Author Topic: Forgotten sitcoms  (Read 11704 times)

mattc

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #25 on: 31 January, 2018, 12:13:21 pm »
How Do You Want Me - another Simon Nye one that was better than Men Behaving Badly.

Yes, I vaguely remember that. Unless I’m thinking of pretty much anything else with Dylan Moran in it.
A good programme as I recall - deserving of repeats. What a cast! Moran, Mark Heap , Peter Serafinowicz (sp??) and of course the much missed Charlotte Coleman.
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mattc

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #26 on: 31 January, 2018, 12:16:45 pm »
Both of those are classics not forgotten. If your over a certain age and there is a lot of car shuffling going on on someone's drive its "like Butterflies".

Hoh yes!  ;D
Has never ridden RAAM
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No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Tim Hall

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #27 on: 31 January, 2018, 01:18:34 pm »
The Liver Birds. 
And I seem to remember enjoying Butterflies
How does The Liver Birds qualify for "forgotten"? Surely it's ingrained into the very wossname. Our Lucian. Me rabbits.

Our Lucian was in Bread, wasn't he?

Ooh, you've sewn a seed of doubt. However I don't think I ever watched Bread but often talked of Me Rabbits and Our Lucian to my grate frend Nic when we were at school. On the other hand, perhaps it was one of those fictional universe cross over things.
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"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

Torslanda

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #28 on: 31 January, 2018, 01:26:49 pm »
Butterflies is a classic. Written by Carla Lane, IIRC, also responsible for The Liver Birds.

Made a star of Nicholas Lyndhurst before he became a Trotter. All the more remarkable given that his screen brother was a bronzed, curly haired adonis who disappeared from view almost immediately.

'Leonard' now advertises stair lifts on daytime TV.

Lucian, in the Liver Birds, used to answer the phone with 'They're all out!' I sometimes still do...

Nightingales. 'There ain't nobody here but us chickens!'

I Didn't Know You Cared had some astute observations about modern life in addition to its Northern humour. 'I 'eard that! Pardon?'

Anyone remember 'A Bit of a Do', by David Nobbs (Reggie Perrin)?
VELOMANCER

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LEE

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #29 on: 31 January, 2018, 01:40:48 pm »
Many of the "classics" are better remembered than re-watched.

True classics can be re-watched, and there are very few.  The common denominator of the true classic, beside a great script, is a genius of a central performance, by a comic craftsman.

- Ronnie Barker in Porridge/Open all Hours
- Leonard Rossiter in Rising Damp
- John Cleese in Fawlty Towers
- Arthur Lowe in Dad's Army
- Dermot Morgan in Father Ted
- David "I learned it all from Ronnie Barker" Jason in Only Fools and Horses

There are others of course but Ronnie Barker is the stand-out comedy actor for me.  His characters were nothing, zero, nada, like the actor himself.  It was proper acting rather than reading funny lines in your own voice.

As for forgotten ones, I used to like "Sorry" with Ronnie Corbett


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Torslanda

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #30 on: 31 January, 2018, 01:58:04 pm »
'Get Some In' is a title I remember from the 70s but it's left an indelible blank.

I doubt Rising Damp could be made nowadays. Likewise 'Man About the House' or 'Shelley', which starred Hywel Bennett.
VELOMANCER

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T42

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #31 on: 31 January, 2018, 02:19:59 pm »
Ronnie Barker also figured as CPO Pertwee's eternal victim in 'The Navy Lark'. "You're rotten, you are."  Sub-Lt. Leslie Philips was there, too.
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Wascally Weasel

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #32 on: 31 January, 2018, 03:13:20 pm »
Anyone remember 'A Bit of a Do', by David Nobbs (Reggie Perrin)?

The David Jason character in that was largely based on my childhood dentist, who was part of Nobbs' social circle before he wrote that sitcom.

Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #33 on: 31 January, 2018, 03:31:42 pm »
Fairly Secret Army

Dimly remembering seeing a few of these & thinking they were quite good but disappeared without trace and no repeats AFAIK.

EDIT:  Just found them on YouTube and watched the first one.  Very un-PC which probably explains the lack of repeats but still quite amusing and could be the inspiration behind UKIP.  Cracking end title music from Michael Nyman.
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Torslanda

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #34 on: 31 January, 2018, 03:37:39 pm »
Think that one was a spin off from Reggie Perrin. Geoffrey Palmer as the inept ex-army type.
VELOMANCER

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Torslanda

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #35 on: 31 January, 2018, 03:39:18 pm »
Not a direct spin off but based on sez Wiki...
VELOMANCER

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LEE

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #36 on: 31 January, 2018, 03:44:31 pm »
I doubt Rising Damp could be made nowadays.

For "racism" reasons?

It's a strange one really.  "'Til Death do us Part" is often cited as a "racist comedy" when in actual fact it's theme is to highlight what an ignorant racist buffoon Alf is.

