Hungry? C4 to create comedy series...about the famine

buried

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I think he's explaining why it wouldn't happen as to why it shouldn't happen.

But...But... I thought you all said "there was no limits". So there is a limit then?

AnonoBoy

buried wrote: »

But...But... I thought you all said "there was no limits". So there is a limit then?

Now you're just being fatuous.

buried

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Now you're just being fatuous.

Seeing as how your all such fans of "comedy", I have to.

Billy86

buried wrote: »

You claimed there should "be no limits to comedy", but now your claiming because of "business reasons" there are legitimate limits?

Yep. First and foremost these are companies with a responsibility to generate profit be it short term or long term. Ethically, if they had the correct spin, I wouldn't have any issue with a comedy based around the situation in Ethiopia (as a separate example, I think the Rwandan situation could have plenty of opportunity for critical comedy) so long as it was done correctly. Because the one thing that's always paramount in those situations is to remember you are walking a tightrope. But from a business standpoint, the limits are very, very obvious: don't lose money.

Business and entertainment go together like oil and water, but that's the dichotomy of that industry - they have to work together because without paying attention to one, the other will fall apart.

The business issue here is simple and blunt: not enough people in the UK/Ireland would give a sh*t about the Ethiopian famine to make a profit.

Pwindedd

Would you believe I've just seen Lee Nelson do an African Famine joke on BBC1. It wasn't outrageously funny, yet it wasn't insensitive either. It appears the limits are being pushed every day where comedy is concerned.

Irish Guitarist

“I don’t want to do anything that denies the suffering that people went through, but Ireland has always been good at black humor. We’re kind of thinking of it as “Shameless” in famine Ireland.”The Showtime US version of “Shameless” series depicts the dysfunctional family of Irish American Frank Gallagher, a single father of six children. While he spends his days drunk, his kids learn to take care of themselves.
So we are basing a sitcom on The Famine on a drunken Irish American series.

I think they have the wrong Shameless.

AnonoBoy

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

I think they have the wrong Shameless.

Both versions are pretty much based on the same idea, no?

irishfeen

A few paragraphs from a local parish book here in Cork published a few years back ...

"Bodies lay in the fields and on the roadside, as hordes of the destitute poor died of starvation, disease and hardship..,. Most of the victims were buried in - and - cemeteries but so grave was the catastrophe that victims also had to be placed at at least 3 other unmarked locations in the parish ...

The dead were placed in shallow pits dug out, a bottom hinged coffin was used so as to make it easier to drop the corpses... first hand accounts describe the dead being carried in cart loads.

The most poignant relates to the 7 Dugan brothers who were buried without shroud or coffin in - on one day during the height of the famine devastation in this parish."

This happened in every townland, town and city in the country - they will do well to pull comedy from that!

AnonoBoy

irishfeen wrote: »

This happened in every townland, town and city in the country - they will do well to pull comedy from that!

They will. And hopefully it'll be hilarious.

The extermination of the Jews was a pretty nasty business too but Roberto Benigni managed to turn that into a heartfelt comedy film pretty successfully.

irishfeen

AnonoBoy wrote: »

They will. And hopefully it'll be hilarious.

The extermination of the Jews was a pretty nasty business too but Roberto Benigni managed to turn that into a heartfelt comedy film pretty successfully.

We won't be long finding out - I doubt it though. I don't think it will ever make it to air.

Billy86

irishfeen wrote: »

We won't be long finding out - I doubt it though. I don't think it will ever make it to air.

You don't think it will, or you hope it won't?

Personally I think it will be a bit of a shame if it won't, so long as it is a well thought out piece and not along the lines of "oh look Tommy's eaten all the turf, sure what'll we put in the fire?" crap that Ireland has a bit of a depressing recent history of producing.

AboutaWeekAgo

buried wrote: »

I know this is going to be utterly pointless but could you answer this question which I keep asking? - Would it be acceptable for an American network such as NBC to create a sit-com based on the American Slave trade?

