Nathan Barley - The Nation Decides

[alan strang]

Yes, they're seperate sentences. I was refering to you claiming that people were stealing your or whoevers "ab fab for the nineties" line, which was bloody ridiculous. I don't know if it was you, it was one of you.

It was me, and as far as I'm aware the line was (mis)-quoted in a broadsheet piece - a piece which actually added that the source was an internet messageboard. So not so bloody ridiculous, eh? Journos do read these boards.

In any case I wasn't moaning about the line being "stolen", just giggling about the idea of someone misinterpreting a private joke and using it in something approaching an 'official' context.

So what has any of this got to do with viral marketing?

[Rats]

Nothing. I meant the time when you were jumping up and down because some casualty actor said it on newsnight. I was only using viral marketing as an example of a cliche.

[mayer]

Is it possible to crib from oneself?

Yup, listen to how G Funk Intro rips off The Chronic, or loads of other steals from Doggystle off the first Dre LP.

You can think of it as self-referentialism, the sort of thing Simon Pegg does a lot.

[alan strang]

Nothing. I meant the time when you were jumping up and down because some casualty actor said it on newsnight.

I suspect he was quoting the phrase from the broadsheet clipping and passing off the observation as his own. Not the greatest asset on a discussion programme. I'll admit I was jumping up and down though.

I was only using viral marketing as an example of a cliche.

I'll take it as read then that you at least understand the basis of all our arguments against virals and aren't just getting annoyed because some people are passionate about a situation you don't really care about either way.

[Rats]

Oh no, I never said that, and I'm usually interested in the posts of the comedy chat regulars. Just voicing a few niggles

[mayer]

Just voicing a few niggles

Ey, you've just been called a racist in the SU forum, so keep a handle on that sonny.

[Scatterbrain]

New poster here but I suppose the end of the series is a reasonable time to join.

I've been interesed to read comments throughout the series and have found the episode threads almost as funny as the episodes themselves.  To see fans moaning about continuity errors (generally false incidentally - "oh no, why did Dan only ask for £1500 when he was offered £2000 for the other article, chris morris is full of shit"!) and other fairly pathetic whining has been surprisingly enjoyable.

I mean when The Day Today was being shown did people say before each episode "oh i wonder what he'll come up with this week, perhaps it'll be taking the piss out of news programs.  Again!".  I really think people have been desperately looking for ridiculous reasons for why they hate the show.

Anyway, afrter a slow first episode (which I generally find with most comedies) I enjoyed the show a lot..  Found that most incidents involving Pingu were the most funny, him splashing cold milk all over Claire in a panic was fantastic (as were the outraged comments about claire's top not being noticeably wet in shots afterwards).  

I hope there's a second series, it's been the show that I've certainly enjoyed the most on tv for the last 6 weeks.

[slim]

Nothing. I meant the time when you were jumping up and down because some casualty actor said it on newsnight. I was only using viral marketing as an example of a cliche.

I posted about that too, as I thought it was tremendously funny that something used on here as a joke had escaped into the mainstream. It was fun and now you've spoilt it. I hope you're happy.

[TJ]

Where were the scouts?

[Munday's Chylde]

I've been interesed to read comments throughout the series and have found the episode threads almost as funny as the episodes themselves.

Almost? I had a cup of tea this morning and I found that funnier than the entire series put together.

[Purple Tentacle]

I hope there's a second series, it's been the show that I've certainly enjoyed the most on tv for the last 6 weeks.

Yes, it's been my favourite show on Channel 4 at 10:00 on a friday night for the last 6 weeks as well!

[The Mumbler]

I hope there's a second series, it's been the show that I've certainly enjoyed the most on tv for the last 6 weeks.

Yes, it's been my favourite show on Channel 4 at 10:00 on a friday night for the last 6 weeks as well!

This reminds me of a story I once heard about a choir competition held in Wales where only one choir entered, and because they were not only late but not terribly good, the judging panel placed them second.

I feel much the same about this series.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Funnily enough even Chris Morris managed to allude to the wankiness of virals in Show 6, albeit a little half-heartedly.

What bit was that?

[alan strang]

What bit was that?

The TV producer bloke says something like "I've been checking out your virals" to Barley in the pub just before all the arse-kicking and drenching. Given that the producer and Barley are 'unsympathetic' characters it should follow that any interest in them is considered wanky (by the creator of 'Bushwhacked' and 'Bushwhacked 2').

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Aye aye.

By the way, is anyone interested in the different running times for the six shows? Because they were:

The Rise of the Idiots (11/2/05): 26'09
Preacherman (18/2/05): 23'39
Taking the Piss (25/2/05): 26'21
Geek Pie (4/3/05): 24'21
The Girl from Uncle (11/3/05): 24'27
The Fall of the Idiots (18/3/05): 25'55

[Scatterbrain]

I hope there's a second series, it's been the show that I've certainly enjoyed the most on tv for the last 6 weeks.

Yes, it's been my favourite show on Channel 4 at 10:00 on a friday night for the last 6 weeks as well!

This reminds me of a story I once heard about a choir competition held in Wales where only one choir entered, and because they were not only late but not terribly good, the judging panel placed them second.

Gotta say that most of those judging panel must have been a bunch of idiots.  Awarding it second?  That's pretty clever man, when there was only one entry.

I feel much the same about ths series.

[The Mumbler]

[This reminds me of a story I once heard about a choir competition held in Wales where only one choir entered, and because they were not only late but not terribly good, the judging panel placed them second.

