@Trepessa I love the yanks, but I also like taking the piss.... I suppose that's just the British mentality, I also love arguing/debating. I constantly take the piss out of my family but I don't dislike them either
Would be glad to listen to any of the arguments posted below against Stephen Fry or Absolute Power if they were in any way coherent. This is a brilliant comedy series intended for those who understand it. Others are free to leave it alone.
@MatiPryjomko As you so rightly put it, it is a brilliant comedy, however since this is youtube, frequently people with IQ of Horseflies show up every now and again. As seen in the comment beneath yours.
@SIngli6 i expect it went over you head whereas literalistic 'show AND tell' horseshit like this written by the Sixth Form Drama class @ Cheltenham Ladies College resonates with plebs
This clip is far wittier than the entirety of 'Seinfeld', which essentially is obnoxious Jews gallivanting around New York spouting pseudo-philosophical drivel.
@SIngli 'show and tell' -no subtlety whatsoever; smug/self-satisfied pretentious shite whereas the Seinfeld characters were intentionally vain, obnoxious Jewish pseuds wittering on about nothing -infact when Larry David pitched the series to studio execs when they asked him what's it about he said "nothing!" I never liked the Jerry Seinfeld character anymore than i liked Garry Shandling's depiction of Larry Sanders, it was the others like George who made it the transatlantic phenomenon it became
'Seinfeld' hosts a plethora of outrageous stereotypes and awkward social situations, whilst 'Absolute Power' offers pungently witty one-liners and Juvenalian satire in a tone that is not embarrassingly self-aware. Evidently, though, you are a proponent of the appalling stylings of 'cringe comedy'; or, as I like to refer to it, 'faux-misanthropy'.
@SIngli6 i actually studied Juvenal in my Latin classes at school!
"not embarrassingly self-aware" - Wha...? WHA..? (to quote Gene Wilder in the court scene in Stir Crazy) You have GOT to be kidding? That's as wrong as wrong can be. 180 degrees wrong! Embarrassingly self-aware is PRECISELY what it is!
If the shows i list fall into the "cringe" category so be it - you cite "outrageous stereotypes" - who? But as for "awkward social SITuations" - surely they;re a staple ingredient of SITcoms?
Not a single line is this clip is delivered with even a soupcon of self-awareness. Furthermore, dark comedy is measured not by the pain it instills in the viewer, but by the degree the writer can dismiss the tragedy before them. Good dark comedy does not induce awkwardness, it encourages the viewer to take pleasure in tragedy. 'Cringe Comedy' does not permit that, as it still presents to the viewer the sentiments of tragedy.
@SIngli6 "soupcon", a very Stephen Fry word (i've even heard him use it). Again, we must be watching different videos b/c to my finely calibrated comedy faculty - and to hijack your phrase -EVERY NUANCE is "embarrassingly self-aware"!
You make a very perceptive second point however which i can only admire & applaud & -once again- i find myself merely appropriating the insights you provide only to rearrange them to fit more accurately my own perception. To wit, none of the shows....cont...
@SIngli6 2) i list are "Borat" or "Bruno" "cringe" are they? -i'd submit that yr keen observations apply better to both of these 'grotesques' but are otherwise misapplied. In Extras for e.g. the character's pain or embarrassment is far subtler, gentler, than you credit, often seeking to evoke poignancy more than any other emotion (in keeping with the closing theme song) -shades of The Office.
As for LoG - given that i've cited it - we're on previously and since uncharted territory imo...cont...
Comedies must not endear, they must amuse. Shows like 'Fawlty Towers', 'Yes Minister/ Yes, Prime Minister', 'Black Books', and 'Absolute Power' are bereft of sincerity and poignancy; rather, cynicism and contempt reign supreme. The combination of light Horatian indifference with Juvenalian acrimony found in these shows that make them so hilarious.
@SIngli6 That they must amuse is a given, but "must NOT endear"? Huh? And are there any other categorical rules in yr abstract comedy formula i must be made aware of before acquiring the 'wrong' tastes? If certain characters have the power to endear themselves (Grandad's guileless charm in Only Fools for e.g. some of his scenes lacerated the heart, not that i was that show's biggest fan btw) surely that's as 'valid' an attribute as yr pref. for cynical contemptuous types like Alan B'stard?
@SIngli6 3) but i used the old fashioned term 'grotesque' earlier and virtually all LoG's protagonists fit that category with the 'straight man' usually played by Wossisname Rees...deeply dark and sinister themes are its hallmark and according to your criterion: "dark comedy is measured not by the pain it instills in the viewer, but by the degree the writer can dismiss the tragedy before them" - which it singularly achieves!?! - is technically brilliant too b/c of each's amazing acting skills
@SIngli6 i gave it another look b/c i cdnt make it past the sit-down scene last time -ok, not completely dreadful, but so predictable: the kind of thing i could knock up myself but'd recoil from putting my own name to! - ironic you cite 'cringe comedy' b/c for a different reason that scene makes me cringe ('s why i cdnt progress to the stand-up scene)...Fry aside, i can't abide the actors, any of them - "Jamie", the bloke sat opposite him, the woman, the one off Rory Bremner -they grate on me
@SIngli6 taste in comedy reflects an individual's level of sophistication - fans of Mr Bean & Roy Chubby Brown for e.g. are 'common': they shop at Morrison's, live on a diet of white bread & Tango
Did you like the Green Room, Extras, Phoenix Nights, League of Gentlemen, Larry Sanders? -if yes to any or all even yr favourite characters/scenes serve as a finely honed pointer to yr level of sophistication (i'm not the pompous snobby type but must confess i do sound it here -can't be helped tho
The thing that irritates me most about shows like 'Extras', 'Seinfeld', and 'Larry Sanders' is the level of obnoxiousness they imbue in almost every single one of their characters. Some people advocate this feature as they claim it presents a commendably misanthropic view. They are misguided, however, as true misanthropy is to take umbrage at humanity for a wide range of faults. It is to despise the virtuous as well as the despicable. This is what these shows fail to recognise.
