Quote: sootyj @ August 31 2012, 11:55 PM BST

Sky seems to have a lot more money at the moment.

But out of all their recent output the only one I can think of is Spy which is pretty darned good (if very BBC).

Trollied, Mount Pleasant, Cafe etc all feel like a sort of castrated Royle Family. A kind of sloppy joke lite, mawkish pseudo sitcom soap opera hybrid.

And as for Touch of Cloth, Police Squad called they want their jokes back.

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Check out Kathy Burke's 'Walking And Talking'; one of the best shows of the year.

Missed that, if it's on watch again I'll try it.

But The Café and Mount Pleasant blunted my enthusiasm.

I can concur, Walking And Talking was genuinely interesting. Not always laugh out loud, but not the soap-lite mess you identified in many of the other commissions. And for the pleasure of our OP, it was beautifully shot, too.

Quote: Punk Anarcho @ August 31 2012, 9:45 PM BST

and no silly audience laughing, thanks God!

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Even if it was shot in front of an audience there wouldn't be any. Trollied is an odd type of 'comedy' show, for I can't call it a sitcom, I just sat in wonder thinking who? how? why? in relation to commissioning and writing.

Kathy Burke is never less than at the least interesting.

Quote: Punk Anarcho @ August 31 2012, 9:45 PM BST

and no silly audience laughing, thanks God!

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I'll never understand why this is a problem for some people. Every sitcom you loved growing up had a 'silly audience laughing'. Room for both styles.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ September 1 2012, 12:10 AM BST

I'll never understand why this is a problem for some people. Every sitcom you loved growing up had a 'silly audience laughing'. Room for both styles.

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A rare moment of Stott/Brown alliance.

Quote: Punk Anarcho @ August 31 2012, 11:25 PM BST

What exactly do the BBC have to offer in Comedy?

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At the moment that would appear to be Dad's Army, still, very worn out repeats of.

Quote: Aaron @ August 31 2012, 11:47 PM BST

I do not contest your assertion as to the differing styles of production (you will notice I made no comment as to the look of any of the shows mentioned). I do not agree with your assessment of the value of each style, however, and as these are ostensibly comedies I concern myself with their comedy substance.

He's been at Sky for three years.

Balancing all factors, they offer the same depressing mess as almost every other network.

There is certainly one good thing to be said for Sky: by all accounts, they merely commission, then keep their beaks out of the productions. If the BBC et al would do this, we would all be far happier people.

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Hi Aaron

I caught Stuart Murphy at Televisual 10 months ago to be more precise. Where he outlined a commitment to comedy and expressed a desire to take on what had traditionally been seen as a BBC main core output.

Sitting on the remote control flicking between In With The Flynns and Trollied it seemed to me he'd done a pretty good job...

Actually writing wise Trollied seemed more like Benidorm but its production values where excellent. It was shot on single camera, the extras were choreographed, they'd employed a DOP who actually new what a back light did. And someone actually understood depth of field even if we didnt get any focus pulls. But hey this felt like someone was at least trying to be creative.

In With The Flynns was flat dull with some bizarre sort of steady cam thing going on which added nothing to the story telling.

For me a comedy show isn't just about the writing it's about a creative team and Trollied at least proved single camera comedy drama can be affordable.

Plus I like the visual scene where one of the checkout girls is out back having a shag and still on her mobile texting. Strangely, Citizen Khan tried a similar texting gag (without the sex) and it didn't work.

Stikes me that the BBC need a big shake up if they are to justify the licence fee?

AP Scene

Quote: Matthew Stott @ September 1 2012, 12:10 AM BST

I'll never understand why this is a problem for some people. Every sitcom you loved growing up had a 'silly audience laughing'. Room for both styles.

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I think the problem comes when you sit watching something that clearly isn't funny and a load of nimwits have been dragged in to laugh in the background. It then sounds like canned laughter and you feel patronised.

APS

BBC One itself... I'm trying to think of great recent sitcoms. I've liked returns of Royle Family, Ab Fab, and the like, and although I'm not too keen on Mrs Brown's Boys (it has its moments for me), that seems to be its big sitcom.

