Thank you for asking and of course, for taking an interest in what I do - it's really nice of you. OK, it was nerve wracking but ultimately rewarding. I did receive a few laughs and more importantly, loads of useful feedback, such as:
My character Malcolm was interesting
The punchline didn't work
Good use of dialogue
It flattened down towards the end
The shopkeeper should deny everything
Pervert: Actually could be an alternative title
Of course, this makes naff all sense without seeing the sketch in it's entirety, so if it's fine and dandy with you, I'll do a re-write and post it on the blog at some point? I wish I had somebody to collaborate with, but everyone is seemingly paired off at The London Comedy Writers or prefers to write alone. Oh well, with my psychology course at City Lit commencing on Tuesday, 17th September I won't be able to make any meetings until late October and hopefully by then I would have got my act together a little better? Maybe.
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
Sunday, 1 September 2013
Writing Sketches
Yeah, instead of cleaning the bathroom thoroughly this afternoon I have been writing comedy (well that and carrying out a pedicure whilst listening the excellent comedy podcasts of Mr Richard Herring's Leicester Square series plus Olly and Helen's Answer Me This!. Actually, comedy podcasts are one of my current obsessions? What, another frigging thing to add to the already humongous list - grow up woman. Fine, be like that but it's mainly because they break up the tedium of doing housework* standing up on the train/reading to your child etc**
Right, after I'd received some really helpful constructive criticism from one of my friends from the London Comedy Writers I decided to write a completely new sketch for performance during Tuesday night's Sketchaggeddon session, so I did and it's about two men in a newsagent and is entitled All The Small Ads. Hopefully it's ok, I guess I'll find out on soon, won't I? I must admit that I like writing things to a very short deadline/turnaround time, it gives me much more focus than my normal fannying around ever could.
* I tend to stick my iPod in my bra whilst carrying out two of the activities listed.
** Yes, I know it's inherently wrong but the majority of kids' books are really repetitive, boring and the moral messages drive me bananas. Saying that, certain authors are much better than others and the one which contained a rather spiffing drawing of a donkey's face whilst he was having his temperature taken in the traditional asinine manner was hilarious.
Right, after I'd received some really helpful constructive criticism from one of my friends from the London Comedy Writers I decided to write a completely new sketch for performance during Tuesday night's Sketchaggeddon session, so I did and it's about two men in a newsagent and is entitled All The Small Ads. Hopefully it's ok, I guess I'll find out on soon, won't I? I must admit that I like writing things to a very short deadline/turnaround time, it gives me much more focus than my normal fannying around ever could.
* I tend to stick my iPod in my bra whilst carrying out two of the activities listed.
** Yes, I know it's inherently wrong but the majority of kids' books are really repetitive, boring and the moral messages drive me bananas. Saying that, certain authors are much better than others and the one which contained a rather spiffing drawing of a donkey's face whilst he was having his temperature taken in the traditional asinine manner was hilarious.
Sunday, 25 August 2013
The London Comedy Writers (LCW)
Someone I'd met on my stand-up comedy course forwarded me some information about this group and when I'd finished one of my stints at choir I decided to pop along. It's held in the upstairs function room of a pub near London Bridge and I find it a good place to go. It runs between 7pm and 9pm and there's 'happy hour' in the bar prior to 7pm, hence pints are really darn cheap. I think the oddest thing was encountering someone I'd worked with in the mid 90s again, which was an odd coincidence if nothing else.
The meetings tend to pan out like this: a number of writers submit their work which can consist of a 30 or indeed 50 minute script in advance and it's kept in a queue, ditto short sketches. All of which are performed by the professional actors who attend, so it brings it to life somewhat. Once it's complete then members of the group are allowed to comment and provide constructive criticism to the writer, who can then answer back at the end of this process. It's well worth it because where else can you receive such a thing? Believe me, as a writer, it's essential and feedback is really useful.
As for me, well it's Sketchmaggedon on 2nd September and I've written a sketch! I have sent it to my friend for comment/editing beforehand, but I will be submitting it. A big thank you to both Graham Trelfer and Robin Bailes for running the group - it's so appreciated by all who attend.
