British Comedy

Shaun of the Dead // Sightseers

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Thought I would talk about films today, so here are two horror comedy films that are amongst my favourite films of all time:

Shaun of the Dead, 2004

Everybody knows this film, and I hope everybody who has heard of it has watched it because it gets better and better with each viewing. Shaun of the Dead is a comical play on your average zombie film with an incredible cast including Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Penelope Wilton, Peter Serafinowicz, Martin Freeman, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy and Jessica Hynes (I could go on). The scenes are punchy and the dialogue perfectly timed, it often has the feel of a comic strip which I find very unique about Edgar Wright’s directing style. The music choice is also brilliant, with that iconic scene where Shaun and Ed are fighting a young zombie lady in their back garden by throwing Shaun’s old collection of vinyls at her and Don’t Stop Me Now from Queen is blasting in the background- it’s a brilliant, hilarious scene. It’s hard to convey my love for this movie in such a short paragraph but I think  most people know a fair bit about it for themselves anyway- and if not- what have you been doing for the past ten years?

Sightseers, 2012

Sightseers deserves a way bigger audience than it has had because I honestly think it is a very important film, as well as being utterly horrific and brilliant. The double act that play the two main characters are Alice Lowe and Steve Oram, two very funny comedians that I have been a fan of for a while (you’ll know them for being associated with things like The IT Crowd and The Mighty Boosh). It’s a very uncomfortable watch due to its mixture of horrific murders and witty dialogue but this is why I think it’s so incredible; it brings home a message: do we all have the potential to be such brutal killers? And is that really so bad? I considered these questions after viewing the film and immediately felt ashamed for thinking it, but the fact that this film exists shows that I’m not the only one who has worried about it. Despite the seriously haunting undertones, this film is the funniest I have ever seen. The characters are from Birmingham (like me, what a shame) and the general plot line is highly original (a couple who met through online dating embarking on a caravanning trip around the Midlands). Please watch the trailer for Sightseers below as it’s one of the funniest things I have ever seen, and do watch the film if you get the chance!

March: Comedian Of The Month #2, James Acaster

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james acasterI’ve known who James is for quite a while but only seen him on the odd panel show here and there so this month I made a conscious effort to check out some of his work. I decided to do this after seeing his recent appearance on 8 Out of 10 Cats where he was absolutely hilarious- a complete weirdo, but a brilliant one. He really stood out during this episode as he seems to carry a strange kind of energy with him that is really refreshing to a panel show as they can get tedious very easily if the panel isn’t rotated regularly enough.

I think I like James because he reminds me of Paul Foot, one of my all time favourite comedians, though of course he has his own quirks that make him so original. They both have brilliant confidence that is hidden behind an apparent shyness, so it is surprising when they come out with something either quite profound or very shocking. His presence on panel shows is a powerful one: he just needs to give a certain look and everyone will be laughing and I think that must be a really hard skill to master.

James is young-looking, wide-eyed and innocent but also incredibly quick-witted and wise for his age. I thought his material about the apple in the orchard, featured in the clip below, was very clever yet didn’t feel self-indulgent in any way. With complicated material, many comics get caught up in the selfish side of it: of appearing clever or superior, but James doesn’t do this at all. He remains charmingly simple but we can see he has a sharp mind.

I definitely recommend you check James Acaster out as he is gaining more and more fans with every passing week. His twitter is here so follow him if you’re into that twitter malarky.

For more information, visit James Acaster’s website and follow him on Twitter.

FEBRUARY COMEDIAN OF THE MONTH

The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast

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Stuart Goldsmith

I thought I’d share with you my favourite ever comedy podcast, made by a really nice guy, and something that I think every comedy lover should know about. The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast was created by stand up comedian, Stuart Goldsmith and began in 2012  (though I only started listening in the past year or so). It is my favourite for a number of reasons:

Firstly, the guests are all absolutely  brilliant comedians. Although I haven’t listened to  all of the episodes as of yet, the ones I have picked out and listened to have been hilarious but interesting as well. Brendon Burns, Tony Law and Gary Delaney’s episodes proved particularly engaging because as well as being obviously funny people, they actually offered details into how they workand what their comedy means to them which is something other podcasts don’t offer.