Only if they get Dave Chappelle to write and star in it.

irishfeen

Billy86 wrote: »

You don't think it will, or you hope it won't?

Personally I think it will be a bit of a shame if it won't, so long as it is a well thought out piece and not along the lines of "oh look Tommy's eaten all the turf, sure what'll we put in the fire?" crap that Ireland has a bit of a depressing recent history of producing.

It depends, if they dishonour and mock the memory of people who died in the ditches through no fault of their own then no .. If they (and I really don't know can they) put a different spin on it then who knows it could be a classic.

AnonoBoy

irishfeen wrote: »

We won't be long finding out - I doubt it though. I don't think it will ever make it to air.

We'll be ages finding out. Sure it's not even written yet.

irishfeen wrote: »

It depends, if they dishonour and mock the memory of people who died in the ditches through no fault of their own then no .. If they (and I really don't know can they) put a different spin on it then who knows it could be a classic.

This is what I don't understand. Why do people think an Irish writer would want to make something that mocks famine victims?

buried

Channel 4 should make a ridiculous 'sit-com' where each year the British people pay millions of their own taxed earned monies to a German dynasty lineage called 'The House of Saxe-Coburg Gotha', where in this sit-com the British allow this German dynasty to literally do nothing, let them own all of the land, subsidize them to live in palaces, go on free holidays. Give these foreign German's ridiculous fairy-tale title's such as 'Kings' and 'Queens', put their German faces on the actual currency of the nation, make this German family the apex of the nation's religion - to literally worship a foreign German dynasty. While at the same time, the current idiotic British Prime Minister b!tches and moans about 'foreigners' stealing British money and jobs because that's what the majority of British people want to hear. Now that's a comedy....... Oh wait....... that's Britain's actual REALITY isn't it? Ah well, still funny as f**k. Even more so because its actually true.

david75

we wouldnt have starved if we hadnt made all them spuds into chips that we carry on our shoulders...could have eaten them

AboutaWeekAgo

buried wrote: »

Channel 4 should make a ridiculous 'sit-com' where each year the British people pay millions of their own taxed earned monies to a German dynasty lineage called 'The House of Saxe-Coburg Gotha', where in this sit-com the British allow this German dynasty to literally do nothing, let them own all of the land, subsidize them to live in palaces, go on free holidays. Give these foreign German's ridiculous fairy-tale title's such as 'Kings' and 'Queens', put their German faces on the actual currency of the nation, make this German family the apex of the nation's religion - to literally worship a foreign German dynasty. While at the same time, the current idiotic British Prime Minister b!tches and moans about 'foreigners' stealing British money and jobs because that's what the majority of British people want to hear. Now that's a comedy....... Oh wait....... that's Britain's actual REALITY isn't it? Ah well, still funny as f**k. Even more so because its actually true.

Chris Morris & Charlie Brooker would give it a good bash I reckon. Not a bad premise for a satire show to be fair.

Billy86

buried wrote: »

Channel 4 should make a ridiculous 'sit-com' where each year the British people pay millions of their own taxed earned monies to a German dynasty lineage called 'The House of Saxe-Coburg Gotha', where in this sit-com the British allow this German dynasty to literally do nothing, let them own all of the land, subsidize them to live in palaces, go on free holidays. Give these foreign German's ridiculous fairy-tale title's such as 'Kings' and 'Queens', put their German faces on the actual currency of the nation, make this German family the apex of the nation's religion - to literally worship a foreign German dynasty. While at the same time, the current idiotic British Prime Minister b!tches and moans about 'foreigners' stealing British money and jobs because that's what the majority of British people want to hear. Now that's a comedy....... Oh wait....... that's Britain's actual REALITY isn't it? Ah well, still funny as f**k. Even more so because its actually true.