The meetings tend to pan out like this: a number of writers submit their work which can consist of a 30 or indeed 50 minute script in advance and it's kept in a queue, ditto short sketches. All of which are performed by the professional actors who attend, so it brings it to life somewhat. Once it's complete then members of the group are allowed to comment and provide constructive criticism to the writer, who can then answer back at the end of this process. It's well worth it because where else can you receive such a thing? Believe me, as a writer, it's essential and feedback is really useful.
As for me, well it's Sketchmaggedon on 2nd September and I've written a sketch! I have sent it to my friend for comment/editing beforehand, but I will be submitting it. A big thank you to both Graham Trelfer and Robin Bailes for running the group - it's so appreciated by all who attend.
My Experiences in Stand-Up Comedy: The Performance Aspect - Part Two
Oh my word, I'd totally forgotten to write part two of my stand-up story and I expect my huge audience have been F5ing their computers in anticipation? They haven't? Are you sure? OK, fair enough, but here it is then....
Anyway, I spent quite a long time on the internet looking at potential gig venues and managed to get a spot at Barry Ferns' comedy club which runs on Thursday evenings at the confusingly named Camden Head pub in The Angel, Islington. Barry's a lovely guy - he took us for one of our lessons when Kate couldn't make it and he was really supportive and encouraging and offered all of us a five minute spot at the club. Anyway, about a week after my debut performance I tried out again and I must admit that I felt as sick as a dog about it all, but I was well supported - quite a few of my class came along to cheer me on. As it's a free comedy club the clientele are a bit, well, hipsterish and in retrospect quite twatty, but there you go. I was put on in the 'safe' spot which is half way through the second half when the audience are often far too blotto to care. All of the acts weren't faring well but my set went down without a great deal of mirth and I slunk off stage to discuss with other wannabe stand-up.
The third and indeed final gig I did was in a place which has a monthly comedy club. It was a good couple of months after the second performance and to be honest, I wasn't really feeling it. I got up, did my thing and was on the same bill as Celia Paquola and Sean Hughes (who seemed a miserable bastard) - a few people laughed, I got clapped on the back a number of times, but that was that and I duly retired.
Now, over a year on, I write comedy, so keep reading.....
Anyway, I spent quite a long time on the internet looking at potential gig venues and managed to get a spot at Barry Ferns' comedy club which runs on Thursday evenings at the confusingly named Camden Head pub in The Angel, Islington. Barry's a lovely guy - he took us for one of our lessons when Kate couldn't make it and he was really supportive and encouraging and offered all of us a five minute spot at the club. Anyway, about a week after my debut performance I tried out again and I must admit that I felt as sick as a dog about it all, but I was well supported - quite a few of my class came along to cheer me on. As it's a free comedy club the clientele are a bit, well, hipsterish and in retrospect quite twatty, but there you go. I was put on in the 'safe' spot which is half way through the second half when the audience are often far too blotto to care. All of the acts weren't faring well but my set went down without a great deal of mirth and I slunk off stage to discuss with other wannabe stand-up.
The third and indeed final gig I did was in a place which has a monthly comedy club. It was a good couple of months after the second performance and to be honest, I wasn't really feeling it. I got up, did my thing and was on the same bill as Celia Paquola and Sean Hughes (who seemed a miserable bastard) - a few people laughed, I got clapped on the back a number of times, but that was that and I duly retired.
Now, over a year on, I write comedy, so keep reading.....
Saturday, 10 August 2013
My Experiences in Stand-Up Comedy: The Performance Aspect - Part One
Following on from my course it was a natural progression to go and perform and that's exactly what I did. All eight of us were given a five-minute spot each at the showcase which was scheduled for the evening of Mother's Day 2012 in a room above a pub near Leicester Square, London. The room itself was pretty tiny with green and red decor and chandeliers; a few of us had visited it a couple of weeks prior to the big day to see the Monday night newbies night promoted by the Soho Comedy Club to recce the venue and see exactly what we'd let ourselves in for.
