Never Mind The Buzzcocks

An Open Letter To Buzzcocks

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Dear Buzzcocks,

It was a surprise to hear that one of my favourite television shows had suddenly been axed last week, and though something tells me that we haven’t heard the last from you, I wanted to send you a fond farewell, just incase.

Thank you Buzzcocks for showcasing new talent from the worlds of comedy and music, to name just two, and for supporting artistic intuition in the young, the old, and everyone in between. Thanks for stressing the importance of music in our society over the last eighteen years, and for recognising the relevance of all its forms, from the works of Adam Ant to One Direction, from Scissor Sisters to Dido. You demonstrated how music does, quite literally in this sense, bring people from all different cultures, backgrounds and lifestyles together under one roof, evident in the diverse array of panellists, line up guests and hosts over the years. And yes, thanks even for the hissy fits, the bitchy comments, the storm outs, the smashed mugs. They made for honest, if almost-guilty, entertainment and showed the true effects of throwing so many big personalities together.

Thanks for giving Noel Fielding a platform to show off his interesting sense of style, particularly the time he wore a dress with the clown from It pictured on it, where he was able to protest against Stacey Solomon’s accidental gender stereotyping. For the height difference between Tinchy Stryder and Greg Davies; for Richard Ayoade’s deadpan reading of the autocue; for Adam Buxton’s YouTube comments (or sutin). For Simon Amstell’s cushion; for Dragons Den’s Peter Jones’ pronunciation of ‘N-Dubz’ and for Paul Foot’s energetic interpretation of a traditional Ghanaian dance. And lest I forget that beautiful group rendition of Summer Nights.

From those with bold personalities like Paloma Faith and Russell Brand to the ones who shocked us with their wit and crudeness such as Ed Sheeran and Rita Ora. From James Acaster’s adaptation of the dance to Saturday Night to Lorraine Kelly’s exploding bra. From Amy Winehouse’s declaration that she’d rather have “cat AIDs” than work with Katie Melua to Tony Law’s vuvuzela and lederhosen. From Alice Cooper’s Elvis Presley anecdotes to Bernard Cribbins’ tips regarding how to kill Coldplay’s Chris Martin. From Hughes to Bailey to Fielding. From Lamarr to Amstell to Gilbert. For Phill Jupitus, who only missed one episode out of 262. And for Rhod Gilbert, who so excellently hosted the last series but is unfortunately prevented from continuing due to the show’s cancellation.

It is a regret of mine that I never managed to attend a recording, particularly as I was once invited but couldn’t make it. But I have seen the joys your show has brought to those I know who were lucky enough to see the show live, from those who returned home with a signed watermelon, to the comedians that I consider to be friends who have had helpful career boosts from featuring on the programme in recent years (and rightly so). I think a lot of us owe something to this show. It aided the countdown to Christmas each year and filled the hours, if nothing else. And there were many hours.

So thank you, Buzzcocks. We had fun. I hope to see you again soon.

From Becca (and the rest of us).

Top 5 Moments… The Fielding Edition

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Yes, I am well aware that we all have a birthday every single year, and though it may not seem it sometimes, Noel Fielding is no exception. Tomorrow, May 21st, marks the 42nd birthday of one of my all time favourite comedians and it seemed only fair to dedicate a post to one of the creative minds that inspired this website altogether, so here are my favourite elements of Fielding’s biggest projects…

5) Luxury Comedy

Dave Brown/Channel 4

© Dave Brown/Channel 4

Luxury Comedy has its fair share of insane moments, with particular favourites of mine including human-shell hybrid, Daddy Push, and that cruel piece of French toast. Series two (which was shown in summer 2014) saw the move of the zany group from their tree-house to a coffee shop on the edge of a volcano in Hawaii, and though many characters also made the transition, various new faces appeared too. For examples, audiences were introduced to the show’s biggest (and apparently only) fan, a Brummie called Terry, played by Steve Oram. Fielding has confirmed that he doesn’t intend write a third series of Luxury Comedy, but many characters have found their way into his new live show, so all hope is not lost.

4)The Mighty Boosh

I think everyone’s favourite Mighty Boosh character has to be Old Gregg (played by Fielding), and it’s not surprising. With his creepy mannerisms (did you see what happened to Curly Jefferson?), yet prevalent sense of neediness (“do you love me?”), its only natural to be wary of this guy, but maybe we all relate to him a bit. Other magical Boosh moments included the arrival of the Crack Fox, Howard Moon’s coconut friend named Milky Joe, and Nanageddon, a pensioner from hell. The Boosh crowd always talk about creating a film, and releasing an album, so we can all cling on to the hope that we haven’t seen the last of this whimsical universe either.

3) Never Mind The Buzzcocks

One of the funniest moments from the whole 28 series of Never Mind The Buzzcocks so far was undoubtedly that time Noel Fielding ripped apart Dappy from N-Dubz. The rap singer apparently seemed to confuse a lampshade with a hair style. Easy to do, I suppose. As it was pointed out by Noel, it’s “not very difficult” to outsmart Dappy, it seems. This may have happened years ago, and I’m sure he’s a reformed character now, but I still reminisce of that encounter on a regular basis. However, the teams on Buzzcocks usually get along very well, particularly when slightly strange guests are present, such as the likes of comedians Adam Buxton, Tony Law, Paul Foot and James Acaster.

2) A Fielding Phonecall

In October of last year, I was given the opportunity to interview my idol for the British Comedy Guide. Noel and I talked about the first few shows of his first live tour in five years, An Evening With Noel Fielding, as well as the reaction to both series of Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy. I also found time to ask the question that not enough people have been asking: what on earth happened to Daddy Push? As it stands, I am a very inexperienced interviewer, but Noel made our chat stress-free and we had a laugh, as well as giving lots of insight into the workings behind the comedy and his plans for the future.