That's actually a pretty good premise though to be fair. That's the thing about comedy, portray your point correctly and you shouldn't be bound by anything. Done correctlym it's a much more effective means of being critical and drawing attention to issues than drama could ever hope to be.

buried

AboutaWeekAgo wrote: »

Chris Morris & Charlie Brooker would give it a good bash I reckon. Not a bad premise for a satire show to be fair.

No need for Chris Morris and Charlie Brooker to "do it" at all. Its the actual truth. Hilarious isn't it?

Pwindedd

buried wrote: »

No need for Chris Morris and Charlie Brooker to "do it" at all. Its the actual truth. Hilarious isn't it?

Yes it is funny, which is why comedians and writers are constantly drawing on it for inspiration for sketches and stand up - your little rant however was drawn from the very malice you are supposedly opposed to.

irishfeen

AnonoBoy wrote: »

We'll be ages finding out. Sure it's not even written yet.



This is what I don't understand. Why do people think an Irish writer would want to make something that mocks famine victims?

Ah what's the Shameless reference suppose to tell us??

AboutaWeekAgo

buried wrote: »

No need for Chris Morris and Charlie Brooker to "do it" at all. Its the actual truth. Hilarious isn't it?

Many programs are "the actual truth" but that doesn't stop them from becoming great shows when translated to TV, also add in the fact it's a way to analyse the events in hindsight which can be a great tool in itself.

You seem really mad about this show that hasn't even been written yet...

buried

Pwindedd wrote: »

Yes it is funny, which is why comedians and writers are constantly drawing on it for inspiration for sketches and stand up - your little rant however was drawn from the very malice you are supposedly opposed to.

"My little rant"?? Its the actual truth. A lot of the time the actual truth is far more entertaining than fiction.

buried

AboutaWeekAgo wrote: »

You seem really mad about this show that hasn't even been written yet...

You now seem pretty mad yourself since I've highlighted the actual, real life, comedy showcase which is the actual state of 'Britain'.

AboutaWeekAgo

buried wrote: »

You now seem pretty mad yourself since I've highlighted the actual, real life, comedy showcase which is the actual state of 'Britain'.

I'm not mad at all mate I'm just pointing out the absurdity of your rants. God save the Queen.

buried

AboutaWeekAgo wrote: »

I'm not mad at all mate I'm just pointing out the absurdity of your rants. God save the Queen.

And God save you too man.

Mardy Bum

Satire is satire. Nothing should be off limits. Watch Chris Morris for details.

pillphil

irishfeen wrote: »

Ah what's the Shameless reference suppose to tell us??

Shameless(UK) is about a group people marginalised by their government who have no real possibility of escaping their situation and the crimes they commit to support themselves and their families.

Sounds like a perfect blueprint for a comedy set during the famine.

Do you think people didn't steal to survive during the famine? Do you think they didn't fúck each other, or get pissed given a chance?

Allyall

I do believe that Freedom of speech should be more important, especially when it comes to Comedy.
What some people find offensive is ridiculous (to me, obviously not to them), so banning everything that somebody gets offended by would make for horrible viewing.
However, Freedom of Speech in the UK and Ireland, is the exact opposite of what it means in America. In the UK you are (to the letter of the law) not even allowed to think the Queen is an asshole/idiot/whatever.
I don't know if that applies to everyone, but you're certainly not allowed to say it. So for that reason alone, I doubt it will get the green light.

All of that said, if it goes ahead, the Writer and the station would want to be pretty sure that most or all of the jokes required the sitcom to be written during that period of time in history in Ireland, and be funny.
They'd want to give us/everyone a valid reason to sit down every week and laugh at the people during the great famine.

Rhys Essien

Allyall wrote: »

In the UK you are (to the letter of the law) not even allowed to think the Queen is an asshole/idiot/whatever.
I don't know if that applies to everyone, but you're certainly not allowed to say it.

That didnt stop Johnny Rotten.;)

Mind you,one of the MP's at the time wanted him prosecuted under the traitors and treasons act which still carried the death penalty.