Room 101 Cancelled

[Dr Rock]

Frank Skinner is 61 (officially).

[Hobo With A Shit Pun]

The Jonny Vegas one was fantastic for Beauty's Castle  alone.

I regularly use the phrase "sitting here, doused in my own piss" in day to day conversation. I got it from the Beauty's Castle anecdote*. That really was an excellent episode.

*Unless I've warped it beyond recognition now.

[therubiconhasbeencrossed]

The original radio Room 101 was incredible, probably my favourite radio show of all time.

No audience, just Nick Hancock in a room with a (funny) guest, dissecting and arguing over bad records and 70s tat. As a perceptive, witty and cynical study of pop culture it's unparalleled. (I haven't got round to listening to the Chart Music podcast yet, but I suspect it's attempting to mine a similar seam.)

They are very good, despite a general antipathy i have towards Hancock in general. There are whole shows on youtube and they're good value, I wonder if there are more out there? The one with Danny Baker is typically blusterous

As for the telly version, it's no surprise they'd eventually run out of uninteresting quibbles for morning tv presenters and profile-boosting politicians to fart out while a qualified comedian looks on, wondering what they've done with their life. best of riddance to it

[therubiconhasbeencrossed]

(I haven't got round to listening to the Chart Music podcast yet, but I suspect it's attempting to mine a similar seam.)

i tried Chart Music after a recommendation on here (I think) a while back. Listened to a few and they sort of slipped by pleasantly enough – before it slowly dawned on me that I absolutely detested it. It suffers badly from the same sort of podcast onanism as that awful "dad wrote a porno" thing, each of the panellists taking it in turns to laugh at the other's lame shakin' stevens observations. for 3 whole fucking hours

[Replies From View]

I'm not convinced that's the first time anyone ever said 'I see you keep a bee', mind. I mean, if Gyles Brandreth or Ned Sherrin have never passed that off as their own, I'd be amazed.

Well there was the beekeeping exchange in 'Why Bother' when Cook is saying that he started off with just one bee and eventually managed to get a whole swarm going.  Is that what you were thinking of?

[paruses]

Well there was the beekeeping exchange in 'Why Bother' when Cook is saying that he started off with just one bee and eventually managed to get a whole swarm going.  Is that what you were thinking of?

Ah - I will have to go and try to find the episode now because I think that Paul Merton attributed it to Peter Cook (even so far as doing the voice). Maybe not though.

[Hobo With A Shit Pun]

I thought the singular bee was generally credited to Chic Murray.

Certainly, the Vale of Leven Bowling Club so do.

http://www.valebowlingclub.co.uk/Chic_Murray.htm

[lankyguy95]

Ah - I will have to go and try to find the episode now because I think that Paul Merton attributed it to Peter Cook (even so far as doing the voice). Maybe not though.

He actually refers to it as an old music hall story (about five and a half minutes in) https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2o4cwi

[checkoutgirl]

I was just thinking the other day about that really funny Merton-era show where Jonny Vegas gives a detailed account of the time he'd spent in a medieval-themed chatroom called 'Beauty's Castle'.

Is that the one where he said his username was "unabashed" ?

[Rolf Lundgren]

If we're sitting around the fire getting misty eyed with our fond recollections of Room 101 then I'll chuck in Bruce Forsyth talking about Yugoslavia. It's set up so well and the subsequent footage is perfect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKAMreXU24E

It was always at it's best when it was examining the niche. The Frank Skinner years were, you know, alright but the choices were often hollow and the guests playing to the crowd. Could see it coming back one day in it's original format and doing very well.

[Hecate]

Remember when Len Goodman put in "foreign muck"?
"You can't beat a good old proper British plate of egg and chips, or whatever sub-iceland soylent in burger form they're selling you poor saps at farm foods, it's British so it gets a 10 from Len, regardless"

[olliebean]

I reckon it was the beginning of the end for the Skinner version when they stopped making props to represent the guests' choices and instead just had bits of clip-art on monitors. Or maybe the prop makers just didn't have time for that any more because they were too busy constructing Skinner's lame prop gags. Either way, there's something about a physical item (literal or representative) being physically carried off or dropped into a (notionally) physically real off-screen Room 101 - when that physical aspect was lost, it just had a feel, to me, of "they can't be bothered with the conceit any more."

[Brundle-Fly]

taking it in turns to laugh at the other's lame observations.

That's one of the main reasons I log in here.

[paruses]

He actually refers to it as an old music hall story (about five and a half minutes in) https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2o4cwi

Thanks for that - just got to watch it - that Will Self episode is a good one.

