The Services, That Peter Kay Thing and Phoenix Nights

[madhair60]

Do you think Phoenix Nights holds up? I went back for a look and found myself moderately nonplussed.

[mippy]

The Services was the funniest thing I'd ever seen when I was 16...I suspect this is no longer the case.

[Goldentony]

Series 1 of Phoenix ights holds up perfectly. 2 is still a load of old tosh, but gives moments like the mentioned 20 FOOT COCK AND BALLS, WHOOOA WHOA PUT YOUR ARSE AWAY MAN and the bit where Brian gets served burnt chips and goes KINNELL LOOK LIKE MUMMIES DICKS     

[petril]

Das Boot fruit machine is always a winner

[bgmnts]

I like how they accidentally pick up Chinese immigrants in France, have them cooking Chinese food at the club and are found trying to stir fry chips.

[royce coolidge]

I've always thought that Kays work before Max and Paddy was as good as any british comedy of the last 30 years.
Kay had a great eye and ear for working class comedy,but I think he had a finite source of this and used it up on these series.
I shall give these a rewatch as its been a while,but for 2 examples "the ice cream man cometh" and "Leonard" are pretty much perfect.

[Sebastian Cobb]

That Peter Kay thing is good, similar to Coogan's Run in a way; have any other comedians released a series of one-off bits of character acting like that?

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Ronnie Barker (Peter Kay's hero, coincidentally) in Six Dates With Barker from 1971 and Seven of One from 1973, the latter featuring the first appearances of Fletcher and Arkwright.

[jobotic]

I don't often laugh out loud at comedy programmes but I did uncontrollably when I first saw the ice cream man have his freak out in the van.

[Fisher Goes Berserk]

There's a song I like that my brain insists on segueing into 'African Tears'. I can't remember what song it is, but it means I think about Marc Parc on an alarmingly frequent basis.

[petril]

There's a song I like that my brain insists on segueing into 'African Tears'. I can't remember what song it is, but it means I think about Marc Parc on an alarmingly frequent basis.

the bit about black music always gets me, keep having it turn up in my head, especially the utter wanker's voice

always felt Marc Parc was the weakest of the lot an' all

[neveragain]

It is. A fun series altogether though, and reading through his books it's notable how much is taken from real life. Just about all of it really. I suppose more remarkable is how he only got sued once (from the dog-sex health and safety man).

[petril]

my personal ranking is Services "it's floating" -> Leonard "I blame NASA" -> Eyes Down "run like fuck"-> Ice Cream Man Cometh "STUPID set of BASTARDS" -> In The Club "dancers are not drinkers"-> The Arena "Curtis Stigers" -> Lonely at the Top "black music"

[SteveDave]

"Old people you can't beat 'em, pity"

I loved "That Peter Kay Thing" so much.

I remember crying with laughter at the "Yeah he shags dogs" scene with Peter Kay, Alex Lowe and Sian Gibson in "Eyes Down" and pretty much all of "The Ice Cream Man Cometh" "Lovely guy, soft as shite"

[DrGreggles]

"...now she has got a cock, so you have been warned."

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Love the fire-safety man reading the lyrics for Disco Inferno as a safety guide.

[madhair60]

Love the fire-safety man reading the lyrics for Disco Inferno as a safety guide.

"Burn baby burn, disco inferno. Burn baby burn, burn that mother down. Another child orphaned."

[Jittlebags]

Sick minds we`re dealing with.

[Fisher Goes Berserk]

The Talent Trek 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' bit is great. Feels like an obvious joke but still makes me laugh.

[SteveDave]

"Come on Brian, it'll only be for a few weeks"
"Yeah, that's what they said to Terry Waite"

Love the fire-safety man reading the lyrics for Disco Inferno as a safety guide.

"It was so devastating when the boogie-which must be the American term for fire- started to grow"

[Blinder Data]

Not seen it but the Keith Lard character always made me think less of Kay when I saw it was based on a real person:

CHANNEL 4 has paid £10,000 compensation to a fire safety officer who said a hapless character in a comedy series was based on him.

The company agreed to pay damages to Keith Laird, who works for Bolton council, after he complained about the close resemblance he bore to the fire safety officer in Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights. In the programme, set in a fictional northern social club, comedian Peter Kay plays a number of characters, including Keith Lard, a fire safety officer with a penchant for bestiality.

As well as sharing a similar name, Mr Laird pointed out that the character had a bushy moustache much like his own, wore the same luminous yellow safety jacket and had a penchant for quoting one of Mr Laird's favourite sayings: "It's not fire that kills - it's ignorance." Mr Laird, 45, said colleagues had nicknamed him "Woof Woof", a reference to the fictional fire officer's fetish for dogs.