Stuart Goldsmith himself is very funny and extremely knowledgable which I think is very important as you can see he is passionate about what he does. I always love seeing people get excited about the work they do and this was particularly clear when Stuart interviewed Tony Law (and who can blame him). Tony is one of my all time favourite comedians, I met him last year and he is just as lovely as he is hilarious.

Sara Pascoe

Listening to this podcast has taught me a lot about comedy but it never feels as though I am being lectured: it’s an entertaining kind of learning. My all time favourite episode was Sara Pascoe’s because I learnt so much about her but also about the kind of person it takes to be a successful comedian. She described the general personality type that ends up in an art form such as comedy and also explained how she works; how she forms her shows. Sara is another of my favourite comedians/actors because she has a unique comic style and is also just a really nice person, which is always good.

Basically, you should definitely check out this podcast, even if podcasts aren’t really your thing (I don’t listen to them all that often). As I’m doing my GCSEs very soon and Art is one of my best subjects, I spend a whole lot of time sat on my own painting or drawing or whatever but listening to Stuart Goldsmith’s shows really help to pass the hours!

Save BBC3

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On Wednesday, a large part of the nation was swept up in fury when they heard the rumours that the BBC were planning to axe BBC3. It all developed extremely quickly and now there are people all across the country desperately trying to save the channel. This has been done through articles (like this but actually with an audience), petitions and Twitter trends (#SaveBBC3). We have been assured that all BBC3 shows will still be available online but this offers no comfort to me as there will be thousands of people without internet access who will now miss out altogether.

The reason this is so high-profile is because it is an insanely massive decision and will affect so many of us, including hundreds of well-known celebrities who’s work relies on broadcasts from BBC3. Some of the biggest names to speak out about it this week include Russell Kane, Jack Whitehall and Greg James.

This was the particular article that inspired me to write. It pointed out that the BBC plans to spend £30 million on Drama and also wants to create a BBC1+1 which seems pointless as we already have iPlayer. When I first heard of the plans, a small part of me thought fair enough, they are on financial difficulty. But they’re not! They just want the £100 million to put back into the other channels and the difference won’t even be that noticeable. What a huge sacrifice for a change that nobody wants. Not to mention that most of this money comes from the nation’s pocket: my parents’ money and one day, my own. So we are paying for something we don’t actually want?

The Mighty Boosh

BBC3 has brought us so many influential and brilliant programmes, from The Mighty Boosh in 2004 and Little Britain in 2003 to last summer’s Mental Health Season: It’s a Mad World. I admit that some other programmes have been less well-received but at least the channel is taking risks. It is the major platform for new comedy in the UK, for example, Uncle was broadcast earlier this year and was brilliant, in my opinion. Other SitComs that the nation loves have been produced by BBC3 like Gavin & Stacey and brought new, young people into the public eye.

If this decision goes ahead, I, as a young person who loves comedy, am going to lose out on so much. The majority of my school are going to be affected also and I know a lot of them are as outraged as I am. Ja’mie: Private School Girl was a massive hit with the older years of my school when BBC3 first broadcast it recently. Most of the people who watched it probably wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been on television as it is easier to access.

Talking in general terms, I feel as though the BBC are completely skipping out the younger generation. BBC1, 2 and 4 often focus on the more serious side of things such as the news and The One Show, history documentaries and programmes about antiques. If you axe the main source of our comedy and innovative documentaries- what do we have left?

I honestly don’t know if we can make a difference but we can’t just sit there and let them take away our favourite channel. Please sign this petition to show the BBC that actually, we will not let them disregard us so absentmindedly. Sharing this blogpost would also be a massive help, we need as much support as we can get- surely the BBC can’t ignore so many people?

Joe Lycett and Friends (2014)

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Comedy HutYesterday, on March the 5th, I went to the first comedy night at the Custard Factory in Digbeth and it was a really unique experience as there were only 100 seats so the crowd was really nice. The night was hosted by Karen Bayley and featured sets from Freddie Farrell, Jon Pearson and of course Joe Lycett.

