What's happened to the Great British comedy of the noughties?

Green Fella · 05-07-2016 07:58PM

LightsStillOn wrote: »

Aye. Gone be with the days when panel shows were for white men and white men only. :rolleyes:

Yes its all the white mans fault as usual. Shame most of these minority or female comedians cant get anywhere on talent. Its because they have none. And the people see it isnt funny, and dont watch. Guess that must be whiteys fault too?

You and your "offended" SJW friends on this website, twitter and tumblr are part of the reason comedy is dying off. Is this you?

Dirty Dingus McGee · 05-07-2016 08:43PM

RayM wrote: »

One of my favourite sitcoms of the '00s was Early Doors, which sadly seems to have been largely forgotten.

Lots of good stuff this decade though... Toast of London is very good. Rev is good too. Friday Night Dinner is very funny. Fresh Meat had its moments.

The 1990s were way better than the '00s anyway... Father Ted, The Fast Show, Big Train, Brass Eye, The Day Today, Alan Partridge, The Royle Family, etc...

Early Doors was genius and doesn't get anywhere near enough attention it's up there with the Royle Family.

Billy86 · 05-07-2016 09:10PM

Green Fella wrote: »

The reason comedy is dying is because the "I'm offended" brigade who suck the fun out of everything.

Green Fella wrote: »

Yes its all the white mans fault as usual.

I'm going to guess you prefer slapstick over irony?

Aurum · 05-07-2016 09:33PM

I remember Graham Linehan saying in a recent interview that the one piece of advice that he'd give to a younger TV comedy writer is to move to the US, there was no money at all in the UK. The comedy DVD market disappeared, there isn't enough money in repeats, so it seems that comedy writers are moving to other outlets. Standup is both very popular and lucrative at a certain level, and panel shows have minimum overheads and risk, and are guaranteed pretty high viewing figures. It's sad that there is nothing at all like the great, slightly surreal comedy series from 10/15 years ago like Green Wing, The Mighty Boosh, Black Books etc. No decent satire either, which is a shame, something like The Thick of It or Nathan Barley. There are some great satirists, like Andy Zaltzman, who should really be given a platform.

05-07-2016 09:37PM

Are we on the 3rd page and no mention of the pinnacle of UK comedy in that era?

The first season of the League of Gentlemen. Just...incredible.

Billy86 · 05-07-2016 09:42PM

Aurum wrote: »

There are some great satirists, like Andy Zaltzman, who should really be given a platform.

I'm surprised he hasn't been picked up somewhere (and think he might actually avoid doing so), if for no other reason due to John Oliver's explosion in popularity; the Bugle is/was absolutely excellent.

Green Fella · 05-07-2016 09:43PM

youreadthat wrote: »

I think a lot of time and talent is going into panel shows. To be fair, I like panel shows and some of the funniest TV I've seen the last decade has been on them but there are too many and too many mediocre comedians invited on.

Mock the Week was funny many years ago when Frankie Boyle was on. Died when he left and was replaced by the usual crap.

Boyle then basically went from Television and crap like Russel Howard, Jack Whitehall etc now have big gigs. Jack Whitehall is on TV because his father is a big TV Producer and agent.

El Chapo · 05-07-2016 10:00PM

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

Early Doors was genius and doesn't get anywhere near enough attention it's up there with the Royle Family.

The two police men were comedy gold.

Craig Cash is an absolute genius.

El Chapo · 05-07-2016 10:06PM

Nought, noughties, thousands, zeros..

Who gives a bollocks?

FFS.

Dots1982 · 05-07-2016 10:23PM

Watching and enjoying Toast of London but as good as the shows I mentioned from last decade. Not for me.

El_Duderino 09 · 05-07-2016 10:28PM

Dots1982 wrote:

I don't see it anymore to be honest. Where did it go?

You're a decade older and your tastes have changed. Media changes but that type of comedy is aimed at people in their teens and 20s. I hate to break it to you OP, but you're no longer in that age group.

Oscar Bravo · 05-07-2016 10:30PM

Jim in the Royle family does make me laugh

mansize · 05-07-2016 10:30PM

Billy86 wrote: »

People were probably just used to decades ending in "ies" by 1999. I remember all the overblown nonsense about what the decade would be referred too, can't remember all the suggestions but 'noughties' is a bloody blessing compared to some if I recall!

I'd usually say 'two thousands' though, personally.

Would that not refer to whole bloody millennium though???

C4 always had a diversity charter btw.

mansize · 05-07-2016 10:32PM

Rovers on Sky1 for fans of Craig Cash isn't bad.

