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==================================
B R I T C O M E D Y D I G E S T
==================================
V. 1 OCT. 1994
no.4
A monthly electronic newsletter on British comedies.
What's Inside:
==============
Features:
* Memories of 'Allo 'Allo
* Reader's Forum: Children in British t.v.
* Blackadder--Comic Drama to Sitcom
* Britcom History 102: The Comic Strip
* Review: "Press Gang"
* Mini-Bio: Jane Horrocks
* Katanga!
Regular Departments:
Letters
Britcomedy News
Review
Editorial Page
Quote-O'-the-Month
net.comedy
FAQ's and Comprehensive Lists
(Note: due to lack of space and demand, "What's On" has been dropped-ed.)
E D I T O R 'S P A G E
=======================
The difficulty with being American editors for a newsletter on British
comedies is that we are hard-put to present Internet users with recent U.K.
news.
If we cater to "Are You Being Served?" fans, for instance, a show that has a
huge following in America, but is old news in Britain, Britcomedy Digest
runs the risk of being accused of having an "American bias".
Its editors are indeed American. We are admitedly unconsciously slanted
towards having BD reflect American sensibilities, values, morals, and, yes,
even humor (we usually spell it sans the second "u" around here).
BD can only be as international as its reader's contributions. My mailbox is
always open to submissions from around the world. (In this issue, we have
articles from writers living in New Zealand, Australia, Norway, and
England.) Tell us what's the hottest Britcom in your corner of the globe!
Staff
=====
Managing Editor..................Melinda Casino
Contributing Editor..............Michelle Street
The Spruce Goose.................Michelle Casino
net.comedy, html archivist.......James Kew
Contributing writers: Andrew Hide, James Kew, Jan Smith, Michelle Street,
Lyndon Watson.
Britcomedy Digest (ISSN 1077-6680) <Schopenhauer Publishing Co.>
For details on back issues, see the end of this issue.
LETTERS
=======
Please enter me in your British Comedy Digest Sweepstakes of a Lifetime
Contest, I mean, please put me on your subscription list. I'd like that
with almond swirl, if possible. Thanks ever so much.
Ms. Drainage U.S.A., 1994
EDITOR'S REPLY: Sorry, the Spruce Goose ate all the almond swirl. Can I
interest you in fudge ripple?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I've just read the special issue of Britcomedy Digest, and was somewhat
puzzled by the letter from a correspondent who states that the British find
the term "Brit" offensive ("Letters," v.1, no.3). *I'm* British, and I've
never found it at all offensive. Other than that minor point, I thoroughly
enjoyed the issue, and I look forward to receiving more of the same (only
different :-) ).
David Hollway - UK
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Just read the letter in your Britcom Digest thingy and I thought you might
like to know that I have never considered "Brit" a derogatory term! I
did a quick survey of the lab and no one was offended by it. Maybe it was
origninally coined by the IRA, but I quite like it!
Chris ("the Brit" 8-)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[Regarding "Brit" as an insult:] Please ignore this rubbish. I, and many
other Brits, have never, and will never be offended by the term.
Philip J. Tait - Phoenix, Arizona
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thank you for emailing my first issue of Britcomedy Digest...I will be
completing the survey and submitting it ASAP. Keep up the good work!
I am going to write to Comedy Central and complain about the absurd breaks
during the show.
John M. Schell
EDITOR'S REPLY: Glad you're taking an active role by lobbying for what you
want from a network. There's still plenty of time to return the Reader's
Survey (v.1, no.3)--if you haven't, please do so!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Got the issues of the Digest that you sent me. Great stuff! Keep up the good
work.
Cheerio,
John Monczunski (pronounced Smith)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Regarding my letter (v.1, no.2):
I would like to make the point that your editorial shouldn't have been based
on Alexei Sayle's "Stuff" ("Alexei Sayle--who thinks he's special? He
does." v.1, no.1). This is basically because it is old material, the point
I was trying to make (but I have a habit of putting my point across badly)
was that Alexei had realised that many people found "Stuff" not that great
so he has tried to make his show better, I therefore thought it was pretty
unfair to judge him his old "Stuff" when the new martial is much better, so
I think an editorial that would of been more consecutive.
Rgds,
Robert
EDITOR'S RESPONSE: Not *quite* sure what to make of those last 9 words, but
the rest comes in loud and clear.
It is in the interest of fairness that the editorial was run. How fair and
non-partisan would the Digest be if it only covered "the best" of each
performer's work, and ignored their lesser endeavors?
The Op/Ed page has been and is open for submissions. Rebuttals to the Sayle
editorial are welcome.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A WORD ABOUT MAIL: We want to hear from you! Readers are ENCOURAGED to
send letters to the Managing Editor. E-MAIL: <casino@pobox.upenn.edu>
WRITE: Melinda Casino, Britcomedy Digest, 404 So. 20th Street,
Philadelphia, PA 19146.
BRITCOMEDY NEWS
===============
BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLY THE COOP
The popular sitcom "Birds Of A Feather" has been put to rest due to the
unexpected departure of its stars, Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson.
Quirke and Robson have been playing sisters Tracey and Sharon for the
past five years. Fearing that they are "flogging a dead horse," the two
decided to defect to ITV, where they will star in a revival of the
comedy-drama "Shine On Harvey Moon."