Freddie Farrell is local to the area and reminded me of some Brummies I know. I really liked his often sarcastic and down-beat tone because it is reminiscent of Jack Dee. His material about his girlfriend and kids received big laughs, his impressions of his children with their Birmingham accents especially. Jon Pearson was next and I also really liked him as he was kind of a hybrid of lots of comedians I’ve  seen. He has a skill for building a story and while constantly flitting back to things he mentioned at the very beginning in a similar way to that of Rhod Gilbert (though he didn’t have enough time to build it to Rhod’s intensity).

Then it was finally time for Joe Lycett, one of my favourite comedians ever and just a really nice guy. The set was hilarious and heavily featured the two Mexican students sat in front of me who were adorable. At one point, Joe had climbed over the front row and was sat flirting with Diego and Ivan. Joe showed us some of the material for his new series Junk that is about to be recorded, and I am really excited for. The junk he had was pretty disturbing to be honest- it featured a frog doll with a baby’s head, holding a wasp- incredible. I would have liked his set to be longer as I thoroughly enjoyed what I saw of the set and will definitely be seeing him again soon!

Also, if you live in or around Birmingham, do look into the Comedy Hut in Stourbridge and Digbeth as they show lesser-known acts and could do with support from people like us.

House of Fools

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January marked a much awaited time for Vic and Bob fans: the arrival of the brand new surreal sitcom, House Of Fools. The programme follows the troubles faced by Bob [Mortimer] and his group of unreliable and slightly insane ‘friends’ (plus his Norwegian son, Erik) who all insist on lodging in his house whilst continually mocking poor Bob as he manages to fail in all aspects of his life.

The casting of the programme is near on perfection, featuring Matt Berry as Beef, Dan Skinner as Bosh, Morgana Robinson as Julie and of course Vic and Bob themselves. I was pleased to see a new face on the programme: stand up comedian Daniel Simonsen as Erik, whose role in the show is refreshing, maybe because the exaggerated Norwegian accent is hilarious in itself.

Reeves and Mortimer have said in interviews that the aim of the show was to take the conventional idea of what should be in a sitcom and completely turn it on its head by recreating typical situations but in a new way. For example, when a neighbour tells the protagonist that they need them to look after something very important, the audience are immediately aware of the inevitability that something will soon go drastically wrong. The double act recognised this and made it the plot line of episode two, The Pork Pie Affair, in which Julie asks the group to look after an oversized pork pie that is to be given to Bruce Willis that evening.

The programme is broken up with songs of nonsense, that Bob describes as a “shortcut to telling a plot, so we set everything up via the gift of song.” The words are constantly going round my head on a daily basis and I can’t seem to get them out so beware!

No More All-Male Panel Shows

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Today the BBC announced they were to make sure every episode of shows like QI and Mock the Week are to have at least one female guest. My first reaction was along the lines of: ‘sure, this is coming from a good place, women should be greater represented in comedy. The idea behind this is a sound one.’ However, I don’t think this is the correct way to go about it in the slightest. Speaking as a young female, I felt embarrassed to hear that women would get such special treatment. From now on, even if it is untrue, every comedienne that is asked to appear on such shows will feel that they are just there to fit the BBC’s new criteria. They are being completely undermined.

mock the week

© BBC

Females comics don’t get half the recognition they deserve and some of the funniest people in the industry I know of are women. For example Katherine Ryan, Sara Pascoe, Dolly Wells, Morgana Robinson, Roisin Conaty, Sarah Millican and Aisling Bea, are amongst some of my favourites. I think women add a valuable new dimension to such panel shows. They make it interesting. So seeing my favourite comediennes on television is always a highlight for me as like most people, they have earned their place on the panel. Years of hard work goes in before people come anywhere near to performing on programmes like Mock the Week.

It makes me sad to think that the women mentioned above may feel undervalued in the future when invited to appear on BBC panel shows because they deserve to be commended for their hard work. In many cases, they deserve additional recognition purely for the way they have surfaced above the hundreds of male comics in the UK while facing constant discrimination along the way. How many times have you heard the phrase: ‘she’s funny for a female comic’ or ‘no female comics are ever funny’. These make my blood boil- do they have no idea that humour is not purely in your genetic information? Have they not stopped to consider that intelligence, wit and life experiences might have some influence?

