In Canada the popular news/entertainment show the Hour is in England this week and it's had some great British comedians being interviewed (Ricky Gervais is on tomorrow I'll let everyone know if he behaved) but I just finished watching the interview with Ben Elton creator of Black Adder, Thin Blue Line, Young Ones and a host of other great stuff. I had no idea one person had been behind so many classics.
He was really funny and held himself well during the interview even if he called the host a "bleeding idjit" in the end of the interview hahahaha.

Belton has definitely fallen from grace. His 80s standup, was an awsomely put together thing of machine gun comedy brilliance I saw him live, and it stuck with me. As a writer Black Adder 2-4, The Young Ones (which only looks crudes because it's so innovative, for the time). Also Thin Blue Line, Filthy Rich and Catflap, the first 4 novels. He's lost, but come on he's being going for 30 or so years, he's allowed a break.

As for Alexi Sayle I've seen his stand up, and it's good but way, way inferior. Like saying Gordon Ramsey ripped off Happy Eater, because they were making fish and chips first. I liked Alexi as a writer, performer, and sometime standup. In fairness like French and Saunders, he was always more of a second stringer who got lucky. Just because he was first doesn't make him best. n.b. Forget to mention Friday Night Live, genius!

Stark I liked, it reminded me of a bloated Tom Sharpe, and bloated or otherwise that's high praise.

Stuff was sgreat, about one of the most inspired, funny, and bloody clever skit show ever. Well it was atleast as smart as Python, false starts, and lots of lovely self indulgent stand up.

On this Comic Strip Presents?

Whatever Ben Elton does, he can do no wrong in my eyes. He gave us Blackadder, the funniest sitcom EVER in my opinion and that qualifies him to do a poo in his spangly suit on my front doorstep if he so wishes. "Yes indeed ladies and gentlemen, little bit of excrement there".

Ive played poker (£100 rebuy)with Ben Elton last year...It was at the sportsman casino london...a celebrity charity(SPARKS Children Thingy) tourny hosted by Rugby Legend..Austin Healy and Vinny Jones
Out of 100 odd celebs taking part we finally got down to the final 5!!
Myself....I used to be good at football...this is why i was there..
Jeremy Guscott
Ben Elton
Jonh McCririck
Will Greenwood

I Have to say...he is a pompus arrogant fool...who believes his own hype!! and it put me right off him...(this was hard to take as im a massive fan of blackadder) to make yourself look and as daft John Mcririck at the table...I think you have a problem.
Just to let you know...i came second(3k)...Guscott won (5k) and Elton was 3rd (1k)
Guscott gave all half of winnings back to the charity
I went up to collect my envelope...and felt obliged to do same!!
NOTHING FROM A PISSED UP ELTON....Somes him up really!!!

Friday Night Live rocked, and pre Elton Blackadder sucked.

As for him in person, I understand Joe Pasquale has an orphan Lama farm, and rescued 300 hostages from Al Quaeda single handed, doesn't stop him being an unfunny squeaky voice bucket of crap.

There's funny people, and nice people, statistically there'll be very few who are both.

Saw him defend Gulf War on Wogan, he was hilarious, and sycophantic, and vile at the same time.

I absolutely cannot stand Ben Elton, he may well have written Black Adder but other stuff of his ranks as crap. he is an arrogant sod too and totally up his own backside

Quote: Curt @ February 21, 2008, 4:53 AM

Ben Elton creator of Black Adder, Thin Blue Line, Young Ones

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Incorrect. Correct. Incorrect. In that order.

Ben Elton created and wrote The Thin Blue Line. Work of genius IMO. He was also brought in to be on the writing team for The Young Ones. Black Adder he only joined after the first series, and although the style of the show did change drastically (not better, not worse, just different), after things I've seen recently I'm not sure exactly how much of an input he had in that respect.

Anyway.

Pretty much everything else he's done has been shit. And don't even get me started on the "Oh, well, Benny Hill was alright. I didn't hate him really." that he crawled out with a year or two back. Lying, snivelling twat.

Quote: sootyj @ February 21, 2008, 9:37 AM

Like saying Gordon Ramsey ripped off Happy Eater, because they were making fish and chips first.

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Quote: Griff @ February 21, 2008, 10:48 AM

Weird, isn't it, that about the only other comedy writer who is as widely derided as Ben Elton these days is Richard "wrote even more of Blackadder than Elton did" Curtis.

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Is he?

Quote: Griff @ February 21, 2008, 11:46 AM

Sooty does have a point though, if comedy was only written by "nice" people we'd all have to watch sitcoms written by Alan Titchmarsh.

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Oh yeah, moving to the correct forum.

Blackadder 2 + and Thin Blue Line override any arrogance or whatever people dislike him for. I would rather have these shows and Ben Elton rather than none of them.

Black Adder 1 was ok, kinda simple minded. BA 2-4 was sublime, and genius. His style of writing is as sublime, and distinctive as Stephen King's and one can almost spot his jokes. Yeh he's a nob, and a hypocrite, and smug, and self regarding, to practically being a WMD in his own right (a smug bomb mayhap?), and has for some reason decided to degenerate into the worst musical writer, and scifi writer at the same time. But I saw him live, no warm up, no props, no needless filth even, command an audience like a shouty Mozart. I doubled over at some of the gags in Thin Blue Line, and BA. As for Benny Hill, oh boo hoo, he was rude about the past it sexpest. Benny had his day, but TV should not be commanded by what is popular, or we'd all still be wathcing Love Thy Neighbour. n.b. who did that fab Benny ELton Hill skit, well weapon that was.

Sorry subject I'm passionate about.

n.b. apparently Rowan Atkinson miserable, nasty person in real life, although he did pilot a plane when the pilot passed out.

Besides one has to forgive Steve Coogan for a being pryapic sleeze, who nobed Courtney Cox.

And as for Woody "Woody" Allen.

Also final episode of BA4 how many better examples have there ever been of comedy, handling a serious subject, with anger, sympathy, and humour in the same package. For that episode alone, I can forgive a multitude of sins.

Quote: sootyj @ February 21, 2008, 12:12 PM

As for Benny Hill, oh boo hoo, he was rude about the past it sexpest.

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When was the last time you watched any Benny Hill? Did you watch it even then, or were you some kind of wannabe student communist revolutionary, like Elton and his chums? Eh eh eh?

I watched it wasn't bad in a clownish, simple minded fun sort of way. In the 60s and 70s he was good, but by the 80s he was a creepy dirty old man, whose glory days were long, long gone. Maybe he should have written crap scifi, bad musicals, and God awful smug satire for ITV but he didn't. We all of us have only so many good years in us, look at that awful recent Harry Enfield sketch show.

(From what (admittedly relatively little) I've seen of the 80s shows, I'd still have to disagree, but point noted.)

What's going on? This thread appears to be made up entirely of intelligent and well-argued comment. I haven't got time to contribute but I'll be back later, if it's still here.

Quote: Godot Taxis @ February 21, 2008, 1:35 PM

What's going on? This thread appears to be made up entirely of intelligent and well-argued comment. I haven't got time to contribute but I'll be back later, if it's still here.

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I know! Savour the moment GT, for it is indeed a rare sight.