"Birds" fans can take heart in the fact that Robson and Quirke are
sticking together. BBC executives have also apparently not ruled out the
possibility of a "Birds" spin-off starring Lesley Joseph, who has
developed quite a following of her own playing Tracey and Sharon's bitchy
next door neighbour Dorien.
CALLING ALL PRESS GANG FANS!
All fans of "The Press Gang" should plan to attend the first "Press Gang"
convention to be held at the St. George's Hotel in Liverpool, England on
October 22nd.
Registration for the conference costs 12 pounds for adults, 8 pounds for
children under 16, and 17.50 for a family ticket. The entire "Press
Gang" cast has been invited to attend and so far writer Stephen Moffat
and producer Sandra Hustee have confirmed that will they appear.
For further information send e-mail to <paul@cornell.demon.co.uk> or write:
Both Sides Of The Paper, 15 Harradon Road, Walton, Liverpool L9OHE, U.K.
MONTY PYTHON CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY--
NOT TOO OLD TO DO THAT MULTIMEDIA THING
If you're a true Python fan and don't have a CD-ROM, go out this very
instant and buy, charge, beg, borrow, or steal one because the "Monty
Python Complete Waste Of Time" interactive CD-ROM is coming to computer
stores soon, just as the Pythons get ready to celebrate their 25th
anniversary. It will be released in October.
What will you get when you plop down your hard-earned (or stolen) money? An
arcade game, a chance to interact with new animations and comedy created
especially for this CD-ROM, highlights which include Dead Parrots and
Cheese Shops, plus the chance to amuse your friends and annoy your enemies
by singing along with the "Lumberjack Song" and the "Spam" song.
Also exclusive with this CD-ROM is a contest in which Pythonists can try
to solve the "Secret To Intergalatic Success" for fabulous prizes. No,
not a beautiful lounge suite or the Norwich City Council, but computers,
CD-ROMs, Python tee-shirts, and more.
And if that isn't enough to satisfy your Python craving there is the
"Desktop Pythonizer," which allows users to customize their computer
applications with Python wallpaper, silly noises, cartoon icons, screen
savers and even pre-recorded telephone messages guaranteed to break the
ice during naughty calls.
For more information, call I'm a Lumberjack at 214-394-5115 or Jenny Roelle
at Bender, Goldman, and Helper, 310-473-4147. To order it direct you can
call 1-800-884-8863. Europeans can call Lars Ronning (45-44-94-6499) for
more information.
---> Heard some news on British comedies? PLEASE CONTACT MICHELLE STREET.
E-Mail: <michel1361@aol.com> WRITE: Michelle Street, 1118 Briarcliff,
Rantoul, IL 61866.
E D I T O R I A L / O P I N I O N P A G E
============================================
BRITISH COMEDY VS. MTV........by Paul Bricmont <paulb@west.darkside.com>
British comedy is intelligent, witty, and sometimes quite subtle: does this
mean that it cannot compete with the likes of MTV, VH1, and the Networks
for the viewing time of young Americans? I wonder - because I don't know
anyone under thirty who shares the enjoyment I've gotten from British
comedies over my seventeen years.
Yet perhaps this isn't surprising. The majority of American comedy
programming is written to appeal to the lowest common denominator. To avoid
challenging viewers, its humor is obvious, its plotlines predictable, and
its characters middle-of-the-road. Consider the enormous popularity, for
example, of "The Cosby Show": a program so formulaic that it could have
been written by any media savvy fourteen year-old. Exceptional programs
such as "Seinfeld," "Mad About You," and "Northern Exposure"
notwithstanding, comedy programs in the states cannot compare with the
quality of British comedy programing. Because of this disparity, many young
Americans find British comedy inaccessible. It is viewed as "different" and
"foreign" - two qualities that are anathema to teens. Add to this the
stigma attached to public t.v., British comedy's primary provider in the
U.S.,and it's no wonder my enjoyment has not been shared with the
under-thirty crowd.
Despite these obstacles to the popularization of British comedy, the recent
introduction of these comedies on cable t.v. channels provides hope. Cable
broadcasts have the potential to introduce many new viewers to British
comedy and thereby to familiarize a broad range of viwers with British
humor. By making British comedy more accessible, cable t.v. could prove
important to the future of British comedy in the U.S.
Some fear that the appearance of British comedies on cable t.v. threatens
its disappearance from public t.v. This fear is unfounded. Remember, cable
channels will only broadcast programs that are of interest to a large
number of viewers. This leaves public t.v. to fill the demand for more
specialized programming - and the demand for such programming will increase
due to a new generation of entertainment-hungry British comedy fans.
Who knows - British comedy may even give MTV a run for its money!
###
Memories of "'Allo 'Allo"
------------------------- by James Kew
Recently a "Best Of 'Allo 'Allo" was shown on BBC1. It was introduced by
Gorden Kaye and Carmen Silvera, who played Rene and Edith, respectively.
Oh, how the memories came flooding back. I was a schoolboy when I first saw
"'Allo 'Allo"; introduced to it by my classmates, I gradually got my whole
family, grandparents included, hooked on the show. The ridiculous
story-lines, the delicious innuendos, the cod accents; how we loved it all.
The characters: Rene, the bumbling cafe proprietor with an eye for the
waitresses; the Colonel and Hans, two inept German officers; Herr Flick,
the curiously repressed Gestapo officer; Crabtree, the undercover British
agent with a tenuous grasp of French... We boys all had crushes on the
waitresses; my favourite was Yvette, with her wonderful rasping rolled
'R's. The catchphrases echoed across playgrounds country-wide: "I shall say
this only once." "You stupid woman!" "It is I, LeClerc." "Good
moaning."...
