The Mash Report Page 3

Still very effective indeed despite the lockdown format. Some elements work better. Others, less so.
Rachel Parris might well be the biggest success of the show although Nish is usually good and rising stars like Catherine Bohart, Desiree Birch and Geoff Norcott are all good value too.
The News items sometimes suffer from being too ridiculous. The stories about a couple having a monkey in their house and Priti Patel taking her staff to a cockfight didn't really work.
But overall, still great.

Can't believe they've only done 4 episodes when there is SO much fodder around at the moment. The Mash team have coped far better than any other show (American ones like The Daily Show & even the brilliant Stephen Colbert!) with the constraints of filming from people's houses during lock-down. In fact they might've even improved! It's testament to the standard of talent. They need to keep going. The broadcaster needs to REVISE THEIR PLANS!

Quote: SGee @ 11th May 2020, 3:58 PM

Can't believe they've only done 4 episodes

They actually did a full 6-week run, same as in the past three series. It was Series 4 though - and I presume, with its month-limit, only the last four are currently on iPlayer.

Still not enough though, is it. a 12 week run, minimum is needed both for The Mash Report and The Ranganation.

Very worrying if the reports this has been cancelled due to the BBC wanting to get rid of 'left wing bias' are true.

So their ideal is a satire show that attacks only the opposition? Hosted by Jim Davidson with regular contributions from Roy Chubby Brown at the news desk?

Quote: Sitcomfan64 @ 12th March 2021, 8:48 AM

Very worrying if the reports this has been cancelled due to the BBC wanting to get rid of 'left wing bias' are true.

So their ideal is a satire show that attacks only the opposition? Hosted by Jim Davidson with regular contributions from Roy Chubby Brown at the news desk?

Comedy should have a balance. The Mash Report (and the IMHO incredibly unfunny Kumar) was, in the main, left leaning (and mainly IMHO unfunny).

I hope this the the start of the de-woking of BBC comedy (although I don't think there is much chance of that).

Satire, though, can only have one target - those in authority.
We have a right-wing government - we get left wing satire.
Plus, good luck rounding up enough right-leaning comedians to put on a show.

Quote: Will Cam @ 12th March 2021, 10:07 AM

Comedy should have a balance. The Mash Report (and the IMHO incredibly unfunny Kumar) was, in the main, left leaning (and mainly IMHO unfunny).

I hope this the the start of the de-woking of BBC comedy (although I don't think there is much chance of that).

Would that be the same balance as, say, bringing on right winger Geoff Norcott every week?

Quote: Lazzard @ 12th March 2021, 11:13 AM

Satire, though, can only have one target - those in authority.
We have a right-wing government - we get left wing satire.
Plus, good luck rounding up enough right-leaning comedians to put on a show.

Coming soon, The Pie and Mash Report, as Lee Hurst and Jim Davidson take you through the failures of the left during a right wing Government. Featuring contributions from Davidson's character Chalky, the show will be broadcast weekly, live from Wetherspoons.

Geoff Norcott really showed Kumar up. Kumar just rants, he has no charm or natural wit. Norcott is a genuinely naturally funny guy.

He's as funny as a boil on my arse.

Agreed - he's not funny.
So dump the host, not the show.

What I don't understand is that The Mash Report is a success by several metrics - viewing figures, viral videos with millions of hits. But they can it anyway?

You sure about viewing figures?

Quote: Tursiops @ 19th January 2018, 12:04 AM

Nish's monologue is a bit of a drag on the show. He's amiable enough but he's no Franke Boyle.

He's just an unfunny leftie with a boring agenda.

Quote: Sitcomfan64 @ 12th March 2021, 3:00 PM

The Mash Report is a success by several metrics - viewing figures

No. It was an abject failure. I don't think a single episode ever reached as high as one million viewers.

It was sustained through four (effectively five) series on the basis of the occasional viral success - which were indeed huge - but at some point that good will runs out.

Would I have cancelled it were I the commissioner? I genuinely don't know. But it had its time, it had a good run (more than many are allowed), and it's not beyond the realms of understanding that the Beeb would want to give another format and other writers and performers a chance.

As for the "only right wing satire" nonsense that's been spouted, go back to the 1980s to see how satire can and should be done. Relentless harpooning of all sides of society and politics. And wickedly funny. Not a mere soapbox as much modern "satire" is. There's plenty of Not The Nine O'Clock News on YouTube and Spitting Image on DVD to make this very abundantly clear.