I practiced recording my five minute set into my mobile phone for a fortnight before the big day, cutting, chopping and honing it all; I was kind of nervous, but not too bad. When the evening itself dawned it was very strange indeed - Sunday nights in Central London are bizarre and being the day after St Patrick's Day the atmosphere was strangely muted. Our MC and tutor, Kate Smurthwaite warmed the audience up and announced that there would be eight acts, four in the first half and another four after the interval. I was number five and it was pretty excruciating, but the whole thing came together and I even ad-libbed aspects which the crowd seemed to love. It went well and despite the house being papered and the audience consisting of friends and family, it was amazing. I was congratulated by all and it felt slightly unreal.
It would be extremely boastful for me not to mention my fellow performers who were all excellent in their own way - some were much better than me, I have to admit. One of them has gone onto quite a bit of success on the circuit, but most of them have decided to pursue other career paths. So, what happened to me then...you'll have to keep reading to find out, but to date I haven't given up my day job....
I practiced recording my five minute set into my mobile phone for a fortnight before the big day, cutting, chopping and honing it all; I was kind of nervous, but not too bad. When the evening itself dawned it was very strange indeed - Sunday nights in Central London are bizarre and being the day after St Patrick's Day the atmosphere was strangely muted. Our MC and tutor, Kate Smurthwaite warmed the audience up and announced that there would be eight acts, four in the first half and another four after the interval. I was number five and it was pretty excruciating, but the whole thing came together and I even ad-libbed aspects which the crowd seemed to love. It went well and despite the house being papered and the audience consisting of friends and family, it was amazing. I was congratulated by all and it felt slightly unreal.
It would be extremely boastful for me not to mention my fellow performers who were all excellent in their own way - some were much better than me, I have to admit. One of them has gone onto quite a bit of success on the circuit, but most of them have decided to pursue other career paths. So, what happened to me then...you'll have to keep reading to find out, but to date I haven't given up my day job....
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
Answer me I'm sorry I haven't a clue rises again: Things I've gleaned from blokes I've been out with
*Disclaimer - all names have been changed to protect the identities of people who'll probably never read this*
At the time of writing I'm what can categorically be confirmed as 'the late thirties' - that's my age of course, I've not boarded the ghost bus and teleported myself back to the days of the Art Deco era, oh no. It makes me wonder what kind of interests, hobbies and general things I've gleaned from the various blokes I've befriended/dated/stalked*/married** or just simply hung around with and let me tell you, it's quite a lot of stuff over the years.
If memory serves me right I believe that I started dating at about the age of 18, I was a bedroom-bound strange teenager with an aura of awkwardness which has never fully left me, but believe me, as a teen I was at least fifty times worse than I am now. My idea of a fun Saturday was to get a large bag and visit the local branch library and borrow the maximum amount of books on my card; yes, I really was that much of a laugh. Hurrah. Anyway, I did get to date a fellow A-Level student eventually called Darren who shared my love of rubbish quiz show hosts, comedy and the films of Vincent Price. We were once watching one in his room when his mother decided to burst in during the climax of the film and of course, I'm not referring to any kind of other 'climax' - it wasn't like that then and anyway, I was wearing a wrap-around cardigan and I'd defy any man to get through all of those layers of acrylic, I really would.
From this relationship I decided that I didn't like Vic and Bob much, but I began my high regard for the work of Mr Paul Merton, which would later translate into me seeing him live quite a few times, one rather memorably with my friend Rachel at the London Palladium where his cohort, Richard Vranch almost revealed all in a skimpy red bikini. Darren also enjoyed thrash metal music. I don't and never will. End of.
In my amateur dramatics days I met a myriad of men but don't worry reputation fans, I didn't date many of them in the 'biblical' sense anyway. I went out and about with one whom I'll call 'The Beard' and he was a huge fan of BBC Radio 4 comedies and from him I learned all about the delights of panel shows such as I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and he got us tickets to the recording of the Christmas Show that I really didn't appreciate in those days, so sorry Beardy, I really am. I also watched such comedy classics as The Goodies, Hitch Hiker's Guide to The Galaxy and Brazil with him, but I can't say that sharing the sofa was particularly pleasant, call me a prude, but if I'm not snuggling up to you, there's a good reason why not. You were a lovely bloke, but the spark just wasn't there. Sorry.
Colleagues have also been a rich source of comedy inspiration and I've always been lucky to work in places where witty banter has always been welcome. Some recommendations just didn't work though - one boss absolutely adored The Flight of The Conchords, but I just couldn't get into it.