"'Allo 'Allo" was written by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, who also wrote
the hugely popular and long-running "Are You Being Served?". Later episodes
were written by Jeremy Lloyd and Mark Adams. After the pilot episode aired
in 1982, the show went on to run for another 10 years. Set in wartime
France, the plots centre on Rene, a cafe proprietor who, somewhat against
his better judgement, gets involved in a Resistance plan to smuggle two
airmen back to England. Meanwhile, he must hide a painting of "the fallen
Madonna with the big boobies" which two German officers have stolen as
their insurance after the war. It's incredible to think that the writers
managed to maintain these two simple storylines through all the shows.
The strength of "'Allo 'Allo" lay in its characters. Like Croft's earlier
sitcom, "Dad's Army", the show introduced a large number of characters,
each with their own personality, quirks and catchphrases, and through
excellent writing and ensemble acting managed to bind them together. Taken
individually, the jokes seem corny and contrived, the double-entendres
juvenile, but somehow the the plot and the characters manage to make them
hysterically funny. It's simple, gentle humour, and it's as funny today as
it was back then.
###
----> Britcomedy Digest welcomes contrasting views. Simply e-mail rebuttals
and editorials to <casino@pobox.upenn.edu> with the subject heading
"EDITORIAL".
READER'S FORUM
============== Comments on the Internet about kids in British t.v. shows
The following are selected threads from alt.comedy.british. All opinions
reprinted with permission of the postee.
Mark Grindol, of Lawrence, Kansas, writes:
"I have never seen the British equivalent of the family comedy show the US
has in over abudance. (Brady Bunch, Leave it to Beaver, Cosby Show, Family
Matters, Majod Dad, etc.) Why is that?"
Kenneth Butler responds:
"...in the UK I think there is a sharper distinction between shows intended
for children (which, of course, feature children in abundance, with not
very many adults) and shows for adults, which will only contain children if
there's a good (i.e., story) reason for doing so. A few shows have teens
(AbFab, and Home to Roost is another [old] one that comes to mind), but
that's about as far as it goes.
I generally find American shows with children unwatchable because the
children involved are so wisecrackingly unbearable (and, surely, wildly
unrealistic); the ones I have brought myself to watch also suffer (to my
mind) from obvious moralising and obvious sentimentality, both of which
most British people find repugnant. (Should have stuck a "flame on" before
that, I think.) British soaps, on the other hand, especially the "modern"
ones (Brookside, EastEnders) do have kids, but again mostly teens, and,
these being soaps, teens with problems. But surely that's not the whole
story?"
Tammy:
"A Brit will soon give a better and more authoritative answer, but since I'm
in a closer time zone...My theory is that the strong religious right
combined with a general zeal for political-correctness in the US keeps most
t.v. shows so wholesome that the humour is sanitized right out of them.
These shows also make Americans feel good about the things many people
value like owning a nice house, having great kids, respecting the military.
The kids in sitcoms are cute rather than funny.
...The funnier American shows, like Northern Exposure and Seinfeld, don't
feature kids.
I guess the British public would rather have a good laugh than agonize over
whether a script is morally correct and inoffensive to everyone who may
hear it."
Christian M. Buhl:
"Maybe the UK's just lucky they don't have all those child brats (I'm
picturing the Olsen twins when I say this...). It seems every sitcom has to
have either a little brat (they might call them a cute little kid) or a
nerd. I'm sick of it, that's why I watch British comedy."
PierrePressure (Dave Garner):
"I take it that you mean the GOOD Brit comedies don't have children in them.
Perhaps you mean that they don't have REGULAR child actors (lets not say
stars at this stage, very few in any tv show would qualify as 'stars' per
see). Many shows DO feature children, but as most British shows are working
on tighter budgets than most US shows, I'd hazard that the additional
expenses of on-set teachers, the limited hours that children would be
allowed to work, etc., probably mean it's not worth writing them in.
They get a look in occasionaly (i.e., Pitt the Younger and Pitt the Even
Younger in Blackadder III). The more truly talented of younger Brit actors
seem to be reserved for higher quality serious drama instead.
Many poor british comedies have annoying/smartass children in them."
Brian Gunning:
"Children in the UK tend to be treated as adults from a very early age
(gross generalisation but I hope you get my drift) so that they actively
dislike any coy, condescending type of t.v. (There's been lots of surveys
on this).
The daft thing is that some of the kids programmes (aimed at a 5-12 year age
group) actually got lots of adult viewers...Anyone over 12 wouldn't regard
themself as a child."
John Cooper:
"No we have them alright Mark, just as many precocious kids over here! Here
goes: 2.4 Children - (Rosanne ??), Watching, George & Mildred, And mother
makes 3 (later 5), So Haunt Me, etc.
And of course loads of kids programs..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
B L A C K A D D E R - C O M I C D R A M A T O S I T C O M
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ by Lyndon Watson~~~~~~~
Whenever anyone asks, "Which is your favourite Blackadder series?" the Usenet
shouts back "Blackadder II" or "Blackadder III" or "Blackadder IV", but never
"Blackadder I". The first series is undoubtedly different from all of the
others and, as one of the few who actually prefer it to the others, I want to
talk about *how* it is different and, perhaps, *why* as well.
So, to start on the "how"...
