Time Gentlemen Please, Lee/Herring/Murray's doomed Sky series

[Jake Thingray]

I never saw it at the time as I refuse to subsidise Murdoch's Evil Galactic Empire, and only just caught up with it due to going down the YouTube rabbithole, as a result of threads on here about old rubbish on there. Did Murdoch's minions really think they could sell that to American television, the reason given in Lewisohn's Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy and elsewhere as why there were so many eps? No wonder SOTCAA (one for the teenagers, there) were disparaging at the time.

[Twed]

I didn't know that Lee was involved!

I liked it a lot at the time, due to the repetition. Gave me something to be ritualistic about.

I have all the episodes. Can't put it on to relax now because Sawalha and Pierson are too beautiful and it's distracting. Would quite like to be chemically castrated.

[Alberon]

Actually went to the recording of four or so episodes.

I think Stewart Lee was involved as a script editor on some episodes but most (all?) of the actual writing was Al Murray and Richard Herring. It did suffer from having too many episodes made in too short a time. If they'd kept it to eight or so a year it could have been a longer running show and of higher quality. It was one of three or so comedy shows launched at the time, but it was the only one to go to a second series. The other two were Baddiel's Syndrome, which I never watched, and, IIRC, Harry Enfield's wretched Sky show.

I actually enjoyed it at the time and I think some of it is quite good, parts of it are certainly funny. Some good episodes and very similar to the Lee and Herring style of comedy.

And after the end of it there is the eternal mystery of Jason Freeman, who seemed to disappear off the face of the Earth to the point even Al Murray went on twitter asking about him.



What happened to him?

[DrGreggles]

TGP started pretty well but, as others have said, it just had too many episodes.
Not sure I even reached the end of the first.

[Jake Thingray]

Due to not giving it my full concentration, thought Freeman was Ralf Little at first. Cut out the smut and swearing and it could have been a radio show.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Actually went to the recording of four or so episodes.

I went to the recording of one as well and liked it a fair bit, but it was the breaks in filming and Murray's chats to the audience which I remember being the highlight.

I think Stewart Lee was involved as a script editor on some episodes but most (all?) of the actual writing was Al Murray and Richard Herring. It did suffer from having too many episodes made in too short a time. If they'd kept it to eight or so a year it could have been a longer running show and of higher quality. It was one of three or so comedy shows launched at the time, but it was the only one to go to a second series. The other two were Baddiel's Syndrome, which I never watched, and, IIRC, Harry Enfield's wretched Sky show.

I actually enjoyed it at the time and I think some of it is quite good, parts of it are certainly funny. Some good episodes and very similar to the Lee and Herring style of comedy.

Lee's credited as co-writing six episodes, but I don't know how involved he was with them. And Baddiel's Syndrome was horrible, it was supposed to be "The British Seinfeld" but failed on all counts.

And after the end of it there is the eternal mystery of Jason Freeman, who seemed to disappear off the face of the Earth to the point even Al Murray went on twitter asking about him.



What happened to him?

It's a bizarre old thing, I looked in to it about a month ago and no one's any the wiser.

[Jake Thingray]

Seeing Gareth Gwenlan's directing credit on some eps came as a shock. As has been said elsewhere, Rebecca Front was wasted in a nothing role. Nobody watched Sky then, wish that was still the case.

[sick as a pike]

And after the end of it there is the eternal mystery of Jason Freeman, who seemed to disappear off the face of the Earth to the point even Al Murray went on twitter asking about him.

Yes I worked with Steve/Jason at around the same time, and like everyone else am confused at the way he's totally disappeared.  I've just remembered he was a slightly late internet adopter and asked me about interesting sites, and I pointed him to a thread on here. One of Neil's favourite things threads, something like "good things on the internet."  So maybe his disappearance is somehow something to do with here.

[imitationleather]

Have we checked he isn't part of Glinner's army now? That's like a black hole for careers.

[magval]

I like a lot about this - Richard Herring's show as much as Al Murray's (arguably moreso), and benefits from his brilliantly puerile repetitive style. Love the cast. I think if the set was smaller the cosy atmosphere would have made it easier to rewatch but as-is, it sort of looks horrible. Depressing place to 'hang out' as it were.

But I think about it all the time, really, about Marc Bannerman's genuinely terrific performance, about Uncle Barry telling Guv "yor doin foynnnnnnnnn", about "MAGma?", about the Leprechaun fountain episode, about a teenage fixation with Janet.

It was shit, maybe, at its core, but it had SO many great little things about it. I remember it fondly. I'm going to rewatch it tonight.