My husband isn't as much of a comedy fan as I am, but adored Michael Palin and Terry Jones' Ripping Yarns, which he bought on DVD; they were quite good, but not side-splitting in my opinion. He also liked The Rutles, the Eric Idle Beatles spoof thing which I didn't find remotely amusing. That said, we have enjoyed many hours on our respective sofas watching comedy, despite him recording every single documentary on the V+ box and taking the whole series of Elizabeth R away on holiday with him - all 549 minutes of it. Great, he'll be purchasing beige slacks before I know it.....not that there's anything wrong with this at all, no, not at all. Hubby - if you're reading this, it's not meant to be overtly critical of you and of course you're still free to carry out the clandestine activities you've been enjoying in the study since late 2004, I don't mind, honest. The goat won't press charges I'm sure.
Finally, my friend Philip has introduced me to the comedy podcast Answer Me This and I've downloaded a whole load of episodes onto my purple iPod and it's great - just my level of smutty Viz-like sense of humour. Brilliant, thank you and it will undoubtedly brighten up my chores, commute or any other time I plug my headphones in and try and block out the crazy world.
* Never proven: thrown out of court back in 1997
** Technically twice if you count asking the captain of the Woolwich Ferry to marry myself and my boyfriend at the time.
At the time of writing I'm what can categorically be confirmed as 'the late thirties' - that's my age of course, I've not boarded the ghost bus and teleported myself back to the days of the Art Deco era, oh no. It makes me wonder what kind of interests, hobbies and general things I've gleaned from the various blokes I've befriended/dated/stalked*/married** or just simply hung around with and let me tell you, it's quite a lot of stuff over the years.
If memory serves me right I believe that I started dating at about the age of 18, I was a bedroom-bound strange teenager with an aura of awkwardness which has never fully left me, but believe me, as a teen I was at least fifty times worse than I am now. My idea of a fun Saturday was to get a large bag and visit the local branch library and borrow the maximum amount of books on my card; yes, I really was that much of a laugh. Hurrah. Anyway, I did get to date a fellow A-Level student eventually called Darren who shared my love of rubbish quiz show hosts, comedy and the films of Vincent Price. We were once watching one in his room when his mother decided to burst in during the climax of the film and of course, I'm not referring to any kind of other 'climax' - it wasn't like that then and anyway, I was wearing a wrap-around cardigan and I'd defy any man to get through all of those layers of acrylic, I really would.
From this relationship I decided that I didn't like Vic and Bob much, but I began my high regard for the work of Mr Paul Merton, which would later translate into me seeing him live quite a few times, one rather memorably with my friend Rachel at the London Palladium where his cohort, Richard Vranch almost revealed all in a skimpy red bikini. Darren also enjoyed thrash metal music. I don't and never will. End of.
In my amateur dramatics days I met a myriad of men but don't worry reputation fans, I didn't date many of them in the 'biblical' sense anyway. I went out and about with one whom I'll call 'The Beard' and he was a huge fan of BBC Radio 4 comedies and from him I learned all about the delights of panel shows such as I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and he got us tickets to the recording of the Christmas Show that I really didn't appreciate in those days, so sorry Beardy, I really am. I also watched such comedy classics as The Goodies, Hitch Hiker's Guide to The Galaxy and Brazil with him, but I can't say that sharing the sofa was particularly pleasant, call me a prude, but if I'm not snuggling up to you, there's a good reason why not. You were a lovely bloke, but the spark just wasn't there. Sorry.
Colleagues have also been a rich source of comedy inspiration and I've always been lucky to work in places where witty banter has always been welcome. Some recommendations just didn't work though - one boss absolutely adored The Flight of The Conchords, but I just couldn't get into it.
My husband isn't as much of a comedy fan as I am, but adored Michael Palin and Terry Jones' Ripping Yarns, which he bought on DVD; they were quite good, but not side-splitting in my opinion. He also liked The Rutles, the Eric Idle Beatles spoof thing which I didn't find remotely amusing. That said, we have enjoyed many hours on our respective sofas watching comedy, despite him recording every single documentary on the V+ box and taking the whole series of Elizabeth R away on holiday with him - all 549 minutes of it. Great, he'll be purchasing beige slacks before I know it.....not that there's anything wrong with this at all, no, not at all. Hubby - if you're reading this, it's not meant to be overtly critical of you and of course you're still free to carry out the clandestine activities you've been enjoying in the study since late 2004, I don't mind, honest. The goat won't press charges I'm sure.