Kay first featured the character in That Peter Kay Thing, a series of spoof fly-on-the-wall documentaries first broadcast on Channel 4 a year ago. Mr Laird contacted Channel 4 and pointed out the similarity but said he was willing to "see the funny side". However, after reading in the television listings that the character was being revived for Kay's new series, Phoenix Nights, he wrote to the channel seeking redress.

The Keith Lard character features in one episode of Phoenix Nights, which was broadcast last Sunday. In it, Lard tries to shut down the club on safety grounds, only to relent when confronted with pictures of him cavorting with dogs.

The programme was broadcast with Mr Laird's consent after Channel 4 and the producers, Ovation Entertainment and Good Night Vienna Productions, agreed to include a disclaimer stating that the likeness was entirely coincidental. It said: "Mr Laird's contribution to fire safety in Bolton is well documented and his professionalism and personal integrity are not in any doubt." Kay, who also comes from Bolton, said the similarity was "uncanny" but was adamant he had never met Mr Laird.

The 27-year-old comedian, who caused controversy two years ago when he made a joke about Jill Dando's murder while compering a party for staff at the BBC, said the name Keith Lard had been chosen for its inanimate qualities. He said: "We took the time to check that there were no Lards in the Bolton phonebook. It's a very unfortunate situation and I understand Mr Laird's concern."

Mr Laird said he was happy with the outcome. "I've never met Peter Kay, but he must have seen me somewhere because there's no doubt it's me. He's got everything down to a tee. The facial expressions were spot on."

Mr Laird is donating half his damages to charity, including the Fire Service Benevolent Fund and the Children's Fire Charity.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I don't often laugh out loud at comedy programmes but I did uncontrollably when I first saw the ice cream man have his freak out in the van.

I lost it at 'YOU CANT MAKE 99'S WITH FUCKING CRUNCHIES!' and just laughed harder after.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5e8ffg

[zip o lightning]

Not seen it but the Keith Lard character always made me think less of Kay when I saw it was based on a real person:

I don't know. My abiding memory when I watched Phoenix Nights is talking to my father afterwards who couldn't stop laughing about Keith La(i)rd. Like a lot of people working in Bolton, my dad went through some way-too-serious training with Laird, and he reckoned Kay nailed it. Apparently the "Fire doesn't kill, ignorance kills." was a direct lift from Laird.

When Channel 4 tried to claim it was just a co-incidence, it made it even funnier...

Though suggesting that Lard liked animals...probably unnecessary.

[Mantis Toboggan]

I don't often laugh out loud at comedy programmes but I did uncontrollably when I first saw the ice cream man have his freak out in the van.

Got to hand it to Kay, that is one of the best comedy scenes I've ever seen. I couldn't breathe watching that.

[H-O-W-L]

I always thought it was a clever stroke that Signor Whipee was an illegal immigrant... from Barnsley. Sets itself up to be trite shit then doubles back with a bit of TDT style absurdity.

[Gulftastic]

The 'thanks for standing' line in the Keith Lard bit was my favourite for some reason.

[Gurke and Hare]

"I play Orestes, the son of Agamemnon." is a not really funny line in The Services that always really tickles me for some reason.

[monkfromhavana]

I do like these, another good breakdown is Alan from the ARC on 'The Services' which is up there with Mr. Softy's episode.

"stops them attacking women and keeps me in wafers"

[SteveDave]

I do like these, another good breakdown is Alan from the ARC on 'The Services' which is up there with Mr. Softy's episode.

"stops them attacking women and keeps me in wafers"

"It's the real world out there my friend!"

In the commentary they say that Mr Softy was based on someone that Peter and Paddy were in school with. They don't give his name as he once, after a science experiment went wrong and scarred him, tried to sue their school as he would no longer be able to be a male model at some point. Or sutin.

[SteveDave]

I used to go out on Wednesday nights and get my parents to record That Peter Kay Thing for me. I came home at 4am super-pissed (in the English sense meaning drunk) and started watching "The Ice Cream Man Cometh" with headphones on. My father came down after 10 minutes of my starting it to tell me to shut up. I protested "But I'm wearing headphones!"

"But you're laughing out loud!"

Nowadays he'd probably just text "Stop LOLing (Laughing face emoji) (Crying emoji) (Sleeping emoji) xx"

"You wanna get one of those Steadicams like Kubrick had in the Shining...bet you never got this on Lakesiders!"