1. THE FANTASY SETTING
The first series, unlike the others, takes place in an alternative history, one
in which the two little princes (or at least one of them - we never hear about
the other) do not die in the Tower and in which Richard III wins the Battle of
Bosworth Field, is killed by Blackadder, and is succeeded by his nephew,
Blackadder's father. It even appears that Blackadder's mother, the Queen, has
genuine supernatural powers. The Renaissance, such as it is, is Plantagenet,
not Tudor. Only at the end of the series do all of the Plantagenets die to
give Henry Tudor his opportunity.
In contrast, the other series all take place in "real" history even though the
stories themselves are absurd. It is not even altogether clear that the later
Blackadders could be descended from the first, who seems unlikely ever to have
found anyone willing to assist him to pass on his genes.
2. THE NATURE OF THE HUMOUR
The first series contains relatively few "funny" lines. When what is said
inspires laughter, it is nearly always because it is uttered in a risible
context. The most memorable lines tend to be cruel put-downs, usually of
Blackadder by someone in a dominant position (which is almost everyone at
times) which would not be funny at all out of context. Fans find relatively
few quotable lines in Blackadder I. The humour arises from the situations in
which Blackadder is placed by his own mindless avarice, ambition and
incompetence, and by the fact that he is a mere pawn in everyone else's plans.
In a typically British fashion, much of the humour comes from the relations
between different social classes and from the comic effect of disrupting and
reversing those relations - the "Witchsmeller" episode comes to mind as an
example.
In contrast, the humour in the later series is mainly verbal. There are many
lines which are funny and quotable standing alone. The situations in which the
lines are uttered are rarely comic in themselves. There is a residual source
of humour in Blackadder's own character, in his tendency to "go too far" in
pursuing his ends or saving face, but even that aspect tends to diminish after
Blackadder II. In effect, Blackadder parades through ordinary situations,
making them funny by his witty observations on other people's failings and his
comic railings against fate on the inevitable failure of his own plans.
3. THE CENTRAL CHARACTERS
The Blackadder of series I is an extreme antihero - he is ugly, he is gullible,
he is stupid, he is obsessed with the desire for power and he is totally amoral
even when appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. His surroundings are a
caricature of the common conception of what life was like in the Middle Ages -
the court is crude and loud, the peasants are ignorant, filthy and accepting of
their lot, the church is venal. All of the characters except Blackadder are
quite normal in this setting; Blackadder would be a misfit in any setting.
In the following series, Blackadder suddenly becomes quite normal - even
dashing - in appearance, and he is the only person who sees the world as it is.
His relation with the world is reversed - now it is Blackadder who is the
sardonic commentator on others' failings. Only one thing does not change - all
of Blackadder's grand plans fail and, in the end, he can only rage - but now
the failures are due to other people's malice or incompetence instead of his
own, and he can direct his rage at them.
The changes are all seen most starkly in the changing relationship between
Blackadder and Baldrick. In Blackadder I, Baldrick is the shrewd peasant whose
verbal and non-verbal commentary on events highlights both Blackadder's comic
absurdity and, more generally, the absurdity of his whole social class. Of
course, since the series caricatures all social classes, Baldrick is also a
caricature peasant who sees, for example, nothing untoward in his own
prospects, when he is dismissed, of returning to an animal-like state of
existence. In the later series, Baldrick is reduced to this last aspect - a
mere comic figure, a caricature peasant wallowing in the dirt who makes us
laugh at his own absurdity and provides Blackadder with an object for many of
his most memorable lines
And some thoughts on the "why" ...
4. THE COSTS
Another obvious difference between Blackadder I and the later series
lies in the variety of settings used, the production values, and the
apparent costs. Blackadder I uses a large number of different settings,
both indoor and outdoor, with large numbers of people in some scenes and
a large apparent expenditure on costumes, hardware, and production
values in general.
In contrast, the later series all take place in a very limited range of,
mostly, indoor settings with very little use of characters other than
then those of Blackadder's inner circle. A very large part of
Blackadder II takes place in the Queen's absurdly small throne room.
Almost all of Blackadder IV takes place in a single trench setting or in
Captain Darling's office. We hear but don't see the crowds. The
characters, even the Prince of Blackadder III, rarely seem to change
their clothes.
I don't know, but I suspect that another series like Blackadder I would
have been too expensive to make. To my eye, the later series were more
"commercial", and that leads me to the next point.
5. THE MARKET
The gold at the end of the rainbow for a television programme maker comes from
making a sale to an American network. If you want to be a rich programme
maker, you make programmes that Americans will understand and like, while just
retaining enough exoticism to intrigue them. In particular, you adopt the
comic devices which are familiar to American viewers - the "comedy" consisting
of jokes and insulting one-liners, the hero of at least acceptable appearance,
the unchanging background and small cast. The programme must not be too
"wacky", so don't go inventing alternative histories, the hero, even an
anti-hero must not be actually repulsive in appearance, and the class-based
humour will not be understood or appreciated. The sitcom, which is what this
has become, doesn't need inherently comic situations, because one-liner comedy
doesn't need them. Best of all, it is much cheaper to do than real comic
drama.
So we get a Blackadder which moves indoors, with a small cast of familiar
characters in familiar surroundings, with storylines that depend on
Blackadder's witty repartee to make them funny, and with a hero who looks at
least as good as the rest of the cast. In other words, a Blackadder sitcom
designed to be made relatively cheaply and to sell in North America.