Finally, my friend Philip has introduced me to the comedy podcast Answer Me This and I've downloaded a whole load of episodes onto my purple iPod and it's great - just my level of smutty Viz-like sense of humour. Brilliant, thank you and it will undoubtedly brighten up my chores, commute or any other time I plug my headphones in and try and block out the crazy world.
* Never proven: thrown out of court back in 1997
** Technically twice if you count asking the captain of the Woolwich Ferry to marry myself and my boyfriend at the time.
Monday, 5 August 2013
My Experiences in Stand-Up Comedy: The Course
Firstly, apologies that there's absolutely no chronology in this blog - I can only state that it's because I have absolutely no self-discipline or indeed any idea of how to structure anything lengthy. Anyway, having undertaken a great deal of singing, dancing and drama courses with the sublime City Academy in London I took the plunge with my Christmas money (not received from various relatives in denominations of £5, I'm not ten years old you know!) and used one of their 20 per cent discount codes and booked myself on an eight-week course commencing in January 2012. I was a little nervous about it, but I shouldn't have been - there were eight of us and we all bonded fairly well from the start. The tutor, Kate Smurthwaite, who's an accomplished stand-up as well as a feminist campaigner was friendly and encouraging and took us through a series of writing and performing exercises. One of my favourites was being able to deal with hecklers and I particularly enjoyed heckling my fellow classmates.
The aim of the course was to perform a five minute comedy stand-up set in a showcase (basically a room above a central London pub) at the end of the term. This, was incredibly daunting, but Kate stated that the audience would comprise of friends and family and would be a convivial and welcoming atmosphere which was in complete contrast to the majority of clubs in the UK and abroad. Myself and my fellow would-be comedian classmates used to convene in the pub after the sessions and discuss the process of being funny, which as you can imagine, is pretty subjective; I seem to recall that after the second lesson the others said that I was the funniest person on the course. I must admit that I'm cringing even typing this and my head is expanding to fill the dining room, but it felt good at the time, that's for sure. In retrospect I don't think that I was the most talented person, we were all very different performers, but being effortlessly amusing all of the time must be very difficult and something even the biggest names in the comedy world have suffered from. Have you ever read about a comedian who wasn't slightly mad, egotistic or just downright depressed? It's rare not to. How can you keep up that level of wit on an everyday basis? I can't.
The aim of the course was to perform a five minute comedy stand-up set in a showcase (basically a room above a central London pub) at the end of the term. This, was incredibly daunting, but Kate stated that the audience would comprise of friends and family and would be a convivial and welcoming atmosphere which was in complete contrast to the majority of clubs in the UK and abroad. Myself and my fellow would-be comedian classmates used to convene in the pub after the sessions and discuss the process of being funny, which as you can imagine, is pretty subjective; I seem to recall that after the second lesson the others said that I was the funniest person on the course. I must admit that I'm cringing even typing this and my head is expanding to fill the dining room, but it felt good at the time, that's for sure. In retrospect I don't think that I was the most talented person, we were all very different performers, but being effortlessly amusing all of the time must be very difficult and something even the biggest names in the comedy world have suffered from. Have you ever read about a comedian who wasn't slightly mad, egotistic or just downright depressed? It's rare not to. How can you keep up that level of wit on an everyday basis? I can't.
Friday, 2 August 2013
Comedy in the 90s - it's paranoid?
Sorry for plagiarizing Blur's seminal 1990s hit Girls and Boys (whom, incidentally a former colleague of mine thought was written about bisexuality?!) but this is when I really got into comedy in a huge way. The zeitgeist was very pro-lad mag and the comedy star is God - do you recall Newman and Baddiel being the first comedy duo to play Wembley? Although, fact fans the first actual comedy performer to take the stage was Sean Lock, whom I had a huge crush on until I found out that he smoked roll-ups and wasn't married to the mother of his children. Anyway, as per usual, I digress.
