Limmy's Show - series two

[Kishi the Bad Lampshade]

I still don't think it was necessary,

Spoiler alert

the reveal of the building being placed there by aliens was implied by the lizardskin on the guy's face. That was the joke 'finished' as it were; I think it would have been better to then leave it to the viewer's imagination how the aliens put/kept the building there. Having it fly into space is the most obvious logical step after their alien-ness is revealed, so it didn't really seem to add anything.

[close]

It seems to be more Limmy's style not to overexplain stuff, to quickly jump into things like the "she's turned the weeuns against us" sketch and leaving again without needing to give all the context or follow everything up; that's one of the things I like best about it. So yeah, just didn't work for me I guess. Also obviously it isn't anyone's fault that they can't get Avatar-quality CGI, but the cheapness of it takes me out of the suspension of disbelief, out of the low-key drab yet surreal Glasgow the show's set in. I felt the same when it was used in that Mitchell and Webb 'quiz on a spaceship' sketch; I can't put my finger on why it is that cheap sets and props and prosthetics used on Python and Mr Show and so on fit in perfectly yet cheap CGI doesn't. I think it's something to do with losing the sense of physicality/tactileness or something. Maybe CGI has its place in comedy, but I've never seen it used well yet.

[Vitalstatistix]

God, this is my new favourite show. Amazing.

[Retinend]

I still don't think it was necessary,

Spoiler alert

the reveal of the building being placed there by aliens was implied by the lizardskin on the guy's face. That was the joke 'finished' as it were; I think it would have been better to then leave it to the viewer's imagination how the aliens put/kept the building there. Having it fly into space is the most obvious logical step after their alien-ness is revealed, so it didn't really seem to add anything.

[close]

It seems to be more Limmy's style not to overexplain stuff, to quickly jump into things like the "she's turned the weeuns against us" sketch and leaving again without needing to give all the context or follow everything up; that's one of the things I like best about it. So yeah, just didn't work for me I guess. Also obviously it isn't anyone's fault that they can't get Avatar-quality CGI, but the cheapness of it takes me out of the suspension of disbelief, out of the low-key drab yet surreal Glasgow the show's set in. I felt the same when it was used in that Mitchell and Webb 'quiz on a spaceship' sketch; I can't put my finger on why it is that cheap sets and props and prosthetics used on Python and Mr Show and so on fit in perfectly yet cheap CGI doesn't. I think it's something to do with losing the sense of physicality/tactileness or something. Maybe CGI has its place in comedy, but I've never seen it used well yet.

It's quite a charmingly rickety, python-esque animation if you ask me. I don't think the joke would really work if the building wasn't revealed to be a spaceship, because there'd be no explanation for why Limmy had never seen the building before. The joke for me was the idea that an alien spaceship just landed in the middle of Glasgow and noone noticed, but just thought "I've never seen that building before".

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

OK IM WATCHING THIS TOMORROW IF ITS BAD ITS YOUR FAULT

[vrailaine]

Re. the cast. The woman and the slightly older looking guy from series 1 were spot on. The gap-toothed cunt though... literally ruined a lot of his scenes. Glad he's gone.

I like the older looking dude in s2.

Just had a look through some series one clips to remind myself of the black haired guy from series one, yeah he was terrible.

I loved the other guy though and the woman done her job perfectly too.
The sketch from 1.30 on here works entirely for me purely because of him
Nightmare - Limmy's Show (Pilot)


Love this show.
The "She's turned the weans against us" one is incredibly similar to some videos like that which you see on youtube. It's tragic but there is still that darkly funny element which is actually really hard to copy without seeming forced.
Him saying "kill jester" directly after her horrid pantomine laugh was wonderful. Ideal too, cos I knew it was gonna come, but thought it'd be a bit later. "Well worth it mate, well worth it. Get rid of her, she's shite".
The open sign guy was brilliant, great running joke for the episode.
The party sketch was dead on too, thought it'd just go back to them playing something he hates but went a much better direction and "SHHHH!" was perfect.

Have to say I agree with the people complaining about the CGI in the sketches about the building and Dee Dee... although I didn't like that building sketch at all anyway.
...kinda worried that they might start using CGI a bit too much with Dee Dee's sketches, it takes away from his descriptions.


So, are Adventure Call and Dee Dee the only returning characters? I've no problem with that, both are fine. A lot of this episode looked like each episode might be more of an individual pieces rather than characters which will appear throughout the series.

I didn't think series one was half as hit and miss as most people here seemed to, this series looks like it should be just as good too so I'm well chuffed.

Oh yeah, I HATED the Shania Twain ones.

