This is one hell of a debate.
Grandma's House - Series 1 Page 38
It's all part of the world zionist BBC conspiracy.
Quote: Ben @ September 7 2010, 11:01 PM BSTThis is one hell of a debate.
It could be.
Quote: bushbaby @ September 7 2010, 10:41 PM BSTI wonder is this the north/south divide then and GH is southern humour which I am just not getting?
But I do normally love Jewish humour which this isn't...big time.
I don't buy the north/south divide in British humour, I like a lot of comedies made by northern people, probably more than southern actually.
Quote: roystonpoisoner @ September 7 2010, 11:10 PM BSTI don't buy the north/south divide in British humour, I like a lot of comedies made by northern people, probably more than southern actually.
It was just a theory/thought.
Quote: Lee Henman @ September 7 2010, 10:54 PM BSTWithout wanting to stir this hornet's nest any further, can I just say that for me, this leans more towards comedy drama, in the same way the Royle Family did. Although I don't agree with BB's definition of what makes a sitcom a sitcom.
Lee, it's not my definition it's the Beeb's. I am sick of their rules of six laughs a page then they put crap on like GH. Don't get me started. I had two comedy plays produced on London fringe and the audience laughed till they cried and that is what I call humour.
Quote: roystonpoisoner @ September 7 2010, 11:10 PM BSTI don't buy the north/south divide in British humour, I like a lot of comedies made by northern people, probably more than southern actually.
I don't care as long as the jokes are funny. 
Quote: bushbaby @ September 7 2010, 10:41 PM BSTI wonder is this the north/south divide then and GH is southern humour which I am just not getting?
But I do normally love Jewish humour which this isn't...big time.
I'm from Carlisle, so I'm pretty northern.
I think it's more a generational thing. The younger BCGers seem more comfortable catergorising this as a sitcom than the older ones.
I think what I'll do is think of it as a Soap, then I can enjoy it.
Saw this for the first time last night. It's a sitcom, plain and simple. Try to forget whether you personally find it funny or not and just look at the structure - there are jokes practically every other line. Maybe they don't strike a chord with you but they're jokes nonetheless. My girlfriend (who's taken the Landmark course that Simon's character talked about in last night's episode) laughed loudly throughout the entire show. How do you explain to someone (without mental health issues) that the programme they've just busted a gut over isn't a comedy? Because your views are different? Because your views are correct?
You must be able to at least see how the show is geared to generate laughs? I can watch an episode of Two and a Half Men and not laugh once but I know I'm watching a comedy. And you know what, I'll bet if they laid a laugh track on Grandma's House there wouldn't be this debate over whether it's a sitcom or not. Then we'd only be debating whether it was good or not.
What that guy said.
Quote: David Bussell @ September 8 2010, 10:22 AM BSTMy girlfriend (who's taken the Landmark course that Simon's character talked about in last night's episode)
Ooh, it was a real one?
Did she draw you diagrams?
Quote: bushbaby @ September 7 2010, 10:09 PM BSTI write sitcom after sitcom abiding by the rules...i.e....six laughs a page and they are constantly rejected. Trust me, you have to be 'in' and know someone to be acknowledged. Simon had an 'in' as did Caroline Ahern. It's not for the average punter/writer/member of the public. It's a farce the whole business. Even though via the TV license we pay their wages. You try getting 'your' sitcom accepted....impossible. Grandma's House is NOT a sitcom, it is a light drama with some humour, and mediocre at that. We all have a family tale to tell but could you get it on the box? Could you hell as like. And this particular one is about a jewish family. Jewish humour is second to none in my opinion and Simon misses it by a million miles
The rules? So someone once wrote a bit of copy for a BBC comp that said something about 6 laughs a page? So what? It's a meaningless sentence - no one can guarantee 6 laughs a page because laughs are subjective. You say you write to the rules but do you? Can you guarantee I'd laugh 6 times on every one of your pages? Of course you can't because we might have completely different ideas on what's funny. Forget the rules.
And this whole 'you have to be in' business? Yeah, to an extent I think you're right. Put it this way - you're a reader and one day two scripts land on your desk. Both equally great (subjectively speaking); one from an unknown, the other from a writer you met at a function last night who came over as smart, engaging and enthusiastic. Chances are you're going to go with the second. Is there anything wrong with that? I don't think so. It's about how that writer managed to get into the same room as that reader. People forget that 'being in' isn't always about being born into a certain privilege, it's about being the sort of person that people like. That's a skill, and not an easy one to develop, much like writing. Personally, I tend to think of them as part of the same skillset because to me making it as a writer is about more than just knocking out a good script.
Quote: zooo @ September 8 2010, 10:26 AM BSTOoh, it was a real one?
Did she draw you diagrams?
Yeah, it's for real. She's been doing it for a while and it's worked out great for her. I had a lot of skepticism about it (still do) but it's hard to argue that someone's being brainwashed by a cult when they're telling you that since taking the course they quit their job at the bank to build schools in Uganda. That's not my girlfriend's story by the way, just one of many from her friends.
Quote: David Bussell @ September 8 2010, 10:22 AM BSTMy girlfriend
Shouldn't that be fiancee? 
One of the good things about Grandma's House is that it does show you what is achievable.