Talking of Newman and Baddiel, whom I don't think I've discussed before on this blog and of course, the mighty The Mary Whitehouse Experience which also launched Punt and Dennis onto the scene after many years of playing skits on programmes such as Jasper Carrott's Canned Carrott and writing for other comedy performers as part of the omnipresent Cambridge Footlights alumni. It's such a shame that the BBC have lost the master tapes of the MWE as it was pretty funny at the time, however like many comedies I've re-rented in recent years, such as Alexei Sayle's Stuff I have found them less than hilarious a few years on.
Newman and Baddiel in Pieces was N&B's follow up from the MWE which launched on BBC2 and was therefore much cooler than P&D's The Imaginatively Titled Punt and Dennis Show, which I believe was aimed at a much more mainstream BBC1 audience. I bought the VHS 'best of' compilation of the latter ages ago from my parents' favourite emporium of shite, the late-lamented Primus Stores, formerly of Sea Street Retail Park, Herne Bay; I think I paid fifty pence for it, so I wasn't expecting much. I wouldn't mind seeing parts of N&BIP again though, especially the joke about Fred Brewster's 'Geronimo' - which basically took the mickey out of a condom advert at the time, which was Mr B taking about how thick 'rubber johnnies' were in his days and that he had to rinse his very own 'Geronimo' out after every use and leave it to dry on the line. Nice.
Finally, I just didn't get Reeves and Mortimer, despite my ex from years ago thinking that they were hilarious. A friend of mine has offered to try and demonstrate, via DVD, just how amusing they are, so watch this space!
Talking of Newman and Baddiel, whom I don't think I've discussed before on this blog and of course, the mighty The Mary Whitehouse Experience which also launched Punt and Dennis onto the scene after many years of playing skits on programmes such as Jasper Carrott's Canned Carrott and writing for other comedy performers as part of the omnipresent Cambridge Footlights alumni. It's such a shame that the BBC have lost the master tapes of the MWE as it was pretty funny at the time, however like many comedies I've re-rented in recent years, such as Alexei Sayle's Stuff I have found them less than hilarious a few years on.
Newman and Baddiel in Pieces was N&B's follow up from the MWE which launched on BBC2 and was therefore much cooler than P&D's The Imaginatively Titled Punt and Dennis Show, which I believe was aimed at a much more mainstream BBC1 audience. I bought the VHS 'best of' compilation of the latter ages ago from my parents' favourite emporium of shite, the late-lamented Primus Stores, formerly of Sea Street Retail Park, Herne Bay; I think I paid fifty pence for it, so I wasn't expecting much. I wouldn't mind seeing parts of N&BIP again though, especially the joke about Fred Brewster's 'Geronimo' - which basically took the mickey out of a condom advert at the time, which was Mr B taking about how thick 'rubber johnnies' were in his days and that he had to rinse his very own 'Geronimo' out after every use and leave it to dry on the line. Nice.
Finally, I just didn't get Reeves and Mortimer, despite my ex from years ago thinking that they were hilarious. A friend of mine has offered to try and demonstrate, via DVD, just how amusing they are, so watch this space!
Saturday, 20 July 2013
RIP Mel Smith
At 3pm today I heard of the sad death of Mel Smith who died from a heart attack aged 60 http://uk.news.yahoo.com/british-comedian-mel-smith-dies-aged-60-134828327.html#umAghsz. My Mother was a huge fan of Not The Nine O'Clock News and its spin off Alas Smith and Jones so it was always on in our house. I think I caught up with NTNON at a later date via repeats and DVD, but it was pretty radical for the day and of course, was one of the first things the mighty John Lloyd produced. ASAJ was quite rude as I recall and I don't think I really understood some of the sketches, but I did like the face to face ramblings the pair used to do which I always thought was a cut above Ronnie Corbett's chair chat in The Two Ronnies (in fact it was probably when I skipped off to the kitchen to fix myself another glass of Rola Cola as there was no time for named brands in my house....)
