Quote: Aaron @ 14th July 2021, 10:08 AM

Apart from Joyce Grenfell and all the others, of course.

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This is an interesting and ultimately endless topic, and every time I open my big mouth on gender issues I get into pooh. Yes there were loads of female comedians / actresses before Wood, but as Ronald Wolfe points out in 'Writing Comedy' (lucky cos no one would give two shits what I think), comedy was always from a male (or at least asexual) standpoint, and Victoria was the first successful comic to deal with specifically female issues. Joyce Grenfell was awesome, but she wasn't giving any insight into what it means to be a woman: 'George, Don't Do That' might just've well been delivered by a bloke... Just as Elvis was the first 'real' rock star and the Beatles were the first pop group, Victoria Wood could be considered the first 'comedienne'. And I think that's why a lot of guys felt obliged to like her, or it'd've been 'Got a problem with women doing comedy? Think it's a man's job, right? You sexist bastard.'
The Office is awesome (don't wanna get deleted for being off-topic).

Quote: Michael Monkhouse @ 14th July 2021, 2:33 PM

Victoria was the first successful comic to deal with specifically female issues. Victoria Wood could be considered the first 'comedienne'. And I think that's why a lot of guys felt obliged to like her, or it'd've been 'Got a problem with women doing comedy? Think it's a man's job, right? You sexist bastard.'
The Office is awesome (don't wanna get deleted for being off-topic).

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Normally I wouldn't even wade into a comment like this, but I have to take issue with that. Victoria Wood was far from the first comedienne. French and Saunders? Joan Rivers? Lucille Ball? Carol Burnett?

Also thinking that people were 'obliged' to like Victoria Wood - she sold out the Albert Hall for ten nights. Most rock stars couldn't do that.

I could argue that Vicky was the first conedienne to bring a female perspective to a mass audience, and that this affected how some guys were so positive. Or I could shut the f**k up, because no one gives a f**k what anyone else thinks, let alone allows it to impinge on how they thought in the first place.
The Office is still awesome and I still don't want this post to get deleted.

Quote: Michael Monkhouse @ 15th July 2021, 10:33 AM

I could argue that Vicky was the first conedienne to bring a female perspective to a mass audience, and that this affected how some guys were so positive. .

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If this were the case she would have quickly faded from memory and been forgotten as more and more women appeared on TV, but she hasn't. She's still hugely respected with an impressive body of work that's stood the test of time. And, yes, The Office, excellent, although they still fluffed it with those two finales.

Vicky. Like that little Bobbie Monkhouse who was so cute with his little comedy career. Bless him. It's nice for him that so many people pretended to think he was funny.

P.S. The Office roolz.

0.42 - 0.45 https://youtu.be/9ro0FW9Qt-4 And yes, I have the same surname as Bob. Well spotted.
I wrote Vicky because I was tired of writing Victoria Wood, Victoria and Wood and Victoria Wood.
Back then women were finally getting more exposure and guys had to tread carefully. I remember a Smash Hits interview that turned out to be just Gillian and when a fan complained 'How could you say New Order and print photos of the whole band when you were only talking to Gillian,' they responded, 'Oh so interviews are all men's work, are they?' That wasn't the point, but it shows you how careful you had to be. I've never said that Wood was the first conedienne (duh!), but she was probably the first to find comedy in specifically female topics. And yes, it probably helped to be a small fish in a big pond.
Office? Awesome.

I love Angelina's ex so much I asked him to sit in an oven and make a series about it. Baking Brad.
The Office is good.

Quote: Michael Monkhouse @ 15th July 2021, 12:33 PM

And yes, I have the same surname as Bob. Well spotted.

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That wasn't on purpose! He was just the first male comedian that came to mind at the time, and now I know why.

Ah, apologies. I thought it was a reference to my less successful namesake.
I like The Office.