Quote: Rebecca Davies @ April 21 2008, 1:30 AM BST

Haha well apparently it's the little things that make life worth living.

Then again. Old ladies falling over is always a classic.

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Hmm it's because it's a classic that it no longer makes me laugh. It's up there with people slipping on banana skins. It's so blah.

A teenage boy who runs for a bus or whatever and falls over 'cause his (very) low slung jeans have slipped down to his ankles would make me laugh.

A self service till (that went haywire) in a supermarket that told an already frustrated customer he "needs permission" to buy a bottle of wine made me laugh.

oldgravingcow, to be honest I was really laughing at Charley finding old ladies falling over funny. Old ladies, in reality falling over, I'd be quite concerned over. But shh, don't tell Charley that.

I went through this, try watching your favourite classic sitcom. For me it was Steptoe and it seemed to work.

On knowing if what you write is funny - does it make you laugh as you're writing it? Then it is funny. Probably.

Are we approaching the Tsunami of dodgy humour again? Old ladies falling over, is sad, and deserving of sympathy. But comedy is often about dealing with discomfort, and what upsets us.

Comparatively I think Pulling and G S are quite funny - but to mind the funniest sitcom over the last couple of years is IT Crowd.

I couldn't hope to write like that but try my/our own way. Sometimes it's funny - sometimes it's crap. As said before leave it for a while - do Scriptfrenzy for some discipline - then go back to it.

Schadenfreude is root to all my comedy and I make no apologies. Unless it's old ladies falling over or toddlers getting smacked upside their heads.

I'm gonna get black listed, aren't I?

What ever happened to rascism and sexism in comedy?

Quote: oldcowgrazing @ April 21 2008, 11:15 PM BST

Schadenfreude is root to all my comedy and I make no apologies.

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Me either and there's nothing wrong with it. You've Been Framed is almost totally laughing at other people's misfortunes.

I don't forget what's funny, more misjudge what's funny. Some sketches I think are great don't get used, while some that I just sent for some padding get in.

Quote: ContainsNuts @ April 22 2008, 1:16 PM BST

Me either and there's nothing wrong with it. You've Been Framed is almost totally laughing at other people's misfortunes.

I don't forget what's funny, more misjudge what's funny. Some sketches I think are great don't get used, while some that I just sent for some padding get in.

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Good old You've Been Framed, the forerunner to Happy Slapping!

Quote: Rebecca Davies @ April 20 2008, 10:50 PM BST

Always Sunny in Philadelphia? I'll have to make sure I see that sometimes.

That is true. I was ill on friday night so used it as a chance to do some "research". I stayed in and watched Benidorm and Teenage Kicks. I don't think I laughed once. I thought they were suppose to be the new "it" things on TV.

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Worse thing is there are a few new BBC 3 comedy progs coming soon and the trailers just looked dire, you wonder how some of this stuff gets the green light.

If an old lady fell down, promptly got up, dusted herself off and snarled at onlookers "what're you looking at?!" it would make me laugh.

Quote: Oliver @ April 22 2008, 12:25 PM BST

What ever happened to rascism and sexism in comedy?

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It died along with the cold war and Bernerd Manning

Funny is funny, but now I think of it I don't think I've ever seen an old lady falling over and laughed.

But these are funny

1 Middle class parents reasoning with hysterical kids.
2 Geeks who don't realise they're geeks.
3 People texting as they walk, walking into things
4 Chubby Goths, who try to hard, and wear too much make up.
5 People with dogs where you can tell the dog is smarter.
6 Angry cats in boxes
7 Kids easting fried chicken on buses, actually it's quite gross
8 Babys glowering at people cooing at them, they'd kill them if they could.
9 Scummy mummys shouting at kids named after Premierre league footballers or brands of wine. Usually loudly telling them who to avoid, as they are clearly peadophiles.
10 People who drink White Lightning in the street, and clearly don't care any more.

I think you've just described most of this forum.

Quote: David Chapman @ April 21 2008, 9:50 PM BST

Comparatively I think Pulling and G S are quite funny - but to mind the funniest sitcom over the last couple of years is IT Crowd.

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Just to go back a bit, IT crowd is so funny!! I can't stand GS, though for some reason am quite found of pulling. But nothing in recent years can compare to IT Crowd (Disclaimer: that I can think of right now). It's just such, silly, lovely, feel good humour.

So we're all agreed? Old ladies appearing to get hurt (as long as they sustain no real damage) is funny? Good good.

Ps For the record though, I cannot stand Who's been framed. Even as a child, who liked ed the duck, I never liked that show.