And the Usenet prefers the later series, because the Usenet is overwhelmingly
American.
6. THE WRITERS
I suspect that it was no accident that these fundamental changes took place
coincidentally with the substitution of Ben Elton for Rowan Atkinson as one of
the writers. Atkinson's humour is as much visual as verbal, the comedy arising
from the whole interplay of circumstances and character, in which funny lines
of dialogue play only a part. Blackadder I and Mr Bean are unmistakably
Atkinson's creations, just as the later Blackadder is unmistakably just Rowan
Atkinson playing a part.
###
Britcom History 102: The Comic Strip Presents...The Beginnings
I think it was Springsteen who wrote, "From small things, mama, big things
one day come." And so it was with "The Comic Strip." From this small
club emerged some of the biggest names in British comedy. Together and
separately, those who cut their teeth here went on to infiltrate stage,
television, and film, providing much of what's mattered in British comedy
over the past decade.
The story goes back to 1980, when London was a town that needed more places
for comics to perform. Along came Peter Richardson, who at the time was
trying to find a theatre in which to stage his play "The Wild Boys." He
thought he'd found one - the Boulevard Theatre owned by strip club
entrepreneur Paul Raymond-but the venue proved too small to accomodate the
production. Instead of giving up on the theatre, however, Richardson
changed gears, opened it up under the name of "The Comic Strip" and voila -
London finally had a club to rival the popular "Comedy Store," a venue
which had also been instrumental in providing an outlet for these new
comics.
He enlisted the aid of performers who would become a who's who of
alternative comedy. Your not-so-genial host for an evening's entertainment
at the Comic Strip was Alexei Sayle, while regular acts included Rik Mayall
and Ade Edmondson (usually in the guise of "The Dangerous Brothers" or
"Twentieth Century Coyote"), Nigel Planer and Peter Richardson (billed as
"The Outer Limits"), and a Glaswegian accountant turned comedian named
Arnold Brown. A couple of months later two new kids on the block, Dawn
French and Jennifer Saunders, also became regulars.
In hindsight, those lucky enough to have seen performances at "The Comic
Strip" got an early look at the characters who would make these performers
famous. The screaming, abusive anarchy of Mayall and Edmondson as "The
Dangerous Brothers" isn't too far from the adversarial relationship they
would have as Rik and Vyv on "The Young Ones." Mayall also performed solo
as an angry young man reading bad poetry, much like the character he would
play a couple of years later on "The Young Ones," while even at this early
date Nigel Planer was developing and refining the character of Neil.
A recording of a "Comic Strip" show was released in 1992 by Castle
Communications, but unfortunately the sound quality is very poor and since
so much of the show was visual, it does not translate well to the recorded
medium.
The club itself had something of a short life and closed in July of 1981 but
its members stuck together. They toured the UK, Australia, and New
Zealand, after which they went on to do solo projects or work together in
different combinations. However, they would all come together from time to
time to make a series of movies under the name "The Comic Strip Presents."
And that is a story for the next issue of "Britcomedy Digest." See you
then!
----> Readers can find more information on the Comic Strip from the Bottom
FAQ and The Young Ones FAQ (see FAQ and Comprehensive lists, this issue).
###
A MINI-BIO ON JANE HORROCKS
Special thanks to Sean Conant <MrCydonia@aol.com>
Born: January 18, 1964, in the Rossendale Valley in Lancashire
Trained: Royal Academy of Dramatic Art; went on to join the Royal
Shakespeare Company
Movies she's been in include:
The Dressmaker - as Rita
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - as Pattern
The Witches - as Miss Irvine
Getting it Right - as Jenny
Memphis Belle - as Faith
Life is Sweet - as Nicola
Deadly Advice
TV work includes:
"The Jim Henson Hour: The True Bride"
"Red Dwarf" (episode: Holoship)
"Alive and Kicking"
"Nona"
"Heartland"
"Suffer the Little Children"
"Absolutely Fabulous"
"Welcome to the Times"
"Leaving Home"
"The Fifteen Streets"
"Road"
REVIEW: "PRESS GANG"
-------------------- Andrew Hide, Australian correspondent for B.D.
"Press Gang" is a comedy/light drama series, set in and around a newspaper
in a (fictional) English city. It features a familiar set of characters -
the tough-as-nails editor, the wise-cracking streetwise reporter, the
hustling financial whiz-kid. It has witty dialogue, human drama, clever
scripting and emotional involvement. So with all this going for it, why
hasn't everybody heard about it?
The main reason is that TV stations have a hard time deciding what to make
of it. Although it sounds like the familiar newspaper format, with all the
standard dramatic possibilities, it looks like something completely
different: none of the newspaper staff are over 17 years old (and some are
a good deal less). They work on a "junior" paper, and "Press Gang" is
technically a "young adult" series. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation
certainly thought it was, and placed it in the 5:30pm timeslot. It was only
by a happy accident that a number of Australian viewers discovered it, and
realised it had a more universal appeal.
The premise goes something like this. The local newspaper in "Norbridge" has
just acquired an idealistic new editor (played by CLIVE WOOD), who comes to
an an arrangement with the local high school English teacher (played by
NICK STRINGER): the editor will provide the facilities to produce a
"junior" edition of The Gazette, if the teacher can supply the staff. The
teacher (in a nicely realistic touch) takes advantage of this to supply a
mixed team of final year high-flyers, and what we might euphemistically
call some of his "overactive underachievers". Since the main characters are
drawn equally from each group, this adds another thread of dramatic
conflict to the pattern.
