Some Retro TV Shows I've checked out recently

I've recently done 2 things to able to see some TV shows I've heard people talk about before but I've never seen. (There not on TV anymore) Bit torrent sites and renting via blockbuster.co.uk. I started renting because I wanted to check out some 'classic' doctor who (which I am doing) and I found a torrent site with loads of older UK stuff (not released on DVD officially) I found this site whilst looking for Fist Of Fun & This Morning With Richard Not Judy (lee & herring).

Both of those tasks done (classic doctor who watching still ongoing) but have also used these 'outlets' to check out some other TV shows people had told about over the years but I'd never seen but now I have here’s a list of the one's I've seen.

----

The Goodies
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/images/220/goodies_1.jpg
Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie

'Monty Python meets the Benny Hill Show' This show ran for over 10 years and was always regarded as a kid’s show by many and it is, 'silly' to describe it in one word but in an entertaining way. Not really 'that' funny it’s not exactly a laugh a minute but the 'stock-motion' type visual gags are a laugh. Very cheap but that's what funny about them and very dated with it cultural references which I got lost with quite a bit but still understood a lot more than most people my age would. Wouldn’t do much for 95% of normal people in my age bracket but worth a look.

The Mary Whitehouse Experience
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/images/220/marywhitehouse_1.jpg
Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis, Rob Newman, David Baddiel

This is very very 'of the time' it aired (1990/1991) with the height of Tory sleaze again if you didn’t have an understanding of that era 50% of this show would pass you over. (I was only 7 at the time but I have an understanding of poltical history) This is very much student or young persons contemporary humour very sleek. Somewhere between intellectual and Puerile but funny without question. The 2 double acts work well together. Newman & Baddiel being the popular ones amongst the youth of its day (although personally I found Putt & Dennis the funnier ones). A cast member introduces a scene and the sketch would commence. Altho it seems different the sketches themselves were actually quite traditional in approach. I liked it I would buy the proper DVD of it if it had one.

Newman & Baddiel In Pieces
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/images/220/newmanandbaddiel_1.jpg
Rob Newman, David Baddiel

After the above these 2 went off on their own. This show was massive the youth of its day. Again mainly one of the pair doing a monologue to the camera turning into full blown sketches. Many memorable charters were born. For me tho this was rather weird because their were 2 re-accruing 'sketches' I found brilliantly hilariously whilst everything else just wasn't funny at all. The few gags involving a 'Poltergeist' in rob & Dave’s flat who would do very basic things like switch the TV set on funny when you see it. The other being the then famous 'History Today' sketches “That's you that is” those cracked me up but couldn’t find anything else here funny personally.

Absolutely
No Image Online
Pete Baikie, Morwenna Banks, Moray Hunter

Sketch Show series from the early 1990's (Channel 4)
Didn’t find it funny at all found it all rather puerile personally. It's a sketch show with many re-accruing chareters has been done since but this was one of those ones that seemed 'all over the place' or without backbone or point. Thumbs down best left forgotten

Seinfeld
http://www.ai.mit.edu/lab/olympics/04/sitcom/imgs/seinfeld-cast.jpe
Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander

So the famous 'Seinfeld' the show about nothing. I'd heard about it enough; Lee & Herring, Newman & Baddiel even my beloved Manics have praised it in the past. American's regard is as the greatest thing ever so what did I think of it???
Well for a show about nothing it sure has a lot going on. Did I like it? Yes. Is the greatest Sitcom ever? Er no. For a US sitcom it is very 'high class' in that it isn't just a load of 1 dimensional characters firing out endless 1 liners. It is situation humour the humour of situations and what and where it can lead too (I compare this with Only Fools & Horses) in that A situation occurs and it builds up to a climax and the humour bounces off from the interactions and goings on of the characters and their lives. You get attached to them the more you watch, but American culture is different to my own so I suppose that's why I don't find it 'hilariously' funny, but yeah its 'quite' good.

