Park Life 71 Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 "Blue-collar comedies, eh? Problem is, of course, it's never entirely straightforward what that means: do we mean comedy by the working class, for the working class, or about the working class? But given this obvious cavil, the man does seem to have a point. Porridge, Bread, Birds of a Feather, Brushstrokes, Rising Damp, Steptoe and Son, Only Fools and Horses, Till Death Do Us Part . . . those were great comedies with working-class settings, except for Brushstrokes, which just had a working-class setting. Where are their equivalents now? The simple thing to say is that since a working class doesn't exist in the form it did 40 years ago, sitcoms depicting it as if it did aren't to be expected. The notable successes in recent years – The Royle Family and Shameless – both portrayed a working class unrecognisable to the Galton and Simpson generation. Perhaps what Cohen's trying to do is caution against comedy that forgets class exists and assumes We Are All Middle-Class Now: not because it's unrepresentative, but because it's less funny. The best British sitcoms have tended to probe the deepest British anxiety: that is, class itself. Hancock's Half Hour, maybe the greatest sitcom of all time, was marinated in class anxiety – as were Keeping Up Appearances, The Good Life, Rising Damp, Are You Being Served? and Fawlty Towers. Snobbery and inverted snobbery, aspiration and pretension, the struggle of the individual against a collective destiny: these are great engines of comedy. From Malvolio mincing cross-gartered to Del-Boy Trotter dreaming of a big score, we recognise ourselves in the snobs brought low and the wide-boys thwarted of class-based comedy." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 20485 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Can't be doing with Frank Skinner like although Fantasy Football was funny back in the day. Probably the best stand up in the UK imo. Very talented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Can't be doing with Frank Skinner like although Fantasy Football was funny back in the day. Probably the best stand up in the UK imo. Very talented. I'm not big on live comedy tbh. Don't mind watching a bit on telly but rarely go and see anyone at a venue. I just don't find him very funny though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 The comedy circuit isn't divided by class it's divided by mainstream and alternative. Johnny Vegas and Robin Ince are total opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of class, but they're both best appreciated by an alternative audience that want to have their preconceptions challenged and come away surprised and enlightened. Equally, Chubby Brown and Jimmy Carr are at opposite ends of the social demographic, but their comedy is mainstream, for an audience who prefer to remain in their comfort zone, to have their stereotypes confirmed, and preconceived notions left in tact....despite claims of shock value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 20485 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Can't be doing with Frank Skinner like although Fantasy Football was funny back in the day. Probably the best stand up in the UK imo. Very talented. I'm not big on live comedy tbh. Don't mind watching a bit on telly but rarely go and see anyone at a venue. I just don't find him very funny though. Fair enough. I love a bit of live comedy, you've got to be in the right mood though (drink obviously helps). I don't like it on the telly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 20485 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 The comedy circuit isn't divided by class it's divided by mainstream and alternative. Johnny Vegas and Robin Ince are total opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of class, but they're both best appreciated by an alternative audience that want to have their preconceptions challenged and come away surprised and enlightened. Equally, Chubby Brown and Jimmy Carr are at opposite ends of the social demographic, but their comedy is mainstream, for an audience who prefer to remain in their comfort zone, to have their stereotypes confirmed, and preconceived notions left in tact....despite claims of shock value. That's probably true like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Also, re: the piece about the Edinburgh Festval, does anyone on here feel like they got their comedy influences from their parents? Not at all in my case, although I quite like Bobby Thompson (more for the crack than to laugh out loud at though). Me and me Dad both quite liked Vic Reeves Big Night Out as well but it was more stuff mates / kids at school liked. Perhaps I'm not middle class and that's why Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Despite his popularity, i'd put frank Skinner in the alternative bracket too. Saw his last show where he spent 40 minutes lying on the floor groaning about what a hateful twat he was. It was excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Can't be doing with Frank Skinner like although Fantasy Football was funny back in the day. Probably the best stand up in the UK imo. Very talented. I'm not big on live comedy tbh. Don't mind watching a bit on telly but rarely go and see anyone at a venue. I just don't find him very funny though. Fair enough. I love a bit of live comedy, you've got to be in the right mood though (drink obviously helps). I don't like it on the telly. I just don't like going out tbh. HF is spot on btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 14002 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 My favourite comedian is Ross Noble - he doesn't appear - on the surface at least - to be the kind of comedian who sits and writes a set as a lot of his shows are spontaneous and directly influenced by someone in the audience or something that happened to him that day. So rather than a preconceived script it's almost as if you are viewing a mental patient pour his mind out on the floor. It's a comedy that totally eclipses class. Additional to Noble I like Lee Mack - who is perhaps the opposite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewerk 29554 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 To move on the debate over working class/middle class comedy and it's merits, here