Sitcom about the famine

Minderbinder · 07-01-2016 10:12PM #1

'Hungry' is a sitcom written by Hugh Travers that Channel 4 were interested in producing, until some people decided it was inappropriate.

This is kind of touching on the thread about free speech but what do you think about this specific issue?

There is nobody alive today that even met anyone that experienced this event. It is ancient history. How can someone be offended by this?

Atlantic Dawn · 07-01-2016 10:13PM

What famine?

weldoninhio · 07-01-2016 10:15PM

Minderbinder wrote: »

'Hungry' is a sitcom written by Hugh Travers that Channel 4 were interested in producing, until some people decided it was inappropriate.

This is kind of touching on the thread about free speech but what do you think about this specific issue?

There is nobody alive today that even met anyone that experienced this event. It is ancient history. How can someone be offended by this?

Where was this famine?

Cool_CM · 07-01-2016 10:16PM

Minderbinder wrote: »

There is nobody alive today that even met anyone that experienced this event. It is ancient history. How can someone be offended by this?

Because they they are looking for a reason to be offended.

tomwaterford · 07-01-2016 10:17PM

In fairness I fail to see the comedy value that can be got from the famine??

You don't see too many comedies on genocide in fairness

masti123 · 07-01-2016 10:18PM

Too soon..

XR3i · 07-01-2016 10:19PM

too soon

Cool_CM · 07-01-2016 10:20PM

tomwaterford wrote: »

You don't see too many comedies on genocide in fairness

Here's a good one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmYIo7bcUw

wylo · 07-01-2016 10:22PM

If it was well written then I'm sure it wouldn't be laughing at the expense of the dead. You can have comedies about tragic historical events , black adder, mash. These comedies were not only funny but thought younger people a thing or two about those events

My name is URL · 07-01-2016 10:25PM

Minderbinder wrote: »

interested in producing, until some people decided it was inappropriate.

They never said it was cancelled due to people's reaction after it was announced.

New shows get canned all the time. Maybe it was just as shit as it sounded

Ruu · 07-01-2016 10:26PM

Didn't like the canned laughter in dis.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 07-01-2016 10:28PM

Minderbinder wrote: »

There is nobody alive today that even met anyone that experienced this event. It is ancient history.

On a point of order. My grandfather was alive during the famine of 1879 and I met him many times.

It's a crass subject for a comedy. No more no less.

osarusan · 07-01-2016 10:32PM

It would all depend on how it was written and how it treated the subject of the famine itself.

The fact that a comedy is set in the famine does not necessarily mean that it is trivialising the famine, in my opinion.

Hard to imagine it continuing to be funny as the series progressed though and as characters and plots developed.

weisses · 07-01-2016 10:33PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2DCExerOsA

Bigger tragedy

And hilarious

So not too soon

Azalea · 07-01-2016 10:34PM

wylo wrote: »

If it was well written then I'm sure it wouldn't be laughing at the expense of the dead. You can have comedies about tragic historical events , black adder, mash. These comedies were not only funny but thought younger people a thing or two about those events

I will never understand the appeal of M*A*S*H (just don't find it funny - not tasteless though) but otherwise, fully agreed. Blackadder did a beautiful job of the first world war. There was never disrespect of the dead, only of the powers that be which sent them to their death.

Ditto numerous Jewish comedians in relation to Hitler.

Their philosophy was: monsters should be laughed at.

Not sure how the Irish famine could be placed in a satirical comedy context though - difficult one to pull off, but perhaps...

c_man · 07-01-2016 10:49PM

Minderbinder wrote: »

There is nobody alive today that even met anyone that experienced this event.

My granny (still kicking at 98) tells stories that her grandparents told her of the time.

I'm not offended at the idea of the sitcom, if it was funny at least. But big meh tbh. Such a comedy coming from the Brits differs from the example of Jewish comedians doing The Producers for obvious reasons I would have thought.

