Ross Noble - Unrealtime

[faceless]

This is on tonight at 00:15. I've not seen any footage of him doing his act before, so I'm looking forward to this.

[chand]

It actually started at 23.15, meaning it's on right now.

[imitationleather]

Well, this isn't very good. Which is odd, because when I saw him live I thought he was great. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is, but something's definitely wrong.

Maybe it doesn't work unless you're there or something.

EDIT: Oh, it's got better. Ignore everything I just said (as usual).

[faceless]

It actually started at 23.15, meaning it's on right now.

It's a different schedule in Scotland - typical.

[Rats]

It was flitting between brilliance and shite. The stuff about the sailors, I haven't laughed so much in ages, my head nearly burst.

[12 years, 11 months old]

I've got nothing against Noble, and I like him on Just a Minute, but I thought this was mostly awful.

He is derivative of people like Izzard, Harry Hill and Paul Merton (though no doubt some comedy historians will tell me they were in turn unoriginal), and this doesn't have to be a bad thing, but I couldn't help feel he was copying them straight out at times, the stuff about badgers and the literal appraisal of his own sound effects being two examples. Jokes about monkeys wearing clothes? It's just like lazy surrealist comedy slags. [1]

It's just the way that he's so predictably wacky - it's like his comedy is a sort of genrative grammar, where he'll take an input, mutate it according to a set of rules, and then spit it out again in exactly the way you'd expect, like the stuff about the UK maths squad. I can't help thinking that as someone who's watched a decent amount of comedy I've learnt these rules as well, and could do the same thing as Noble, anyone could. He just completely fails to invent his own rules, fails to do anything new.

And he's really patronising to his audience.

Stephen Hawking Impressions? For fucks sake, ooh he talks with a computer voice, that's good for a laugh.

In summary, an infuriating hour.

[1]Was the 'monkey love' stuff a rip off of Bill Hick's 'Goat Boy' routine? I don't really know enough about Hicks to say for certain.

[Lt Plonker]

It actually started at 23.15, meaning it's on right now.

It's a different schedule in Scotland - typical.

Curses! I was shooting Wamp Rats on Tatooine and missed it.

[Rats]

Yeah, he's a lazy sod but he's never claimed to be anything more. He might just be arsing about, doing nothing new, but when he gets on a roll, he can really make me laugh. There were stretches of about 15 minutes when I didn't even smile but he's just so likeable, I wouldn't hold it against him.

[faceless]

I can't help thinking that as someone who's watched a decent amount of comedy I've learnt these rules as well, and could do the same thing as Noble, anyone could.

HAHAHAHAHA

Do it of fuck off.

[A Passing Turk Slipper]

I agree with what most people have said in this thread, there were really funny bits but a lot of it was just piss poor. Don't like it how so much of his material is centred around badgers and the like.

[NobodyGetsOutAlive]

I can't help thinking that as someone who's watched a decent amount of comedy I've learnt these rules as well, and could do the same thing as Noble, anyone could.

HAHAHAHAHA

Do it of fuck off.

Don't be a cock Faceless.


Anyway, I caught most of this last night and it did go from absolutely rubbish to quite amusing at various points, not really worthy of being broadcast to be honest, or at least, a shortened version should have been made. I did like his bit about the Tuzedo Royale though, coming from Newcastle and all although the whole "revolving dancefloor keeping drunkards in a state of equilibrium" was a joke made by me years ago, showing how shite he can be.


All in all, not great, but ok

[Darrell]

Don't be a cock Faceless.

That's like asking a sandwich to not be made out of bread.

[NobodyGetsOutAlive]

editted for being shite.


Ross Noble made me chuckle on HIGNFY more, I do have to say.


gah

[Rats]

Geek fight!

[Silver SurferGhost]

I think he's a lot funnier on Just A Minute and his sundry other panel game/interview appearances.
He seemed really nervous with having the pressure of keeping an audience entertained by himself for an hour or so,
and was consequently largely shite.

There was the odd great bit, and maybe it was just an off night, but over all I wasnae impressed.

Mrs S likes his hair though apparently.

[Papercut]

There was the odd great bit, and maybe it was just an off night, but over all I wasnae impressed.

That was my general impression, I was hoping to like unrealtime more. It just felt as if he wasn't pushing it too much for fear of losing the audience. The monkey love stuff had me chuckling, mind.

Still, the hignfy and Room 101 bits were good.

[faceless]

I can't help thinking that as someone who's watched a decent amount of comedy I've learnt these rules as well, and could do the same thing as Noble, anyone could.

HAHAHAHAHA

Do it of fuck off.

Don't be a cock Faceless.

Don't be a cock? How I am being a cock by laughing in the face of some fool who thinks that because they know how it should be done they could actually do it?

It's like some maniac football fan screaming at their team's top-scorer when he misses a sitter. "I could have scored that!" - the idiot cries.

Bollocks.

[Munday's Chylde]

Don't be a cock? How I am being a cock by laughing in the face of some fool who thinks that because they know how it should be done they could actually do it?

It's like some maniac football fan screaming at their team's top-scorer when he misses a sitter. "I could have scored that!" - the idiot cries.

Bollocks.

Because I think he was under the impression he could make a point on here about a comedian being derivative and offering nothing new to comedy without the way he chose to say it being taken literally.

[12 years, 11 months old]

Don't be a cock? How I am being a cock by laughing in the face of some fool who thinks that because they know how it should be done they could actually do it?

It's quite rude to laugh in anyones face.

In any case, I obviously don't believe there is such an equivalence, as I made the exact same point myself just three posts ago. I don't have that short a memory.

It's like some maniac football fan screaming at their team's top-scorer when he misses a sitter. "I could have scored that!" - the idiot cries.

Bollocks.

Bollocks, I agree, but what If you were watching a footballer, say, continually hoofing the ball into touch, exhibiting no skill at all? You'd be quite justified in saying "I could do that", and your exclamation would demonstrate the crapness of the player. I don't believe that Noble is a 'top scorer' in the world of comedy.

[faceless]

Bollocks, I agree, but what If you were watching a footballer, say, continually hoofing the ball into touch, exhibiting no skill at all? You'd be quite justified in saying "I could do that", and your exclamation would demonstrate the crapness of the player. I don't believe that Noble is a 'top scorer' in the world of comedy.

If I saw a footballer hoofing the ball into touch I'd question his motives for sure. Are you a rugby fan at all?

I can see your point in reality, as it wasn't his best show for sure. But the idea that anyone could come up with the same processes, and be able to do it live on stage for an hour, without practicing for years is where the bollocks come in.

Noble is most definitely a "top-scorer"  - how many other people have done a run of one-man shows in the West End in the last few years? Not many that I can think of at the moment, that's for sure...

The "Official Bootleg" recorded in Leeds is a far better example of his skills if you want to hear him on good form.

[jimbobsyouruncle]

Its probably already been mentioned, but I love the stuff he does on Ross Noble Goes Global which is still archived on Radio 4's web site.

Lots of snips from the stand up routines and a likeable guided tour to the places he visits.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/comedy/ross_global.shtml