Dads army (2 Viewers)

Sky_Blue_Daz · Feb 7, 2016

Was it all that?
I mean I enjoyed comedy from the 60's and 70's especially steptoe and son , rising damp, porridge
But I could never get into this or fawlty towers for that matter

Otis · Feb 7, 2016

Sky_Blue_Daz said:
Was it all that?
I mean I enjoyed comedy from the 60's and 70's especially steptoe and son , rising damp, porridge
But I could never get into this or fawlty towers for that matter

I loved Fawlty Towers. Pure brilliance for me. Didn't understand the appeal of Dad's Army though, other than from a nostalgic nod to the past.

The German gathering of names episode was good, but past that it just seemed to be a series of OTT stereotyped characters and a sorry excuse to throw in catchphrases at every given oportunity to attain laughs.

I haven't liked any Croft and Perry stuff at all, though at the time I did like Are you Being Served, but then I knew no better and looking back now, that I find is even worse for the same jokes and catchphrases and OTT characters etc.

Think people like this stuff cos it's safe and non-threatening. Porridge and Fawlty Towers and Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads, pushed boundaries and were much more daring. So much better written too.

If you look and compare the scripts of Dad's Army to that of Porridge or the Likely Lads, they just pale in comparison.

The latter two are so brilliantly written and clever too, with great storylines. Dad's Army just seems to be the same old tired thing ad nauseum and again, Are you Being Served, worse.

Would recommend anyone to read the scripts of Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (Porridge, Likely Lads, Auf Wiedersehen Pet) to just see how cleverly written they are.

Sgt Wilson in Dad's Army was a good character, but though there was fun to be had with Fraser and Jones and Pike, it was always the same thing every week with no variation and all played really safe and then the likes of the verger, vicar and warden characters, I thought were all terribly written and very one dimensional. 'One dimensional' I think describes a lot of what Perry and Croft have done, very well indeed.

Are you Being Served just seemed to be an excuse for Mr. Humphries to be incredibly over the top gay to gather laughs each week and for Mrs. Slocombe to have the audience 'roaring' with laughter just by saying 'my pussy' every episode and for the old fella to be wheeled out to say 'You've all done very well!'

Really couldn't stand Ain't half hot Mum and Hi-De-Hi either. All OTT characters and cheap laughs.

I like intelligently written sitcoms and the likes of Porridge, Only Fools and Horses, Likely Lads, Fawlty Towers and Men Behaving Badly really blow away stuff like this tired old dirge.

As I say, I think a lot of the enjoyment comes from a sense of warm fuzzy nostalgia for many of the audience.

Porridge was groundbreaking. A sitcom set inside a prison and all the humour coming from thieves, robbers and murderers. Think at the time it very nearly didn't get made.

I think Dad's Army was incredibly safe and very predictable and full of cheap laughs.

I do understand though why many people love it and then stuff like On the Buses too.

Sky_Blue_Daz · Feb 7, 2016

You could have just said no

Covstu · Feb 7, 2016

It's a waste of camera film

smouch1975 · Feb 7, 2016

Before the release of porridge the 'back story' of fletcher was changed to the 'three strikes and you're in rule', away from a single, harder offense, to make him more palitable to the viewer

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oakey · Feb 7, 2016

I think it's blokey dialogue and the petty rivalries between the characters that is appealing. Some people enjoy humour when they can map out in their mind how each character will react, and the pettiness of their irritations. I think it's the same as enjoying seeing other people get wound up by the same things each time.
I think it's similar to how some people will watch endless crime dramas. 90% are very formulaic but people still lap them up.

Mcbean · Feb 7, 2016

Porridge stands out as well as Blackadder for me - laugh out loud !!

I rank Phoenix Nights alongside these two - underrated but hilarious - if you have never seen one just youtube Clinton Baptiste Psychic for a stomach hurting clip

Moff · Feb 7, 2016

Mcbean said:
Porridge stands out as well as Blackadder for me - laugh out loud !!

I rank Phoenix Nights alongside these two - underrated but hilarious - if you have never seen one just youtube Clinton Baptiste Psychic for a stomach hurting clip

Totally with you on Porridge and Blackadder, I also really enjoyed Fawlty Towers.

As for Phoenix nights, it was so underated and so funny. I think what made it so good was that you really could relate it to real life, and believe that there genuinelly was a club out there like it. Having a DJ named Ray Von, was so simple but just a brilliant cliche name.

henry the wasp · Feb 7, 2016

Mcbean said:
Porridge stands out as well as Blackadder for me - laugh out loud !!

I rank Phoenix Nights alongside these two - underrated but hilarious - if you have never seen one just youtube Clinton Baptiste Psychic for a stomach hurting clip

I'm getting the word "nonce".

henry the wasp · Feb 7, 2016

Quite liked Dads Army. Are You being Served and On The Buses I never liked. I watched an episode of on The Buses the other day and it was how I always remembered it, fucking awful.
used to quote Phoenix nights all day at work. Annoyed everyone with it. Another underrated comedy was Early Doors.

Nick · Feb 7, 2016

Mcbean said:
Porridge stands out as well as Blackadder for me - laugh out loud !!

