Wigans quote watch

[Anonymous]

No, that's not it.

You know how there is always some big point to everything that Americans say. Every little quote is taken really seriously? What did he mean by that joke? Why does he tweet this or that remark? Well that's not so much the case with Brits - if someone is saying something, it doesn't necessarily have a point to it. It just is.

Well I understand what I mean here.

See now i understand you, before, that was just nonsense..

Basically us brits think out loud a lout

 

[Anonymous]

I can in a way. Frequency in episodes provides an insight into British and American writers and producers. The Office, The IT Crowd and The Mighty Boosh all suffer from the same stalemate. Very few episodes in a season. Under 10 a season. The IT Crowd has on average 6 episodes a season. Must be a British thing. American shows average 22 or 24 episodes a season. Modern day comedies in the UK are perceived by many to be high quality because of their rich, insightful and calculated humour. However humour is like a sponge. Writers and comedic actors cannot pull a miracle out of the bag over an extended period. Solution. Less episodes. Quality is condensed and originality and creativity is jam packed into a short session. The creators only have so much moisture in their sponges. British shows put it all into a hand full of episodes.

I think thats very much a part of the way the tv seasons run in america. They have very laid out schedules, things start in late jan/early feb, the next season starts in september without fail. Everything stops for thanksgiving and christmas. We dont really run like that over here.

Also, my impression is that a lot of american writers/actors work on one show. Over here writers may be involved in 4 or 5 shows, actors appear on several shows. Its just a different mentality.Bear in mind as well, a 30 minute comedy show on the bbc, is about a 2hour show on american tv by the time you put in all the commercials..

 

[Anonymous]

Im surprised nobody has mentioned the greatest comedy to come out of britain in the last 15 years. The Royle Family. Comedy built pretty much on obvservation, saying nothing very interesting, and taking the **** out of people.

Genius.!

 

[BroDeal]

Also, my impression is that a lot of american writers/actors work on one show. Over here writers may be involved in 4 or 5 shows, actors appear on several shows. Its just a different mentality.

Yeah, the mentality that comes from not having the money to hire dedicated staff...or commit to making more than six episodes.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

US comedy is definitely not helped by running long series and not quitting while they're ahead. Classic UK series like Fawlty Towers, the Office etc knew when to quit and leave us wanting more. If Fawlty Towers had gone on for 10series of 20 episodes it would have become stale and wouldn't be remembered in the same light. Some US series like Friends massively outstayed their welcome, with actors getting $1 million per episode etc. I used to find it moderately amusing but now can't even bare to have it on.

Not many US series have managed to keep my interest, and not just the comedy ones. There's no accounting for taste, but Family Guy and Curb Your Enthusiasm have kept up a high (or low?!) standard fairly well.

Anyway, interesting discussion & should prob not be in the pro road racing section?

Just to trying clarify what everyone has been saying - Brad isn't funny anymore and he should have packed it in a few seasons ago.........

Wow - you guys are cruel.

Actually - since we are talking about Twitter comedy (??!) - here is a pretty good effort from some American.

 

[sublimit]

Indeed, and The Fast show, The Office, all quality stuff.

I must admit there doesn't seem to be as much great british comedy than a few years back though.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, the mentality that comes from not having the money to hire dedicated staff...or commit to making more than six episodes.

or the bbc splitting writers across three or four jobs, or that a lot of the writers are comedians who also have stand up tours to do, fringe festivals to attend etc. An awful lot of british writers are comedians in their own right. Take for instance Royle Family, The Office, or Gavin and Stacey etc..

 

[Hawkwood]

I don't think it's Wiggin's humour that people don't get. It's more the sort of dark way some British people speak designed to confuse more than make people laugh. If there is a cultural devide then that would be where it's at.

We confuse each other, never mind anyone else! I'm originally from the North West (the Wirral) with Irish, Welsh and Cornish blood, but moved `down south' 30 years ago. My girlfriend is from Northern Ireland, I think we speak different languages! The number of misunderstandings that arise from what should be straightforward conversations is crazy!

 

[auscyclefan94]

Unbelievable...

@Dimspace

@bradwiggins the internet forums will be awash with tales of your foul mouth

is @lancearmstrong halfway up @bradwiggins coxxyx this week or what? Pysch? Or honesty?

 

[D Avoid]

Indeed, and The Fast show, The Office, all quality stuff.

I must admit there doesn't seem to be as much great british comedy than a few years back though.

The Office was for manic depressives who considered themselves happy, obviously some of the time they are, the rest of the time they are watching The Office .

The fast show, das difference, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrFa51JU3sM

 

[Anonymous]

@Dimspace

@bradwiggins the internet forums will be awash with tales of your foul mouth

is @lancearmstrong halfway up @bradwiggins coxxyx this week or what? Pysch? Or honesty?

The first one was amusing The second one I think is a fair question.. Lance has been *** licking Brad all week

Now stop stalking me

 

[auscyclefan94]

The first one was amusing The second one I think is a fair question.. Lance has been *** licking Brad all week

Somebody does read your tweets Dim!

 

[Anonymous]

Somebody does read your tweets Dim!

I have followers i will have you know.. Admitedly most of them are trying to sell me drugs or awareness courses, but hey, a follower is a follower whatever form they come in..

 

[auscyclefan94]

I have followers i will have you know.. Admitedly most of them are trying to sell me drugs or awareness courses, but hey, a follower is a follower whatever form they come in..