Enter some of those characters. The editor of the Junior Gazette is Lynda
Day (played with great style by JULIA SAWALHA, probably better known as
"Saffron" in "Absolutely Fabulous"), a short-tempered workaholic with a
glass-edged wit, whose hobbies include ordering people around and being
right. She is clearly in the overachiever category. Her ace reporter is
James "Spike" Thomson II, an expatriate American (played by British actor
DEXTER FLETCHER with - [I'm taking a risk here] - a fairly convincing
American accent) whose interests include chasing women, and annoying people
who order him around. He falls into the second category. Serving as the
referee between them is Kenny Phillips (LEE ROSS), the long-suffering and
very patient assistant editor, while other regular cast members include
feature writer Sarah Jackson (KELDA HOLMES), money-grubbing hustler and
sometime financial whiz Colin Mathews (PAUL REYNOLDS), intrepid but
not-terribly-bright reporter "Frazz" Davies (MMOLOKI CHRISTIE), and the
head of the graphics department (played, as different characters, by LUCY
BENJAMIN and GABRIELLE ANWAR). With this team at the helm, the "Junior
Gazette" is launched on the world.
The scripts do have a strong high-school soap opera element in the early
episodes, and include such themes as exams, teacher problems, and petty
theft. On the other hand, they also cover printing strikes, blackmail and
drug-induced deaths; and even the "school" episodes tend to have witty
dialog and clever sub-plots, and avoid cliches like difficult parents and
getting drunk. As time goes by, school becomes less and less important (and
is ultimately removed completely) and the plots become less mundane;
sometimes genuine tragedy creeps in, and a hint of the fantastic. The major
theme ulitmately emerges as the conflict, interaction, and - maybe -
romance between Spike and Lynda. All of the characters (Spike and Lynda
most of all) grow and change convincingly, with much credit due to the
writer, Steven Moffat, who penned each and every one of the 43 half-hour
episodes. The acting, with a few forgivable exceptions, is also of a very
high standard; there are moments which would put many "adult" dramas to
shame in their intensity. Criticisms of the series are hard to find.
Clearly the sets and locations were done on a shoestring, but that doesn't
really detract from the overall effect; the emphasis is on the actors, not
the scenery.
Some people have found it too hard to swallow the premise, or don't think
that the characters behave like genuine teenagers. Certainly there is no
explicit sex or four-letter words, and next to no graphic violence, which
might be seen as unrealistic. On the other hand, it might be argued that
strict "realism" is not the only way to tell a good story. For the most
part, it seems that "Press Gang" is an inventive and attractive series that
deserves wider attention than it currently receives.
["Press Gang" was produced by Richmond Films & Television, in association
with Central Independent Television. It consists of 43 episodes of
approximately 25 minutes each, filmed between 1988 and 1993. The final
series of 6 episodes has not yet been broadcast in Australia.]
###
Katanga!
~~~~~~~~~
A few words about an enjoyable chap named Lenny Henry
by Jan Staff
I first "discovered" Lenny Henry in "The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball"--a
program from a benefit show for Amnesty International. I've enjoyed the
earlier shows (TSPM's Ball, -Other Ball and -Third Ball), and was looking
forward to having a ball myself.
Suddenly a crappy disco-beat appeared and this man came on stage, dancing
around and singing a memorable song with funky accompainment all about
"Bad jokes". It was a song based entirely on bad jokes. I found myself on
the floor, tears coming out of my eyes (which is fairly rare, I must
admit). Later on he came back on, wearing a grey suit and started shouting
"Cat flaps!" This was my first glance at one of his many characters,
"Trevor Nettleford" (an inquiring mind).
I had to find out more about this creature. Being a Norwegian stuck with
mail order from England as my only source to BritComedies, I bought his two
live performances, "Lenny Go Home" and "Live and Unleashed". With these two
tapes I had the favourable company of many more of Henry's characters:
A.J.P. Yarlog, Delbert Wilkins, Fred Dread, Deakus, Thelophilus P.
Wildebeeste, Lowdown Fingerlickin' Dirty Hound Dog Smith and Abdulah X.
Great mates every one of them!
I respect Henry for being very socially conscious. Some of his characters do
have quite an amount of social satire in them, i.e. the Fred Dread, a
rasta-character from south London, an area known for its social tension. On
the other hand, he has some "just-for-fun" characters, like Trevor
Nettleford. [To find out what these people are like, check out his shows,
although you can get an indication from the quotes below.]
"OK, what's new?", you may ask. In fact, in terms of context--nothing. He is
just another stand-up comedian who has developed a cast of characters which
he alternates while onstage. What is new is that he does it remarkably
well. Some of his scripts are not heart-rippingly funny, but in the hand
(and face) of Henry they deserve the attention of a true BritCom Fan.
After my first exposure to Henry, I found out that he was one of the three
in "Three of a Kind", a highly acclaimed show in the UK. The other two were
Tracey Ullman and David Copperfield. This show was so-so, with some
hilarious skits (one of them was Tracey Ullman's Toyah-impersonation [but
then I'm probably the only Toyah-fan left in this world]), and some awful
bad ones (the one-liners for one).
Tracey ran off with the majority of the success, and ended up in U.S. doing
standard sitcoms. David Copperfield is still a blank page in my book (so if
someone has information about where his career went, don't hesitate to
e-mail me).