@SIngli6 Extras main characters aren't 'obnoxious' tho often the superstar e.g. Ben Stiller's role is to behave obnoxiously in contrast with the 'extras' who are 'nobodies' -that's often why the humour arises
Larry Sanders's character is so vainly self-important that he shamelessly yet UNWITTINGLY abuses both "the virtuous & the despicable" -both elements combining to create its comedic value
Some of the best comedy's very dark for as Chaplin said: life's a comedy from afar, a tragedy close-up
Are you jesting!? 'The Thick of It' is essentially a puerile Gervais-esque atrocity shot by an inebriated cameraman. Your idea of comedy may be watching a repugnant, profane Scotsman roaming the corridors of power while haranguing minions in a loquacious though hardly eloquent manner, but mine is a little more inclined towards classical, Wildean wit. A show featuring a copious amount of profanities is neither witty nor audacious, it is merely 'trying to act cool'.
@SIngli6 you make yr case yet it's not necessarily from solely visceral (as against cerebra)l sensibilities that i still retain my point of view. Here's why:
While it clearly doesn't press yr buttons, perhaps the sensitive areas such buttons press upon are comprised of a complex array of variables that incl an intuitive understanding of certain social realities too sophisticated for you to grasp whereas AP (more yr level) whose crude artifaces i see thru is to you the very acme of wit & humour?
Visceral comedy uses gimmick to disguise what is ultimately a reluctance to violate the dicta of both political correctness and philanthropy. Shows like this, 'Yes Minister', 'Faulty Towers', and 'Black Books', though they may have the veneer of decorum and taste, have little concern for the offence of others.
Note: I apologise for my overuse of 'esque' adjectives, but I do compose these response in rather a hurry.
@SIngli6 but The Thick of It is very insightfully and humorously written /perfectly delivered by believable characters - it's a masterpiece: a crime to even mention the above show in the same breath
It is not insightful, and it is not humourously written. It epitomizes tragicomedy, which is a genre that should be disregarded. The most cynical and insightful kind of comedy depicts the darkest kind of tragedy without the slightest dash of emotional investment. Comedy is not meant to be poignant, it is meant to be intellect and unrelentingly misanthropic. It is to depict in a frivolous and indifferent manner the raping of a child by a corpulent man armed with a spiked dildo.
I would like, if possible, to venture to ask the nature of the various aspects of the seemingly panoramic purview you appear to have of the internal mechanisms of your colon and posterior canal and the circumstances under which you arrived in that condition, Sir!
Bin Laden. Amazing!! USA kills a dead boogie man. What a disgrace and dishonor for Obama-America to use this cheep Zionist lies and impostures to manipulate peoples minds and perceptions. Shame on all the world controlled Zionist media for actively collaborating with this evil game of deception. Bin Laden a CIA asset died in 2001. The only people that are dying are the people that the Zionist west kills Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya..." ISRAEL did 911 -all the proof in the world " VIDEO.
The attraction of 'The Thick of It' is akin to that of horse manure: it steams with an invidious self-assurance while all manner of mindless insects suck it up.
@tehf00n Well.. Not so much.. They actually only voted him in once.. The first time he lost the popular vote... but got to be president anyway... If that's not humour, then what is?
I'm american, britcoms are among my favorite shows. My hero and vicar of dibly are hilarious. They aren't especially witty, but have great character dynamics.
Only SOME Americans prefer simple humor, just as some British do. Judging by the ratio of simple humor-loving Britains vs. Americans I've known/read/heard about, I'd say more Brits than Americans like simple humor.
@GenvieveWoolf I can relate to that, I'm a fan of American Humor and well as my own dry Brit sence of humor. Not all British or American humor is great. But i would say both countries give out great humor.
I'm an American. I love most kinds of comedy, be it smart, dumb, or just outrageously absurd. Anyway, I wish I could talk to Stephen Fry sometime. The guy is just brilliant.
obviously USA is better at producing cartoons. family guy the simpsons etc have all had huge successes, but for actual comedians, the dark humour of the british is unrivalled. the closest america has ever got to the british sense of humour has been with bill hicks, george carlin, jim jeffries (and im sure only 1 of them is american)... you need comedians with the shock factor of Frankie Boyle, the flamboyance of Michael McIntyre and the ability to do a show with no set jokes like Dara O'Briain.
I adore Stephen Fry when he's being hateful. He's such an onscreen sweetie otherwise that it's just delicious.
"Buffy" is typically execrated by those looking for realistic drama-comedy. Don't waste your time. It's parallel-world stuff, and if you can't appreciate the layers of talent needed to create, populate, develop & sustain a world that's consistently about 15 degrees off from the real one, your comments may not carry much weight for the rest of us.
@powerspade It did 2 series. That's normal for most British comedies. Not like American ones which strive to make 10 'seasons' then wonder why no one laughs anymore.
'Some of the best television has come from the U.S.: e.g. The Larry Sanders Show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Simpsons, Seinfeld.'
Eh??? The hilarity of that comment is astounding. Those tv shows are all awful beyond words with the exception of the Simpsons which does certainly have its moments. Buffy in particular is lamentable.
I am an american and I do enjoy british comedies so very much, always have. I think those who speak ill of americans tend to sell us very short. A person can enjoy and recognize a good thing no matter where they come from. Let us leave nationality out of the discussion people. Let us respect one another, thank you!
