Excellent satire, the Brits at their best in fairness.
Great programme, that can’t be the first time you have watched it can it?
The part about conducting polls is classic.
This the one you’re referring to Turenne? I fucking love this exchange:
Sir Humphrey: “You know what happens: nice young lady comes up to you. Obviously you want to create a good impression, you don’t want to look a fool, do you? So she starts asking you some questions: Mr. Woolley, are you worried about the number of young people without jobs?”
Bernard Woolley: “Yes”
Sir Humphrey: “Are you worried about the rise in crime among teenagers?”
Bernard Woolley: “Yes”
Sir Humphrey: “Do you think there is a lack of discipline in our Comprehensive schools?”
Bernard Woolley: “Yes”
Sir Humphrey: “Do you think young people welcome some authority and leadership in their lives?”
Bernard Woolley: “Yes”
Sir Humphrey: “Do you think they respond to a challenge?”
Bernard Woolley: “Yes”
Sir Humphrey: “Would you be in favour of reintroducing National Service?”
Bernard Woolley: “Oh…well, I suppose I might be.”
Sir Humphrey: “Yes or no?”
Bernard Woolley: “Yes”
Sir Humphrey: “Of course you would, Bernard. After all you told you can’t say no to that. So they don’t mention the first five questions and they publish the last one.”
Bernard Woolley: “Is that really what they do?”
Sir Humphrey: “Well, not the reputable ones no, but there aren’t many of those. So alternatively the young lady can get the opposite result.”
Bernard Woolley: “How?”
Sir Humphrey: “Mr. Woolley, are you worried about the danger of war?”
Bernard Woolley: “Yes”
Sir Humphrey: “Are you worried about the growth of armaments?”
Bernard Woolley: “Yes”
Sir Humphrey: “Do you think there is a danger in giving young people guns and teaching them how to kill?”
Bernard Woolley: “Yes”
Sir Humphrey: “Do you think it is wrong to force people to take up arms against their will?”
Bernard Woolley: “Yes”
Sir Humphrey: “Would you oppose the reintroduction of National Service?”
Bernard Woolley: “Yes”
Sir Humphrey: “There you are, you see Bernard. The perfect balanced sample.”
Yes, there are only so many hours in my life to watch every TV series ever made.
The pilot episode of a new American series called “The Event” just after starting on C4. Has anyone seen this?
Yes.
A mix between Lost and Flash Forward as far as I could see. Have watch 4 or 5 eps, not sure I could recommend it yet. Dont believe its getting great figures in US yet though so might not last past 1 season unless it picks up. Its borderline at present. Give it 1 ep, see what you think, you’ll know enough at that point whether you’ll like it.
Have just watch first 2 eps of UK Apprentice, great tv.
2nd only to South Park as the best comedy ever
I’m liking the pilot so far though early days obviously. It could be right up my street as i’m a big fan of the likes of the X Files, Lost etc.
Agreed on the English Apprentice. I’ve watched it most years and having missed the first few episodes this year i have watched the last two. A superb show with credible candidates and good tasks. The Irish version is some joke in comparison, but what’s new. We knew that already.
There’s no expense spared on The Event. I’m not sure I like the way it shifts between 3 years before and 15 mins earlier, but I do like the way the plot is shaping up, but think they’ll have to throw out some clues to keep audiences tuned in or face going the way of Flash Forward.
Promising comedy schedule announced by Channel 4 today:
The Inbetweeners’ third series was expected to be the final TV outing for show, but today Channel 4 confirmed that there will be two more specials of the hit sitcom.
Channel 4 has also announced a number of other comedy commissions for digital channel E4, including new shows for Noel Fielding and Chris Addison.
E4’s third series of the Bafta-winning Inbetweeners, which came to an end earlier this month, had been tipped as the last time it would be seen on the small screen. But the show will return for two one-off specials after an upcoming feature film.
Two of its stars, Simon Bird and Joe Thomas, will also feature with their comedy partner Jonny Sweet – their sketch group is known as The House of Windsor – in sitcom pilot Chickens, set in a sleepy English village during the first world war, part of a new run of Comedy Showcases on Channel 4. This is the trio’s first commissioned sitcom script.
Fielding, one half of the Mighty Boosh and team captain on BBC2’s Never Mind the Buzzcocks, will front Noel Fielding: Boopus, his first solo TV project, described as a mixture of sketches, characters, art and animation.
Fielding said he wanted to make something “in the spirit of Spike Milligan or the Kenny Everett Show but using modern techniques. If Dali made a show hopefully it would look like this.”
The Thick Of It star Addison will present Show and Tell, in which three up-and-coming comics will each bring something to “show” each week. Channel 4 said it would be a celebration of “storytelling, standup and new comedy talent”.
Two former Channel 4 Comedy Showcase projects are being turned into full series. The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, starring Sharon Horgan, David Cross and Will Arnett will air on More4; while Campus, from the team behind Green Wing and Smack the Pony, which is set in the “concrete hotbed of academic, administrative and pastoral tomfoolery” of fictional Kirke University, will air on Channel 4.
Channel 4 said it was investing an extra £5m in its comedy budget next year.
The Channel 4 head of comedy, Shane Allen, said: "Channel 4 continues to lead the way in comedy by backing new talent and giving established names the creative freedom to take risks. We are able to give Frankie, Noel and Chris the space to try out new things and want talent to bring their passion projects to us.
"We value our long term relationships with people of the calibre of Victoria Pile, working with Channel 4 on her first new comedy series since Green Wing, or Graham Linehan, on the fourth series of the IT Crowd, or Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong on their record breaking seventh series of Peep Show; just as much as we love uncovering new talent like Morgana Robinson and Kayvan Novak.
“Channel 4´s investment in comedy has risen sharply in the last two years – 2011 spend will be almost double 2009 levels – and the space Big Brother leaves puts us in the happy position of having even more hours to fill. Just as well because, God knows, we could all do with a laugh at the moment.”
Other new comedy shows across the Channel 4 stable of channels include Meet the Parents, a part-scripted, part-improvised prank show from the makers of Star Stories, in which boyfriends are confronted by prospective in-laws played by actors, which will air on E4, while sitcom Peter Versus Life will return for a second series on the main channel.
Channel 4 will also air the British Comedy Awards for the first time early next year, hosted by Jonathan Ross, and devote two themed nights over the festive period to Father Ted and Peep Show.
When’s the next season of the thick of it?
Anyone watching Hardy Bucks?
Poor so far. Most recent episode was better though. They’re making the viper into a right clown.
Heard they may not even finish the series. Never saw it, must be awful.
The big screen is a fair jump from You Tube in fairness.
It is when you take all the goodness out of the show.
Some of the youtube stuff was hilarious.
The RTE stuff is totally neutered and toothless.
We haven’t even seen them lift a barrell of calor gas yet.
Is Tremé any good lads?
Only watched the first episode.
Haven’t picked it back up since…
pilot for the walking dead aired on sunday night…starting on fx i think this friday…highly recommended…pilot was excellent … frank darabont director of shawshank redemtion the mist and the green mile is main man behind it … would go so far as to say this is essential viewing and has potetial to be a modern classic…youv been told…
Saw an ad on E4 last night for The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret.
Great name. It’s fronted by David Cross aka Tobias from Arrested Development.
Should be good.
Started promisingly, but i’m a little undecided after watching the whole series. I enjoyed finding out a bit more about the culture there, but not sure if there is more in it. Brilliant actors, but maybe i’m being ruffled by so many of them being ex-Wire, and still see them as “Bunk” etc…