MoodyComedy1) An Evening With Noel Fielding

I went to see An Evening With Noel Fielding in November 2014 at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall. This show is unlike any other; it’s a remarkable spectacle. It’s strange to look back over events and realise the vast expanse between the show’s humble, low-key beginnings with just Fielding on stage, to a mission in a plasticine world with a couple of deluded nitwits riding on a unicorn. I even got to meet Noel, Mike and Tom after the show, which topped off the whole fantastical dream that was this insane evening.

Feel free to join me in wishing Noel Fielding a very happy birthday; here’s to another year of absurdity and childishness, we look forward to it.

This Year In Comedy, Part 2

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2014 was the year that truly proved that the British comedy scene is an exciting place to be. But with all things in life, there have been ups and downs and the industry has lost some of its brightest talents this year.

Two of these, for myself in particular, hurt the most. Star of The Young Ones, Rik Mayall passed away suddenly on June 9th, as a result of a heart attack after his morning run. The news was a shock to everyone, especially as Rik was only 56. Rik Mayall was a shining light in the world of comedy: he was kind, clever, and never afraid to act like a fool. He didn’t take himself too seriously and managed to bring out the inner child in all who watched his hilarious on-screen performances. Television suffered a great loss when Mayall died this year, particularly as he was due to be recording a second series of the magnificently funny Man Down (starring Greg Davies, Roisin Conaty and Mike Wozniak) that summer.

Rik Mayall

Rik Mayall

Two months later, the beloved Robin Williams, who will always have a special place in my heart as Mrs Doubtfire, tragically died on August 11th after a long period of severe depression. The world was silenced to hear this, especially, I gather, people currently working as comics who had worked with him or been inspired by him when they were young.

Every generation knew Robin Williams. His acting credits are endless, including Mork and Mindy, Mrs Doubtfire and Flubber to name a few, as well as being an iconic stand up comedian. The story of what happened is heartbreaking, but at least something positive came out of it: in the days that passed after the world received the news, people slowly started tweeting, blogging and, most importantly, talking about depression. Robin Williams taught the world that mental illness is all around us, even in the places where you might not expect to find it, and his legacy as a fantastic actor and comedian will stay with us all for decades to come.

Robin Williams

Robin Williams

2014 brought about the natural end to various loved sitcoms. The seventh, and final, series of Not Going Out was broadcast throughout October, November and December, with the final ever episode airing on Christmas Eve. As well as this, Miranda Hart announced that the final episodes of her playfully childish television hit Miranda were to be aired on Christmas and New Year’s Day, after having spanned three series.

As if this year hadn’t had its fair share of controversies, Vine celebrity, Dapper Laughs (Daniel O’Reilly) dug himself a hole when his awful and misogynistic television show On The Pull was aired on ITV in October. The “comedian” had been previously criticised for his comments regarding women and his horrendous rape “jokes” so it was no surprise that an online petition was launched to get Dapper Laughs off of our television screens. When this petition was successful, some complained that it was a denial of free speech and a dangerous act of censorship, but quite frankly, I think the danger came from the way O’Reilly fed and encouraged rape culture through his own stupidity; in my eyes, he committed a crime. But no fear, he will, of course, be back in 2015, so he wasn’t really sorry at all.

To end on a positive note, however, for the first time in five years, Never Mind The Buzzcocks has found a permanent host in the incredible funny Rhod Gilbert. Rhod is absolutely brilliant at hosting the programme; he is eloquent, witty and sarcastic and has already been successful in developing a comfortable and, most importantly, funny atmosphere.

2014 has been a year of many surprises, some good and some bad. I hope 2015 is equally as interesting and even more funny. Happy New Year!

READ PART ONE OF MY YEAR ROUNDUP HERE.

TV Review: Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Series 28

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Never Mind The Buzzcocks has entered it’s 28th series and what could possibly make this all-inclusive and sharp-witted musical-based panel show any better? Rhod Gilbert, that’s what.

There are an array of valid reasons as to why my love Buzzcocks never falters, with Noel Fielding being pretty high up on that list, of course. Not only does this panel show exhibit a rare trait, being that it welcomes those people, mostly comedians and musicians, who aren’t necessarily the most popular in their field, but also because it is timeless: Buzzcocks gives us a break from politics and satire and focuses purely on music and funny things.

And Rhod Gilbert truly is the icing on the cake, with his deadpan sarcasm and astute comic timing. He makes the tasking job of hosting such a programme look effortless whilst inviting his contestants to get involved and partaking in hilarious small talk that is obviously unscripted.

It is easiest to observe Gilbert’s talent when we compare it to the countless other celebrities who have sat in the hosting chair over the past five series since Simon Amstell’s departure in 2008. Think back to the episodes of Dizzee Rascal, Peter Andre, Jack Whitehall and James Corden, just to name a few, for name’s sake. Everyone did well; they had the correct level of control over the teams whilst maintaining a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere, they successfully read their lines, they earned quite a few laughs.

Though many guest hosts have simply got the job done and little more, a rare few have shown great skill and ease whilst sat in the hosting chair, such as Adam Buxton, Sir Terry Wogan, Alice Cooper and musical comedian Alex Horne. I am a firm believer that a great host, with a firm hold over contestants and audience alike, can really make a panel show brilliant.

This new series of Buzzcocks has also welcomed many excellent comedic talents, with Roisin Conaty, Sara Pascoe, Katherine Ryan, Aisling Bea, Joe Lycett, James Acaster, Paul Foot, Romesh Ranganathan and Bobby Mair being amongst some of my favourites.

The Never Mind The Buzzcocks Christmas special is on Monday on BBC2. You can catch up with the rest of the series on iPlayer.