Quote: Phill @ September 9 2008, 12:57 PM BST

Don't worry about it, slag it off all you want. At least you're doing it here in a forum designed specifically for the purpose and not hunting me down on my blog to call me names or sending me hate e-mail like some of the whackjobs on the net.

And you're right, I have no creative control over anything that went on. I wrote sketches to order which were then re-written by anyone who happened to be passing by and then the actors improvised all over them. I like the show, as it happens, but I understand why people don't. I don't quite get why people don't just turn it off if they don't like it but ... there you go.

View original

Ok now I feel rotten.

I'm glad you're taking a healthy approach to criticism and sorry to hear you've been getting hate e-mail but that's nothing . When you get death threats and a mob with pitch forks outside your house then you'll know you've *really* made it!

As far as 'turning off' is concerned, it was the first time I watched it so I'll give it another go but tbh I'm not the target audience.

Hmm, it's just I suspected you never really get full creative control over what you write.

Oh well.

Quote: oldcowgrazing @ September 9 2008, 1:07 PM BST

Ok now I feel rotten.

I'm glad you're taking a healthy approach to criticism and sorry to hear you've been getting hate e-mail but that's nothing . When you get death threats and a mob with pitch forks outside your house then you'll know you've *really* made it!

As far as 'turning off' is concerned, it was the first time I watched it so I'll give it another go but tbh I'm not the target audience.

Hmm, it's just I suspected you never really get full creative control over what you write.

Oh well.

View original

There's no intention to make you feel bad - you're absolutely entitled to your opinion. I honestly think if you didn't like the episode you saw, you're unlikely to suddenly like any of the others - there's always something better to do with your time.

I think if it's your series where you're the sole writer then you have to shoulder the responsibility for the writing. Unless of course it's taken off you and forced into a direction you hate. I'm not sure how often that happens though, I would imagine it's at worst a collaborative process. In movies you're always at the whim of the director; but I got the impression in TV a writer is a bit higher up the food chain.

Not in this type of sketch show though, you just submit and hope.

Quote: Phill @ September 9 2008, 12:57 PM BST

I don't quite get why people don't just turn it off if they don't like it but ... there you go.

View original

People like to stick the boot in, especially if they 'think' they can do better - but funnily enough they never do. And I guess some people get pleasure out of trying to make people feel bad.

Whatever the case, what you write goes on TV, what they write goes in 'deleted items'.

I think Phill's taking the very mature and honest approach. Nothing you write can please everyone. Positive and negative criticism should be tolerated on this site as long as it is not overtly personal. And we should afford that level of decency to any writer or performer, whether they be a member or not.

Let's all remember that no-one intentionally sets out to make a show that we find unfunny. As regards 'The Wrong Door' I am sure there is an audience for this type of show.

The critic in 'The Stage' seemed to like it.

Does anyone know what song is playing during the dance sketch, the one where it's like twister dots on the floor that she can't stop dancing to. I have been trying to find it out and failing, it's doing my head in.

As a sideline, interesting show, not that funny. Really digging that girl out of Coupling in a pilot's uniform however.

Cheers

Quote: Joeono @ September 10 2008, 9:15 PM BST

Does anyone know what song is playing during the dance sketch, the one where it's like twister dots on the floor that she can't stop dancing to. I have been trying to find it out and failing, it's doing my head in.

As a sideline, interesting show, not that funny. Really digging that girl out of Coupling in a pilot's uniform however.

Cheers

View original

A Punk by Vampire Weekend

Thanks hotzappa, that was really starting to peck my head.

Saw this for the first time tonight, more miss than hit if I'm being completely honest but I thought the running sketch with the cars was brilliant. It reminded me of the throwaway sketches that were on the Armando Iannucci Shows a few years ago.

Watched the latest episode (3, I think) and thought it was much better this time. Like the opening sketch a lot -- made me laugh out loud and the invisible man stuff was quite good, despite not really going anywhere. The cars was alright too, as was 'Tempus' (*great* name for a superhero) but as runners, neither seem to know what to do with the idea. It's a shame because that's three running sketches with similar jokes used each time, but no 'big' punchline in the final sketch. Wasted opportunity.

That said, this episode was the strongest so far.

Dan

I enjoyed 'Tempus'. Loved the ending. I think the superhero tryouts are the best thing about this programme.

The Wrong Door

Nice idea. Execution is awful. Jokes aren't much better either.

EMS RATING: 1.5 out of 10.

I'm watching this and I like the car infestation sketch. It's not funny har har but it's topical in a surreal way.

Not much else though.

I'm pretty confused! I have just joined the forum (howdy by the way) but have been a passive reader for a while now, and I usually agree with the general opinions on most shows, but The Wrong Door is, in my humble opinion, one of the biggest evils on TV right now. It's had shit loads of cash thrown at it, a cast and a list writers list as long as my arm, and there are NO JOKES! The set ups are long and arduous, and the pay offs don't seem to exist.
Is it just me?

Quote: TomB @ September 17 2008, 11:22 AM BST

The set ups are long and arduous, and the pay offs don't seem to exist.
Is it just me?

View original

Ask you're girlfriend.

I thought episode three was one of the best ones so far and the ending to the superhero sketch was brilliant. I'm not saying this because Phill's a BSGer but his superhero sketches are the most consistently funny ones on the show.

I think the focus on CGI is a double-edged sword. The expectation is that anything can happen, but because of that you expect something big to happen every time so its not always a surprise when it does.

Then there are a few sketches that don't have CGI and you think it looks odd amongst all the others.