'Shane' a new sitcom from Frank Skinner

[Clarky Cat]

http://www.chortle.co.uk/TV/tvfeatures/shane.html

At least ITV have realised their comedy output is poor and are trying to do something about it. Can't be a bad thing ... can it ?

And it's dated 2nd of April so I don't think their taking the piss.

Starts on ITV1 on April 21.

[Purple Tentacle]

At least ITV have realised their comedy output is poor and are trying to do something about it.

Hardware is good.

So is William and Mary.

Harry Hill is wonderful.

[Neil]

Oh, I hope this is good, sounds like his heart is in the right place anyway:

The show would horrify the self-styled experts who lecture in sitcom-writing. Against conventional wisdom, it's driven by quickfire, wisecracks rather than character and plot, and against the trend for realistic, low-key production, it's shot conventionally, in a studio, with an audience. It doesn't suffer in the slightest for going against the grain.

"I write jokes," Skinner readily admits. "I tried to write character stuff, but I'm still learning that.

"The multi-camera set-up we use is really a step backwards, when we're told the future is The Office, The Royle Family or Marion And Geoff. But in some cases, people go for the single camera because they are worried about whether people will laugh or not.

"I didn't want to write a cult classic, I wanted people to watch it."

I remember really enjoying the pilot episode of Blue Heaven but missed the series, was it bad?!  That Chortle article says it "flopped" but doesn't give an opinion on the quality.  Blimey, that series of pilots included Weekenders and Blue Heaven, and people refuse to admit British comedy is shite at the mo?!

[Partridge's Love Child]

I remember really enjoying the pilot episode of Blue Heaven but missed the series, was it bad?

I really enjoyed it.  Funnily enough it wasn't just "a bunch of jokes", it was very gentle laughs and desperately tragic before everyone started trying to do tragi-comedy.  It was repeated in 1995, and I remember my housemates at the time looking at me with an expression of "this is shit" in their eyes, but I don't care.  I remember Frank being dressed up as Napoleon in one episode, but can't remember why.

Against conventional wisdom, it's driven by quickfire, wisecracks rather than character and plot, and against the trend for realistic, low-key production, it's shot conventionally, in a studio, with an audience. It doesn't suffer in the slightest for going against the grain.

"I write jokes," Skinner readily admits. "I tried to write character stuff, but I'm still learning that.

I hope it's good.  There's not been a truly great populist sitcom since Men Behaving Badly (sorry, Poipul, I don't like Hardware).

[mrpants]

Here's a quick disclaimer:  I have nothing creative to do Shane and I also have nothing to gain from it doing well.

I've seen the first few episodes of this show and I have to say that I've really enjoyed it.  It's a classic sitcom in that it only has a few sets, there's no emphasise on it being 'dark' and it is packed full of jokes.  There are loads of jokes in it which means that the ones that don't quite work are followed up by ones that do.  It reminds me of Hardware slightly in that it's a sitcom of the old school, except, to me, funnier.

It also co stars David Schneider (which may have been mentioned in the article, but I only skim read it).

Again, I'm not trying to 'hype' it up for any other reason other than I really enjoyed it and I hope other people will too.

[The Bejesus]

Someone from work went to a filming of an episode of this and said it was about as funny as Frank Skinner's sycophantic interviews on his chat show.  I.e. not at all.

He should be banned from doing anything but stand up, Fantasy Football and Unplanned.

And definitely no singing.  Do you think he really thinks he's good?

[Manford Thirty-Sixborough]

And definitely no singing.  Do you think he really thinks he's good?

The thing is, If even I had sung on Three Lions with David Baddiel, I'd think I was a good singer by comparison.

[Darrell]

Do you think he really thinks he's good?

No, he just enjoys having a sing. And who are we to deny him that...

[Doctor Stamen]

And definitely no singing.  Do you think he really thinks he's good?

I saw him singing 'Anarchy In The U.K.', I think with Johnny Vegas, on the last series of his chat show.  He was taking it really seriously doing all the Johnny Rotten mannerisms and I really felt sorry for him.

Then I remembered he's an Albion bastard and thought 'bollocks to him'.

He's a very funny guy though, quick witted and I can't wait for Fantasy Football to return this summer.

[Lumiere]

Yet another excuse to have an overrated lesser celebrity on tv. Still, it's better than most of the shit now.

[weekender]

I just saw an advert for this and it looked OK.  There was a nice monologue from Frank about how beautiful this woman was, and how she epitomized womanhood etc, finished off with Frank saying "...but she's not my type", which raised a small smile from me.

The other thing I remember was Frank talking to David Schneider (paraphrased):

F: I didn't really say anything.
D: Poker face?
F: I might.

[Jimmy]

F: I didn't really say anything.
D: Poker face?
F: I might.

Made me laugh out loud that bit when I heard it on the advert...

[Rats]

Well, whatever happens, that line's saved it already.

[nooneherebutuschickens]

I am not taking the piss when I say Frank Skinner is up there with Bob Monkhouse in terms of quick-fire wit.
Brilliant at improvising, he can craft a joke instantly when fed a sentence from a live audience. Not many comedians I see do that.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

He's a very funny guy though, quick witted and I can't wait for Fantasy Football to return this summer.

Eh? What? Is that true?

[Yeti]

Do you think he really thinks he's good?

No, he just enjoys having a sing. And who are we to deny him that...

Exactly, although he was in a band so he must think he is quite good.

[weekender]

Eh? What? Is that true?

I believe there are ongoing talks about Fantasy Football returning for the duration of Euro 2004.  I'm not sure anything's been finalised - in fact, I think I read this in a newspaper.  Still, be nice if it did happen.

[nooneherebutuschickens]

be nice if it did happen.

Be fucking brilliant if it did.

[Darrell]

I watched an old Fantasy Football compilation video the other day - it was brilliant. And I (a) know very little about football, and (b) don't even have any interest in it. It was an hour or so of great comedy regardless.

Kevin Eldon made a guest appearance on it too!

[GoochDogHigh5s]

Am I the only one here who thinks that Skinner is a waste of space and a lucky sod for even getting on TV?

Him and Vegas are made for each other

[weirdbeard]

I watched an old Fantasy Football compilation video the other day - it was brilliant. And I (a) know very little about football, and (b) don't even have any interest in it. It was an hour or so of great comedy regardless.

Kevin Eldon made a guest appearance on it too!

Coincidentally, I watched that the other day as well and also noticed Eldon's (fleeting) appearance.   Peter Cook was a guest manager in the first series as well.

I loved Fantasy Football League, I'd love to see more of them again.  I've got the 5 compilation videos they released, the whole run of 1998's Fantasy World Cup (bar one episode, the 12th one with Bradley Walsh and Ilie Nastase) and a couiple of the original BBC episodes.  I'll get round to encoding and torrenting them all when a) I get broadband and b) I get a capture card and c) I figure out all this torrenting nonsense.

The original BBC episodes were the best, sticking more to the orignal Fantasy Football format which seemed to get more irrelevant as the series wore on, certainly in Fantasy World Cup it wasn't even mentioned, that series becoming more of a football chat show, which was fine, and eventful.  It being live and late night resulted in a pissed-up Brigette Nielsen thrusting her cleavage into David Baddiel's face, John Lydon being typical John Lydon and Sylvia Kristel being fantastically over-offended by a clip of an African man looking silly at an  football game.

As for it returning in the summer for Euro 2004, I'm hopeful but not convinced.   I've seen the press reports but remember reading the same reports in 2002 saying it was going to return for the 2002 World Cup.  So, until I see it on TV or it's officially confirmed, I'll not get too excited.