I thought the first C4 series was fantastic. The second one I thought was very good, but a bit too wrapped up in its desire to be consciously _different_ to the first. The third I didn't like at all.

Weirdly enough, when I saw him live on the tours for the first two series, I didn't think his performance was up to much. But when I saw him on the most recent (ie series three) tour, he was fantastic.

I am at a loss to explain all the above.

I liked the series but was dissapointed with the latest Xmas spesh .. (the one that was repeated this year). However, I have always thought he excelled live. I've seen him on the last three (or maybe four) tours, and have guffawed like a bastard every time.

The last time was at the Lowry Centre in Salford late last year, and despite his act being interupted for an hour or so, only 20 minutes in, he still came back on and did a marvellously entertaining job.

Personally, I think he's fantastic. And so does my colleague, Gary. AAAaaaaaaaaah.

Have you seen the live videos? They're really superb, he's got this strange charisma that didn't come across so well on the TV show.

I bought "Harry Hill's Fruit Fancies" from Amazon before Giftmas, it's just six silly little 10 minute 'silent comedy' films, I thought they'd all be like "The Boy With The Big Face" but they weren't; they're not even that funny and you miss him talking, but I found it strangely noble that they were the first thing he decided to do on telly because presumably he won the commission by virtue of his stand-up.

>Do you all hate him as I suspect? If not I won't have to write a big essay for you about why he's great.
>

I'd be interested in reading a lengthy piece explaing just _why_ he is great, if you've got the inclination though.

>I'd be interested in reading a lengthy piece explaing just _why_ he is great, if you've got the inclination though.

Okay, I'll go away and do it properly though so that it isn't just a rambling mess; I can't write very well in this library. I will do it though, I promise. I was thinking about it this morning.

Incidentally, did you see him on "This Is Your Life" last year some time? That was strange. I'd never even thought to question his real name being Harry Hill. He seemed really genuinely nice, he was hugely uncomfortable with everyone fawning over him and that, bless.

I rate the live videos as pretty much comparable with seeing him live. Atmosphere lost a bit, but still very, very funny.

The one I find the funniest, however, has shots of a 1930s style audience cut in at some points, which annoys my arse off.

Didn't like the Fruit Fancies TV series much, but I really enjoy the boy with the big face.

Saw the This Is Your Life, and he made a bit of a reference to it on the last tour. Dressed up as Aspel and said (something along the lines of) "Get you while you're too young to have done anything important, and now we wheel in a few people you've never met before". I guess this was a reference to Corbett and Jenny Bond.

The radio series (didn't hear all of them) was good, and made excellent use of the guests. He did a little Dad's Army bit with Bill Pertwee and stuff liek that. Think Briers was in one too. And Sooty. Much better than Space Station Badger, which I thought was pretty appaulling.

>The one I find the funniest, however, has shots of a 1930s style audience cut in at some points, which annoys my arse off.

They used that same footage in the Giftmas special as well, for the Hat sketch.

What is his real name? Matthew something.

>
>What is his real name? Matthew something.

Matt Hall I think.

'Space Station Badger' was a 'Pigs In Space' for the 90s.

Billy Bragg singing 'Funky Gibbon' is a perfect comedy moment though.

>'Space Station Badger' was a 'Pigs In Space' for the 90s.

I think that was part of the joke though, I think it first turns up on the Giftmas Special as something the badgers stipulate in their contract because they're sick of the parade, I'm not sure they ever planned to do it for real in the series. I assume when they got re-commissioned they just threw it in out of laziness, or maybe plebs kept asking about it, I don't know.

There was a noticable Stewart Lee influence to some of the material as well, like "Just time now for my Rory Bremner impression." I always thought they couldn't believe their luck with the series, a lot of it was just taking the piss and them messing about. It had a really nice atmosphere though, a genuine warmth at times. I loved the Millennium Prayer barb at the beginning of the special, the lightness of touch was outstanding; anyone else would have got really wound up about it.

I liked the series, but it was almost ALL running gags, and hence you don't actually find it funny at all until about 3 episodes in. I remember loving his stand-up stuff, then watching the first couple of episodes with my mates when it first started and we all thought it was embarassingly bad, then we started to laugh after a few shows had gone by, they were funny, but I think it's a bit of a lazy thing to do.

Are the canned laughs supposed to be so over the top? I just couldn't believe when I was watching it that any sort of real audience could laugh SO much at anything the stuff he said, you can't really tell if it's meant to sound like cheap canned laughs or just covering up all the quiet. But the stand up stuff on the show isn't in the same league as his usual stand up, yet the laughs are amplified by about a million.

Did anybody see Harry Hill do Morrisey on Stars in their Eyes ages ago? If he can really sing like Morrisey, then why hasn't he taken advantage of this and used it for a multitude of gags? It was a very unnerving experience watching him waving a bunch of roses around while wearing a ludicrous Morrisey wig.