@fulfillingdreamsx3 "A person can enjoy and recognize a good thing no matter where they come from." Indeed.
This Englishwoman votes with you on that. Every society has its idiots. Some of the best television has come from the U.S.: e.g. The Larry Sanders Show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Simpsons, Seinfeld.
@queenastilon Thank you for that. I love all things british. I grew up with a great part of the culture and in a way you could say it is apart of who I am. I admire the dry wit that is so prominent in british comedies and the like. It is a wonderful things to have the best of both worlds and not have to chose one or the other.
@fulfillingdreamsx3 The best of many worlds, if one can! I absorbed quite a bit of Dutch culture while I lived there. I'm thrilled to be able to find Dutch stuff on YT.
Anyone who wants to shout "Americans are stupid" should ask themselves how come Seinfeld was so enormously popular if you lot only like cheap, simple humour.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
As an American with British ancestry, I find the degrading comments regarding intelligence in American humor rather annoying; but, I do find British humor quite entertaining and amusing, and am surely a fan. However, as a resident of New York City during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I find this particular video offensive.
Yes, British.......from Britain...or what you guys refer to, mistakenly, as 'England'. It's a small country east of you which ruled a third of the world and gave you lot the language you now abuse so willingly. lol
well i find british humour is very subtle, and listening to the new british slang will often confuse me, i find canadian comedy awesome like "trailer park boys" for alot of people it seems trashy but then u realize how much though they put into making it awesome and funny
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
I understood it just fine, and it was not funny. Also, a Brit would come on here spouting such crap. You wouldn't see that from an American, as it's not us who have a massive chip on our shoulders; otherwise known as an inferiority complex. Go do something productive, you useless prick.
@xIdaMx It won't hurt your rising comment in any way, but, as an, as you say (and I can hear it in your tone) "american," I voted your comment down. Unbeknownst to you (or thinkingly beknownst (sic), depending upon which news channel you are watching as, we are either idiots or idiots thrown under some "american" bus) many of us have crappy educations, sure. yet still our QI, Pie in the Sky, and even ye olde tyme Poirot lovers laugh at binary and lightspeed jokes, so suck it you cocky prick.
@xIdaMx As an, as you say (and I can hear it in your tone)"american," I voted your comment down. Unbeknownst to you (or thinkingly beknownst (sic), depending upon which news channel you watch, we are either idiots or idiots thrown under some "american" bus),yet, while most of us have budget-cut educations, many of us still know why to laugh at more binary and lightspeed jokes than any nutter in your metro, so suck it you cocky prick. Also, people falling down ARE funny! wink, wink, nudge, nudge
@youbetterbelievehah sorry to get involved here but I feel the need to :). xldaMx simply means that Yanks would prefere a more slapstick or random tv show than one with clever humour.
Slapstick and random\surreal? Sounds like Monty Python to me.
People need to get off this idea that Brits don't like American humor and vice versa. The only reason we have so many According to Jims and Two and a Half Mens is because we have a shitload of people and a shitload of channels. Not everything can be brilliant, sadly.
@BRMC888 except of course that Whose Line Is It Anyway was a British radio and television show before it emigrated to the US... or was that the point?
@mb6578 that would be why nobody watches little britain then! it was popular for like a year and then it moved over to america at which point most people realised it was crap and moved on! if you are going to use an arguement, please use a valid, up-to-date one! british comedy is far superior to american. some of the best american shows are adaptations of english ones, and they fail to hit home on the same level. americans simply dont 'get' shows like peep show/mock the week
British comedy at it's finest? Is this some kind of a joke? Have you gone completely stark raving bonkers? British comedy at it's finest? You deserve a damn good old fashioned-styled thrashing man. Stephen Fry was hilarious in the best comedy show of all time. Blackadder. Nothing since then has even come close.
His more recent comedies that have a much more subtle, yet thoughtful humour about them. I think that programs that Stephen Fry has had a hand have been truly struck with inspiration; Absolute Power, Kingdom, and Blackadder being possibly the three most prolific and memorable sitcoms featuring him and taking in his comedic input. Not to forgetting his forays into other mediums of comedy, including the marvel that is QI and the sketch show that still lingers in peoples' minds featuring
I didn't say it was Osama - it's just the association with the name.......and the fact that he wants to buy an airline (World Trade Centres!?). Very dark humour I think!
what is this?
vef444 1 week ago
"It's very like me not to embrace a gross imbecility on a whim." Beautiful.
MrBuch169169 1 week ago
a national treasure
robotica71 3 months ago
"Reza"?
And if we can't appreciate British humor, why'd we put David Mitchell's sister on out Supreme Court?
IoEstasCedonta 5 months ago
Comment removed
IoEstasCedonta 5 months ago
"Actually it's Charles Darwin..." Wow, great line! From an American loyalist.
bcharville 7 months ago 2
Geesh, people only bash Americans for attention. Shows the mentality.
Trepessa 7 months ago
@Trepessa I love the yanks, but I also like taking the piss.... I suppose that's just the British mentality, I also love arguing/debating. I constantly take the piss out of my family but I don't dislike them either
alsdaftable 7 months ago 10
Just listening to the accents cracks me up.
67diamondgirl 7 months ago
Well.... I thought it was funny?
whowantsabighug 7 months ago
@whowantsabighug Same here, I like this show. It's not one I 'laugh out loud' at, but I find it humorous, which is enough for me.
RichPlaystation 7 months ago
Would be glad to listen to any of the arguments posted below against Stephen Fry or Absolute Power if they were in any way coherent. This is a brilliant comedy series intended for those who understand it. Others are free to leave it alone.