Gotta say that most of those judging panel must have been a bunch of idiots.  Awarding it second?  That's pretty clever man, when there was only one entry.
[/quote]

God, do I have to explain this as well?  Placing the only entants second was a punishment.  Better to have no-one win than for something to win that didn't deserve such an accolade.

[bennyprofane]

big running time differences presumably indicate editing being contentious?  
I do remember thinking that ep2 ended a bit short.  It would have benefitted from LOL NO clubbing scene being a bit longer and having a more obvious shift in tone.  I thought it was meant to be like a descent into dan's private hell/ very morris autobiography (the man squealing 'I'm meeeee, a picture of meeee')/ and to be very stylised, hence the crow and stuff.  but then he just got on stage and it ended and was gash.  If it was meant to encapsualte the 'nervous breakdown' stuff that we see in later episodes, it could have done with being drawn out like a proper 'hellish descent' kind of thing.
anyway, running times back up the idea that the series eventually shown might have been quite different to what was innitially scripted, and even what was filmed.

[Scatterbrain]

God, do I have to explain this as well?  Placing the only entants second was a punishment.  Better to have no-one win than for something to win that didn't deserve such an accolade.

God, you don't have to explain it but it's still stupid.  just don't give them an award as a punishment, saying they came second is just pretentious wank that doesn't actually make any sense.

Much like many of the criticisms of this show throughout the last 6 weeks.

[The Mumbler]

God, do I have to explain this as well?  Placing the only entants second was a punishment.  Better to have no-one win than for something to win that didn't deserve such an accolade.

God, you don't have to explain it but it's still stupid.  just don't give them an award as a punishment, saying they came second is just pretentious wank that doesn't actually make any sense.

I just thought such a gesture was quite funny in a silly sort of way.  Not least because it was just a small choir competition in rural Wales almost 30 years ago that wasn't televised or anything.  It's the dogmatic principle involved that impressed me.

[Munday's Chylde]

I just thought such a gesture was quite funny in a silly sort of way.

Well now you know better don't you?

[The Mumbler]

I just thought such a gesture was quite funny in a silly sort of way.

Well now you know better don't you?

Well, I was a child!

[Paaaaul]

Looking at the voting, I may have overestimated the pro-Barley vote!

Only 30% of folk here have enjoyed it.

I'll do a more "in depth" fingure analysis when the repeats been on and foreigners have had the chance to download it.

[racingline]

I don't think NB was meant in the same way as "Extricate". It really seemed like CM and CB, as well as the whole cast desperately wanted to impress. Even though they tried to deal with the odd controversial subject, there was no controversy. I think the cause of this is that it just wasn't funny. I never thought I wouldn't laugh at Kevin Eldon's face, especially as a Russian barber, but his bit was joyless.
           The Mail & co depend on controversy to swell their readership, so it would follow that they would have been ready to pounce on anything, but they didn't. I'm very surprised that there wasn't any gloating commentary on ratings, with quotelets from high(er)brow review sources pouring scorn on CM and claiming the show's critical and commercial failure as a victory for right thinking people eveywhere. This show seems to have almost no effect on either its targets (the idiots), the people who were intended (allowed?) to enjoy it, or the media- even the Guide have left it alone in their friday night listings- no sideline comment, just the press release summary. When even a Guardian TV writer can't summon enough sycophancy to praise a dark, edgy supposedly didactic show, let alone a CM project then something must be up.

[Labian Quest]

Apparently Elvis once entered an Elvis lookalike contest ... and came third.

I think I've just realised what Pingu jumping out of the window was all about too, it's an homage to the game of the same name. Sort of arcing up and then landing on his belly. Qute clever.

[Z/Sb]

Completely fucking RUBBISH.

I agree with this and voted 'rubbish'. I couldn't get into the show at all and my expectations weren't high anyway but didn't think it would be as bad as what it was. But really, I'm glad that nothing much has been made of the fact in the press - I think people still have a high respect for his previous work to let this failure go.
Bernard Manning's opinion: "What a fucking disgrace."

[lazyhour]

The Rise of the Idiots (11/2/05): 26'09
Preacherman (18/2/05): 23'39
Taking the Piss (25/2/05): 26'21
Geek Pie (4/3/05): 24'21
The Girl from Uncle (11/3/05): 24'27
The Fall of the Idiots (18/3/05): 25'55

Ooh, perhaps I'm just being forgetful, but I didn't realise the episodes were titled.  Where did you get these titles from? They make the show sound like it's more conventional (and funnier) than it really is, don't they?

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

Shall we make a list of the rubbish, underused, looked-good-on-paper, barely-thought-out secondary characters in NB? I'll start:

Jones
Sasha
Doug Rocket
Pingu
Rufus Onslatt
Toby
15Peter20
The cafe bloke
The cafe girl
The commissioning editor
That bloke out of The Office
Jonotton Yeah?
The cokey model

And what happened to that potentially racist, drug-dealing child?

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Apropos of nothing, the trailers have been removed from the official website. Maybe they'll be super-special features on the DVD and they don't want to cut into their sales!

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

Another thing: has anyone noticed the disparity between the character breakdowns and what we actually see on screen?

Let's not forget that Guardian article that basically did all the series' legwork. For example, look at the Ivan Plapp bit: all we got onscreen was a typical tv exec, nothing about him ripping off formulas and winning awards etc.