are Sheridan Smiths nips. access denied, what's your password for that porn site mate? password " google images, sheridan smith nips, 1st image" Try this- same piccy (tbh , its a bit shite, but, never stopped me before) I don't even know who she is, but there, indeed, are her obfuscated nipples. Shearergol claims to have shagged her iirc. Don't see how she is a borderline boiler myself, I would definitiely. Him and James Corden. Clearly doesn't set the bar too high, my kind of woman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 20485 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 I'd wear a condom like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trophyshy 7061 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 toughguymick FTW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac-Toon 1 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Mentioned before in another thread but Still Game is working class and is amazing comic writing and performing. Check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Mentioned before in another thread but Still Game is working class and is amazing comic writing and performing. Check it out. Aye, always been canny funny when I've seen it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manc-mag 1 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge. Top working class comedian with probably the top middle class comic creation. So where would that fit into it? What a load of bollcoks in other words, summats either funny or its not and if the main criterion suddenly becomes what social class it is you can pretty much guarantee its going to be a load of old shite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 14002 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Yeh I suppose that's exactly it. If you look at two recent ''middle class'' comedies from the BBC in 'Outnumbered' & 'My Family' both were utterly terrible. Write the same comedy into a working class background and it's still going to be awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trophyshy 7061 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 not enough good sit coms full stop tbh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JawD 99 Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 To move on the debate over working class/middle class comedy and it's merits, here are Sheridan Smiths nips. access denied, what's your password for that porn site mate? password " google images, sheridan smith nips, 1st image" Try this- same piccy (tbh , its a bit shite, but, never stopped me before) I don't even know who she is, but there, indeed, are her obfuscated nipples. Shearergol claims to have shagged her iirc. Don't see how she is a borderline boiler myself, I would definitiely. Him and James Corden. Clearly doesn't set the bar too high, my kind of woman. Here you go then, closer inspection after a little photoshop - this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Castell 0 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I like Outnumbered actually. Early Doors is a classic, Still Game is a hidden gem, as was 15 Storeys High. Bread was utter, utter shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10460 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 It seems middle class has become a byword for safe, for middle of the road. Would Outnumbered be vastly different if it were set in Toxteth? (Genuine question I've never watched it, nor been to Toxteth ) I tell you one thing, it wouldn't be broadcast at 18:00 on a saturday evening (or whenever it's shown). Either he wants to represent the majority of Britain (which I would suggest is middle class, but maybe not the aspirational middle class in the shows he mentions, more the apathetic swathe of average peoples) or he wants working class comedies which aren't really reflecting society's norm, but rather a segment of it. In which case why isn't he calling for more upper class comedies? As an aside; Shamless, Royle Family, IDeal, are all "working class" comedies that purport to have a basis in gritty realism and have received critical aclaim. However they are all shown later on to permit the swearing and adult themes. Personally, I think there's a vast difference between saying "we don't have enough working class comedy" and "we don't have enough good comedy". I watched a "Don't you fondly remember" type show for "Allo Allo" and laughed out loud on a couple of occasions. I don't think that's because the scripts were ground breaking or whatever. They were just heavy on innuendo, cheek and charm. Only cynicism stops a return of these gentler comedies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manc-mag 1 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Dave sat in his lonely garrett eating a tin of beans watching Allo Allo and laughing out loud. With his shades on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snakehips 0 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 What a load of absolute fucking tosh. BBC should sack the knob who made the statement. 'Working class comedy' The king of 'working class comedy' was Ben Elton. 'Yearr, THATCHER (said with as much venom as possible, 'cause she was hated and to say her name loudly would get more laughs/appreciation ) this, and THATCHER that.' Oh how we working classes lapped it up. Elton was our hero. And then he got rich.... There is no such thing as 'working class comedy'. Comedy is based on one's psyche and concentration. The ultimate, base-line comedy is classic slapstick; bloke (or woman. sorry for being a Gray) gets pie in face and we laugh. Bloke, or woman, turns around whilst carrying a ladder on shoulder: other bloke, or woman, gets twatted by ladder. We laugh. The more we have to concentrate on what is being said/performed, and how it is being delivered, the more division there will be in who likes what. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10460 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Oldest joke in the world is a fart joke. Fact (from QI) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I like Outnumbered actually. Early Doors is a classic, Still Game is a hidden gem, as was 15 Storeys High. Bread was utter, utter shit. Aye, the kids are funny imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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