quality! I know that they crew are just starting out and stuff but in all fairness amatuer college project was written all over it.

RTE just couldn't be arsed paying for a professional production and thats the main point that needs to be addressed here, RTE spend more on those THICK tv license ads than seeking out and supporting new talent!!

Elmo

Who the fook still goes on about them???

Most people any time Irish Comedy is mention people start mention all of the bad Irish comedies that have ever been. E.G. Ian Dempsey's Morning show this morning on Today FM nearly each of those comedies where mention at least once per hour.

TV3 could do alot more, just to take some of the stick of RTE.

I am just saying that RTE have had a few good comedies e.g. Paths To Freedom, Apres Match, Zig and Zag, Rodge and Podge etc.

I suggested bringing foreign comedy writers in - or at least producers and directors that have a track record.

This rarely works, why bother if your going to bring in a BBC producer to produce something for you, we need to get more experience in this country.

hot fuss

pebblesjm wrote: »

RTE spend more on those THICK tv license ads than seeking out and supporting new talent!!

I think you'll find that the makers of the Roaring Twenties are indeed 'new talent' and the actors in it haven't been seen much before, so you can't say this is a case of not supporting new talent.

hot fuss

Elmo wrote: »

Most people any time Irish Comedy is mention people start mention all of the bad Irish comedies that have ever been. E.G. Ian Dempsey's Morning show this morning on Today FM nearly each of those comedies where mention at least once per hour.
QUOTE]

Very true, they were all mentioned, and then the legendary urban myth was trotted out that RTÉ turned down Father Ted.

When are people going to stop saying this? It's not true, God damn it!

Havermeyer

Most people any time Irish Comedy is mention people start mention all of the bad Irish comedies that have ever been. E.G. Ian Dempsey's Morning show this morning on Today FM nearly each of those comedies where mention at least once per hour.

Sorry, I thought you were championing these comedies. I thought that when you said we still go on about the cassidy's and such, that we go on about them in a positive light. My bad.

Jack Sheehan

Wow, with the reaction of the people here I'm glad i watched Robocop last night instead.

Boardsbud

Someone suggested bringing in comedy doctor type people to help "nurture" new talent. Why import ? We have people like Graham Lenihan, Arthur Matthews and Declan Lowney here already. Arthur Matthews was involved in RTE's sketch show Stew a couple of years ago along with Paul Woodfull (Ding Dong Denny O'Reilly) who also wrote for Big Train and other UK shows afaik.
I'm looking forward to the Graham Lenihan documentary tonight.

Dennis the Stone

So we just bring in Robocop to destroy the creators of this show

Deiselad22

Boardsbud wrote: »

Someone suggested bringing in comedy doctor type people to help "nurture" new talent. Why import ? We have people like Graham Lenihan, Arthur Matthews and Declan Lowney here already. Arthur Matthews was involved in RTE's sketch show Stew a couple of years ago along with Paul Woodfull (Ding Dong Denny O'Reilly) who also wrote for Big Train and other UK shows afaik.
I'm looking forward to the Graham Lenihan documentary tonight.

Ooh...I don't know if I would mention Stew or Ding Dong Denny O'Reilly as examples of the genre's finest. Just my opinion!

Miguel_Sanchez

Comedy writers should be started off on radio. It's the best way for them to be allowed to develop their talent without it costing an arm and a leg - also there's not such intense pressure on them as you don't see bulletin boards filling up with people slagging the latest radio comedy series.

It's worked in England for lots of great shows - Mighty Boosh, League of Gentlemen, etc.

Annamander

I’ve only signed up today so don’t shoot me! I watched this show last night and first of all, if Mr. Stubbs is really one of the writers he’s getting it in the neck, so fair play to him for coming on to defend himself. In my opinion there is loads of potential in the show but they really should have developed it a lot more before it got to the screen (as previous posters have said). I’ve done some screenwriting myself so I can confirm that it’s not easy, and comedy is a bloody hard genre to write in particular. I genuinely hope that the thrashing they’re getting won’t put the writers or actors off from trying again cos I think they have something they can work on. The pace was all over the place but it had some mad germ of a thing in it that I liked. However:

• Either sit on the actor who plays Kevin until he stops over-acting or cut the character. Surely he should have been the straight man?
• I liked the other three main actors and the flatmate interviewing bit was good but the bit in the newspaper office was woeful. Who talks that way?
• Stop the voiceover.

Boardsbud

Deiselad22 wrote: »

Ooh...I don't know if I would mention Stew or Ding Dong Denny O'Reilly as examples of the genre's finest. Just my opinion!

Not quoting them as the finest but the people involved have experience of the "genre" in the UK and were involved in some "hit" and lets be honest "miss" shows there too.

Utopia Parkway

Annamander wrote: »

I’ve only signed up today so don’t shoot me! I watched this show last night and first of all, if Mr. Stubbs is really one of the writers he’s getting it in the neck, so fair play to him for coming on to defend himself. In my opinion there is loads of potential in the show but they really should have developed it a lot more before it got to the screen (as previous posters have said). I’ve done some screenwriting myself so I can confirm that it’s not easy, and comedy is a bloody hard genre to write in particular. I genuinely hope that the thrashing they’re getting won’t put the writers or actors off from trying again cos I think they have something they can work on. The pace was all over the place but it had some mad germ of a thing in it that I liked. However:

• Either sit on the actor who plays Kevin until he stops over-acting or cut the character. Surely he should have been the straight man?
• I liked the other three main actors and the flatmate interviewing bit was good but the bit in the newspaper office was woeful. Who talks that way?
• Stop the voiceover.

