Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By 'Jake.' on Thu Oct 12 11:45:39 BST 2000:

To my mind, far better. Tuesday's had at least 3 moments at which I actually properly laughed. And Wednesday's was also an improvement, as Jon (Holmes, not you) seems to have come out of his shell, and is raising his voice more, like he does on anything else he's done. It's better. Though I think there's work to be done on Sarah Alexander's delivery. Needs more conviction. And there is slightly more continuity through the show, the editing is less 'random', as it was in the first week.
Summary - cheese.

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By 'Aslef Napkyn' on Thu Oct 12 12:07:44 BST 2000:

I saw the arse-end of Tuesdays effort, there was some guy bothering delegates at the various party conferences, some of which found him amusing. Sean Meo turned up again and added his 'funny' opinions on dope. I would genuinely LOVE a 3-times-a-week-laugh-your-tits-off comedy fest, but it ain't happening with this show. So why do I keep watching?

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By 'viewer' on Thu Oct 12 12:33:01 BST 2000:

the filmed bits are crap, but the links are improving

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By 'tvspaulmoore' on Thu Oct 12 12:42:38 BST 2000:

I think I saw Tuesday's and the final VT with someone being posh and thick at the Conservative conference- some very funny moments but let down by hopelessly random editing. At least Ali G's VTs had beginnings, middles and ends.

Mind you the bloke in the VT on Tuesday was very quick with a reference to Indiana Jones which shows he's either got a Danny Baker trivia mine of a brain or it's carefully scripted.

Oh and Sarah Alexander keeps wiggling her arms throughout as she talks (like Chris Tarrant used to in everything he did) and Jon Holmes has resorted to off the peg cheese delivery which while it isn't funny, is at least consistent. Sean Meo looked distinctly uncomfortable and that segment would be better served if they did away with the pretence of it being a 'conversation' and just let him do a three minute set.

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By 'tvspaulmoore' on Thu Oct 12 12:42:38 BST 2000:

I think I saw Tuesday's and the final VT with someone being posh and thick at the Conservative conference- some very funny moments but let down by hopelessly random editing. At least Ali G's VTs had beginnings, middles and ends.

Mind you the bloke in the VT on Tuesday was very quick with a reference to Indiana Jones which shows he's either got a Danny Baker trivia mine of a brain or it's carefully scripted.

Oh and Sarah Alexander keeps wiggling her arms throughout as she talks (like Chris Tarrant used to in everything he did) and Jon Holmes has resorted to off the peg cheese delivery which while it isn't funny, is at least consistent. Sean Meo looked distinctly uncomfortable and that segment would be better served if they did away with the pretence of it being a 'conversation' and just let him do a three minute set.

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By 'Jon' on Thu Oct 12 12:42:40 BST 2000:

Is Posh Boy funny yet?

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By 'Nunuf' on Thu Oct 12 13:07:02 BST 2000:

No.

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By 'Jon' on Thu Oct 12 13:30:28 BST 2000:

Incidentally, Nunuf, do all the writers slag us off when they get together?

"Jon's writing is rubbish... Ewar's delivery is stilted... Suiii's still flogging the same gag... Gas Bottle still isn't funny..."

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By Ewar Woowar on Thu Oct 12 13:47:01 BST 2000:

"...Ewar's got a big face..."

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By 'Phil' on Thu Oct 12 13:57:14 BST 2000:

They had a comedy hip-hop duo to finish the show last night. They were shit. Barely got any laughs from the audience either (apart from when they said "Poo").

Personally, I'd lay bets on them roping in Richard Stilgoe by the end of the series.

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By 'Jon' on Thu Oct 12 14:06:00 BST 2000:

I've already said they should (see "Beautiful Game" strand).

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By 'Phil' on Thu Oct 12 14:11:25 BST 2000:

So you did. Although, I've heard some comedy songwriters that make Stilgoe seem good. There was someone doing a humorous little number about the internet on "Loose Ends" not long ago. It. Was. Painful.

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By Jo_ham on Thu Oct 12 15:04:07 BST 2000:

This weeks have been better.

slightly.

there is some genuinely good material in there - but the delivery of said material kills it. When they don't go out of their way to be offensive, they can write funny stuff.

but it's still far to sparse for me to feel annoyed if I miss an episode.

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By 'Pint Of Mild' on Thu Oct 12 21:31:25 BST 2000:

It's stopped being offensively unfunny, but it's still doesn't work. Sarah Alexander acts like a puppet with a couple of strings short at the start of the show (the standing up bit), and neither of them seem to have any timing to their delivery. The animated thing before the ads last night seemed to be an aimless collection of non comic references. And the comedian chit chat is soooo forced.

It is better. But not much.

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By 'James' on Sat Oct 14 23:33:54 BST 2000:

I think I saw most of what was probably Tuesday's edition while I was waiting for 'How Do You Want Me?'. I agree with Jake -- JH's delivery has improved, SA's hasn't. A few of the jokes amused, but, as I've said before, the jokes themselves aren't the problem. The basic set-up -- aggressive tone married to palpably cheesy delivery arrangement -- kills the merely average material stone dead, and knocks the edge off even the best stuff. As for Mr Grover's contribution, I was initially a bit shocked to find a recent murder victim being hilariously mocked for having a bit of a weight problem, but I suspect I will become duly desensitised in due course. Already I'm beginning to interpret the 11OCS and similar Channel 4 shows as the product of a kind of separate culture where ordinary standards and understandings don't operate in the usual fashion. If at all.

Didn't see this hip-hop parody act business -- would that have been Priorite a Gauche aka Ben'n'Arn, by any chance? (Can it possibly be anyone else, given the 'poo' reference?) Now they really *are* cripplingly unfunny. The whole premise of the act seems to be based on racism of the least sinister, yet the most childishly tedious kind -- "Oh look, some French music acts seem to have become popular (several years ago), and that's ridiculous, isn't it, because French isn't a language you can do cutting-edge music in, it's what you learn at school, and you listen to a tape that says 'Ecoutez et repetez' and do the names of fruit. 'Merde', that's a really funny word in French. It means 'shit'. Aaaah, I *swore*. In foreign."

(Just in case anyone thinks I'm basing my low opinion purely on their brief contributions to the Now Show -- I've also seen about a minute of their stage act via some documentary thing. This consisted of them haranguing their stooge, Bernard, on account of a positive mention he'd had in a review:
"They said you were 'special', Bernard. (Pause) I think they must have meant as in special *school*, eh?"

Yup. Ideal 11OCS fodder.

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By 'Jon' on Mon Oct 16 07:41:25 BST 2000:

Has Iain Lee been having a go at it on his radio show?

Let's make that a strand in itself...

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By 'David Byrne' on Wed Oct 18 10:44:53 BST 2000:

Same as it ever was

Subject: Re: What has this week's 11OCS been like?
Posted By george on Thu Oct 19 23:21:01 BST 2000:

Mediocre at best, dire trash at worst.






No real change then.