MatiPryjomko 7 months ago
@MatiPryjomko As you so rightly put it, it is a brilliant comedy, however since this is youtube, frequently people with IQ of Horseflies show up every now and again. As seen in the comment beneath yours.
rogeredtabbit 7 months ago
This is to use the general's own words:
"A stinking pile of horse manure"
QI same judgement, but much better than this.
What's next?
Taking the fun out of sex?
Try 10 o'clock live for laughs.
Fry-FAIL
Disappointing mainly because he doesn't even try.
Peas.
AceHoale 7 months ago
Is this from a comedy show? Stephen Fry's spent so long banging on about his personal problems on TV that he's forgotten how to be funny.
alexolife 7 months ago
this clip would be great if it was remotely funny.
bernieisodd 8 months ago
@bernieisodd i agree - it's a smug and conceited pile of shit
AlanWattParrot 8 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
You're thinking of 'Seinfeld'.
SIngli6 6 months ago
@SIngli6 you might be, i'm not - i liked Seinfeld
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
Then you have appalling taste in comedy.
SIngli6 6 months ago
@SIngli6 i expect it went over you head whereas literalistic 'show AND tell' horseshit like this written by the Sixth Form Drama class @ Cheltenham Ladies College resonates with plebs
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
This clip is far wittier than the entirety of 'Seinfeld', which essentially is obnoxious Jews gallivanting around New York spouting pseudo-philosophical drivel.
SIngli6 6 months ago
@SIngli 'show and tell' -no subtlety whatsoever; smug/self-satisfied pretentious shite whereas the Seinfeld characters were intentionally vain, obnoxious Jewish pseuds wittering on about nothing -infact when Larry David pitched the series to studio execs when they asked him what's it about he said "nothing!" I never liked the Jerry Seinfeld character anymore than i liked Garry Shandling's depiction of Larry Sanders, it was the others like George who made it the transatlantic phenomenon it became
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
How does this clip lack subtlety?
SIngli6 6 months ago
@SIngli6 if you need to ask then clearly you're lacking it yourself - but ofcourse that figures, given you approve the clip!
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
'Seinfeld' hosts a plethora of outrageous stereotypes and awkward social situations, whilst 'Absolute Power' offers pungently witty one-liners and Juvenalian satire in a tone that is not embarrassingly self-aware. Evidently, though, you are a proponent of the appalling stylings of 'cringe comedy'; or, as I like to refer to it, 'faux-misanthropy'.
SIngli6 6 months ago
@SIngli6 i actually studied Juvenal in my Latin classes at school!
"not embarrassingly self-aware" - Wha...? WHA..? (to quote Gene Wilder in the court scene in Stir Crazy) You have GOT to be kidding? That's as wrong as wrong can be. 180 degrees wrong! Embarrassingly self-aware is PRECISELY what it is!
If the shows i list fall into the "cringe" category so be it - you cite "outrageous stereotypes" - who? But as for "awkward social SITuations" - surely they;re a staple ingredient of SITcoms?
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
Not a single line is this clip is delivered with even a soupcon of self-awareness. Furthermore, dark comedy is measured not by the pain it instills in the viewer, but by the degree the writer can dismiss the tragedy before them. Good dark comedy does not induce awkwardness, it encourages the viewer to take pleasure in tragedy. 'Cringe Comedy' does not permit that, as it still presents to the viewer the sentiments of tragedy.
SIngli6 6 months ago
@SIngli6 "soupcon", a very Stephen Fry word (i've even heard him use it). Again, we must be watching different videos b/c to my finely calibrated comedy faculty - and to hijack your phrase -EVERY NUANCE is "embarrassingly self-aware"!
You make a very perceptive second point however which i can only admire & applaud & -once again- i find myself merely appropriating the insights you provide only to rearrange them to fit more accurately my own perception. To wit, none of the shows....cont...
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@SIngli6 2) i list are "Borat" or "Bruno" "cringe" are they? -i'd submit that yr keen observations apply better to both of these 'grotesques' but are otherwise misapplied. In Extras for e.g. the character's pain or embarrassment is far subtler, gentler, than you credit, often seeking to evoke poignancy more than any other emotion (in keeping with the closing theme song) -shades of The Office.
As for LoG - given that i've cited it - we're on previously and since uncharted territory imo...cont...
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
* correction: maybe not "uncharted territory" - but highly original nonetheless and such a range of characters
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
I despise poignancy in comedy, so 'Extras' is all the more grating for containing it.
SIngli6 6 months ago
@SIngli6 whereas, contrariwise, i love it - which makes it all the more endearing to me.
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
Comedies must not endear, they must amuse. Shows like 'Fawlty Towers', 'Yes Minister/ Yes, Prime Minister', 'Black Books', and 'Absolute Power' are bereft of sincerity and poignancy; rather, cynicism and contempt reign supreme. The combination of light Horatian indifference with Juvenalian acrimony found in these shows that make them so hilarious.
SIngli6 6 months ago
@SIngli6 That they must amuse is a given, but "must NOT endear"? Huh? And are there any other categorical rules in yr abstract comedy formula i must be made aware of before acquiring the 'wrong' tastes? If certain characters have the power to endear themselves (Grandad's guileless charm in Only Fools for e.g. some of his scenes lacerated the heart, not that i was that show's biggest fan btw) surely that's as 'valid' an attribute as yr pref. for cynical contemptuous types like Alan B'stard?
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
*some of WHOSE scenes
begging pardons
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
One other thing you should know about great comedy is that the antonym to it is 'Elizabethtown', by Cameron Crowe.