TV Offal
http://freespace.virgin.net/mymail.athome/progs/tvoffal/files/page13_2.jpg
Victor Lewis-Smith

Last one (for now). TV Offal I had a friend and school tell me about this (but it used to be on after my bed time ) Channel 4 late night stuff. A homemade TV show by TV Critic Victor Lewis Smith. Which is as simple as old TV clips edited together and him talking over them. The guy makes some valid points but is the most opinionated person I've ever heard basically slagging off anything & everything (on TV) just got me thinking Jesus Victor is their anything that’s ever been on TV ever that you do like?? Quite funny in parts, the footage of people’s language at airports was a good laugh but came away hating Victor for being such a jerk by large. Worth a look tho.

What's all this business with "our age group" in your reviews?

This forum is made up of a very broad church, you know. Many of us watched these programmes run (and finish) the first time round - and in many ways were grateful of the latter.

Mary Whitehouse Experience had some great music and real pace, but was let down by some weak writing and performances.

The Goodies were fabulous in my youth, but truly don't stand up to a repeat viewing by a sophisiticated audience.

Baddiel is a very interesting and intelligent man, but he sucks as a comic.

I missed your reference to Absolutely.

I thought it was excellent, and many many people quoted lines from the show as I recall.

Morwenna Banks was side splitting as the little girl character who tried to explain the world from her perspective, complete with maloprops and mispronounced words.

Its interesting that the team who made the show offered it on a plate to STV, but they weren't interested so it ended up being made in London.

I loved it.

Bit odd to hear those programmes described as 'retro' TV Offal was only 8 years ago, Seinfeld much younger than that!

I Agree with Gavin about Absolutely, it was a great sketch show. The Absolutely production company is still making programmes and has clips from the series on it's website: http://www.absolutely.biz/archive.html and there's more clips here: http://www.absolutelyandy.com/absolutely/index.htm

I'd disagree with BF2k about The Mary Whitehouse Experience - absolutely my favourite comedy show (both on radio 1 and TV)... as a 15 year old. But it's dated really really badly, I'd rather see a DVD release of Absolutely than one of MWE.

And I don't see how you can say that the 2 double acts worked well together' - I don't remember them doing much together, there was quite a clear division between Punt and Dennis' sections and Baddiel and Newman's. IIRC they really didn't get on that well towards the end, neither did Newman & Baddiel during quite a bit of their partnership.

It's good to see that Punt and Dennis are still together and doing pretty much the same sort of thing almost 15 years later

I stumbled across a DVD of KYTV today in HMV. It seems pretty new to me, what with a copyright of 2006 on there. KYTV was one of those once seen, never to be repeated programmes so I'm looking forward to watch that later and let you know if it's still funny all these years later.

One thing that stands out is Seinfeld, only due to the fact that it is still reguarly shown on Paramount Comedy (and has been for almost 10 years now) and is still being released on the DVD, where as the others aren't, I think that is an achievement on it's own, considering the fact the programme never took off in this country compared to other US sitcoms, particularly Friends and Frasier.

Seinfeld is just odd, but it's clever, it has some rather OTT and rather unreal situations, but for some reason they make it funny, and as said the show doesn't have to rely on one liners and occuring gags, though the show is remembered more for it's episodes rather than gags, probably best example is the 'The Contest' episode with the whole Master Of Your Domain thing.

And the spirit of the show is carried on in Curb Your Enthusiasm, which as we know was created by the co creator of Seinfeld, Larry David. And with CYE you can clearly tell where Seinfeld got it's ideas and situations from, only this is slightly more down to Earth and contains strong language, probably taking advantage of being shown and made by HBO.

I can't say anything for the other lot, as I was too young to remember them and all of them don't really benefit from repeats. Though maybe it's a good thing it's been left like this, as people would probably prefer to remember the show being on at the time and being topical of the time also, rather than it being released on DVD almost Two decades after it's original transmission.

Though there are many shows I have heard people talk about from ages ago, and sometimes have grown to like them myself, only because they've benefited from repeat showings, such as programmes like Minder and Never The Twain , as I remember these shows being aired in the early 90's, but have only watched and understood them more recently.

Sorry I also posted this on another website I visit which is populated by 15-27 year olds. And the 4 do a fair 'all togther' in TMWE

Sloppy seconds for TV Forum?

No just did'nt re-word the one part. I have edited this now (if you look back).
Also in TMWE theres quite a lot of stuff with all 4 of them.

Is 'Naked Video' (from 1986), any good?

http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/1009035/-/Product.html?searchstring=naked+video