The last time I saw Mel Smith on the TV was when he featured in an edition of Celebrity Mastermind where he looked like he'd suffered a stroke, but I couldn't find any evidence to back this up online. Talking of such programmes, I've stopped watching them now because I agree with Frank Skinner's view that it's far too dumbed down and allowing such luminaries such as Myleene Klass to answer questions on Series 3 of Sex and The City is frankly ridiculous, although I did enjoy the comedian and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue stalwart Tony Hawks' choice of topic: Tony Hawk: The Skateboarder. My own personal beef with the BBC's Mastermind is that I have now sat through two auditions for the programme with no success. Darn, I was seriously hoping to rock the intellectual glasses, cord jacket and jeans look on telly too;
The last time I saw Mel Smith on the TV was when he featured in an edition of Celebrity Mastermind where he looked like he'd suffered a stroke, but I couldn't find any evidence to back this up online. Talking of such programmes, I've stopped watching them now because I agree with Frank Skinner's view that it's far too dumbed down and allowing such luminaries such as Myleene Klass to answer questions on Series 3 of Sex and The City is frankly ridiculous, although I did enjoy the comedian and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue stalwart Tony Hawks' choice of topic: Tony Hawk: The Skateboarder. My own personal beef with the BBC's Mastermind is that I have now sat through two auditions for the programme with no success. Darn, I was seriously hoping to rock the intellectual glasses, cord jacket and jeans look on telly too;
Weekend Box Sets and Comedy Script Books
Before I became a mother I was able to spend large portions of my weekend watching my various comedy box sets, but no - I'm not bitter, just a little disappointed, hey ho. However, these days I have my comedy books to look through and that's always enjoyable, especially when combined with searching stuff on the interweb. If you were to ask me just how many books about comedy combined with various comedians' autobiographies I wouldn't be able to answer you, but let me tell you, it's a lot - here are two to illustrate my point:
Unsurprisingly I also own quite a few script books - Father Ted, Blackadder, Little Britain, Alan Partridge and The League of Gentlemen to name but a few. The Father Ted one is my favourite, especially as it give the context and background to all of the episodes including the inspiration for such classics as the Entertaining Father Stone episode - based upon an unwelcome visitor who used to turn up every year at Arthur Matthews' parents' house. I cannot believe that my personal highlight New Jack City is so detested by Linehan and Matthews, but it takes all sorts I suppose.
Talking of Father Ted - I've just re-read my last post and it's a tiny bit vitriolic to be honest and reminded me of the Christmassy Ted episode where he wins the coveted Golden Cleric award and proclaims a very long revenge tirade aimed at all of the ecclesiastical people who have annoyed him over the years. Somebody at work asked me why I bought such script books and that they weren't surprised that I did. Hmm.
Talking of Father Ted - I've just re-read my last post and it's a tiny bit vitriolic to be honest and reminded me of the Christmassy Ted episode where he wins the coveted Golden Cleric award and proclaims a very long revenge tirade aimed at all of the ecclesiastical people who have annoyed him over the years. Somebody at work asked me why I bought such script books and that they weren't surprised that I did. Hmm.
Saturday, 29 June 2013
Saturday Night's Allright (for comedy, not for fighting!)
This is the point where I fully confess to being a geek; yes I am and I'm out and proud. Growing up in a London suburb, my dislike of going out and 'hanging out' with the 'in crowd' were quite defined and it meant that I spent a lot of time at home. Comedy was always my anchor and continues to be; especially with the rise of VHS video rentals in the 1980s. There was a video shop located at the top of our road and we used to go and have a gander there on a regular basis, they also printed a list of their stock which included the amusing titled Billy Connolly Bites Yer Bum which was particularly amusing to my pre-adolescent state. However, it was a certificate 18 and we didn't rent it and to be honest, to this day I'm not a huge fan of Mr C's comedy as I can barely understand him, but I still read his second wife's book about sex, that was an interesting wander, but let's not meander of the topic in question. Actually, if pressed, I've never been a huge fan of the surname 'Connelly' in all of it's forms as there was a horrible girl called Joanne Connelly at my school that was a complete bitch and gave me a hard time; so Joanne, if you're reading, it's been a long time now, but you're still clearly a twisted indivdual and I hope you've thought long and hard about what you did in the mid 1980s to early 1990s. Oh you haven't? Quelle suprise?
Oooh, I've completely wandered off topic now, but let's revert to comedy films, namely The Naked Gun starring the peerless and now deceased Leslie Neilsen. God I used to love those and the series version of Police Squad used to crack me up; I rented it recently and it didn't have the same effect, but you can see why it was such a trailblazer in it's time and spun off from the success of films such as Airplane.
