Current radio comedy Page 117

Quote: Oldrocker @ June 27 2013, 9:28 PM BST

Indeed.

Caught a bit of the Nicholas Lyndhurst one tonight. My First Planet is it?

Utter shite.

Actually, that was originally an 11.30 comedy and that was a repeat - but I do agree that it is poor.

Quote: Oldrocker @ June 25 2013, 9:10 PM BST

Sorry if this has been mentioned before but what is that 'The Castle' crap?

It is what it is, a pallid copy of the Bleak Expectations concept - period with anachronisms - with none of BE's wit and invention. In the absence of wit and invention, they settle for heavy-handed, blatant anachronisms. The studio audience seems to find it funny. I don't.

Having heard the bad reviews heaped upon it here, I'm going to put in a comparatively good word for My First Planet. That word in 'meh'. Of course, there are some vastly superior sci-fi comedies out there (Nebulous was my fave), but I don't think it deserves the slating it gets here, since there are plenty of far, far worse sitcoms which more fully deserve that. In fact, there are actually several good things about it; good cast, some interesting situations, and it's even got a story. So it's just a pity it isn't particularly funny or original.

Why does virtually every six thirty comedy at the moment seem to be made by Pozzitive Productions? They seem to have a monopoly.

Not all of them are. The Unbelievable Truth is made by Random Productions for example.

Quote: Ian Wolf @ June 27 2013, 9:45 PM BST

Actually, that was originally an 11.30 comedy and that was a repeat - but I do agree that it is poor.

Thought it was dross the first time around and it hasn't got any better with age. Recycles character types, jokes you can see coming a mile off. Meh.

Quote: Ian Wolf @ July 2 2013, 7:24 PM BST

Not all of them are. The Unbelievable Truth is made by Random Productions for example.

The Castle, The Brig Society and that terraforming sitcom are all Pozzitive Productions. That's 3 out of 5 shows in the six thirty slot. I wouldn't mind but the sitcoms are all a bit lame.

Pozzitive produces Cabin Pressure. I forgive them some of their other dross just on that basis, but you have to wonder how the dross gets commissioned.

Quote: italophile @ July 4 2013, 10:15 AM BST

Thought it was dross the first time around and it hasn't got any better with age. Recycles character types, jokes you can see coming a mile off. Meh.

It's essentially Douglas Adam's "B Ark" concept, stretched out to series length. But without the wit and invention that is needed to justify resurrecting a trope from 1978.

Quote: chipolata @ July 4 2013, 2:04 PM BST

The Castle, The Brig Society and that terraforming sitcom are all Pozzitive Productions. That's 3 out of 5 shows in the six thirty slot. I wouldn't mind but the sitcoms are all a bit lame.

The Brig Society is a bit of a shocker so far, too. Like observational comedy in a sixth form revue, the laughter is polite more than genuine.

Actually, R4 is currently airing some patchy material all-round.

This week's ISIHAC (8/7) was dire. Even with his deadpan delivery you could hear Jack Dee trying not to groan through a lot of it.

The Infinite Monkey cage has moved into silly territory a bit too much. It's usually as fascinating as it is funny, but with too much clowning it gets annoying fast.