Ben Elton - Live From Planet Earth (new live Aussie sketch show) [split topic]

[Jake Thingray]

The first time I saw the publicity photo in the article Bean linked to, and which has been used in other articles on it, my immediate thought on seeing the guy on the far left in the front row was "Oh Christ! Mark Gatiss isn't just everywhere over here, but in fucking Australia as well!"

[Jemble Fred]

The strange thing about the final sketch is, everything about Lady Gaga and everything she does is so pathetically comical, predictably wacky and devoid of invention she's already like a carefully constructed satirical character from a Ben Elton novel, designed to poke fun at the vacuity of modern pop.

[Queneau]

Queneau RE: Get A Grip:
I used to have all the episodes downloaded, but the hard drive I had them on died, and the place I got them from only has the live tour he did. I haven't actually looked at that to be honest, but the episodes of Get A Grip that were there died pretty quickly. If anyone does unearth it, please PM me or if you get a PM Queneau. I did find some of it amusing I think...

I was unable to receive PMs around the time of posting. Great, now you've got it into my head that somebody did contact me. I would do almost anything to get a copy of that programme.

[13 schoolyards]

Tonight's big second ep cut back on the sketches - which were basically the same standard as ep 1 - for more Elton stand-up. Where he slagged off twitter then asked for people who liked the show to tweet about it.

Tim Minchin's song was kind of embarrassing, as in "oh wait, this is what sketch / musical comedy is like, what the hell have I been watching for the last hour" embarrassing. And the interview segment fell in a massive heap thanks largely to the interview subject being some "celebrity" no-one's ever heard of. Presumably he's contracted to Nine and so had to turn up - it's hard to imagine anyone agreeing to participate who didn't have to.

[MC Root]

Actually Queneau, I got a PM today about it!

Spoiler alert

No I didn't.

[close]

But they said they'd send you one too.

Spoiler alert

No they didn't.

[close]

I think

Spoiler alert

everyone has gotten rid of the thing,

[close]

and out of curiosity why do you want it so badly? I would like to get it but yeah, I'm not as keen as you seem to be. Do you have the live tour? PM me if you don't and I'll tell you where to get it.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

And the interview segment fell in a massive heap thanks largely to the interview subject being some "celebrity" no-one's ever heard of. Presumably he's contracted to Nine and so had to turn up - it's hard to imagine anyone agreeing to participate who didn't have to.

That's a bit of a shame as the interview segment was the only sketch from last week which had any merit.

On the Twitter thing, people wouldn't tweet negative stuff unless they thought the show deserved it. The idea, which many people in showbiz perpetuate, that the internet is full of anonymous haters is mostly bullshit. Twitter was 100% right about this show last week - it sucked. And I saw a lot of genuine goodwill towards the show this week on Twitter, many people saying "Give it a chance", "it was better this week", etc, etc. The problem here is that Elton won't admit where he went wrong.

[Famous Mortimer]

Celebs love the internet to the exact extent they're told what they want to hear by "it".

[Queneau]

Actually Queneau, I got a PM today about it!

Spoiler alert

No I didn't.

[close]

But they said they'd send you one too.

Spoiler alert

No they didn't.

[close]

I think

Spoiler alert

everyone has gotten rid of the thing,

[close]

and out of curiosity why do you want it so badly? I would like to get it but yeah, I'm not as keen as you seem to be. Do you have the live tour? PM me if you don't and I'll tell you where to get it.

I'm after it as a gift for a friend. We both watched it but were in different parts of the country at the time so we'd like to watch it together. Plus, he set it as a sort of challenge for me when we were down the pub the other night. I can't give up. I remember seeing recorded copies on eBay for about £3 after - should have got it then.

I'm not sure I'm interested in the live tour, as I've said, I detest Ben Elton now. Is it bad enough to warrant a watch though? I do know where to get it - no doubt it's the same place...

[MC Root]

Yep same place. Sorry that the actual series just literally evaporated and I had hard drive crash or I'd have been able to put my copies online somewhere. Let me know if you have any luck though. I think I got a laugh or two out of it and maybe it will be the last thing that I can ever (and this is highly debatable as my memory is awful about how awful it was) say was almost okay, by Mr. Elton. Poor guy, how on earth did he get this deluded that he made such a huge mistake.

ed. Bloody 'ell I just read the "Yes, we got the mix wrong" article/load of old bollocks. I can't believe his complaining about twitter, them having had a run through that was terribly positive, and his unabashedly positive rhetoric about the whole production, big noting himself for discovering new "talent" and I him saying in his defense "This is a grower", or that they got "out-Twittered" - I can't imagine him then going on to slag off twitter and say crap like "the loudest, bolshiest, most-trainspottering voices" transpotter voices? if the ratings hadn't been so fucking awful and the feedback so fucking dreadful. What is wrong with the man, Bean's right he's just defiant that the sketches weren't shit and that they were in good taste when by the sounds of them - yes I am still too scared to look at a second of the train wreck - they definitely aren't or even the fact that it's a new studio being brought up for some tangible reason for the show's failure, or the competitive nature of the programming of the other commercial networks in regard to the one he's on.

A very bizarrely reactionary interview indeed. I can understand his defense mechanisms being up and his ego being completely on the assault after such a shock, but really? It's a grower? Maybe in the same way that manure is? How this kind of shit can grow on anyone seems highly f**king unlikely. What a disaster... I can't help feeling sorry for him and thinking he must be completely rusty or out of touch with things and can't admit that it is the quality and tone and targets of the sketches rather than that there was simply too much smut, that was the ultimate problem with them.

I can't even remember if there were sketches on Get A Grip, I know they can't have been this bad if there were sketches, but were they anyway as politically misguided as these sound like they are?

