TV Comedies that never made it

[yorksrob]

Hi.

Yes Yorksrob i missssstyped!
I also agree with The Day Today. Also Brasseye of course.

Programmes like those i dont think would run to a second series.

Another one series wonder in 1992 was Me, You and Him. It starred Hugh Dennis, Steve Punt and Nick Hancock. It was about 2 flatmates and another friend who didnt kno why they were friends. Being an overspill of The Mary Whitehouse Experience it was a sitcom with satire. Very rare for a sitcom, it was recorded just a day or two before broadcast.

Ah, didn't see that but would love to see the Mary Whitehouse Experience again !

 

[Bald Rick]

Phoenix Nights!!!

 

[Alistair G.]

As this appears to have gone into comedies with 2 seasons as well I would like to nominate mongrels as well worth a watch, especially the spring watch episode, if you got 30mins to kill then watch that... U won't be sorry!!!

 

[321446]

Chelmsford 123

Jimmy Mulville & Rory McGrath.


Very funny. Or it could have been because I'd just got in from the pub. I enjoyed it tho....

 

[railnerd]

Hi.

My other half has nominiated a comedy called 'Help' from the late 80s starring Stephen McGann. Set in Liverpool she says it was like a grittier version of 'Bread'.

 

[Greenback]

How long did the school based comedy Chalk last in the late 1990's? I enjoyed it myself, but it didn't get a very good reception from critics, if I remember rightly.

 

[Johnuk123]

Phoenix Nights!!!

Brilliant that was, the reason it never went any further was because Peter Kay wouldn't do it although the 3rd series has been written for years.

The follow up Max and Paddy wasn't near as good.

 

[Greenback]

The follow up Max and Paddy wasn't near as good.

I'd go so far as to say it was poor.

 

[Ploughman]

Lets hear it for the "Gnomes of Dulwich".

 

[Cambus731]

I see someone has beaten me to mentioning Me, You and Him.
Apparently that was only supposed to be the working title. But when they had it in the can they weren't able to come with a better name for it.

 

[Jonny]

Brass Eye was the best. Just when you thought that the drugs episode (anyone for cake? ) was the best, Chris Morris went one better with the special about ^child protection ^.

The best bit has to be where he got a question asked in Parliament... about Cake.

 

[backontrack]

I know this is slightly OT, but I think that, while an autotune remix won most of the media attention, this video remains unheralded.

[YOUTUBE]U_3Bqh8ZBAg[/YOUTUBE]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_3Bqh8ZBAg

 

[yorksrob]

How long did the school based comedy Chalk last in the late 1990's? I enjoyed it myself, but it didn't get a very good reception from critics, if I remember rightly.

I seem to recall quite a funny one called 'Bonjour la class' with Nigel Planer in the 90's.

 

[Kite159]

The Peter Serafinowicz Show from a few years ago, BBC decided not to commission a 2nd series

 

[Ash Bridge]

Lets hear it for the "Gnomes of Dulwich".

Blimey, that's going back a bit, Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd was it not?

 

[tbtc]

ETA: Look Around You was great (fifteen episodes in two series - is that too many to count?)

my all-time favourite of the 'unsung' comedies is 'Early Doors'

Early Doors is absolutely excellent.

Glad I'm not the only one - a really well written sit com. I think about it every time I'm on the train from Piccadilly towards Stockport (past the McVities factory...)

To The Regiment!

Hi.
I think im right in saying that Hot Metal was a David Renwick and Andrew Marshall vehicle. It was what they did inbetween writing for Spike Milligans Theres a lot of it about and Alexei Sayles Stuff amougst others.

When they got divorced (Renwicks words in jest), DR did One foot in the Grave, nuff said... AM did 2 point 3 children, which in my opinion outstayed its welcome.

Renwicks OFITG is rare example of a comedy not losing any quality

If a two series (but eighteen episode) programme is allowed then Renwick's Love Soup was *very* under-rated. Quite gentle, dry, bleak but the first series was fantastic (the second was more conventional, when it lost the "split stories" and focussed on just one).