[non capisco]

So, are Adventure Call and Dee Dee the only returning characters?

Jacqueline McCafferty will be back too.

[Kishi the Bad Lampshade]

It's quite a charmingly rickety, python-esque animation if you ask me. I don't think the joke would really work if the building wasn't revealed to be a spaceship, because there'd be no explanation for why Limmy had never seen the building before. The joke for me was the idea that an alien spaceship just landed in the middle of Glasgow and noone noticed, but just thought "I've never seen that building before".

I will probably end up going on about this forever and ever now, but for me a paranormal/alien-based explanation for the building suddenly appearing was given away by the guard being a lizardman, and Limmy's triumphant declaration that he suspected that all along. The allusion of that, to me, is more funny than actually seeing the building take off.

[padougy]

Oh yeah, I HATED the Shania Twain ones.

Aw, really? The pay-off from the last one really blew me away. Silly, rude and hilarious.

[Vitalstatistix]

I see where you're coming from Kishi, but can't agree. The dodgy low-budget CGI was a perfect way to end the sketch for me. Had us in stitches.

Watched this with some 'normals' - and everyone was properly laughing. Out loud! A strange, wonderful experience for a British comedy.

[The Boston Crab]

I think his acting is phenomenal, taps straight into the essence of the character to bring reality to the grotesque. It's the exact opposite of most 'naturalistic' comedy which abuses the conceit of the 'real' for incongruous laughs, breaking the suspension. Limmy often provides genuinely uncomfortable laughs because the artifice is completely engaging. It's what Coogan does at his best.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

God, this is my new favourite show. Amazing.

My thoughts exactly. So looking forward to the rest of the series. New British comedy that excites and inspires! Wonderful.

[vrailaine]

What's the deal with his background exactly. I gather he created a website in 2000 for showing funny clips and stuff like that and built up a small following through that, so he has been developing a voice for quite somewhile and all.

He's just uploaded this onto facebook saying it was sent to him(presumably for his website?) in 2003. I think it has a bit of a Limmy vibe to it, not as good or anything but interesting. Like, if he was focusing for a few years on picking videos and things as a hobby for whatever that site was, he could have a whole different range of influences than your standard comedy person.

[Danger Man]

What's the deal with his background exactly.

In one interview he said that he had problems with alcohol in the past and almost committed suicide because of it. So, assuming that's true, I think it's fair to say that he knows where his characters are coming from.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

In one interview he said that he had problems with alcohol in the past and almost committed suicide because of it. So, assuming that's true, I think it's fair to say that he knows where his characters are coming from.

Yes, his rise to prominence began in 2006, the year he gave up the drink.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/life-style/real-lives/you-can-t-go-through-life-without-offending-people-1.1072616

Vrailine, he began posting comedy clips on his website in 2002. The World of Glasgow podcasts followed a few years later, and he hasn't looked back since (maybe he has, you'd have to ask him).

[Chris Chopping]

Loved it. Sad not to see any of the supporting cast from series one returning but the new bloke was great.

[Neil]

"Well worth it mate... get rid of her, she's shite."

Oh, this is great.  A real home-made feel to it too, with the crap CGI, and minimalist titles.  Oooh yes.  I've been hankering for more creative usage of CGI in comedy ever since The Armando Iannucci Shows, so I'm already seeing what benjula means about these having a similar attitude.  Back to it, but I'm already really enjoying it, while thinking 'please don't let some cunt like Geoff Posner get hjis hands on this.'

[Neil]

That was really great!  So instantly enjoyable, that I had to pause and come on here for that ^, and queue up some of his World Of Glasgow podcasts for download.  It's interesting how low production values, whether intentional or not, can create this utterly charming atmosphere, that is so conducive to comedy.  Why is that?  Is it that I associate it with the comedies I love from my youth? 

Or is it that it's making comedy what it should be:  something just concerned with ideas, more than anything else.  It's hard to articulate, but that kind of Tim and Eric-style almost-amateur feeling seems to be a large part of what comedy is and should be.  In other words, it rails against the consensus - that's not just something that can be in the material, but also in the presentation itself.  It's a big false Spike Milligan nose, instead of a perfectly modelled CGI one.  Does anyone else find this?  It was a large part of what drew me to this show so quickly, I'm sure of it.

Really funny, too.  And imaginative.  It does seem to have a Tim and Eric influence, particularly in the 'you go girl' bits.  He kept me guessing as well - every time I thought I knew where a sketch was going, he'd take a more creative, interesting route, and leave me laughing.  So with the laptop robber, I was sure the guy would just stab Limmy anyway.  Then I thought, well, then Limmy is going to smack him - lull him into a false sense of security, and then take advantage.  That is what happened, but there was such apparent commitment to the telling of the story, that it still managed to really surprise me.  Some really sharp editing going on in this show, they know how effective it is just to kind of cut a sketch off and move straight to the next one.  I liked the loose narrative, too, with things like the animal porn recurring.

