I thought this was absolutely dreadful. God it was bad! Can anyone point out which bits were the comedy 'cause I think I missed them. You had Miranda Richardson playing Joanna Lumley's character in Ab Fab, Saunders doing her usual demanding role, the girl from Lead Balloon playing the same role she played in that. It's such a hard thing to describe because there was nothing to it. She really does produce irritating pieces of work.

Where are the jokes?

I'll start with the positive - the ending with the frozen sperm wasn't bad. It even raised a smile. And there's another thing, a strange paradox: anyone else find Jennifer Saunders less annoying in the role of someone who is supposed to be annoying than she is in her other roles?

The rest of it seemed to be a heavy-handed satire of something that even the lamest school revue could satire just as (or more) effectively. What astounding insight! With no funny bits as well. And scandalously unrealistic audience reactions in the studio to the antics on the TV show.

By the way, what happened to Miranda Richardson's talent? Was it on a long holiday during the shoot, or has it gone for good?

And per-lease! She's called Vyle. Geddit? Oh God. Pass the sick bag. No, it's full already.

I didn't like it, in case you were wondering.

This is so bad they should keep the other episodes on the shelf and not show them. This is entertainment made by a society that's dying.

Maybe this should be nominated for the 'sitcoms that need a dvd release' so it can go straight to dvd and off tv.

Actually, I found some parts quite funny. Miranda talking to her own child in Spanish because she's always with an au pair was quite original. I'll give it another watch as the first episode is always trying to set the scene.

Believe it or not i was expecting it to be worse but I thought Saunders played the role well.

 

i only caught the last ten minutes but it didn't seem like a comedy. it was just jennifer saunders being rude to people randomly. i couldn't really work out what was going on.

I'm going to agree with everyone else on this, it's pretty bad. A limp script and performances that were phoned in. I neither liked nor cared for the characters, and found my attention wandering after ten minutes. Worse, I kept thinking how well Armando Iaanucci or Chris Morris could have dealt with the same subject (in fact, wasn't there a sketch in Brass Eye where Chris Morris played a confessional talkshow host?).

The other problem I had with it that Jeremy Kyle is practically a parody as it is, and far funnier to watch. My prediction is dwindling viewing figures and no second series.

Have to say I didnt really mind this, I quite enjoyed it in fact. Quite low key, but amusing; and I really like the bit where she says something like she doesnt have that sort of huge ego, as she walks past a wall and stairs covered with a giant picture of her face. I think this could be the kind of thing that isnt throwing gags in your face, so you find yourself getting more and more into as the series progresses. So a half decent first episode, Ill wait to see how it develops before damning it. Saunders isnt one of my comedy heroes or anything, but I definitely get the sense, after using this site for a while, that a good portion of the people on here just hate her!
 

Quote: Matthew Stott @ October 5, 2007, 11:21 AM

Have to say I didnt really mind this, I quite enjoyed it in fact. Quite low key, but amusing; and I really like the bit where she says something like she doesnt have that sort of huge ego, as she walks past a wall and stairs covered with a giant picture of her face. I think this could be the kind of thing that isnt throwing gags in your face, so you find yourself getting more and more into as the series progresses. So a half decent first episode, Ill wait to see how it develops before damning it. Saunders isnt one of my comedy heroes or anything, but I definitely get the sense, after using this site for a while, that a good portion of the people on here just hate her!

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I agree with Matt. Suck it and see.
 

I liked it. It was a slow, low key drama comedy more than the sitcom I was expecting. It reminded me a lot of Sensitive Skin.
 

Yeah, I thought it was better than Jam & J. But that's not really a compliment. I think it shows the diversity of sitcom's these days. You got your gag-a-minute Not Going Out at one end and this at the other. As someone who likes story I found it watchable. Again, its not been made to be a gag-a-minute sitcom, but there are laughs there.
 

Quote: ContainsNuts @ October 5, 2007, 12:58 PM

Yeah, I thought it was better than Jam & J. But that's not really a compliment.

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Or an achievement.
 

V.poor. Says it al, really

Well I didn't watch but two of my friends emailed me and MSN'ed me saying 'did I just see you on telly'.

Apparently there was someone in the audience who was the splitting image of me.
 

Quote: chipolata @ October 5, 2007, 9:52 AM

The other problem I had with it that Jeremy Kyle is practically a parody as it is

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Exactly. Programmes like Kyle and X-Factor are pretty much self-parody with no respect for their audience.
Better to parody Kyle by the production company genuinely caring about the mental health of the participants, etc.
However, I liked the business with the mobile phone and the child only speaking Spanish.

 

Anyone else notice an extraordinary amount of swearing, for no apparent reason? Swearing has its place in comedy but I haven't heard so many f**ks since my neighbours moved out - it was well into double figures. And to think Porridge made do with made-up swear words.

Swearing. The last desperate attempt of a comdian to be cutting edge. Discuss.