Whilst more of a detective comedy than a full sit com, I quite enjoyed 'Dirk Gently' from a few years back, only ran to four episodes though so maybe nobody else did......

That was very amusing - shame they didn't develop it further. Reminded me of the recent BBC Sherlock in a way.

Everyone know the Hitchhiker's Guide books, but the Dirk Gently ones are well worth a read.

You should give Spaced a try

Yes - perfectly formed - like Fawlty Towers they called it a day at just the right moment. If it were American, it'd be onto its hundredth episode by now and they'd have ruined it, but I think we'll look back on it as a "classic" in twenty years time.

Green Wing

I watched the first series on DVD last year - very amusing - quite a few "before they were famous" moments - though not sure if I should bother with the second after watching this thread?

Ah, didn't see that but would love to see the Mary Whitehouse Experience again !

I think I agree - I *loved* it at the time - problem is, it's been so long since I watched it, I'm slightly nervous about seeing it through older eyes - would hate to be underwhelmed or realise how much "filler" there was in hindsight.

Brilliant that was, the reason it never went any further was because Peter Kay wouldn't do it although the 3rd series has been written for years.

The follow up Max and Paddy wasn't near as good.

A dreadful sequel - it was more like fan fiction than the well crafted sit com that the original series was.

Brass Eye was the best. Just when you thought that the drugs episode (anyone for cake? ) was the best, Chris Morris went one better with the special about ^child protection ^.

The best bit has to be where he got a question asked in Parliament... about Cake.

It's a made up drug

 

[Kite159]

First series of Look Around You was brilliant (IIRC it was shown before the League of Gentlemen on BBC2)

2nd Series not so great.

 

[bnm]

Glam Metal Detectives. That had potential but only ran one series of 7 episodes.

 

[yorksrob]

'The Detectives' with Jasper Carrott and Robert Powell was pretty good IMO. Think it was only a couple of series.

 

[railnerd]

Hi.

Im glad Cambus has mentioned 'Me, You and Him'. I thought no one else would remember it! Its another show where I videoed the first episode and liked it so i taped the rest. Ive put it on DVD now tho!

Another 2 series wonder was 'Dad' starring the late great George Cole, another Andrew Marshall penned series from 1997 - 1998 I think. It also starred Kevin McNally, who recently portrayed Hancock on radio, rather well I thought!

 

[IanD]

The Peter Serafinowicz Show from a few years ago, BBC decided not to commission a 2nd series

With good reason, it was dreadful.

 

[Greenback]

I seem to recall quite a funny one called 'Bonjour la class' with Nigel Planer in the 90's.

That one has passed me by. I might have been drunk at the time it was shown. Or, perhaps more likely, I was a student and didn't have a TV!

 

[yorksrob]

That one has passed me by. I might have been drunk at the time it was shown. Or, perhaps more likely, I was a student and didn't have a TV!

I think I probably missed a few series for the same reasons.

 

[railnerd]

Hi.
I remember Bonjour La Class. I think it was something to do with Planers alter ego Nicholas Craig.

Another one series wonder was Tony Hawks cash in on his hit single Stutter Rap. It was called Morris Minors Marvellous Motors.

 

[yorksrob]

Who remembers 'just a gigolo' with Tony Slattery?

 

[90019]

Anyone else remember Time Trumpet?

 

[SteveP29]

Hi.

My other half has nominiated a comedy called 'Help' from the late 80s starring Stephen McGann. Set in Liverpool she says it was like a grittier version of 'Bread'.

Loved that, it was great.

My own additions:
Hippies (Simon Pegg)
Dead Ernest (Andrew Sachs)
Blue Heaven (Frank Skinner)

 

[455driver]

That one has passed me by. I might have been drunk at the time it was shown. Or, perhaps more likely, I was a student and didn't have a TV!

Or you were a student with a telly but you were too drunk to be able to see it!