Dirty Dingus McGee · 07-01-2016 10:50PM

Cool_CM wrote: »

Here's a good one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmYIo7bcUw

I might be the only one but I honestly never found the producers to be that funny.Seemed like they were just hitting you over the head with the joke over and over.

Minderbinder · 07-01-2016 10:53PM

My name is URL wrote: »

They never said it was cancelled due to people's reaction after it was announced.

New shows get canned all the time. Maybe it was just as shit as it sounded

In what way did it sound bad? I didn't read it myself as I didn't know the script had leaked.

It's a sitcom based during a particular time in a particular place, just like every other sitcom. The time and place generally has no bearing on whether it's good or not.

RobertKK · 07-01-2016 11:18PM

My great grandfather was 18 years old when the famine started.

I must ask my father while he is still alive (will be 90 this year, I am still under 40 for a few months) if his father told him anything about the famine from his father. Never thought of asking.

As for the now canned sitcom, guess it lacked enough meat.

Satts · 08-01-2016 12:04AM

My Great Grand Aunt was alive during the famine, a proud lesbian she was, she told my Grandmother that she didn't have a bit of meat inside her during those years.

My name is URL · 08-01-2016 12:07AM

Minderbinder wrote: »

In what way did it sound bad? I didn't read it myself as I didn't know the script had leaked.

It's a sitcom based during a particular time in a particular place, just like every other sitcom. The time and place generally has no bearing on whether it's good or not.

The creator said that it was going to be 'Shameless set in famine times'

I don't know if it would have been good or bad as an actual show, but as an idea it sounded pretty crap. Just my opinion

Hammer89 · 08-01-2016 03:26AM

Was it called The Price is Blight?

The Randy Riverbeast · 08-01-2016 03:50AM

It was only around the proposal stage. There was a script for the pilot at most as far as I remember. Scripts are rejected all of the time. I would guess this was more about not meeting a standard rather than offence.

Galwayguy35 · 08-01-2016 07:50AM

Lot's of things that can be used to make a comedy series apart from the famine that killed over a million of our people, there is a famine graveyard near where I live so I'm glad this programme was scrapped.

JustShon · 08-01-2016 08:20AM

I think it's in bad taste so I wouldn't watch it if it was produced.

The idea of it doesn't offend me so I wouldn't be breaking out the protest signs but I'd probably have a little personal boycott of the show.

bruschi · 08-01-2016 08:21AM

Sofia Plump Rink wrote: »

On a point of order. My grandfather was alive during the famine of 1879 and I met him many times.

It's a crass subject for a comedy. No more no less.

well you are wrong by about 30 years, which in most cases is a generation.

edit: I meant the subject of the sitcom was the Great famine of 1847. Meaningless point in the scheme of things though, carry on...

Galwayguy35 · 08-01-2016 08:26AM

bruschi wrote: »

well you are wrong by about 30 years, which in most cases is a generation.

There was a famine in 1879.

looksee · 08-01-2016 08:31AM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famines

And there was a famine in 1879, though it did not have the impact of the earlier one.

bruschi · 08-01-2016 08:32AM

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

There was a famine in 1879.

the sitcom was about the great famine was it not?

weldoninhio · 08-01-2016 08:42AM

The fact that so many people still call it a "famine" shows how little people know about it. There was plenty of food around to feed the Irish, it was exported by the English though.

This was a genocide on a mass scale and nothing else. I'd recommend the book "The Graves are Walking" to get a better insight into what happened.

AnonoBoy · 08-01-2016 08:43AM

bruschi wrote: »

the sitcom was about the great famine was it not?

Well it was a good famine but I'm not sure if you'd call it a great famine. /Dunphy

As people said - there's no suggestion it wasn't greenlit because of the subject matter. Broadcasters commission scripts all the time that don't make it to air - they even shoot pilots that don't make it to air.

Sitcom about the famine

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