The stoner sketch was another example of what I like about him.  There's a certain amount of affection for the characters - Frankie Boyle would have ended that sketch by showing that the guy was suffering serious mental problems, that was a constant trope of his in Tramadol Nights.  However, the scene was tragic enough, so it was much better to leave that to the viewer to work out, and instead focus on giving a quite warm feeling to the rest of it.

The psychic sketch surprised me, too.  I was sure the initial message would be him screaming something like 'DON'T SWITCH IT OFF!', but again, he had a far warmer and more interesting take on it, with "one more day" being a brilliantly heart-breaking line. 

Have to get the first series DVD now.  My only previous exposure to Limmy was a few vids on his website, and they just didn't work for me without the context of a full show.  Comedy of a more experimental nature seems to work best with some kind of framework. 

[Bennygaylord]

Watched this four times now, due to mates wanting to see it etc. Still as funny. DeeDee cracks me up doing anything. His opening line of, "...fuckin" had me in tears. There's another bit where he just goes, "here..." and moves on to something else. Just leaves in this useless, "here..." It's very a realistic reflection of Glaswegian dialect.

I found the medium sketch harder every time. Couldn't watch it on the 4th go round... just the heartbreaking, "one more day dad". Utterly devestating and wonderfully acted.

I think the only sketch not praised here is the daft wee face changing after every handwave thing, "here, leave it, he's had enough." Loved it. Very bizarre.

Also, I agree with the warmth thing, particularly his depiction of DeeDee. There's no harshness or even negativity really; DeeDee's little world sounds like a nice place, in his frame of mind.

[Little Hoover]

"Well worth it mate... get rid of her, she's shite."

Oh, this is great.  A real home-made feel to it too, with the crap CGI, and minimalist titles.  Oooh yes.  I've been hankering for more creative usage of CGI in comedy ever since The Armando Iannucci Shows,

Yeah it was hearing you once cite Armando Iannucci pioneering the use of CGI in comedy that changed some of my thinking a bit, the railway track steps is an example I think of, of a good use of CGI in comedy, which is why I disagreed with Kishi a bit. The Mitchell and Webb example was certainly an unnecessary use of it, and I can see that maybe leaving the sketch up to your imagination might have been better, but there's something inherently funny to me about the idea of a building taking off into space that justifies it for me. The fun ambiguity is in why exactly the Aliens would have planted an Office building in Glasgow with just one of them disguised as a security guard outside.

[Neil]

Yes, the bringing in of "dad" was an excellent way of bringing in more pathos. 

Another moment I have to highlight, was Dee Dee saying he could do massive jumps on the moon, and of course we just get to see him doing a tiny, normal jump.

Just reading the thread now - there's really no need to spoiler everything for shows that are going out, people come into threads at their own risk, and the spoilers make reading and quoting more hassle. 

I'm very interested by the talk of the first series being quite different.  Even more intrigued to see it now.

Also not surprised to see his love of Tim and Eric confirmed.  A lot of influences there, such as the smiling to camera, and accompanying ding, the hilarious keyboards thing, the 'work it girl' etc.  Very gratifying to see British comedians working from more interesting influences again, rather than just copying the most popular, sellable templates over here.

[Little Hoover]

Yeah I thought it was odd that people were spoilering things, but if one person does I guess everyone else feels they have to. But it seems especially odd to do it for a sketch show.

I don't think it felt different from the first series, just tighter.

[Bennygaylord]

First series was less certain, I think.

More drawn out sketches, some played for strangeness' sake, with varying results.

Hopefully he's not front-packed this series and this very, very high standard maintains throughout.

[Neil]

Yeah it was hearing you once cite Armando Iannucci pioneering the use of CGI in comedy that changed some of my thinking a bit, the railway track steps is an example I think of, of a good use of CGI in comedy, which is why I disagreed with Kishi a bit. The Mitchell and Webb example was certainly an unnecessary use of it, and I can see that maybe leaving the sketch up to your imagination might have been better, but there's something inherently funny to me about the idea of a building taking off into space that justifies it for me. The fun ambiguity is in why exactly the Aliens would have planted an Office building in Glasgow with just one of them disguised as a security guard outside.

Yeah, it's a tricky one, and I totally understand Kishi's objection.  For me though, the CGI had to be crap, as that added immensely to the overall charm of the show.  I think it also really helps the auteur feeling, and makes it all seem so much more personal, which is another reason The Armando Iannucci Shows come to mind.

