Our point was that the media unjustifiably elevates these shows to 'masterpiece' status; in reality, they are - like you say - good shows with the potential to develop. In contrast, a lot of genuine early masterpieces are not elevated in this way because they don't fit in with journalists' view of the way things should be. It's easy, for example, for a hack to claim that the League of Gentlemen offers something 'innovative' and encounter little resistance in saying so.
Also, the 'Sorted' sketch is funnier than the whole of Black Books put together. But trying arguing this at Heat magazine and you'll have your work cut out.
Ditto that 'Do Not Adjust Your Set' was completely magical.
Spion, did you perhaps miss the entire point of the 'Sorted' thing? If so, then you're one of the few people lucky enough never to have been too drunk to bother switching off the abomination that was ITV's "Get Stuffed", the target of their horribly accurate spoof.
Astonishingly, the production company behind it still exists, and is now producing the execrable "That Pressie Show", also on ITV in the early hours.
I really should get to bed earlier.
Mogwai done:
>Astonishingly, the production company behind it still exists, and is now producing the execrable "That Pressie Show", also on ITV in the early hours.
Which, it should be pointed out, is execrable and features presenters who all seem to be exhibiting symptoms of advanced Parkinson's Disease.
Cheerio
Steve
>Which, it should be pointed out, is execrable and features presenters who all seem to be exhibiting symptoms of advanced Parkinson's Disease.
I found it morbidly fascinating; initially I thought I'd stumbled across a bad sketch show, but no - the *whole* thing was presented like this.
What can possibly be the rationale behind it? I mean, it's not really self-consciously zany or anything, just really peculiar. As if everyone's been instructed to act like three-year-olds on a sugar buzz.
You say that the League of Gentlemen "wear their darkness on their sleeves" and that they are not really properly dark and weird and creepy like Derek and Clive. Well no, you may be right, because LOG is often 'dark' in the same way as old fashioned horror films, a genre it pays homage to and references quite often. Edward and Tubbs are very silly and monstrous, but they're not usually meant to be scary. The LOG use pathos a lot, but it's very funny, and surely that's the most important thing. Some sketches are very dark and do make you gasp. Pop and his 2 sons in the warehouse in series 1, for example. I don't really care whether the LOG are dark or not. I don't care that the D&C cunt kicking sketch might be offensive, because I find it funny, and that's what matters when you watch/listen to comedy. I don't think most of the characters in the Fast Show are funny once you've seen them more than about 4 times, saying the same catchphrase again and again and again and again. "You ain't seen me, right?" What the frig is funny about that? Frig all, that's not even funny the 1st time, but Papa Lazarou is funny, and they brought him back in the Xmas special in a new, good, original way. He said "You're my wife now." and it was still funny, so what's wrong with that?
on the league of gentlemen i have to say that i have just bought the dvd and it's fantastic, well presented and with a full and usually interesting commentry. which is more than chris morris has ever done. (i agree he's brilliant, but in a different way)
The LOG DVD is excellent.
>The LOG DVD is excellent.
"Ooh yes, I remember having to drop that crisp packet in... and no body ever mentions this joke... "
The LOG DVD is excellent.
>The LOG DVD is excellent.
"Joby wrote an excellent piece of music for this bit... we had to cut it out, I can't quite remember why..."
The LoG DVD is excellent
>The LoG DVD is excellent
WHAT??! Aaaargh, you pleb, etc.
finally!
Irony, people.