Henry was discovered in a "talent scout" program for stand up comedians in
England at an fairly early age--but with awful material to work with
(along with some semi-racist jokes). But after the "Three of a Kind" series
he was allowed to have his own: The Lenny Henry Show on BBC.
Where to start: Get a grip on one of the Live shows (they're both available
in PAL-format in UK). They give a nice intro into the witty world of LH's
folks
For those who like to read comedy as well as watch, there is "The Lenny
Henry's Well-hard Paperback" (with foreword by Frank Bruno), a Virgin Book
(published in 1989 by the Paperback Division of W.H. Allen & Co Plc,
Sekforde House, 175/9 St. John Street, London EC1V 4LL, United Kingdom),
ISBN 0 86369 330 X.
Quotes (all decent BritComs have a quote-list, don't they?):
- "Katanga!" (A.J.P. Yarlog's catchphrase)
- "8th August 1940. Listened to Churchill on the radio. He says
never has so much been owed by so many to so few. That should
teach the few a lesson. They shouldn't have lent the money in
the first place." (Deakus' war diaries)
- (Rant) "Fighting, shooting, burning, looting, blood and fire and
death. Oh, and corruption. Thanks." (Fred Dread)
- "Do you have any African in you?" (Thelophilus P. Wildebeeste
to volunteering girl from the audience)
"No..." (Girl)
"Do you want some?" (Thelophilus P. Wildebeeste)
- "I come from the deep South. It's a dangerous place. I remember
doing a gig for 500 Ku Klux Klansmen. It's hard playing the
guitar when you're nailed to a cross. Couldn't get that F chord
for nuthin'." (Lowdown Fingerlickin' Dirty Hound Dog Smith)
- "I am deeply depressed by my committing these 486 previously
unsolved offences. I am about to hang myself in this cell using
a police belt which I was able to take from the officer without
him noticing. I wish to leave all my worldly goods to the
Metropolitan Police Big Drinks Fund, as an apology for all the
trouble I have caused them."
(Blood-signed confession from Delbert Wilkins [deceased])
###
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUOTE O' THE MONTH:
Lt. George: "What do you do if you step on a mine, Captain?"
Capt. Blackadder: "Well--the usual procedure is to leap 200 feet in the air
and scatter yourself over a wide area..."
SHOW: Blackadder Goes Forth, "Captain Cook"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
==========
net.comedy
==========
This month net.comedy looks at one of the most popular Britcoms: "Red
Dwarf".
The first port of call for the Red Dwarf fan should be the ftp site
toaster.ee.ubc.ca -- the definitive Red Dwarf archive. Look here for Pat
Berry's excellent Red Dwarf FAQ, sounds, images... even recipes. Chicken
Vindaloo, anyone? Check out the scripts directory; a successful net-wide
project has provided transcriptions of most of the episodes. The fanfic
section, which holds scripts written by fans, is also well worth a look.
ftp://toaster.ee.ubc.ca/pub/red-dwarf/
WWW users should take a look at these two Red Dwarf pages, which offer
nicely formatted versions of the FAQ and other documents, as well as links
to the material on toaster:
http://http2.brunel.ac.uk:8080/red_dwarf/home.html
http://www.hal.com/~markg/docs/RedDwarf/rd-home_page.html
Dive into the Red Dwarf newsgroup -- alt.tv.red-dwarf. With an estimated
23,000 readers, there's always plenty of discussion going on.If you don't
have access to alt.tv.red-dwarf, don't panic! Subscribe to the Red Dwarf
mailing-list: send email to listserv@uel.ac.uk containing the single line:
SUBSCRIBE REDDWARF real-name
Replace "real-name" with your real name; for example, I sent "SUBSCRIBE
REDDWARF James Kew" to subscribe myself. At present there are around 150
subscribers on the list.
As Lister would say, "Smeg-o-rama!"
---> Mail news and views on "net.comedy" to James Kew <j.kew@ic.ac.uk>.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
FAQs & COMPREHENSIVE LISTS, ETC.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A brand-spanking new MONTY PYTHON FAQ is up at alt.comedy.monty-python.
Sir DarkWolf <drkwlf@wam.umd.edu> maintains it--he also has extensive
MP files to give out. (Ask him for his MP Index).
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Fans of British Comedy in should hook up to the CATHOUSE.ORG BRITISH COMEDY
PAGES. It's still under construction, so if you can contribute, please do!
The URL is: http://cathouse.org:8000/BritishComedy/
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The 2.0 version of the BOTTOM FAQ is now available. For details, contact
Melinda 'Bob' Casino at <casino@pobox.upenn.edu>, or browse The
cathouse.org British Comedy Pages (see above for URL)
or via ftp://cathouse.org/pub/humor/television/bottom
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The YOUNG ONES FAQ, maintained by Andrew Wong <achwong@bradford.ac.uk>, is
at cathouse.org via ftp: //cathouse.org/pub/humor/television/young.ones
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A new FAQ for alt.comedy.british, maintained by James Kew <j.kew@ic.ac.uk>,
is posted at that newsgroup and also at the cathouse.org British Comedy
Pages (URL listed above).