[Jake Thingray]

Naturally Julia Sawalha and her busty substances were rather pleasant, but why was her character Australian? Admittedly she was romantically involved with Herring at the time.

[Twed]

why was her character Australian?

To make lots of jokes about Australians being bred for bar work.

[Jake Thingray]

Casting a genuine Australian might have been advisable, then.

[idunnosomename]

I always remember the barman's hand joke "I can play the snare drum pattern to Ravel's Boléro"

It was funny for its arcs like that, wasnt it. But also it was of its time for one-catchphrase characters ("why cant i die" etc)

[imitationleather]

I remember it being incredibly easy to watch about ten episodes in a row because there were essentially the same gags every week. Just stick it on and not think. It was meditative. An early '00s Farming Simulator.

However I found Sawalha's replacement in series 2 to be very poor and I don't think I ever made it to the end.

[Twed]

I remember it being incredibly easy to watch about ten episodes in a row because there were essentially the same gags every week. Just stick it on and not think. It was meditative. An early '00s Farming Simulator.

Hah yes, exactly that. It was just comforting catchphrases.

[Jake Thingray]

One expected more from Lee and Herring (maybe not so much Murray) at the time, though. Has the Evil Galactic Empire ever originated a genuinely successful British comedy?

[checkoutgirl]

Never watched a second of its original run because had no access to Sky but devoured the entire thing in the mid 2000s on Youtube due to a fascination with Al Murray around that time. Murray was one of the best stand ups around in that period in my opinion, a real master of his craft and I've no time for people saying the audience took his character at face value as I've no control over that.

It held my interest all the way through with quirky writing and good all round performances and a propensity for filth "a mouth's a mouth" etc. Agree Bannerman's performance is deliciously contemptuous and he made a great foil for Murray. It only really waned for me at the very end.

Lasting memories of it would be Frank Skinner "I'm cheeky me", Bannerman as the rival landlord, Murray in the lead role and of course Sawalha in her prime as the saucy Australian barmaid desperate for a shag.

Haven't watched it in years and I'm not quite ready for a rewatch but I can definitely see why people would see it as comfort viewing. It certainly has enough to recommend it.

[checkoutgirl]

However I found Sawalha's replacement in series 2 to be very poor and I don't think I ever made it to the end.

She had an annoying catchphrase. Something like "Listen to the sentence, the words in it" in an arsey tone. Bit grating during binge watches. Pierson was extremely easy on the eye though.

[checkoutgirl]

Casting a genuine Australian might have been advisable, then.

Meh.

[imitationleather]

She had an annoying catchphrase. Something like "Listen to the sentence, the words in it" in an arsey tone. Bit grating during binge watches. Pierson was extremely easy on the eye though.

Yeah it was the same as one of Stewart Lee's catchphrases from TMWRNJ, but her delivery of it was devoid of the necessary comic ability.

She was indeed a lovely looking lady, but unfortunately, like Mark Ronson, I am a sapiosexual.

[Twed]

Casting a genuine Australian might have been advisable, then.

I don't think so. The comedy was in how it was an unrealistic characteristic of an Australian. It's much funnier for somebody to be pretending to be an Australian with barwork superpowers. It wouldn't work with a real Australian being accurately Australian.

Repetition, though. The entire show was basically Teletubbies for people who grew up with 90s comedy.

[Jake Thingray]

I blame Avalon, and the Evil Galactic Empire. 6 eps at 9pm on BBC2 or 10pm on C4, and it might actually get properly remembered today.

[Andy147]

The SOTCAA forum discussion where Richard H says it's the best thing he's ever written is still online.

[Small Man Big Horse]

One expected more from Lee and Herring (maybe not so much Murray) at the time, though. Has the Evil Galactic Empire ever originated a genuinely successful British comedy?

Moone Boy was superb stuff, and Mid Morning Matters was really great too.

[Jake Thingray]

Still the Evil Galactic Empire, though. Ironically, when Americans whinge about British programmes' lack of eps per "season", TGP can be pointed to as an exsmple of how it doesn't work.

[Enzo]

Moone Boy was superb stuff, and Mid Morning Matters was really great too.

Sick of it went down well.

[Jake Thingray]

The SOTCAA forum discussion where Richard H says it's the best thing he's ever written is still online.

I miss SOTCAA.

[DrGreggles]

Mid Morning Matters was really great too.

Made online by Fosters first, wasn't it?

[Small Man Big Horse]

Made online by Fosters first, wasn't it?

The first series was but I'm pretty sure the second was all Sky's work (well, money, anyhow).