It's a very disappointing interview to read because he really does not sound like he's in any way comprehending where he's gone wrong at all. To put it down to it being a bit too rude and that "I reckon 20% back and it would have been great. None of the jokes were offensive, they're all politically sound, they're all on the side of the angels. Some of my routines when they deal with sex are actually dealing with sexual politics," he insists" sounds like some of the most crazy stuff I've ever heard him utter considering what Bean's said about the nature of the sketches.

No Ben, it's not just the smut, it's the targets, and no they don't sound at all like they're politically sound or viable at blood all. Jesus Ben, GET A GRIP.

[Queneau]

Yep same place. Sorry that the actual series just literally evaporated and I had hard drive crash or I'd have been able to put my copies online somewhere. Let me know if you have any luck though. I think I got a laugh or two out of it and maybe it will be the last thing that I can ever (and this is highly debatable as my memory is awful about how awful it was) say was almost okay, by Mr. Elton. Poor guy, how on earth did he get this deluded that he made such a huge mistake.

It was nowhere near okay. It was truly dreadful. Of course, you might think otherwise.

[Blue Jam]

Sweet dreams everyone:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESFANzZTdYM

[MC Root]

AXED.

http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/ben-elton-axed-after-just-three-episodes-20110223-1b5ao.html

"And so, after briefly dipping his toe in the waters of reason, the man with no brain happily retreats to frolic on insanity beach."

What happened to the man who wrote that line?

[Jemble Fred]

I'm still waiting for episode 2 to download. At least that story never had any quotes from Elton himself, it's not pleasant seeing him on the back foot.

[MC Root]

Due to the recent natural disaster here, well the continent next door, New Zealand, it looks like no body captured the third and final episode of this show. Well no doubt that and lack of interest. It actually did air at 10:30 or 10:40pm apparently. If anyone did I'd be curious to see it... I don't know why exactly I guess the concluding car crash may inspire me to watch the first two episodes. Anyway, send me a PM if you did and I'll sort something out if it's possible.

[Gavin]

Due to the recent natural disaster here, well the continent next door, New Zealand, it looks like no body captured the third and final episode of this show. Well no doubt that and lack of interest. It actually did air at 10:30 or 10:40pm apparently. If anyone did I'd be curious to see it... I don't know why exactly I guess the concluding car crash may inspire me to watch the first two episodes. Anyway, send me a PM if you did and I'll sort something out if it's possible.

A show so bad nobody could be bothered to steal it.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Axing a show because it failed in a crappy, late night slot seems a little unfair, particularly after week 2's show was heaps better than week 1's. It's a shame it's based on ratings rather than quality of show, because it did seem to be improving. Not that I've seen week 3's show yet...surely someone recorded it?

[Jemble Fred]

I'll be looking for it once S2's downloaded – is it not just there with a quick Google? (Just checked – nope.)

I was only planning to watch Ben's bits anyway, I can't put myself through the sketches again.

[13 schoolyards]

As one of only 180,000 people nationally who watched it (and recorded it), I can safely say that ep 3 was... pretty much the same as ep 2.  Tho' having Elton give a to-camera "we know that with the events in NZ this is no time for comedy, but comedy is our job so... here's some comedy" didn't exactly set things off on the right foot. If such a foot existed with this show.

[Jake Thingray]

Obviously I'm prepared to be corrected, but that 'Elaine Front' sounded like a Brit doing a very poor impression of a "typical Aussie". Okay, all the Australians I've met have been in Britain and have been over here for some time, but none of them sound as broad as that. I almost wondered if she's going to try to work over here, but having been in this show will obviously have been more hindrance than help.

Perhaps Cook was right, all those years ago when doing SATURDAY LIVE, in discerning similarities between Elton and Max Bygraves.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Elaine Front strikes me as an Australian character comedian ramping up the "strine" to sound what you Brits call "working class". I quite enjoyed her, she had promise.

Episode 3's now "available" for those interested.

[Gavin]

Anyone looking for 2007's Get A Grip may want to Box clever.

[Famous Mortimer]

Anyone looking for 2007's Get A Grip may want to stab themselves in the groin

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Australian comedy podcast The Little Dum Dum Club interviewed LFPE cast member Kate McLennan recently, she gives some interesting insights into the show.

http://dumdumclub.libsyn.com/

[Jake Thingray]

Thanks for linking to that. Dear oh bloody dear, Elton was coming into the rehearsal room asking for Australian euphemisms for the vagina.....

[Queneau]

Anyone looking for 2007's Get A Grip may want to Box clever.

Cheers. That and winning a copy of Kurushi on eBay have made my day.

[Neil]

Thanks for linking to that. Dear oh bloody dear, Elton was coming into the rehearsal room asking for Australian euphemisms for the vagina.....

He should have been a real man, and asked his Twitter followers.  Like Graham Linehan does for bum synonyms.

[Jemble Fred]

Found this tweet from 1979.

RT @LordGnome Doing a thing about the @JThorpe29 case for Amnesty can any of you cunts think of funny euphemisms for homosexual? #fuckyoujudge
_{32 years ago}

[Queneau]

Anyone looking for 2007's Get A Grip may want to Box clever.

Strange that it seems to have disappeared now. Luckily I managed to grab it in time.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Dear oh bloody dear, Elton was coming into the rehearsal room asking for Australian euphemisms for the vagina.....

And yet, that's the least worrying of the "revelations".

[MC Root]

Strange that it seems to have disappeared now. Luckily I managed to grab it in time.

Wow. Honour amongst thieves. I don't know if I'd seen this before. "uk nova internal only cap. not allowed." Weird. I guess I better check UNK more...