tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post8936129350947399061..comments2024-02-06T16:17:25.826+00:00Comments on THE GRĂNMARK BLOG: Stan & Ollie's "Brokeback Mountain" was funnier than the life's work of all the BBC's other pet comedians combinedScott Gronmarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15118026157459333174noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-60815984387881402382015-09-04T16:47:02.756+01:002015-09-04T16:47:02.756+01:00My favourite Flanders and Swann song is probably t...My favourite Flanders and Swann song is probably their classic "Have You Ever Had to Take a Shit on a Train":<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyYfBS2Y1xQ<br />I'm also fond of "Foreigners":<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL1zs4OKYAU<br />I'm not sure, however, that either would be considered suitable for Desert Island DiscsScott Gronmarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15118026157459333174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-76256705396129140462015-09-04T16:33:24.027+01:002015-09-04T16:33:24.027+01:00I think the answer is probably that writing and pe...I think the answer is probably that writing and performing comedy sketch shows is much harder and less well paid than starring in drama series (although Miller has left "Death in Paradise") or presenting daily quiz shows, like Armstrong (they knock off a whole bunch in a single day, so it doesn't take as much time as you'd think). As they're both middle-aged and married, with children, they're probably also glad of greater security, and, as Arsmstrong, at least, isn't a standard, off-the-shelf BBC lefty, I imagine having to deal with Auntie's teenage "comedy" executives must have been particularly trying. <br /><br />Yentob. Yes, indeed. One of these days, with any luck, the mystery of his continued employment as the BBC's "creative director" (????????) will be revealed.I look forward to that day.Scott Gronmarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15118026157459333174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-90969119875774045602015-09-04T16:16:50.307+01:002015-09-04T16:16:50.307+01:00Any comedian who has been plying their trade for t...Any comedian who has been plying their trade for thirty years or so is simply bound to come up with something funny at some stage - on the stopped clock principle. Sorry, but I just can't stand the man, despite the fact that he is a fellow pancreatitis sufferer.<br /><br />We are, however, in full agreement regarding the merits of "Heroin Galore".Scott Gronmarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15118026157459333174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-58638246656388725252015-09-04T00:22:52.460+01:002015-09-04T00:22:52.460+01:00I don' t watch much telly but have looked at y...I don' t watch much telly but have looked at your Laurel and Hardy pastiche of Brokenback Fountain - ONLY JUST mildly amusing in my view - not terribly original and redolent of student humour in my days on the boards at college - 'very unfunny' was the clarion call from the slight audience, and that that was nearly forty years ago..<br />Flanders and Swann however - pure genius. 'Have Some Madeira My Dear' one of my desert island discs.Rileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07191599030795096843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-59595979956875228642015-09-03T11:43:49.433+01:002015-09-03T11:43:49.433+01:00A very good and accurate post.
The last time BBC c...A very good and accurate post.<br />The last time BBC comedy was alive and kicking was "The Armstrong and Miller Show" [2007-2010]. The RAF pilots and the Flanders and Swann parodies were tremendous. Current BBC comedy seems to be wedged into talk or panel show formats where very unfunny guests bray at each other and say "fuck" a lot because they are edgy. And if they come from the world of "pop" music they get to wear silly head-gear. See the ghastly James Corden show, for example, which is what original Sky programming looks like. Pitiful.<br />And what happened to the very talented Armstrong and Miller? One has his own game show and the other appears in crap serials and British comedy films like "Johnny English". I suspect the writing talent has dried up [or decamped to the United States] as the BBC has to fuel the burgeoning payroll of its army of managers and Yentob's activities.SDGnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2215553202978284468.post-31745837497856678092015-09-03T00:03:33.594+01:002015-09-03T00:03:33.594+01:00"The Guardian: Missing the Point But in a Car..."The Guardian: Missing the Point But in a Caring Way". In defence of Arthur Smith, his tribute to the songs of Leonard Cohen which I saw in the Soho Arts Club (yes, pseud, I know) was both touching and funny. I had not seen it before the BBC Harry and Paul programme but the Brokeback Mountain piece - and thanks for posting the full version - is right up there with 'Heroin Galore' from the Fast Show. ex-KCSnoreply@blogger.com