SIngli6 6 months ago
"light Horatian indifference with Juvenalian acrimony"
i have to say i'm impressed! - worthy of the heavy hitters (lit. crits) in one of the broadsheets
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
Men of venerated academic standing and squid for brains, you mean?
SIngli6 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
I find 'The League of Gentlemen' repellent. I despise shows centered around 'grotesques'.
SIngli6 6 months ago
@SIngli6 then i must attempt to emulate that mindset and wholly disavow my own tastes
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
Yes, you must.
SIngli6 6 months ago
@SIngli6 3) but i used the old fashioned term 'grotesque' earlier and virtually all LoG's protagonists fit that category with the 'straight man' usually played by Wossisname Rees...deeply dark and sinister themes are its hallmark and according to your criterion: "dark comedy is measured not by the pain it instills in the viewer, but by the degree the writer can dismiss the tragedy before them" - which it singularly achieves!?! - is technically brilliant too b/c of each's amazing acting skills
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@SIngli6 i gave it another look b/c i cdnt make it past the sit-down scene last time -ok, not completely dreadful, but so predictable: the kind of thing i could knock up myself but'd recoil from putting my own name to! - ironic you cite 'cringe comedy' b/c for a different reason that scene makes me cringe ('s why i cdnt progress to the stand-up scene)...Fry aside, i can't abide the actors, any of them - "Jamie", the bloke sat opposite him, the woman, the one off Rory Bremner -they grate on me
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
@AlanWattParrot
I find many of the performances in this clip, particularly that of Zoe Telford's, as brilliantly understated.
SIngli6 6 months ago
@SIngli6 And i don't.
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@SIngli6 taste in comedy reflects an individual's level of sophistication - fans of Mr Bean & Roy Chubby Brown for e.g. are 'common': they shop at Morrison's, live on a diet of white bread & Tango
Did you like the Green Room, Extras, Phoenix Nights, League of Gentlemen, Larry Sanders? -if yes to any or all even yr favourite characters/scenes serve as a finely honed pointer to yr level of sophistication (i'm not the pompous snobby type but must confess i do sound it here -can't be helped tho
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
The thing that irritates me most about shows like 'Extras', 'Seinfeld', and 'Larry Sanders' is the level of obnoxiousness they imbue in almost every single one of their characters. Some people advocate this feature as they claim it presents a commendably misanthropic view. They are misguided, however, as true misanthropy is to take umbrage at humanity for a wide range of faults. It is to despise the virtuous as well as the despicable. This is what these shows fail to recognise.
SIngli6 6 months ago
@SIngli6 Extras main characters aren't 'obnoxious' tho often the superstar e.g. Ben Stiller's role is to behave obnoxiously in contrast with the 'extras' who are 'nobodies' -that's often why the humour arises
Larry Sanders's character is so vainly self-important that he shamelessly yet UNWITTINGLY abuses both "the virtuous & the despicable" -both elements combining to create its comedic value
Some of the best comedy's very dark for as Chaplin said: life's a comedy from afar, a tragedy close-up
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
That's where I differ with Chaplin. I feel life is a tragicomedy from afar, and a fully-fledged comedy up close.
SIngli6 6 months ago
@SIngli6 i forgot to mention the BRILLIANT The Thick of It which is everything this pile of horseshit isn't: funny, witty, well acted etc
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
Are you jesting!? 'The Thick of It' is essentially a puerile Gervais-esque atrocity shot by an inebriated cameraman. Your idea of comedy may be watching a repugnant, profane Scotsman roaming the corridors of power while haranguing minions in a loquacious though hardly eloquent manner, but mine is a little more inclined towards classical, Wildean wit. A show featuring a copious amount of profanities is neither witty nor audacious, it is merely 'trying to act cool'.
SIngli6 6 months ago
@SIngli6 you make yr case yet it's not necessarily from solely visceral (as against cerebra)l sensibilities that i still retain my point of view. Here's why:
While it clearly doesn't press yr buttons, perhaps the sensitive areas such buttons press upon are comprised of a complex array of variables that incl an intuitive understanding of certain social realities too sophisticated for you to grasp whereas AP (more yr level) whose crude artifaces i see thru is to you the very acme of wit & humour?
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
Visceral comedy uses gimmick to disguise what is ultimately a reluctance to violate the dicta of both political correctness and philanthropy. Shows like this, 'Yes Minister', 'Faulty Towers', and 'Black Books', though they may have the veneer of decorum and taste, have little concern for the offence of others.
Note: I apologise for my overuse of 'esque' adjectives, but I do compose these response in rather a hurry.
SIngli6 6 months ago
@SIngli6 but The Thick of It is very insightfully and humorously written /perfectly delivered by believable characters - it's a masterpiece: a crime to even mention the above show in the same breath
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
It is not insightful, and it is not humourously written. It epitomizes tragicomedy, which is a genre that should be disregarded. The most cynical and insightful kind of comedy depicts the darkest kind of tragedy without the slightest dash of emotional investment. Comedy is not meant to be poignant, it is meant to be intellect and unrelentingly misanthropic. It is to depict in a frivolous and indifferent manner the raping of a child by a corpulent man armed with a spiked dildo.
SIngli6 6 months ago
@SIngli6 lol - i like your comments; have to dash but will respond on return
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
Goody, Goody!
SIngli6 6 months ago
@AlanWattParrot
Where are you? I am still awaiting your promised replies!
SIngli6 5 months ago
@SIngli6
I would like, if possible, to venture to ask the nature of the various aspects of the seemingly panoramic purview you appear to have of the internal mechanisms of your colon and posterior canal and the circumstances under which you arrived in that condition, Sir!
anonUK 5 months ago
@anonUK
It is possible, but I do not permit it.