I've noticed BBC's better recent comedy seems to be on BBC Two. Rev, upcoming 'The Thick Of It', Vexed.

As for Sky, the only Sitcom I've loved is Spy. They seem to do Comedy Drama better than outright Sitcoms. Gates, Starlings, I liked them.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ September 1 2012, 12:10 AM BST

I'll never understand why this is a problem for some people. Every sitcom you loved growing up had a 'silly audience laughing'. Room for both styles.

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They still had pound notes when I was growing up and there's no place for them now.

I can't give much of an opinion of Sky 1's comedy as I only got a TV package which includes Sky 1 last week. However, if they can maintain the quality of 'A Touch of Cloth' then they're going to have a good selection. I'm not sure that BBC1 actually shows that much great comedy? I've always been a BBC2 man myself.

Quote: Punk Anarcho @ August 31 2012, 9:45 PM BST

In With The Flynns was very poor hand held camera work. Framing shit. Lighting crap.

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The camera work isn't the only thing that's very poor in this show imo. Isn't that the guy from "Two Pints Of Piss & A Packet Of Crap"? Apart from a lazy and lame script, this actor just isn't funny...he has absolutely no comedic talent in my opinion, he would ruin every (even a good) script. He's the sort of guy you'd normally expect to see in "Eastenders" playing an ex con alcoholic cab driver who deals with cocaine and hits his girlfriend. But he should stay away from every comic program.
Mr. Brown's Boys was a lot better than "Flynns" without being a revelation (yes, yes, pregnant women who have wind is oh so very funny!)

I laughed like a mad un at Steptoe, ISAIH and Porridge.

Does this make me an idiot for not admiring the camera work?

Just saw trailer for Moone Boy it looks amazing.

Is Sky trying to outspend the BBC so as to question its legitimacy?

Or am I going a bit tinfoil hat....

I'm not sure about Sky 1's comedy output so far, but I think Sky Atlantic broadcast the two outstanding comedies of the summer in "Mid Morning Matters" and "Bug." Really enjoyed the opening two episodes of "Hunderby" too.

Quote: sootyj @ September 1 2012, 9:07 AM BST

I laughed like a mad un at Steptoe, ISAIH and Porridge.

Does this make me an idiot for not admiring the camera work?

Just saw trailer for Moone Boy it looks amazing.

Is Sky trying to outspend the BBC so as to question its legitimacy?

Or am I going a bit tinfoil hat....

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Hi Sooty, of course it doesn't make you an idiot. These programmes were of their time, they were great and there was a good reason why three cameras on a ped made sense at that time. Have you ever edited U-matic video tape it's heavy and clumsy.

However I see no reason why in 2012 when you can get pretty good High Def from a Go-pro, which comes in a box about two or three inches wide (excuse the old measurement) that we have to make comedy in a fixed set? I just don't get it.

Almost every other TV genre has moved on. The ALEXA is small light fits most lenses and can be operated by almost anyone comparitively cheaply.. Its low light performance is probably better than 35 mm film. Add to that After Effects now gives green screen in a way that only Matt Lucus could have dreamed of five years ago.

Yet BBC Comedy is still stuck in the same mind set as the people who made Steptoe and Son?

I think it's true that SKY did invest money in Comedy. They seemed to understand that they had to start making it and some would fall by the way side. What the BBC could do with is more platforms to experiment. Bring back the 60s Wednesday play house. Commission some one offs give it a go...

John Peel was pretty successful with this in the 80s and 90s with music. Comedy now requires the same injection.

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Quote: Axl R @ September 1 2012, 9:25 AM BST

I'm not sure about Sky 1's comedy output so far, but I think Sky Atlantic broadcast the two outstanding comedies of the summer in "Mid Morning Matters" and "Bug." Really enjoyed the opening two episodes of "Hunderby" too.

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Thanks for that tip off. I've not watched these shows but will start looking out for them

Many thanks

APS