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Time Trumpet 'Savage cult classic'

Started by Shoulders?-Stomach!, September 09, 2021, 12:23:36 PM

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Shoulders?-Stomach!

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/sep/09/time-trumpet-the-savage-cult-comedy-that-predicted-the-future

You would think as a long time follower of all involved in On The Hour and their subsequent works, belonging to the generation that enjoyed their peak output (albeit only just, i was young) I would have heard anyone even mention Time Trumpet once in the several years since its creation, let alone that it was a 'savage cult' comedy.

It's not that it was especially awful but what an inessential and fairly shallow thing it was.

dissolute ocelot

I just read this. I watched a bit of it when it aired, being a fan of Armando back then, but couldn't really tell you much about it.

Lots of it is on YouTube, e.g. episode 1, which I've revisited.

There are a few funny/absurd bits (funny animals and tiny Martha Kearney, which is nicely inexplicable) but the "political satire" is utterly unfunny - more focused on nerdy stuff playing around with TV technology, which is very well done, but isn't a joke. The Blair satire is if anything too mild - let's have him executed live on TV. And why would the weather forecast use real blood in its logos?

It is briefly amusing seeing very young Mark Watson and Richard Ayoade. Even if Ayoade's monotone isn't any funnier than the rest of it.

Cuellar

I really liked it. Never really for the 'satire' such as it was, more for the silliness. Like green screening all the glasses into Eastenders. It's contributed lots of comedy earworms to my interior monologue too:

-The Cilla autopsy, 'Surprise surprise!...It's an ovarian cyst'
-War on terror, 'All this terror, this wretched terror'
-Processed swearing Gordon Ramsay flesh, 'who wants a cutlet that shouts out "your mother's a cocksucker"?'
-Alastair Campbell talking about Blair 'holding his hands in front of his tits like that'

Tikwid

Time Trumpet does often feel like the forgotten black sheep of this particular stratum of UK comedy, where media conventions are skewered with equal helpings of satire and surrealism, presented as an in-universe example of said media (see also The Day Today, Look Around You, The Framley Examiner, Broken News, even something like A Year in the Life of a Year). Of course the satirical aspect of TT wasn't quite as cutting as something like TDT, but I still feel it had enough of a streak of contempt running through to avoid getting too complacent. I still sometimes quote to myself the muttering, haggard Blair of the future, wandering around the streets of Baghdad: "move down the bendy bus....have your money ready please"

Ignatius_S

It was patchy, but by the nature of a sketch-based format, that's not exactly unexpected or unusual - however, there was plenty of good stuff and from what I remember, some material was excellent. Personally, I feel it was a concept it is hard to execute well, but they did a very decent job.

As to not hearing about it much, I don't think it was repeated and very little commercial availability, so that's not surprising - also, a lot of work or creative people don't remain in the public consciousness, even if they deserve to.

Ignatius_S

Quote from: dissolute ocelot on September 09, 2021, 12:39:37 PM
I just read this. I watched a bit of it when it aired, being a fan of Armando back then, but couldn't really tell you much about it.

Lots of it is on YouTube, e.g. episode 1, which I've revisited.

Thanks for the mention about that - will have to watch again

Ferris

I liked it. Not seen it in years (and there were a few bits that just didn't work from memory) but it was worth it for future Adam Buxton's talking head bits. Lots of great material in there, and I like silliness for the sake of it so I was always primed to enjoy it.


Cuellar

Yeah I really liked some of the talking head performances. Buxton was always good. His little wistful smile and laugh after 'Stew...the man who fell into the vat of acid' makes me laugh:

https://youtu.be/GObMCX1-7ow?t=1248

Shoulders?-Stomach!

For added context of my involvement, it's more shock anyone considers this a great work than my thinking it was awful. It isn't awful, nor irredeemable.

Jittlebags

I thought the Venezuela skit was hilarious.

imitationleather


Jerzy Bondov

The way the donkey goes 'NO! Monkey's tired' has stuck with me

Rizla

I loved it, for the most part. It's the missing link between The Armano Iannucci Shows and TDT. Mothercare, Tesco's war against Denmark, Beckham''s arm vagina. The casting of the celebs as oldies was phenomenal, Alastair Campbell and Jamie Oliver in particular. The bit about Blair and Brown's leadership battle I remember being a bit meh, but they made up for it with rape-an-ape. "He's smiling!"

neveragain

It was much more variable in quality than The Armando Iannucci Shows (due to the larger pool of writers perhaps) but still contained a lot of Armando magic, which these days is in short supply.

It was all over the place in terms of tone and quality, but when it got something right it was fantastic.

It's basically H.S. Art: The TV Show.

Ted-Maul

Quote from: Ted-Maul on August 04, 2006, 01:23:49 PM
I legged it home from the pub at 9:50 to watch this and got there just as the announcers 'inspired' intro was on.       

It might not be the best thing Armando has ever done, and it may not be the funniest show of this type ever to be made, but at least he's willing to try and make this sort of series. So i am willing to try and watch it next week...although im not willing to run away the pub again.

My first ever post on CaB and the only reason I remember this show. It turned out it was shit and if I could time travel I'd advise myself to stay in the Jawbone.

But even if it's not shit, it's certainly not a cult TV show. The idea is laughable.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

So this is a self-indulgent article potentially trying to arselick an important British comedy figure as well as make Time Trumpet happen as a retrospective thing?

Mobius

I enjoyed Time Trumpet, lots of funny sketches and enjoyed seeing many of my comedy favourites at the time doing talking heads. I've rewatched it a few times and it's got a lot of of laughs.

PlanktonSideburns


Shoulders?-Stomach!


DrGreggles

I remember a bit about Tim Henman making me laugh, but it was pretty disappointing overall.

robhug

was it time trumpet that had that sketch where a group of asian blokes in a cockpit are goofing around doing a group selfie with daft grins and peace signs before the twin towers hones into view

MojoJojo

I really liked "Clinton: My Struggle With Dirt", so ended up extra disappointed by Time Trumpet.

(I half watched CMSWD last night, and still quite like it, although it's obviously aged badly)

BeardFaceMan

Haven't seen this for a long time but I remember it being better than the similar 2004 - The Stupid Version.

ishantbekeepingit

My mum said I wasn't allowed to watch any more after I started singing along to the Rape An Ape theme tune.

purlieu

I always struggled with it, felt like it was pushing into silly edgelord stuff a bit too much. I really should revisit it at some point as it's a huge gap in my Iannucci knowledge, but I definitely only watched a couple before thinking I couldn't be arsed with it.

Pink Gregory

Quote from: ishantbekeepingit on September 10, 2021, 05:05:10 PM
My mum said I wasn't allowed to watch any more after I started singing along to the Rape An Ape theme tune.
"down in the jungle where the celebrities dwell..."

Avril Lavigne

Quote from: Huxleys Babkins on September 09, 2021, 03:46:25 PM
It's basically H.S. Art: The TV Show.

Quote from: purlieu on September 10, 2021, 05:52:44 PM
I always struggled with it, felt like it was pushing into silly edgelord stuff a bit too much.

Pauline Walnuts

Quote from: dissolute ocelot on September 09, 2021, 12:39:37 PM
I just read this. I watched a bit of it when it aired, being a fan of Armando back then, but couldn't really tell you much about it.

Lots of it is on YouTube, e.g. episode 1, which I've revisited.


I think I had it on DVD, never quite got around to watching it, and ended up selling it unopened on eBay.

It was around that time that DVD were really cheap, coming in from the Channel Islands VAT free.

There you go, Armando, there's a joke for your series, DVD were cheap in the early 21st century. Get it? It's funny cuz it was true! lol.