I was making that comment not as a statement but as saying that I read your twitter page messages regulary!

 

[Anonymous]

I was making that comment not as a statement but as saying that I read your twitter page messages regulary!

Hmm.. checks his followers for australian stalkers

If i make a real effort do you reckon i will get my own quotes thread?

 

[auscyclefan94]

Hmm.. checks his followers for australian stalkers

If i make a real effort do you reckon i will get my own quotes thread?

Probably, you would need to post about seeing 2 didldos coming out of a ladies bag at the airport

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The Royle Family was superb, but I think it's incredibly British; the family, the pop culture references, everything harks back to a certain way of life which is typical of urban Britain.

The best British comedy show in several years has been Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle. Everything back to basics, just one bitter, cynical man and a microphone, complaining about everything for half an hour. His show on books and literature was amazing. Again, I don't know how well it translates.

This is another thing in the comedic 'divide'; much of American pop culture becomes, by osmosis, pop culture elsewhere. We can't go to Taco Bell but we know all about it. The reverse is not true, however; Family Guy can be full of references to other US shows and we'll still get it, but if a UK show is full of references to tons of other UK shows, then it may have trouble translating to other audiences because not all of those shows will 'make it' abroad. This might be able to breed a sort of cultural élitism amongst people who 'get the references' if they watch a lot of UK shows, and keeps up the perception of UK shows being somehow cleverer because they're referring to things that, although mainstream in the UK, seem more niche overseas.

Britain really seemed to have a golden age of comedy that is waning; there haven't been any shows of the quality of, say, Brass Eye or The Day Today for a while now; American comedy shows, as has been mentioned, often seem to outstay their welcome, perhaps due to the pressure of having a hugely successful show, and stopping running it creating a 20-week void in the schedules. Hence even hugely acclaimed shows like Frasier feel like they've done everything they possibly can when they stop. The likes of Curb Your Enthusiasm have stayed fresh (this has been my favourite show in recent times) but then, like the likes of Family Guy and the Simpsons (which is on the downturn these days), these aren't 'conventional' sitcoms; they don't have the inherent clear limitations that the likes of Friends and Roseanne had.

 

[auscyclefan94]

The Royle Family was superb, but I think it's incredibly British; the family, the pop culture references, everything harks back to a certain way of life which is typical of urban Britain.

The best British comedy show in several years has been Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle. Everything back to basics, just one bitter, cynical man and a microphone, complaining about everything for half an hour. His show on books and literature was amazing. Again, I don't know how well it translates.

This is another thing in the comedic 'divide'; much of American pop culture becomes, by osmosis, pop culture elsewhere. We can't go to Taco Bell but we know all about it. The reverse is not true, however; Family Guy can be full of references to other US shows and we'll still get it, but if a UK show is full of references to tons of other UK shows, then it may have trouble translating to other audiences because not all of those shows will 'make it' abroad. This might be able to breed a sort of cultural élitism amongst people who 'get the references' if they watch a lot of UK shows, and keeps up the perception of UK shows being somehow cleverer because they're referring to things that, although mainstream in the UK, seem more niche overseas.

Britain really seemed to have a golden age of comedy that is waning; there haven't been any shows of the quality of, say, Brass Eye or The Day Today for a while now; American comedy shows, as has been mentioned, often seem to outstay their welcome, perhaps due to the pressure of having a hugely successful show, and stopping running it creating a 20-week void in the schedules. Hence even hugely acclaimed shows like Frasier feel like they've done everything they possibly can when they stop. The likes of Curb Your Enthusiasm have stayed fresh (this has been my favourite show in recent times) but then, like the likes of Family Guy and the Simpsons (which is on the downturn these days), these aren't 'conventional' sitcoms; they don't have the inherent clear limitations that the likes of Friends and Roseanne had.

Relevance...

 

[Anonymous]

Probably, you would need to post about seeing 2 didldos coming out of a ladies bag at the airport

i thought my "went on ebay to buy 50 blank cd's and bought 50 bland cd's by mistake.. anyone want a coldplay album" was comedy genius

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Relevance...

Go back a page, it is in response to where the thread had been going. I'm sorry I've interrupted yours and dim's repartee. This thread has been wildly off topic about five times already, sorry for derailing the rerailing.

 

[auscyclefan94]

i thought my "went on ebay to buy 50 blank cd's and bought 50 bland cd's by mistake.. anyone want a coldplay album" was comedy genius

Dildos are more interesting topic!

 

[Anonymous]

Go back a page, it is in response to where the thread had been going. I'm sorry I've interrupted yours and dim's repartee. This thread has been wildly off topic about five times already, sorry for derailing the rerailing.

Just dont mention the war.. whatever you do.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

ah, the war and comedy! All we need now is a bit of linguistics and we have all three of my derailing topics in one handy post!

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Go back a page, it is in response to where the thread had been going. I'm sorry I've interrupted yours and dim's repartee. This thread has been wildly off topic about five times already, sorry for derailing the rerailing.

Take no heed of him, this is the Wiggans thread, therefore it is the Comedy thread....

I always reckoned I knew David Brailsford from somewhere, and all this nostalgia about good old British Comedy suddenly reminded me..............

I wonder did Davy 'Del Boy' Brailsford say "Luvly Jubbly" to JV when he poached 'Rodney Wiggans'??

For anyone who has no idea what I am on about Only Fools and Horses, here is a Classic clip and then some of the 'best bits'.

 

[Boeing]

Say it ain't so, damn.