I rank Phoenix Nights alongside these two - underrated but hilarious - if you have never seen one just youtube Clinton Baptiste Psychic for a stomach hurting clip

Love Phoenix nights, not many get it though

Otis · Feb 7, 2016

Nick said:
Love Phoenix nights, not many get it though

I'm sure you can get it online, Nick.

Mcbean · Feb 9, 2016

henry the wasp said:
I'm getting the word "nonce".

No finer piece ! I can't get that from my head you just have to laugh

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Sky_Blue_Daz · Feb 9, 2016

henry the wasp said:
Quite liked Dads Army. Are You being Served and On The Buses I never liked. I watched an episode of on The Buses the other day and it was how I always remembered it, fucking awful.
used to quote Phoenix nights all day at work. Annoyed everyone with it. Another underrated comedy was Early Doors.

Early doors was genius so brilliantly observed

mrtrench · Feb 10, 2016

I'm 100% with Otis on this - great analysis. For comedy I also like to more absurd stuff - Mighty Boosh was the best sitcom since Fawlty Towers for me.

ajsccfc · Feb 10, 2016

I'm still waiting for that new series of Early Doors. Starting to think it may never happen.

henry the wasp · Feb 12, 2016

I thought scripts for series 3 had been written but the bbc weren't interested. Considering they churned out 11 series of that mind numbing shit 'My family', then frankly the beeb can just fuck off.

Otis · Feb 12, 2016

henry the wasp said:
I thought scripts for series 3 had been written but the bbc weren't interested. Considering they churned out 11 series of that mind numbing shit 'My family', then frankly the beeb can just fuck off.

No, don't!! Hard to believe that the Beeb who produced Only Fools and Horses and Blackadder and Fawlty Towers and Porridge and Alan Partridge, could come out with the pile of dogs droppings that was My Family. Robert Lyndsey is such a good comedic actor too.

I watched a few episodes and honestly don't think I laughed once. I thought Terry and June was bad, but this. ......

Sky_Blue_Daz · Feb 12, 2016

Apparently Peter Kay wrote a 3rd series of Phoenix nights but it never saw the light of day
I'm not sure if it was written prior to or after his fall out with Dave Spikey and Neil fitzmaurice

henry the wasp · Feb 12, 2016

It would have needed to be with Spikey and Fitzmaurice to be any good I think. His output has been poor since. Although car share is funny in parts.

Captain Dart · Feb 12, 2016

Sky_Blue_Daz said:
Early doors was genius so brilliantly observed

Just looked it up & it features appearances by young James McAvoy, who has gone on to start in a few hollywood blockbusters.

Mcbean · Feb 13, 2016

I found that car share just awe full gave up after the first episode. Never knew that Kay had fallen out with Spikey . Hopefully they might kiss and make up and we get the third series - who can forget The car alarm scene or the fighting dwarves or the table tennis balls - makes me laugh just thinking about them

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Sky_Blue_Daz · Feb 13, 2016

Max and paddy was decent everything including his stand up routines up to car share was pretty laboured in my opinion

Sky_Blue_Daz · Feb 13, 2016

Mcbean said:
I found that car share just awe full gave up after the first episode. Never knew that Kay had fallen out with Spikey . Hopefully they might kiss and make up and we get the third series - who can forget The car alarm scene or the fighting dwarves or the table tennis balls - makes me laugh just thinking about them
And Jerry st Clair with the hand dryer
"Covered in piss"

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henry the wasp · Feb 13, 2016

Didn't find max and paddy that great. Funny in parts. His earlier stuff with That Peter kay thing I thought was good. Again written with Spikey and Fitzmaurice. It would be an odd world if we liked the same stuff.
"it's a 20ft cock and balls man! It don't look like nothing else"!

ajsccfc · Feb 13, 2016

Max and Paddy was one of worst things I've ever seen on TV. From that and then his annual cash-in releases of old material I hated Peter Kay until Car Share which was surprisingly warm. He's meant to be good on that Danny Baker thing too.

chiefdave · Feb 13, 2016

Couldn't get into that Danny Baker thing. Loved Car Share though.

Kay and Spikey made up. They didn't speak for 10 years apparently and then Kay called him up to do some shows for Comic Relief. Spikey has said there's not much chance of it leading to anymore Phoenix Nights. Probably for the best really.

Sky_Blue_Daz · Feb 13, 2016

Once you get past the cockney accent he is pretty good in cradle to grave

Otis · Feb 22, 2016

Otis said:
I loved Fawlty Towers. Pure brilliance for me. Didn't understand the appeal of Dad's Army though, other than from a nostalgic nod to the past.

The German gathering of names episode was good, but past that it just seemed to be a series of OTT stereotyped characters and a sorry excuse to throw in catchphrases at every given oportunity to attain laughs.

I haven't liked any Croft and Perry stuff at all, though at the time I did like Are you Being Served, but then I knew no better and looking back now, that I find is even worse for the same jokes and catchphrases and OTT characters etc.

Think people like this stuff cos it's safe and non-threatening. Porridge and Fawlty Towers and Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads, pushed boundaries and were much more daring. So much better written too.

