No More Panel Shows, it’s killing comedy…

Posted by Morgan on Nov 28, 2008 in Columns, Features | View Comments

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……

Andy

Frankie Boyle is a very funny man. I’m a definite fan of scathing ‘offensive’ humour. That said, you’re right about the format being ill-suited to showcasing a lot of comics. Imagine Eddie Izzard’s stream of consciousness style being butchered to fit between one-liners on NMtB.
Blackett

I physically hate Frankie Boyle, his opinonated smugness is so disgustingly lazy that it shouldnt be alowed. I think its very easy to be mean and cynical about people, things and stuff but its much for difficult and interesting to be nice and see the world as wonderful. Mucho more Josie Long on our screens and let the likes of Izzy Suttie and Sarah Millicans of the world take over and let the world have a much merrier time.
Andy

It’s a political satire programme. It’s not supposed to be nice. Satirists exist to hold those in power to account, among other things.
Blackett

then they should get intellegent people to be on it rather than Frankie ‘I talk louder than everyone else so I will get my say’ Boyle whos hight of comedic whit is to swear and look smug about it.
Andy

If you’re looking for Mock The Week with added intelligence just watch Have I Got News For You.
Dayl

It is called MOCK the week. Dictionary definitions of mock tend to include terms such as ‘scorn’, ‘contempt’, ‘derision’, etc. And Frankie Boyle is good at it. And quicker. Which is why he tends to dominate the show. If you watch it, you may note Russell Howard is generally the one laughing loudest at Frankie Boyle. They are all good. So are O Briain, Bremner, Dennis, Djalili, Moran, Izzard, Long, Bailey, Nenn, Jupitus, lots of other comedians, all with different takes. I wouldnt say any of them are dumb. Some people may not appreciate one speakers perspective, others may, but thats life…
http://www.yourfaceisanadvert.com David Morgan

It is called Mock the Week and I know it is mocking - that was the point of the article, MTW is the antithesis of panel shows, just men shouting at each other from desks.

Frankie Boyle is good at shouting - he isn’t quicker, that’s called editing, the go at it for about 3 hours and that gets edited down - it isn’t shown as shot, in any way, none of these shows are - neither is it in anyway ‘improvised’ they have most of the clips and questions beforehand, for sharpness of wit listen to the News Quiz.

He also dominates the show because he is very good friends with production staff… but the politics of comedy are for a different day.

The article is not about particular comedians - I am well aware of tastes, some people still like Chubby Brown for example, but, at the moment we are exposed to this one type of comedy, mean, heartless and sarcastic, we need a richer comedy landscape.

Thanks for the comment.
Dayl

I was more responding to the posts 2 and 4, which were about a particular comedian, than directly to the article. Impolite of me.

Would disagree - have seen F Boyle in situation where there was no editing going on, and he is quick. Mocking, offensive, etc, but quick, and in my opinion, funny. I think MTW is a perfectly valid form of entertainment - whod have thought people shouting at each other from desks would be so funny? Also, as in HIGNFY, QI, They think its all over, or Whose line, part of the entertainment is the dynamic between the people on the show, and I think that watching the panel laughing at Boyle always having to go one step further, like the attention seeker he knows he is, is probably why the show strikes a chord with the audience?

As for the comedy landscape - depends on whether you believe that comedy is a bottom up phenomenon, or whether its current style is dictated as fully as the music industry, by the marketers? I think that maybe MTW and such like are a little harsh, but there is also Izzard, Kay etc around with a more sympathetic line? All are good comedy, but I can see why an audience would rather have Boyle and the like mocking the week, and Bailey and Jupitus neverminding the buzzcocks than vice versa.

And if a panellist is edited out of a show, its possible that in the three hours, they just didnt come out with any material worth keeping in the half hour slot, or required more buildup and time than could be forced coherently into a structured half hour?
Pete

to be honest with you mate, if you’re big into design, Disney (?!) and Doctor Who (??!!), there’s really very little chance of you having much of a sense of humour.

those 3 interests alone mark you out as being, to quote Blackadder, ‘wetter than a haddock’s swimming costume’. your love of Russell Howard confirms the suspicion.
Blackett

Well done Pete I think you have just won the award for the most self indulged, judgemental and all round twatty comment on the whole of yourfaceisanadvert history. Well done you.
http://www.twitter.com/andyvglnt Andy

Try addressing the article itself instead of attacking the author, Pete.

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No More Panel Shows, it’s killing comedy…