Watson & Oliver - Series 1 Page 7

Quote: chipolata @ March 6 2012, 10:23 AM GMT

I believe Watson and Oliver did actually meet at school.

I believe they wrote most of last night's sketches whilst they were still at school too ;)

Quote: zooo @ March 6 2012, 10:14 AM GMT

That's quite a bizarre bit to take offence to. People do meet at school, y'know.

And keep the anniversary? Really?

Indeed, it's the first time I've watched the show and thought the anniversary exchange was a pretty lame start. It didn't really get any better after that.

Quote: Tokyo Nambu @ March 6 2012, 11:49 AM GMT

And keep the anniversary? Really?

It was just a joke, I don't see the big deal.

Is it just me or do they, mostly, just not fit into their roles. I just get the feeling that in some of their characters they maybe aren't that comfortable, like someone who has only rehearsed once. Maybe the are nervous. Are they just starting out in acting perhaps?

Quote: zooo @ March 6 2012, 12:28 PM GMT

It was just a joke, I don't see the big deal.

The big deal is that it's the opening sketch of a prime-ish time BBC series, and it's cack. That sort of routine arises from the situation being believable, but with a twist which makes it funny. The basic premise there doesn't work: they're in their early thirties, and celebrating a twentieth anniversary. Friends who met at school don't do that. Couples do that. It's a sketch written by or for someone else. A married couple in their forties where one of them is unromantic. A not-couple where one of them is besotted by the other. Or if they're in their thirties, it's a fifth or tenth anniversary gag. Your suspension of disbelief is suspended, because you can't see why they'd be doing it in the first place.

And then the pay-off is almost a slap in the face to the audience: she gets out some change and an expired buspass, hands them over, and the flower-giver says that's great, she collects buspasses. On what planet did any producer sign that off as being a joke? Anyone good enough to deliver it and make it funny would be good enough to demand that the writers come up with something better.

Well either way it's given you hours of pleasure, whether that be laughing at jokes or analysing it to death. ;)

I've gone off this, unfortunately. There are too many repeated sketches and with the new ones the punchlines are apparent about 2 minutes before they end. I'm sure they have some brilliant sketches to come, but I can't be bothered to watch all of the rest to find out.

The Secret Millionaire spoof went on painfully long with absolutely no place to go but where it went.

They have obvious ability but do not look comfortable in front of camera and the material is too thin. They just seem to have been thrown in a bit at the deep end.

The comedy sketches I did at Edinburgh Youth Theatre, over 25 years ago, were funnier than this rubbish!

This is woeful. At least Myleen Klass never made the mistake of thinking she was funny.

Didn't anyone else notice the girls in the background corpsing in the James Bond sketch?

(Mistake or charming? Not sure...)

Quote: Tokyo Nambu @ March 6 2012, 8:00 PM GMT

The big deal is that it's the opening sketch of a prime-ish time BBC series, and it's cack. That sort of routine arises from the situation being believable, but with a twist which makes it funny. The basic premise there doesn't work: they're in their early thirties, and celebrating a twentieth anniversary. Friends who met at school don't do that. Couples do that. It's a sketch written by or for someone else. A married couple in their forties where one of them is unromantic. A not-couple where one of them is besotted by the other. Or if they're in their thirties, it's a fifth or tenth anniversary gag. Your suspension of disbelief is suspended, because you can't see why they'd be doing it in the first place.

Hmm... I think you're totally wrong on this, and I'm saying this as someone who doesn't really like the show.

The fact that it's a bizarre thing to be celebrating is surely the point of the sketch. The gag is in Watson's disproportionate response to something quite minor. I find it bizarre to suggest that writing the sketch for a married couple in their forties would even come close to working - that's a scene from a comedy drama at best, not a sketch.

Watched the show and didn't get it at all. Might have been filmed before a live audience I doubt it, you could tell a mile away it was canned laughter.
Not funny at all. The writing was poor. Go get a real job girls.
Just the same as Miranda Hart, the woman has had her head filled with duff info that she is funny. Funny if Hart is funny why have they moved her to straight acting???

Oh dear.