Quote: Martin Holmes @ April 13, 2007, 2:42 PM

I'm a real stickler for popular culture references, I think they are used to get a cheap laugh because people know what they are and also they end up dating the show later on. You mention Jeremy Kyle and This Morning which kind of put me off from the start.

View original

I agree with that in general. But if the writing is good it reflects the times well, in the past couple of years we've had X Factor winners and Big Brother losers and all the chavs in between, this unfortunately in some ways defines the past few years. Cultural references have always been around. From styles of music to the latest movies.

True but I don't think they are needed in sitcoms, there the type of thing that get mentioned on The Friday Night Project and the like to get a cheap laugh. Good sitcoms can hold up without mentioning pop culture, like Fawlty Towers, Only Fools (although in the later episodes it did start to drop a few, Harry Potter was one I think).

There's defiantly a lot more nowadays, because you're right, it is laziness. But I bet there are a lot more references then you think in older sitcoms, it's just that you don't recognize them.

Yeah OFAH used a couple in the last few episodes as a cheap laugh, they stuck out like a sore thumb because he never used them at all in the past. Wasn't Jordan one used? Blimey!!

I try not to use them either, maybe i'll reference someone if they are a great institution...like Rolf Harris. In this instance I don't know who Jeremy Kyle is though. But that's probably just me having a job!!

I honestly didn't even notice I used them really I just put them in I personally like watching Jeremy Kyle in the morning (teenage sluts are funny)... I could easily write them out and Martin thanks for the honesty I'm reworking as we speak it's the only way it will be able to improve and as for the plot I mentioned before I should really post more scenes to understand it a bit more.

PS - Thanks for the name

bump

I'm going off the idea of this sitcom now anyway... I'm losing interest in it... partly because I'd be moaned at for being too much like Men Behaving Badly or The Young Ones... and I also have a new idea for a sitcom I'm developing at the moment anyway.

Yeah if the new sitcom idea is the one you mentioned to me the other day, I think you should go with that, its more unique.