Now...it's very hard to predict what will survive the test of time (except for obvious ones like The Office), especially when many of them are still running. It's not always the shows that are hugely popular and mainstream in their time that are remembered (I recently wrote a whole essay on why a 70s show called The Goodies, which was enormously popular, isn't often considered with the likes of shows such as Monty Python today). What I can do however...is pick out the moments and shows that have stood out for me. So, here are my classic comedies of the future, complete with clips where I've been able to find them:
My personalised 'look back at how wonderful comedy was in the past' show would have to start with one of my earliest memories of being in stitches from a broadcast. And I use that word carefully, because it was in actual fact a radio show. I remember being away at my grandparent's house, all of us around the table for dinner, listing to a show called I'm Sorry I haven't a Clue. If you haven't heard it - check it out, it's still going! The round in question was called 'One Song to the Tune of Another'. And it was just that. Very simple, and very silly. But when you're a young child, that is the absolute epitome of hilariousness- and it still comes quite close when you're 20! Now, I can't remember exactly how old I was or what the exact songs were, so I can't get the precise clip, but here's a flavour of what I would have been laughing at:
And from there my love of comedy just grew and grew (with a lot of thanks to my Dad!). One type of show that's brilliant for creating moments that stick in your mind is the sketch show. I love sketch shows when they are properly thought out, because they are just packed full of ideas. No need to worry about a story or a plot, it's just a bunch of people trying to be clever in as many ways as possible. My favourite sketch show has to be That Mitchell and Webb Look (That Mitchell and Webb Sound is also well worth a listen). It's a great combination of some very very clever, yet wonderfully silly and surreal moments, that often also make a very good point at the same time. (In an older version of the show there's a great sketch where they turn the violence of animals rights protestors on its head and show a human rights protestor about to set fire to a dog). My absolute favorite however, has to be this:
The line at the end of that first sketch is just sublime. Perfectly timed...and you genuinely don't see it coming (I'm trying not to write it, in case you haven't seen it and I ruin it for you!) It's clever - and comedy really needs that. It uses hindsight to find a part of war that no-one really thinks about. Everyone wants to be fighting on the side of good guys right?
Another great sketch show full of really clever ideas is Armstrong and Miller. The obvious sketch to refer to here is probably the WW2 pilots who act and speak like teenagers of today (or at least a view of today's young people), but still in black and white with posh accents. And it is brilliant. But the sketch that really got me going is as follows:
This is brilliant visual comedy. It probably appeals to me more than it does to some because the memories of sitting in an exam hall, not being allowed to look anywhere except at my paper are still pretty strong, however, as with the Mitchell and Webb sketch, the punchline (this time a visual one), just takes you by surprise and is utterly hilarious. You think it's brilliant, but at the same time feels like it should have been obvious. Also, I now have a great image in my mind of my old science teachers doing a jig at the back of the room whilst I was trying to remember the chemical formula for calcium chloride.
Sitcoms. Another great form of comedy. Whereas the sketch show is great for cramming in as many ideas as possible, the sitcom allows the writer to run with an idea, as well as create a context in which certain ideas can be funny, where they may not have worked as a standalone joke. Creating a great character is also a vital part of a sitcom. My favorite type is the ridiculous but so loveable. I've never been a fan of nasty characters created purely to be cruel to. I want to like the people who the storys are about. And who can be more loveable yet utterly hilarious than Moss from the IT Crowd?
This clip is to me, everything sitcom should be. As well a culmination of events and jokes from the rest of the episode, the actions taken are very character specific (can you imagine Jen sending that e-mail?). That 3 minute clip is packed with both visual and verbal gags. It also manages to combine something we can all identify with (trying to get the tone of an e-mail right), with the downright ridiculous (fire in the office, partly caused by a fire extinguisher). There are many sitcoms that I love (Gavin and Stacey, Miranda...), the best of them managing to have you in stitches, without ever loosing the heart of the show or the characters.
Whereas many years ago, our screens were jam packed full of sitcoms (or so I'm told), that baton has been swiftly passed on to the panel show. Cheap to produce, and pulling in large audiences, commissioners can't get enough of them. And to be honest, neither can audiences. The right panellists can some create some excellent, as Dave puts it 'witty banter'. (Now there's a point. The shows that enjoy recognition years after they're first broadcast are often the ones that enjoy endless repeats in the meantime. Does that mean the fate of these shows are left squarely in the hands of the executives at Dave? In which case...things are looking up for Top Gear and QI). There are some programmes that will pop straight into people's heads when the words 'Panel Show' are mentioned (Have I got News for You, Mock the Week...) However, the one that I always wait for in anticipation is Would I Lie to You? It seems that they just seem to have got it right with that one. David Mitchell and Lee Mack work perfectly as team captains - they're both very smart and quick witted, but their comedy personas are in stark contrast to each other. Good comedy often involves picking things apart, and often includes an anecdote - whether real or made up - and Would I Lie to You mixes both together perfectly. Even if the guests are rubbish (which hardly ever happens), both the format, and the team captains (and indeed the host - Rob Brydon), can still cary the show. Here's a taste of it:
Now, stand-up. Another great form of comedy. And again, I could go on for hours listing some amazing stand-up comedians and routines (Rhod Gilbert's suitcase routine is worth a look), however, it's already gone 1am, so I need to hurry up and just choose one. And that one just has to be Michael McIntyre. He just never fails to make me laugh. I can't find my absolute favourite routine which is about tasting wine in a restaurant, so I'll settle for this:
I love the way he just talks about normal activities, but then with such amazing energy manages to find the absurd in them.
Nearly there now...Ok, so I'm quite thick skinned when it comes to TV having a dark or adult edge, but crudeness for the sake of crudeness has never appealed to me. Rude doesn't automatically mean funny. However, rude combined with clever can be. And no-one does that better than Charlie Brooker. I absolutely love Screenwipe and Newswipe. There are so many clips I could show you, but I'll go with the extract from Newswipe that went viral:
As a lover, and in fact student of television, this show is a must for me. Sometimes Brooker will rip something to shreds, picking it apart and making some cutting, but usually very true observations about a show, or the way a piece of news has been reported. But even better than that, Brooker knows how television works, so there's often a description of how television is made, sometimes with its own example show along side it. I really recommend giving these two shows, hidden away late at night on BBC4, a watch.
And finally, this is cheating because it's from the 70s, but I love The Goodies. It does not get the recognition it deserves. Just sublimely silly. Here's a genuinely classic clip:
I could go on forever. I haven't even mentioned the breakthrough of improvisation meets sitcom in Outnumbered, the fantastic mix of satire and silliness in The Now Show or the wonderful word play by the one and only Milton Jones. The fact is, I love the way this country does comedy. There may be some rubbish, but there is also so much that is wonderful and clever, and most importantly, makes me laugh!
These are just some of the moments of it that have stuck with me. What would be your 'classic' moments be? If you need something to jog your memory - check this page out:
See how many times you do I what I did and go 'Oh! I remember that!' and 'Oh I LOVE that show!', or even 'Yeah, that one didn't really work'.
I'm looking forward to seeing which clips from this era will be endlessly played on our screens in 20 years time.
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