SIngli6 5 months ago
@SIngli6 Nevertheless it's refreshing to read your well-worded comments even though i disagree with them for the most part.
AlanWattParrot 6 months ago
osama zindabad......
shantymehsud 8 months ago
osama zindabad
shantymehsud 8 months ago
FAKE
Virus278 8 months ago
@Virus278 What do you mean FAKE?
DvDSpaceMaN 8 months ago
"This guy he's got something about him"
"semtex probably"
KingDT2007 9 months ago
Hasta siempre Comandante Bin Laden!
dao40k 9 months ago
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Bin Laden. Amazing!! USA kills a dead boogie man. What a disgrace and dishonor for Obama-America to use this cheep Zionist lies and impostures to manipulate peoples minds and perceptions. Shame on all the world controlled Zionist media for actively collaborating with this evil game of deception. Bin Laden a CIA asset died in 2001. The only people that are dying are the people that the Zionist west kills Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya..." ISRAEL did 911 -all the proof in the world " VIDEO.
cupani10 9 months ago
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Osama Bin compound Video, satellite images and leaked dead Photo bigcashcow.blogspot.com
shadough4747 9 months ago
osama bin laden hero until life exist
thezhegracity 9 months ago
Hope you burn in Hell Osama!!
cesariojpn 9 months ago
,,you mean 0bama ?,,lol
S0lidState 9 months ago
Great show.
ftwelve12 9 months ago
Omg Stephen Fry. I like him.
Riuk881 10 months ago
Just for a test, try watching any clip of 'The Thick of It' and then watch this.
The transition is jarring, and I know and love the actors in this, more than in the former.
There is something about 'The Thick of It' that's just magnetising.
Blahdabbadoo 10 months ago
@Blahdabbadoo
The attraction of 'The Thick of It' is akin to that of horse manure: it steams with an invidious self-assurance while all manner of mindless insects suck it up.
SIngli6 6 months ago
americans must have a sense of humour.... they voted bush in. twice. mooks
tehf00n 10 months ago 56
@tehf00n Well.. Not so much.. They actually only voted him in once.. The first time he lost the popular vote... but got to be president anyway... If that's not humour, then what is?
SteamboatW 7 months ago
what a shit :-) :- ) :-)
imbaluris 10 months ago
I'm american, britcoms are among my favorite shows. My hero and vicar of dibly are hilarious. They aren't especially witty, but have great character dynamics.
StruggleBunnies 10 months ago
Only SOME Americans prefer simple humor, just as some British do. Judging by the ratio of simple humor-loving Britains vs. Americans I've known/read/heard about, I'd say more Brits than Americans like simple humor.
GenvieveWoolf 11 months ago
@GenvieveWoolf I can relate to that, I'm a fan of American Humor and well as my own dry Brit sence of humor. Not all British or American humor is great. But i would say both countries give out great humor.
MrGrafted 9 months ago
I'm an American and I love British humor. That dry wit, funnier than hell. Thanks for posting! : ]
bnb4evr86 11 months ago
im an american and I love british humor. that dry wit, funnier than hell!
bnb4evr86 11 months ago
I'm an American. I love most kinds of comedy, be it smart, dumb, or just outrageously absurd. Anyway, I wish I could talk to Stephen Fry sometime. The guy is just brilliant.
evilemperordude 1 year ago
Im American and I prefer comedy other than dick and fart jokes.
808yorkie 1 year ago
british bastards!
GCarroll69 1 year ago
@GCarroll69 shut it you fucking poof
relmmih6 8 months ago
obviously USA is better at producing cartoons. family guy the simpsons etc have all had huge successes, but for actual comedians, the dark humour of the british is unrivalled. the closest america has ever got to the british sense of humour has been with bill hicks, george carlin, jim jeffries (and im sure only 1 of them is american)... you need comedians with the shock factor of Frankie Boyle, the flamboyance of Michael McIntyre and the ability to do a show with no set jokes like Dara O'Briain.
amoresperros88 1 year ago
stop the bleached blonde hair domination of women by the media.
BBCRacismWatch 1 year ago
(comment cutoff:) ... Fry is delicious in any reality, at any angle.
PiperAfloat 1 year ago
I adore Stephen Fry when he's being hateful. He's such an onscreen sweetie otherwise that it's just delicious.
"Buffy" is typically execrated by those looking for realistic drama-comedy. Don't waste your time. It's parallel-world stuff, and if you can't appreciate the layers of talent needed to create, populate, develop & sustain a world that's consistently about 15 degrees off from the real one, your comments may not carry much weight for the rest of us.
But that's fine; I suspect Stephen
PiperAfloat 1 year ago
was it just me or did i see ricky gervais? i think ive been played! i want my minutes back!!! back i say!
Midasthe2nd 1 year ago
this show flopped
powerspade 1 year ago
@powerspade It did 2 series. That's normal for most British comedies. Not like American ones which strive to make 10 'seasons' then wonder why no one laughs anymore.
soundslave 1 year ago
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'Some of the best television has come from the U.S.: e.g. The Larry Sanders Show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Simpsons, Seinfeld.'
Eh??? The hilarity of that comment is astounding. Those tv shows are all awful beyond words with the exception of the Simpsons which does certainly have its moments. Buffy in particular is lamentable.
TAKENDIL 1 year ago
@Rouseyre your a wanker
andyandnick 1 year ago
@andyandnick Greetings from reality.
PaceProductionsTeam 1 year ago
vomit Niagraishly! LOL
mcrxpat 1 year ago
"Semtex probably"
I lost it there.
emptyangel 1 year ago 4
British Hair styles < American Hair styles
Greetings from USA
andyandnick 1 year ago 2
I'm American but I prefer British comedy. I have since childhood.