Paul Foot: Words (2013)

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On Tuesday evening, I went back to one of my favourite places: the Artrix Arts Centre to see one of my favourite comedians: Paul Foot. I saw him around this time last year and his show was one of the funniest I had ever seen, so excited was an understatement.

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Paul was his own support which was funny in itself and almost critical of other comedians but with an innocent cover. His half an hour ‘support’ had everyone in hysterics with his rants about homophobia, dinner parties, conservatories and canapés. After the interval, he sprung back onto stage with his trusty satchel full of Disturbances and detailed his plan of action for the second half. This included using his watch to make sure some sections didn’t run over 4.5 minutes. His jokes (if that’s what you can call them) were perfectly timed and even uncomfortable in places.

Foot builds a lovely relationship with his live audiences and the whole show just had a really nice feel. It was a really lovely evening and I hope Paul continues with his success and gets an even bigger audience because he works so hard and truly deserves it.

Some Girls, Series 2

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I tend to try and watch all new sitcoms that appear on the BBC and Channel 4 in particular as comedy is clearly thriving in Britain at the moment, but the main thing that originally drew me to series 1 of Some Girls was the fact that it starred Dolly Wells (Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy).

some girls

Some Girls follows a small friendship group through their experiences at high school; most of the girls in the group are very odd. Viva is the character with the main focus as we are introduced to her family, which includes her pregnant stepmother Anna Hitchcock (‘Bitchcock’) who is played by Wells. Anna is also the girls’ school football coach and has most of the funniest lines in the whole show. One of my favourites from this new series was along the lines of: [In a full school assembly] “As most of you know, Mr Andrews has died. For those of you who didn’t know, Mr Andrews has died”. I found her sarcasm and impatience throughout the episodes hysterically funny.

The cast is refreshingly young and skilled. Amber (Alice Felgate) and Saz (Mandeep Dhillon) are completely insane characters and have such contrasting personalities- Amber is a typical ‘dumb blonde’ character with a really kind heart and Saz is sarcastic, angry and hilarious. Some Girls is surprisingly original and enjoyable; I found myself laughing out loud a lot.

Rob Beckett (2013)

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Last Thursday evening I went with a friend to the Artrix Arts Centre in Bromsgrove to see Rob Beckett and his supporting comedian, Lloyd Griffith. I really love Artrix as a venue as it is quiet and cosy, I’ve only been there a couple of times but constantly check the website for touring comedians as the venue guarantees  comfy seats and small, ‘intimate’ audiences.

I hadn’t previously heard of Lloyd but thought he was hilarious, not to mention interesting because he is also a choir singer and has an amazing voice that he used as part of his set. Being on the second row, with nobody sat in the seats in front of us, my friend and I were in the prime position to be picked on but luckily Lloyd chose the lady right next to us instead! This involved him jumping down off the stage and clambering over the first row to sit practically on her lap while his foot was half a metre from my face, that was also interesting. I really liked Lloyd Griffith after seeing his short set and was glad he was Rob’s support as he is a new comedian that I hadn’t heard of before so I felt kind of privileged to have a new comedian to stalk appreciate.

Rob’s set wasn’t disappointing either- before seeing him live I had only really seen his material in short snippets on panel shows like 8 out of 10 Cats and Mock the Week but I did actually recognise quite a bit of it, and I laughed a lot. One thing I really like about Rob is that his work is very biographical- he talks a lot about his friends, family and childhood which I think adds a very personal tone to his material. For example, he explained that he is one of five boys and his mum can never get his name right which I can really relate to as I am one in five girls and get all kinds of names (from my sister’s to my dog’s) shouted at me.

I won’t spoil the show for anyone who hasn’t had the chance to see it yet but I will say what most fans of his already know: what I love most about him is that he still seems like a kid, he has the widest, cheekiest grin I think I’ve ever seen and he has such an honest style of story telling that I really felt like I knew him after listening to him talk for an hour or so. Here’s a clip that includes some of the material he used in the show:

After the show, Rob waited outside the doors and shook hands with all of us which I thought was a really nice touch (even if he did give me his eye infection somehow- what a claim to fame).

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH LLOYD GRIFFITH