If you look and compare the scripts of Dad's Army to that of Porridge or the Likely Lads, they just pale in comparison.

The latter two are so brilliantly written and clever too, with great storylines. Dad's Army just seems to be the same old tired thing ad nauseum and again, Are you Being Served, worse.

Would recommend anyone to read the scripts of Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (Porridge, Likely Lads, Auf Wiedersehen Pet) to just see how cleverly written they are.

Sgt Wilson in Dad's Army was a good character, but though there was fun to be had with Fraser and Jones and Pike, it was always the same thing every week with no variation and all played really safe and then the likes of the verger, vicar and warden characters, I thought were all terribly written and very one dimensional. 'One dimensional' I think describes a lot of what Perry and Croft have done, very well indeed.

Are you Being Served just seemed to be an excuse for Mr. Humphries to be incredibly over the top gay to gather laughs each week and for Mrs. Slocombe to have the audience 'roaring' with laughter just by saying 'my pussy' every episode and for the old fella to be wheeled out to say 'You've all done very well!'

Really couldn't stand Ain't half hot Mum and Hi-De-Hi either. All OTT characters and cheap laughs.

I like intelligently written sitcoms and the likes of Porridge, Only Fools and Horses, Likely Lads, Fawlty Towers and Men Behaving Badly really blow away stuff like this tired old dirge.

As I say, I think a lot of the enjoyment comes from a sense of warm fuzzy nostalgia for many of the audience.

Porridge was groundbreaking. A sitcom set inside a prison and all the humour coming from thieves, robbers and murderers. Think at the time it very nearly didn't get made.

I think Dad's Army was incredibly safe and very predictable and full of cheap laughs.

I do understand though why many people love it and then stuff like On the Buses too.

I see they are doing a one off remake of Are You Being Served!

Good God no!! Why? Why on earth would you do that?

Even if anyone does like it, surely it was of its time.

Madness.

Otis · Feb 22, 2016

Can I just add, I would be just as perplexed if they did this with programmes I love too (Porridge, Only Fools and Horses, Likely Lads, Fawlty Towers, Men Behaving Badly etc.)

Just leave stuff alone. Surely Are You Being Served is going to look so dated too. They have set it in 1988. The show was very much in the here and now of the period, which was the 1970's and 80's. It was made in the 70's and set in the 70's.

Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

Sky_Blue_Daz · Feb 22, 2016

Only my opinion but they ruined only fools and horses when they did the 3 part special
Should have been left with them walking into the sunset with the line "this time next year we'll be billionaires"
It was perfect

Otis · Feb 22, 2016

Yep. The end tailed away badly. Should have left it where you suggested, Daz.

chiefdave · Feb 22, 2016

Otis said:
I see they are doing a one off remake of Are You Being Served!

Otis said:
Can I just add, I would be just as perplexed if they did this with programmes I love too (Porridge, Only Fools and Horses, Likely Lads, Fawlty Towers, Men Behaving Badly etc.)

They're also bringing back Porridge, The Good Life, Up Pompeii!, and Keeping Up Appearances. They are claiming they are all one offs for a season marking 60 years since Hancocks Half Hour. Don't buy that at all. If the ratings are half decent they will get full series like Open All Hours did.

Can't really say any of those appeal. Porridge without Barker, Pompeii without Howard and The Good Life without Briers - why bother?

Otis · Feb 22, 2016

chiefdave said:
They're also bringing back Porridge, The Good Life, Up Pompeii!, and Keeping Up Appearances. They are claiming they are all one offs for a season marking 60 years since Hancocks Half Hour. Don't buy that at all. If the ratings are half decent they will get full series like Open All Hours did.

Can't really say any of those appeal. Porridge without Barker, Pompeii without Howard and The Good Life without Briers - why bother?

Nope. Would watch Porridge and the Good Life, but it would be through a grimaced face to see just how awful they would be and believe me, they will be awful.

If you look at the Good Life, the scripts aren't even that great, but what carried it off was the great chemistry between the characters and the wonderful performances of the 4 key players. Just can't see them recreating that magic formula.

With Porridge, again the chemistry between Fletcher and Mackay and Barrowclough was a joy to behold and Ronnie Barker is pitch perfect in it.

I went to the Belgrade to see a stage show of Porridge and though I enjoyed it, that chemistry and sparkle obviously wasn't there.

If anyone recalls, Paul Merton did a recreation of a series of Galton and Simpson (Hancock's Half Hour, Steptoe and Son) sitcom episodes and it was quite painful to watch.

This is a bad, bad move. Just show classic episodes to commemorate.

chiefdave · Feb 22, 2016

Otis said:
I went to the Belgrade to see a stage show of Porridge and though I enjoyed it, that chemistry and sparkle obviously wasn't there.

That the one with Barry from EastEnders in it? Went to see that down here and as you say a decent night out but you're never going to recreate what they had.

Its so hard to get that chemistry at the best of times, to try and recreate it with a series everyone loves is a non-starter for me.

Same when they try and remake something British in the US. Why not just show the UK version? Red Dwarf and The IT Crowd spring to mind.

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