KidBk313 1 year ago
I say, this video is too highbrow for my taste. I shall return to my inquiry of delightful moving pictures of a more boorish nature, tata.
MagicBoterham 1 year ago
"he's got something about him"
"semtex probably"
:D
savethesnail 1 year ago
I am an american and I do enjoy british comedies so very much, always have. I think those who speak ill of americans tend to sell us very short. A person can enjoy and recognize a good thing no matter where they come from. Let us leave nationality out of the discussion people. Let us respect one another, thank you!
fulfillingdreamsx3 1 year ago 34
@fulfillingdreamsx3 Well said (from an Englishman)
radiodarkhorse 1 year ago
@radiodarkhorse thank you so much!
fulfillingdreamsx3 1 year ago
@fulfillingdreamsx3 "A person can enjoy and recognize a good thing no matter where they come from." Indeed.
This Englishwoman votes with you on that. Every society has its idiots. Some of the best television has come from the U.S.: e.g. The Larry Sanders Show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Simpsons, Seinfeld.
queenastilon 1 year ago
@queenastilon Thank you for that. I love all things british. I grew up with a great part of the culture and in a way you could say it is apart of who I am. I admire the dry wit that is so prominent in british comedies and the like. It is a wonderful things to have the best of both worlds and not have to chose one or the other.
fulfillingdreamsx3 1 year ago
@fulfillingdreamsx3 The best of many worlds, if one can! I absorbed quite a bit of Dutch culture while I lived there. I'm thrilled to be able to find Dutch stuff on YT.
Anyone who wants to shout "Americans are stupid" should ask themselves how come Seinfeld was so enormously popular if you lot only like cheap, simple humour.
queenastilon 1 year ago
,,but let's not kiss to much ass either,,lol
S0lidState 9 months ago
Why is there a add on this???? The BBC should have no adds.
NAEIRNBRUFORU 1 year ago
@NAEIRNBRUFORU there's random ads on all videos...they come and go. Just push F5...or F7 to skip the ad next time.
h3ll0gudbye 1 year ago
Oh, excellent!
Gorteenminogue 1 year ago
Niagarationally! That's my favourite adverb for vomiting now.
rabbitwho 1 year ago 4
This comment has received too many negative votes show
As an American with British ancestry, I find the degrading comments regarding intelligence in American humor rather annoying; but, I do find British humor quite entertaining and amusing, and am surely a fan. However, as a resident of New York City during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I find this particular video offensive.
Christine27272 1 year ago
@Christine27272 Nobody cares.
jazcash 1 year ago
@Christine27272 the next joke will be about cancer. If you can't laugh at tragedy then you can't really laugh at anything.
rabbitwho 1 year ago
The very last line is KILLER. Great stuff.
JulietteTV1970 1 year ago
Good stuff...
medea1990 1 year ago
I find British comedy funny
bumblebumz 1 year ago
there all posh not really showing good british comedy
JUSTtheNEWguy 1 year ago
"you need to meet this guy, theres something about him"
"Semtex Proberbly"
LOL
BRMC888 1 year ago 2
Brilliant ! You cant beat humour form the mother country.
LMAO the septics dont understand it. BAHAHHAHAAAAA
Toddler1962 1 year ago
ITS NOT FUNNY BECAUSE ITS BRITTISH
96ANDRESGARCIA 1 year ago
@96ANDRESGARCIA watch british stuff like Balls of Steel or Dirty Sanchez, you'd probably find that funny
TheTimbalanders 1 year ago
THIS IS BRITISH COMEDY!?!?!? This is like some strange get up for a cheap movie...
MeMagicalPie 1 year ago
Search Bird and Fortune on Youtube, Subprime crisis.
You'll be surprised.
lisawang99 1 year ago
Yes, British.......from Britain...or what you guys refer to, mistakenly, as 'England'. It's a small country east of you which ruled a third of the world and gave you lot the language you now abuse so willingly. lol
jumpdance24 1 year ago 4
lmao Niagarously....
Rosewolf87 1 year ago
lmao
levantos 1 year ago
"if the smell of rat gets any stronger I shall vomit. Niagarously."
happeningfish77 1 year ago 26
@happeningfish77
Niagarishly
Hukka55 9 months ago
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tht was the most borin 2 minuites of ma life :|
if u wanny see decent brittish comedy look for chewin the fat
bubbles64194 1 year ago
the chick in pink tops was in The Office UK..
gregorym2008 2 years ago
semtex :D:D:D
trisnjok 2 years ago
she's 'got a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp'. hilarious
coldmountain1986 2 years ago
i don't get it
RulesBrandon 2 years ago
Brilliant! Only the Brits could have thought of that!
auriciangelescu 2 years ago 7
Bravo, encore!
perfacetus 2 years ago
semtex probally
relmmih6 2 years ago 5
Comment removed
VinnyBloo 2 years ago
painfully untrue, american comedy has its gold but on the whole i think youl find that britain wins
oogalypoogalyman 2 years ago 20
Hurr durr. You do realize ~80% of our television here is just a knock off of other countries programs, right?
DontHurtTheIntersect 2 years ago
America copies ALOT of televison series from the UK, as painful as it is for me to admit that being an American myself.
wackypack09 2 years ago 12
Well, a majority of British humour requires a certain amount of intelligence/education to be fully appreciated.
Which could explain why most Americans wouldn't find it funny.
Theres always a hint of sarcastic dark humour which makes it even better in my opinion!
xIdaMx 2 years ago 131
I wholeheartedly agree. That's why I love British programs. They're like reading a well written book; terrific stimulation of the mind.