Its written by Joe Wilkenson

Sue Johnson plays the club barmaid

mansize · 05-07-2016 10:34PM

Green Fella wrote: »

Yes its all the white mans fault as usual. Shame most of these minority or female comedians cant get anywhere on talent. Its because they have none. And the people see it isnt funny, and dont watch. Guess that must be whiteys fault too?

You and your "offended" SJW friends on this website, twitter and tumblr are part of the reason comedy is dying off. Is this you?

The token female on the panel shows is never the weakest. Usually the whiney skinny white guy

pickarooney · 06-07-2016 03:09AM

Dots1982 wrote: »

I doubt any of those standup to the comedies I began the thread with. I would have heard otherwise. Catastrophe is meant to be funny but the concept is not really something i'd watch.

It seems like you'd rather be 'right' than discover some great new comedy. More fool you.

Strumms · 06-07-2016 03:30AM

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

Early Doors was genius and doesn't get anywhere near enough attention it's up there with the Royle Family.

100% with you on that. The writing and casting was just sublime and the mix of different characters. It's so underrated also. I really can't for the life of me get why it finished. Was it getting poor viewer numbers ? Either way I can find nothing online or at least last time I checked. Love to see that being re-incarnated.

lawlolawl · 06-07-2016 07:38AM

People actually think that the Inbetweeners and the Jack Whitehall teacher thing are good?

I hadn't seen either until a few weeks ago until one of my housemates watched them when I was home. Utter ****, both of them. Bad teen gross out comedy.

El_Duderino 09 · 06-07-2016 07:44AM

lawlolawl wrote:

People actually think that the Inbetweeners and the Jack Whitehall teacher thing are good?

They're based around the anxieties of school children. If you're not in school or college, they weren't made for you.

Hande hoche! · 06-07-2016 08:52PM

Harry and Paul's story of the twos was quite enjoyable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOlSHw_y0Lw

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5 · 06-07-2016 09:07PM

Panel shows are just far easier to shoot, far cheaper and far more simple to write, seems like the big names and talent gravitate to them. Most of them are frankly bizarre at this point, they're so blatantly scripted but a big part of the source of the humour is that it's supposed to be spontaneous, watching an episode of something like buzzcocks or Qi from early seasons and later seasons is strikingly different. Presumably some new cycle will kick off towards the end of the decade. Most of the panel shows are going to age awfully though, they have a built in datedness by being topical.

Badly Drunk Boy · 06-07-2016 09:32PM

Ray Shallow Padding wrote: »

Most of the panel shows are going to age awfully though, they have a built in datedness by being topical.

I suppose that's why 8 Out Of 10 Cats has stuck with the Countdown variation because it doesn't have to be topical.

Potential Underachiever · 06-07-2016 09:52PM

LightsStillOn wrote: »

Off the top of my head: The Inbetweeners, Him & Her, Catastrophe, The Thick of It, Psychoville, Cuckoo, Toast of London, Bad Education, Fresh Meat, Misfits, Episodes. Those are some recent-ish ones that are worth watching.

Catastrophe being the pick of the bunch, it's the best comedy series in a very long time.

Yes I've seen most of the shows on that list and agree they are all decent to very good, Toast of London probably my favourite! I'm downloading Catastrophe now as I've never even heard of it, your rep is on the line! Another decent one I saw recently was Siblings, check it out.

Rjd2 · 06-07-2016 10:03PM

maudgonner wrote: »

Definitely agree with those above who mentioned Rev and Catastrophe. The Thick of It was bloody brilliant (but was from the 00s ).

The Detectorists is also one of the best things on TV.

Many shows like The Detectorists have not get the credit they deserve. I genuinely believe that along with the magnificent Getting On are two of the most underrated comedies of the last decade. Both are as close to perfection I have seen in comedy.

Limmy season one and two also is absolute magic, as good as The Fast Show something which I don't say lightly.

I'd also argue the revival of Partridge under Coogan has been immense, while Stuart Lee's comedy Vehicle has been very strong bar one or two dud episodes.

Also looking at Sky One, Julia Davies is probably the best female writer in comedy, Camping and Hunderby are fantastic.

Oh and Brian Pern is also worth a shout, cracking comedy.

So while their has been plenty of dull panel shows over the last few years, we still get a few cracking shows, you may just have to search outside mainstream BBC to find them:P

Rjd2 · 06-07-2016 10:09PM

Oh and **** it, not sure if it's the era the OP is looking for, but if you haven't seen Fifteen Storeys's High, please rectify that, you'd struggle to name many better British comedies in the last 20 years. Tragically ignored by the masses when it initially aired.:(