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What's "bottle" slang for? Why is "Gordon Bennett" used as an expletive? And
just what *is* a "bog roll"? THE CULTURAL REFERENCE GUIDE TO RED DWARF FOR
AMERICANS, maintained by Ron O'Dell <keeper@cats.ucsc.edu>, can help you
out! Posted at alt.tv.red.dwarf.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Is Rowan Atkinson *really* married to "Mrs. Miggins"? Find out in The
BLACKADDER FAQ, maintained by Gwen Brophy <gbrophy@telerama.lm.com> Posted
at alt.comedy.british.blackadder.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ORDER BOOKS OVER THE INTERNET! Moe's Books, of Berkeley, CA, is now on the
Internet. Contact them at <moesbooks@delphi.com> and request a list of
their database. (What does this have to do with British Comedies?
Nothing--CAL is the ed.'s alma mater...they do have COMEDY BOOKS, though.)
The URLs:
http://moesbooks.com/moe.htm
http://sunsite.unc.edu/ibic/IBIC-homepage.html
(The latter site has MANY great on-line bookstores to order from!)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
There's a Blackadder zine called "Cunning Plot". It's from Off-Note
Productions, Cheryl Duval, P.O. Box 179, New Ellenton, SC 29809-0179.
$15.00. *We haven't seen an issue yet--anyone who has seen an issue, please
contact the ed. at <casino@pobox.upenn.edu>*
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The "ROWAN ATKINSON VIDEO/AUDIO APPEARANCES & BOOKS" list contains just what
the title promises. Posted at alt.comedy.british. CONTACT: Jeff Mason
<jrm@elm.circa.ufl.edu>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"The Comic Strip Presents Episode Guide" could use a few Comic Strip
afficianados to complete the information. Posted to alt.comedy.british by
Michael Shephard <michaels@jake.chem.unsw.edu.au>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Readers may want to drop a line to the BBC, or join their Network Club. Here
are BBC e-mail addresses from the BBC Network Club Web server page
(http://www.bbcnc.org.uk/bbcnc/):
BBC world service radio <iac@bbc-ibar.demonco.uk>
Radio 1 <radio@bbcnc.org.uk>
Network Club <info@bbcnc.org.uk>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ross Smith <alien@acheron.wanganui.gen.nz> alerted BD to an ABSOLUTELY
FABULOUS book, which is a collection of scripts. Absolutely Fabulous, BBC
Books, 1993, ISBN 0-563-36976-0.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
John Labovitz <johnl@ora.com> maintains the "'Zine FAQ", which can be
retrieved in the following ways:
gopher: gopher.etext.org: Zines / e-zine-list
ftp: ftp.etext.org: /pub/Zines/e-zine-list
web: http://www.ora.com:8080/johnl/e-zine-list/
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The latest on Craig Charles, *sans* rumors, can be found in Pat Berry's
<pat@berry.Cary.NC.US> RED DWARF FAQ, available via ftp.
dir:src.doc.ic.ac.uk//media/tv/collections/tardis/uk/comedy/RedDwarf
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"The Unofficial, Incomplete, But Otherwise Completely Wonderful List of
MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS fan clubs and fanzines"--WHEW!--is posted at
alt.comedy.british and alt.fan.monty-python. CONTACT: Alyce Wilson
<amw108@psuvm.psu.edu>
cathouse.org/pub/cathouse/humor/british.humour/mont.python/fan.clubs
http://www.iia.org/'rosenr1/python
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"The Definitive UK Sitcom list," is posted on the 1st of each month to
rec.arts.tv.uk and alt.comedy.british. It includes the title, years first
broadcast, core cast, writer(s), and plot synopsis of British comedies.
CONTACT: Dave Budd <DBudd@mcc.ac.uk>
CIRCULATION/SUBSCRIPTION INFO.
==============================
Britcomedy Digest (ISSN 1077-6680) is a free electronic fanzine posted
monthly to: alt.tv.red-dwarf, alt.comedy.british.blackadder,
alt.comedy.british, alt.tv.comedy-central, rec.arts.tv.uk, alt.zines,
alt.fan.monty-python, alt.fan.douglas-adams.
On Delphi: In the "Anglo-File" forum.
On GEnie: In the "Showbiz" roundtable, page 185.
If you wish to receive one in your mailbox, send your e-mail address to the
editor <casino@pobox.upenn.edu>.
BACK ISSUES
===========
Back issues are available by ftp from two sites now. Login as "anonymous",
giving your e-mail address as the password. URLS:
ftp://cathouse.org/pub/cathouse/humor/british.humour/britcomedy.digest/
ftp://fir.cic.net/pub/Zines/BritComedy
HTML-formatted issues are also available on the WWW at the cathouse.org
British Comedy Pages:
http://cathouse.org:8000/BritishComedy/
You can also find BD at the following sites:
UK: http://www.sst.ph.ic.ac.uk/~james/Britcom/
US: http://satelnet.org/~mentat/Britcom/
SUBMISSIONS
===========
Britcomedy Digest is always looking for knowledgeable fans with vigorous
writing skills to contribute articles. There are plenty of shows crying out
for attention. Contact the editor <casino@pobox.upenn.edu> for details.
The following shows need writers: Men Behaving Badly, Are You Being Served?,
I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, One Foot In the Grave, The Fall and Rise
of Reginald Perrin, The Goodies, Waiting for God, Fawlty Towers, Open All
Hours, Chef, Mr. Bean, Dave Allen, Yes, [Prime] Minister, The New
Statesman, Drop the Dead Donkey, Have I Got News For You.
-------------------------------
We hope you enjoyed this issue.
-------------------------------
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