Yeah definitely lose the irritating voiceover and the piece at the newspaper was very weak.

And having a straight man is probably a good idea. Then you can have one or two wackier characters working around them. Think of Michael Bluth in Arrested Development. He was the straight man and all the madness happened around him.

betonit

how does the sitcom get from idea to air. If one had an idea and wrote an epsiode of a sitcom what do they do next. Just fascainated to know how these get presented, accepted then AIRED

Jack Sheehan

Kemos wrote: »

So we just bring in Robocop to destroy the creators of this show

Agreed but is he expensive?

Mr. Incognito

I was reading the write up on this in the Indo yesterday.

Basicallly it outlined and Mr Stubbs correct me if I'm wrong.

- The two creators met in college and posted a pilot about.
- No-one would touch it with a barge pole and then RTE offered you 100K to reshoot the pilot.
- The two of you got giggilly and started scractching your heads about where to put this 100K
-You had a timeframe of 6 weeks to reshoot, edit and post production
- Based on viewing figures and feedback RTE are to decide whether to commmission a series.
- One of the creators won an award for his script of "Attack of the Space Tarrantulas" in college.

Now fair play to you for coming on here and defending your creation which anyone would naturally be personally protective about but from an objective perspective the whole set up and production of this show was a shambles and how we can be surprised when the finished product was complete and utter tripe.

Comedy is personal taste- granted. Personally I didn't find it funny, at all, but that's an aside. The acting, editing, script, score and production was.....well. Cheap. It may make a decent college play for amateur actors/directors etc and were I attending a production in college I'd be happy bunging my fiver on the way in the door, but to take this amateur production and peddle it out to the masses as a professional finished product is well embarrasing. Embarrasing for RTE, embarrasing to the creators who do not get to show-case their own talents and embarrasing most of all to us, poor citizens who have to watch this crap and then fork out for the TV licence to pay for it.

Now you come on here and say "Well you try and write comedy", Why? We're not the one's taking a comission from RTE under the pretense that we can. You are. If you're going to put your stuff out there for dissemination amongst the masses you're going to have to develop a thick skin. Especially if the masses decide that your cheap production is crap.

There are very very talented writers, actors and directors out there. You had the brass neck to approach RTE. Fair Play. RTE are a bunch of lazy, subsidised, civil servants who couldn't be bothered to actually go find any talent any-more. I'm glad for you that your show got made, I'm not glad I had to watch it. The whole thing was dreadful and you have to assume some responsibility for that but RTE should be closed down for patronising this rubbish.

Elmo

Setanta that is how a pilot show works. They do it all the time in the USA.

No-one would touch it with a barge pole and then RTE offered you 100K to reshoot the pilot.

Who else in Ireland is there? TV3?

how does the sitcom get from idea to air. If one had an idea and wrote an epsiode of a sitcom what do they do next. Just fascainated to know how these get presented, accepted then AIRED

1. Write a script.
2. Contact an Independent producer
3. They think about producing it and contact a Broadcaster
(RTE, BCI (Broadcasting Commission of Ireland) and TG4 have commissioning rounds advertised on their websites every few months, to get funding from the BCI you must have a broadcaster (RTE, TV3, TG4, Setanta, Sky, BBC, UTV, C6 etc) attached to your project).
4. Broadcaster commissions the show, for a number of episodes and may test the audience reaction.
5. Hope to GOD you don't get a thread like this on Boards

Generally RTE do not make pilots for drama/comdies as this can be very expensive.

If you want to avoid comments like this

poor citizens who have to watch this crap and then fork out for the TV licence to pay for it.

Don't go near RTE, TG4 or the BCI.

TV3 becomes your only option. HA HA HA. ROTFL.

Mr E

- No-one would touch it with a barge pole and then RTE offered you 100K to reshoot the pilot.

Divided as follows:
€90,000 for the Arcade Fire song
€10,000 for actors, script etc.?

I'm kidding, honest!

Crazy Christ

You can always try the City Channel

ianrush

betonit wrote: »

how does the sitcom get from idea to air. If one had an idea and wrote an epsiode of a sitcom what do they do next. Just fascainated to know how these get presented, accepted then AIRED

Just to reiterate, one of the main reasons RTE gave this money is, and I'm quoting the head of RTE entertainment here, they don't have the staff to read the scripts they have (which just boggles the mind frankly), so by making their own pilot the creators of the show basically leap-frogged those other scripts that would have to be read in the old fashioned way. Again (if you look back at my previous posts on this) I am actually taking the line here that these guys have basically been screwed over by RTE mis-management of this project. I don't blame the creators for one second for taking the opportunity given to them. Anyone else would have done the same. But once you put something on t.v, you are putting yourself out there to be judged and I think, without a proper development period, that was a serious mistake Basically RTE have left a bunch of inexperienced guys hanging out to dry, which I think is wrong.

Miguel_Sanchez

By the time RTE commissioned the pilot that Arcade Fire song was over-used. By the time the pilot was shot and edited it was so over-used as to induce groans. Why oh why was it left on as opening titles music?

Wertz

The budget wouldn't stretch to paying a dubbing mixer?