No More Panel Shows, it’s killing comedy…

Hello, welcome back.

I’m angry, so angry I’d be awesome on a Panel Show, being deliberately twatty and sarchastic about everything, nothing is good, nothing and I could amusingly tell the nation from behind a desk.

Or I could seethe for a little bit at home and spend more time finding something nice to talk about, yes, I’ll do that, mean is easy and simple and sadly the life blood of our comedy consumption at the moment.

Even cosy sitcoms aren’t immune with ‘Outnumbered’ forcing children to be the arses pointing out how inept and worthless their parents are, ugh, aren’t they just like our family, the kids are one slap from care… woooo how self-offacing.

I’m bored of being miserable and saying ‘isn’t Katona a twat’, well I’m not totally bored of saying that but I do think it is over said.

I’m rambleing but that’s only because I’m so angry that cheap and essentially lazy comedy is being forced towards us.

This month Frankie (oh so edgy) Boyle, Russel (lovely) Howard and Micheal (estate agent / son of agent) Macintyre all relesed their very very well selling DVDs and I wonder what people think they’re buying. Boyle and Macintyre are pretty much the same on stage as they are on telly Boyle’s all horrid and offensive and Macintyre is the exact opposite, Howard on the other hand is not like he is on the TV, especially not like he is on the ‘whos comedy dick is bigger’ fest that is Mock The Week (or the how much of a twat is the Doctor from My Hero show). On Mock The Week Howard is very rarely allowed to speak and when he does he has to be as mean or meaner than the other panelists. On stage doing his day job he is a sweet, excited bundle of exuberant comedy that makes you smile and laugh and there is never a ‘ooooooh’ grimace moment. If you get a chance to see him live do it do it do it, you’ll leave uplifted, honest. It’s a shame he can’t be himself on these shows as apparently, whimiscal and nice gets you cut out, cue Josie Long…

Josie was on Never Mind the Buzzcocks and either she said absolutely nothing other than ‘I love you Stephen Fry’ or she was edited to a nubbin of herself. Long is a comedian that is hard to pin down, a major part of her last tour (Kindness and Exuberance) involved her painting on her own belly, love her.

Josie Long is the exact opposite to all the boys on panel shows but without becoming shiny happy primetime Macintyre. I love her and know others would too if only they got to see her, I was very very dissapointed by her appearence on NMtB, more for her than by her.

As a series of hastely produced ‘Live at the Apollo’s grace out friday night viewing with the same ol’ faces I wonder where our comedy will come from over the next few years. It’s beginging to eat itself and become so horrid it depresses instead of amuses.

What do you think - more mean Boyle and Brooker or more lovely Long and Suttie……