USTUBE4000 2 years ago 4
pretty pompous and perhaps more importantly wrong look at something like my family or 2 pints or not going out; the glinting gems shine brightest...
p1nkAcid 2 years ago
well i find british humour is very subtle, and listening to the new british slang will often confuse me, i find canadian comedy awesome like "trailer park boys" for alot of people it seems trashy but then u realize how much though they put into making it awesome and funny
saynotodrug999 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I understood it just fine, and it was not funny. Also, a Brit would come on here spouting such crap. You wouldn't see that from an American, as it's not us who have a massive chip on our shoulders; otherwise known as an inferiority complex. Go do something productive, you useless prick.
youbetterbelievehah 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Also, priding yourself on finding a certain type of "comedy" funny, and claiming it takes "intelligence/education"
to understand only shows what low self-esteem you have. Oh, that, and the blatant need to insult Americans at every turn. You have serious issues...
Both comments in response to xIdaMx.
youbetterbelievehah 2 years ago
I did not mean that Americans are not intelligent...I simply meant that they tend to prefer simpler humour...as they just happen to enjoy it better.
An American could have a world class education but still prefer simpler humour.
I was just highlighting a cultural difference.
Take a chill pill...
xIdaMx 2 years ago 44
@xIdaMx It won't hurt your rising comment in any way, but, as an, as you say (and I can hear it in your tone) "american," I voted your comment down. Unbeknownst to you (or thinkingly beknownst (sic), depending upon which news channel you are watching as, we are either idiots or idiots thrown under some "american" bus) many of us have crappy educations, sure. yet still our QI, Pie in the Sky, and even ye olde tyme Poirot lovers laugh at binary and lightspeed jokes, so suck it you cocky prick.
judasishmael 10 months ago
@xIdaMx As an, as you say (and I can hear it in your tone)"american," I voted your comment down. Unbeknownst to you (or thinkingly beknownst (sic), depending upon which news channel you watch, we are either idiots or idiots thrown under some "american" bus),yet, while most of us have budget-cut educations, many of us still know why to laugh at more binary and lightspeed jokes than any nutter in your metro, so suck it you cocky prick. Also, people falling down ARE funny! wink, wink, nudge, nudge
judasishmael 10 months ago
,,and the so-called Englishmen at 0:10 is a swarthy looking wop with his faggy looking Justin Bieber hairdo.
RudeComment 10 months ago
@RudeComment Racist
bristolukuncut 9 months ago
@youbetterbelievehah sorry to get involved here but I feel the need to :). xldaMx simply means that Yanks would prefere a more slapstick or random tv show than one with clever humour.
DanielThompson92 2 years ago
Slapstick and random\surreal? Sounds like Monty Python to me.
People need to get off this idea that Brits don't like American humor and vice versa. The only reason we have so many According to Jims and Two and a Half Mens is because we have a shitload of people and a shitload of channels. Not everything can be brilliant, sadly.
ErdTirdMans 1 year ago 4
UK Comedy = QI
US Comedy = Who's line is it anyway
I Love both programs anyway!
BRMC888 1 year ago
@BRMC888 except of course that Whose Line Is It Anyway was a British radio and television show before it emigrated to the US... or was that the point?
feuilletoniste 1 year ago
Comment removed
BRMC888 1 year ago
@xIdaMx I find british humor to e the best kind.
MrNobodyinpaticular 1 year ago
@MrNobodyinpaticular ...to be the best kind... I need to spellcheck myself more often.
MrNobodyinpaticular 1 year ago
@xIdaMx ..maybe if there were more farts included..?
amet1980 1 year ago
@xIdaMx as much as i would like to agree with you im fairly sure you need NO intelligence at all to watch little britain
mb6578 1 year ago
@mb6578 that would be why nobody watches little britain then! it was popular for like a year and then it moved over to america at which point most people realised it was crap and moved on! if you are going to use an arguement, please use a valid, up-to-date one! british comedy is far superior to american. some of the best american shows are adaptations of english ones, and they fail to hit home on the same level. americans simply dont 'get' shows like peep show/mock the week
amoresperros88 1 year ago
why take comedy so seriously, its effects seem lost on you.
marshhen 2 years ago
British comedy at it's finest? Is this some kind of a joke? Have you gone completely stark raving bonkers? British comedy at it's finest? You deserve a damn good old fashioned-styled thrashing man. Stephen Fry was hilarious in the best comedy show of all time. Blackadder. Nothing since then has even come close.
angels77100 2 years ago
A bit of fry and laurie was very good.
Cphari 2 years ago 3
Yes a bit of fry and Laurie was very good, I agree. I even loved Jeeves & Wooster. But Fry was unmistakeably excellent in Blackadder.
angels77100 2 years ago 2
His more recent comedies that have a much more subtle, yet thoughtful humour about them. I think that programs that Stephen Fry has had a hand have been truly struck with inspiration; Absolute Power, Kingdom, and Blackadder being possibly the three most prolific and memorable sitcoms featuring him and taking in his comedic input. Not to forgetting his forays into other mediums of comedy, including the marvel that is QI and the sketch show that still lingers in peoples' minds featuring
HaniiPuppy 2 years ago 8
him and Hugh Laurie.
HaniiPuppy 2 years ago
This is really funny. Bin Laden buying British Airways to do with as he wishes? Who's going to fly? This chap is so greedy he doesn't get it!
brightsideoflife64 2 years ago
Not Osama Bin Laden.
trollfinger 2 years ago
I didn't say it was Osama - it's just the association with the name.......and the fact that he wants to buy an airline (World Trade Centres!?). Very dark humour I think!
brightsideoflife64 2 years ago