One thing I remember being disappointed with in the old format and the switch between Hancock and Merton was how many of the choices went into Room 101 with Merton while Hancock was a lot more discerning. I liked the cheesy pop they played too as a little extra (despite my feelings about music snobs).

There must have been a lot more old episodes than I ever caught - I think I might have to do a bit of mining this evening.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I'd completely forgot Nick Hancock existed. Wonder what he's up to these days.

[paruses]

I'd completely forgot Nick Hancock existed. Wonder what he's up to these days.

Doesn't he run something unexpected like an insurance brokers? Or is an IFA?

He has t be a candidate for that "people who just disappeared" thread from a few months back.

[petril]

It was all downhill when they got rid of

• the one on one format
• Nick Hancock actually arguing back a bit
• the conveyor belt and Radio Room 101 for a cheap laugh

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

Remember when Len Goodman put in "foreign muck"?
"You can't beat a good old proper British plate of egg and chips, or whatever sub-iceland soylent in burger form they're selling you poor saps at farm foods, it's British so it gets a 10 from Len, regardless"

He pretty much got a whole daytime show off that schtick - Len Goodman travelled the country, turning his nose up at any remotely foreign food he was presented with, before begrudgingly eating some, conceding it wasn't that bad, but ultimately he'd rather be eating some proper British grub.

[The Lurker]

It should have ended the exact moment they let through Nicola Adams choosing "Losing your keys".

That's just reminded me of the time when a guy went on Britain's Got Talent just to sing about losing his keys and his phone. What a world we live in.

Edit: My word, that's painfully unfunny "I found the keys in my dog's bed, dunno how they got there". Insightful, Nicola. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr0E338v6FQ

[The Lurker]

I do recommend revisiting Sean Lock's TV Heaven, TV Hell (2006-07) on YouTube. Some real corkers there. Johnny Vaughan's episode is very funny.

Didn't know that was on YouTube, will rewatch it again at some point. Ta.

[paruses]

I do recommend revisiting Sean Lock's TV Heaven, TV Hell (2006-07) on YouTube. Some real corkers there. Johnny Vaughan's episode is very funny.

I remember the David Mitchell one being very good and also bits of Omid Djalili - he makes Sean Locke laugh a lot with one impression.

Do you mean Johnny Vaughn? (Edit: Yes you do. I am watching it now. Very good)

[Sebastian Cobb]

Vegas definitely did one. He put in Keith Floy'd Floyd on food as one of the good ones.

[Brundle-Fly]

I remember the David Mitchell one being very good and also bits of Omid Djalili - he makes Sean Locke laugh a lot with one impression.

Do you mean Johnny Vaughn?

Who is Johnny Vaughn?

[Bad Ambassador]

Doesn't he run something unexpected like an insurance brokers? Or is an IFA?

He has t be a candidate for that "people who just disappeared" thread from a few months back.

He played Jo Brand's ex husband in Damned earlier this year.

[paruses]

Who is Johnny Vaughn?

I refuse to spell people's names properly mainly because I can't - I wasn't correcting you.

I didn't remember the Johnny Vaughan one - thought you might have meant Vegas which I do remember.

Johnny Vaughan's delivery gets  a bit wearing but it's very funny. I find it infectious when Sean Lock (or Locke) finds stuff funny.

[Brundle-Fly]

We'll both spell it 'Jaw Knee Vorn' from now on then?

[Maurice Yeatman]

I suspect Room 101 was resurrected in bastardised form not because it was particularly ripe for a revival, but because Skinner was under contract to the BBC and they needed to find a vehicle for him after his Frank Skinner's Opinionated series came to an end. It was a ready-made concept with existing audience goodwill. Pity they spoiled it.

[paruses]

We'll both spell it 'Jaw Knee Vorn' from now on then?

Agreed - now let's never speak of it again.

Am onto the Bill Bailey one now. Another good one - but I am getting very aware of people I find funny but can't really tolerate that much of.

[Jerzy Bondov]

I remember really enjoying the Ricky Gervais episode. I think The Office had only just started. Probably unbearable now but I laughed a lot at the time. It's on YouTube but sadly it has been blocked in my country on copyright grounds. My country being Britain, where I paid for the show to be produced with my TV licence

[St_Eddie]

I remember really enjoying the Ricky Gervais episode.

Gervais tells that same story that he tells in one of his standup shows, about a mate of his getting a crab drunk to see if it walked forwards.

It's on YouTube but sadly it has been blocked in my country on copyright grounds. My country being Britain, where I paid for the show to be produced with my TV licence

I hate it when that happens.  Absolutely infuriating.  So some cunt who didn't help fund the show, gets to watch it, whilst you, someone who helped to fund it, can't watch it.  Fuck off, Beeb.