Oooh, I've completely wandered off topic now, but let's revert to comedy films, namely The Naked Gun starring the peerless and now deceased Leslie Neilsen. God I used to love those and the series version of Police Squad used to crack me up; I rented it recently and it didn't have the same effect, but you can see why it was such a trailblazer in it's time and spun off from the success of films such as Airplane.
Friday, 21 June 2013
Friday I'm In Love
So, why am I starting my comedy journey on a Friday night? Well, I guess when I was growing up I always considered Friday night TV to be the pinnacle of the week's entertainment. Picture the scene: a suburban semi crowded with a mixture of clutter, bad soft furnishings and dust and then there's myself and my Mother sitting there with a glass of Store brand cola, a chocolate bar of our choice and finally a can of Safeway Dutch Lager (that was Mother's choice, I didn't start drinking until a bit later - probably after I got drunk on the magnum of champagne we'd won at the Church Christmas Fayre aged 14, hey ho.)
People, well, my husband and brother pretty much, seem to think that Mother doesn't possess much of a sense of humour these days and I guess this is true to a certain extent. However, she did introduce me to a myriad of comedies back in the 1980s when I was growing up and I certainly recall watching shows such as Blackadder, Alas Smith and Jones, Cheers and Last of The Summer Wine; sorry about the last one - I blame my Stepfather for that one and I can recall a combination of Sunday night tea (crackers, Shipham's fish paste and assorted cakes) accompanying Foggy, Clegg and Compo's Yorkshire-based antics.) I can't say that I really understood the whole humour thing much when I was a youngster, although my late Father (who'd died of a heart attack when I was five years old) had been a Policeman famed for his wicked sense of humour. Looking back it's clear that both myself, my two brothers and now my son have inherited it. Hurrah.
The Friday night comedy zone on Channel 4 was probably my favourite because it broadcast such classics as Cheers (which later was the sitcom used as an example of how to write one when I attended a Sitcom Writing Course at City Lit many years later.) and later on Roseanne. Many years on this would morph into such cult classics such as Spaced, Harry Hill and Friends - although I didn't watch the latter until many years later, catching up on all 236 episodes of the sitcom via cable channels or on DVD - in order - I am still a stickler for watching comedy series in order and that's what's currently vexing me about Arrested Development - series 1 isn't currently available on Lovefilm.
Anyway, I digress. Friday night was certainly one of my first memories of being a complete comedy geek and it will always remain rose tinged as a result. They're not so much now, but that's progress and of course, being able to work your own schedules via a PVR.
People, well, my husband and brother pretty much, seem to think that Mother doesn't possess much of a sense of humour these days and I guess this is true to a certain extent. However, she did introduce me to a myriad of comedies back in the 1980s when I was growing up and I certainly recall watching shows such as Blackadder, Alas Smith and Jones, Cheers and Last of The Summer Wine; sorry about the last one - I blame my Stepfather for that one and I can recall a combination of Sunday night tea (crackers, Shipham's fish paste and assorted cakes) accompanying Foggy, Clegg and Compo's Yorkshire-based antics.) I can't say that I really understood the whole humour thing much when I was a youngster, although my late Father (who'd died of a heart attack when I was five years old) had been a Policeman famed for his wicked sense of humour. Looking back it's clear that both myself, my two brothers and now my son have inherited it. Hurrah.
The Friday night comedy zone on Channel 4 was probably my favourite because it broadcast such classics as Cheers (which later was the sitcom used as an example of how to write one when I attended a Sitcom Writing Course at City Lit many years later.) and later on Roseanne. Many years on this would morph into such cult classics such as Spaced, Harry Hill and Friends - although I didn't watch the latter until many years later, catching up on all 236 episodes of the sitcom via cable channels or on DVD - in order - I am still a stickler for watching comedy series in order and that's what's currently vexing me about Arrested Development - series 1 isn't currently available on Lovefilm.
Anyway, I digress. Friday night was certainly one of my first memories of being a complete comedy geek and it will always remain rose tinged as a result. They're not so much now, but that's progress and of course, being able to work your own schedules via a PVR.
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