Yes, having watched TAIS again over the last couple of weeks, there are few better examples of how CGI can be integrated into TV comedy.  I think I was one of the few peope who liked the Mitchell and Webb sketch, and it was for the same reason as I liked the building taking off:  It just really sent the whole sketch shooting off up its own arse.  Run Ronnie Run has a similar bit, doesn't it?  Oh, another one that springs to mind is in the first episode of TAIS: the paper house sketch does a marvellous job of spiralling up its own hole at the end, setting up the whole surreal anything-can-happen vibe of the show. 

I don't think the alien lizard sketch would have been as good without that escalation, which was then immediately punctured by Limmy's cheery to-camera nattering.

Over-used, CGI can be comedy death, no doubt.  If it doesn't seem necessary, then as Kishi says, that can also be very jarring.  However, when the surreal is so skillfully mixed with the mundane, I find it thrilling.  So the Limmy and his Dad sketch was wonderful for that reason, too.  A fantastic occurrence, treated with a comple lack of interest, and begrudging 'aye, very good noises', then brought back with only a feigned sense of interest, because the Dad simply wants to keep talking about himself.  Beautiful. 

I like how cheap, crappy CGI like that will never date, too.  Things like the Neo vs 100 Agent Smith's fight in the Matrix movie look appalling, now. 

Charm - I think that's largely what a lot of it comes down to.  Limmy's Show has charm by the bucket.

[non capisco]

So the Limmy and his Dad sketch was wonderful for that reason, too.  A fantastic occurrence, treated with a comple lack of interest, and begrudging 'aye, very good noises', then brought back with only a feigned sense of interest, because the Dad simply wants to keep talking about himself.

I read it that the Dad rang back because he felt a sense of hurt that he'd obviously let his son down with his lack of reaction to the thing he was so eager to show him and wanted to make things right, just for the sake of Limmy's feelings and to assuage his own guilt. But his paucity of genuine interest was such that he couldn't even remember what it was until prompted by Limmy. Loved that sketch. "Aye, great....what does it dae?"

Be really interested to hear what you make of the podcasts, Neil.

[Vitalstatistix]

I think the only sketch not praised here is the daft wee face changing after every handwave thing, "here, leave it, he's had enough." Loved it. Very bizarre.

I laughed hardest at this.

[eluc55]

Yeah, after the laptop sketch that was probably my favourite bit. 

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

The open sign thing should've been kept to 'That was me, that.' Brilliant. The over-development spoiled it. I think from my first watch the short stuff stood out the most, perhaps because it's almost completely disappeared from mainstream sketch shows.

Very enjoyable, though I felt the pace sometimes really stalled in the middle of certain sketches. And I haven't got used to him being in every sketch.

He seems to have a very natural instinct for what's funny, and that puts this show above Conventionally Written Sketch Shows By Hacks, because it has a wider appreciation of what a sketch show can be. Amazing how much time and effort gets thrown into the likes of The Armstrong and Miller Show just to make something very very dull. And this guy's allowed to go on flights of fancy. You'd think it'd be smaller up and coming shows where the production and writing is safety-first rather than the Famous Comedians sketch shows.

It totally shows up the lack of adventure in sketch comedy at the moment. While I didn't love it and it was far from perfect, I enjoyed the style a lot, I liked the sense of humour and how it was made and I'm thoroughly looking forward to getting into it properly.

[madhair60]

Also not surprised to see his love of Tim and Eric confirmed.

Has he mentioned them in publicity or something?

You're in for a treat when you watch series 1, Neil.  It's fantastic.

[Peru]

At the risk of sounding like an idiot - what the hell happened in that last Shania Twain sketch? Have I missed something previously? Or was it just bizarreness?

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

At the risk of sounding like an idiot - what the hell happened in that last Shania Twain sketch? Have I missed something previously? Or was it just bizarreness?

Just bizarreness. The camera zoomed in, knocked him flying off his feet, and he crashed into the ground revealing an oversized cloth cock and balls. Didn't really "mean" anything other than an annoyingly upbeat person getting a violent cartoon comeuppance. The cock and balls were just an unexpected touch of crude silliness[nb]Or maybe Limmy wanted to make it clear that he wasn't exacting violent revenge on a woman - but then again, was she supposed to be a woman with fake male genitalia? I fear we shall never know[/nb].

It reminded me slightly of the quickies in series one where Limmy, in the guise of a gratingly enthusiastic idiot, would yelp something like "That's so random!" and immediately receive a punch to the face.