Similarly Rigsby is always the butt of the joke ultimately.  Philip's character, as a well-spoken, educated, black man was, for its time, rather ground-breaking I thought (and still think).

"Love Thy Neighbour", from (vary vague) memory may have been along the same lines (though unfortunately served to introduce multiple new abusive terms for black people to us ignorant 12 year old schoolies).
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Tim Hall

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #37 on: 31 January, 2018, 03:48:42 pm »
'Get Some In' is a title I remember from the 70s but it's left an indelible blank.

I doubt Rising Damp could be made nowadays. Likewise 'Man About the House' or 'Shelley', which starred Hywel Bennett.
Get Some In was about three blokes doing National Service in the RAF and their run ins with their Bastard Corporal. Robert Lindsay played one of them, Three Effs Smifff.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #38 on: 31 January, 2018, 04:05:00 pm »
I didn't know you cared

https://youtu.be/37Apscp3hsM

That gave 'Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine' their name. Written by Peter Tinniswood.

I sometimes try to remember any of the plot lines to old sit-coms. Only Fools and Horses has a few memorable  ones, as does Father Ted. But I'm at a loss to recall anything Harry Worth did, other than in the credits. There's a whole genre where the plot is that the boss is coming to dinner, and something has to be hidden. Terry and June, The Dick van Dyke Show and Bewitched all revolved around that story in my memory.

I liked 'Barney Miller', 'Bakersfield PD', and 'Soap', which probably had an influence on 'Brass'.

Torslanda

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #39 on: 31 January, 2018, 04:16:24 pm »
Soap was utter genius. Especially Bert, who went on to play the same character in S.O.B.

Now I'm gonna have to fire up Kodi and watch it again...
VELOMANCER

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Jaded

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #40 on: 31 January, 2018, 04:37:59 pm »
Clicks fingers

<disappears>
It is simpler than it looks.

Torslanda

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #41 on: 31 January, 2018, 04:53:26 pm »
Also propelled Billy Crystal into the limelight.
VELOMANCER

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Woofage

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #42 on: 31 January, 2018, 04:56:14 pm »
I doubt Rising Damp could be made nowadays.

For "racism" reasons?

It's a strange one really.  "'Til Death do us Part" is often cited as a "racist comedy" when in actual fact it's theme is to highlight what an ignorant racist buffoon Alf is.

Similarly Rigsby is always the butt of the joke ultimately.  Philip's character, as a well-spoken, educated, black man was, for its time, rather ground-breaking I thought (and still think).

I saw Rising Damp as a stage play a couple of years ago and it was based on the original scripts. There's no hint of racism apart from Rigsby's narrow-minded and bigotted views. Incidentally, the actor who played the role did a brilliant job of capturing the nuances of the character.

As LEE, pointed out, Philip's character was ground-breaking a the time. I didn't appreciate it watching as a child, though (same as, for example, Uhuru in Star Trek).
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ian

Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #43 on: 31 January, 2018, 05:00:38 pm »
I can't says I'm big on sitcoms, but blimey, Soap. How do I remember that? I must have been teeny but I still remember 'this is the story of two sisters...' I think my mother made me watch it probably, because for some reason she wouldn't watch TV on her own. That was why I spent a while in the early 1980s believing I was the anti-christ after an ill-advised viewing of The Omen, and also why I learned everything I needed to know about lesbians from Prisoner Cell Block H.

Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #44 on: 31 January, 2018, 05:01:47 pm »
I think there were revelations about Leonard Rossiter a few years ago that would have made him unemployable if he we're still around.

Gattopardo

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #45 on: 31 January, 2018, 05:27:31 pm »
Ah Nightingales, Very funny but not been re-run or available to buy...Favourite was either the sea captain one...or the Son.

Soap i found funny in bits but was on at an odd time.

St Elsewares - the ending was odd especially as there were other tv show tie in episodes

Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #46 on: 31 January, 2018, 05:36:30 pm »
Ah Nightingales, Very funny but not been re-run or available to buy...Favourite was either the sea captain one...or the Son.



There are some on Youtube. Also 'Drop the Dead Donkey'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysDinUV2XQU

IanDG

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #47 on: 31 January, 2018, 07:22:33 pm »
I didn't know you cared

https://youtu.be/37Apscp3hsM

That gave 'Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine' their name. Written by Peter Tinniswood.

 

I sort of guessed that was where the band name came from but was never certain.

rogerzilla

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #48 on: 31 January, 2018, 08:16:15 pm »
I thought it was because Les Carter was a notorious, and probably self-proclaimed, pork swordsman.

I liked Dear John - the first series is the best, as it suffers without Belinda Lang.
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Torslanda

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Re: Forgotten sitcoms
« Reply #49 on: 31 January, 2018, 10:56:33 pm »
Kirk St. Moritz. <SNORFLE>
VELOMANCER

Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.