It's Take the Piss Out of the Latest Comedy Lab Time!

[Uncle_Z]

Second was probably not worth you sticking with then (you'll be relieved to hear)- it did not turn into a magical laugh riot at half time, but like I say, it kept my attention.  Might just have been the odd pacing that appealed to me I suppose.  It "felt" a bit like Alexei Sayle's 'Itch, which I loved but could not really explain why.  (Comedy dissection is not my pianoforte).  It was deliberately laboured so as not to draw you in too much.... feh I give up.

Perhaps I should see more sixth former's plays.

[Jemble Fred]

I too went against the habit of a lifetime and gave up after ten minutes of The Chancers last night. I'm usually sad enough to get through them, just to slag them off on here, but if something is so patently not comedy, why bother? I took a look at the description of the second show, and could tell that that wouldn't even attempt a laugh either. Had a lovely kip instead.

So the only thing in this year's Comedy Lab that seemed unashamed to call itself COMEDY  was the Russell Brand thing. And that was awful.

[NobodyGetsOutAlive]

Caught one of these for the first time last night, Tracey and I. What the fuck was that all about? I really don't know what I can offer that hasn't alredy been said, but really, where the fuck was the humour? And yeah, seeinf Michael from IAP's name in the credits was really fucking bleak. Interesting to notice that only one advert was played between parts 1 and 2 of the show. At least some people have the right idea.

[Morrisfan82]

Oh, that's a point: does anyone who watched it know what kind of voice synthesizer they used for the old woman? It sounded fucking sweet.

It was Simon Greenall off of I'm Alan Partridge!

...come again? You mean it was his voice?

It didn't sound like a vocoder...

ANYWAY, yeh, I'm interested to know: will any of you peeps be thinking of putting something together & trying your luck? I'm almost tempted to believe that the low quality of this run was a conspiracy to get more people with decent stuff motivated enough to 'bring it on', so to speak (wishful thinking I know, it was most likely just shite full stop).

But surely some of you guys write a lot of stuff & have a minimum of techknow-how in order to put a pilot together?

I have a little nest of ideas for a programme which one day I hope to put together, the main trouble being it's very edit-heavy / high-density (for it to come to fruition a big investment in equipment & time will be needed on my part, and I'm generally notoriously slack & poor), plus in it's embryonic state I can't say that it's outwardly comedic either...

(insert "You start on Monday!"-style gag here)

But funny people, don't tell me you've never thought about it...?

[Jemble Fred]

Well, I'm a bit preoccupied, between earning money and working to get a show on Radio 4... But if what's required is getting a script to Channel 4 in the next ten months or something, I'm so game I'm positively grouse.

[Jed Maxwell]

aken from C4 comedy forum:

___________________________________________________________
   Channel4 Forums    Comedy Zone    Russell Brand  

Pink_Skab
New Member posted 23-02-04 19:49

"Russell Brand is the sexiest man alive.

I laughed so much watching him, a bit of wee may have popped out.

Does he have a site? I asked Jeeves but he bamboozled me."

_____________________________________________________________

...jesus.

[Half Hearted]

I think I'm right in thinking that Comedy Lab doesn't really look for scripts so much as the whole package. ie: They really want submissions from production companies rather than individual writers or performers.

I quite liked "Tracy and I", but maybe that's only because the previous six were so painful.

[Jemble Fred]

I think I'm right in thinking that Comedy Lab doesn't really look for scripts so much as the whole package. ie: They really want submissions from production companies rather than individual writers or performers.

Ah. Well that goes some way towards explaining why it's been the most despicable waste of everyone's time, if they only accept submissions from some Nathan Barley with time to waste. The entire strand is flawed right from the off.

[Morrisfan82]

This is all I could find from the perpetually-unhelpful C4 site (in PDF format, no less), in relation to a previous series of Comedy Lab:

COMEDY LAB 2003

Channel 4's Entertainment Department is looking for submissions
for the 6th series of Comedy Lab, which will be broadcast in
Autumn/Winter 2003.

Comedy Lab gives new performers, writers, directors and producers
the chance to gain valuable television experience. It has also
spawned successful, innovative series, such as Trigger Happy TV,
Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights and The Richard Taylor Interviews.
The creative brief is necessarily broad. This is a genuine opportunity
to be adventurous, challenging and different. Stand-up comedy
per se is not something we're actively looking for... whereas an
innovative vehicle for an exciting new comic is. We're looking for
original approaches to traditional genres such as formatted shows,
narrative and broken comedy, as well as truly experimental pieces
from writers and performers whose work doesn't easily fit any of
the established entertainment strands.

The slot length is 30 minutes (which actually means 23:45) – but
we are very happy to commission 11/12 minute programmes to
accommodate ideas which wouldn't sustain the full half hour.
Money will be allocated on the basis of sensible, realistic budgets.
There is not a fixed price for the slot – each programme will be
financed according to its needs. Bear in mind that this is not the
place for extensive foreign travel, elaborate sets and a cast of
thousands. It would be wise to discuss budgetary requirements
at the earliest possible stage in order to avoid disappointment and
to think around any problems in a constructive way.

Ideally, projects will be submitted via a production company.
If, as a writer or performer, you don't feel you have the necessary
contacts to take this route, please feel free to submit direct to us,
and if we are keen on the idea, we will work together with you to
find the right production company for your project.

Please note, that due to the sheer volume of submissions, we will
not be accepting proposals via email.

Please submit your ideas to:
Comedy Lab
c/o Iain Morris & Robert Popper
Entertainment Department
Channel Four
124 Horseferry Road
London
SW1P 2TX

FYI, the page I found it on is here.

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

That thing about the bunch of Indian lads had some charm, but wasn't that amusing, really.

Baynham's bits on FoF are amazing; at first it appears to be all "eurrgh"-style laughs, but I think the character is more about the sad single bloke cliches (they eat microwave meals and never wash their clothes, ha ha! Hello, Jeff Green)taken to extrememely ludicrous, surreal lengths. Also, the character appears to be an innocent, discarded by the world, and he never really tackles any of the 'dark' subjects you can tick off a list when watching comedy these days (paedophilia, cancer, death - Baynham is gulity of these himself). The 'dead dog' example given above is very misleading - the character doesn't even really understand death (he makes a "Vallenteen's card" from an Ace of Hearts he finds "stuck to the hand of a cat that was lying very still in Balham High Road").

Oh, and when Peter "goes old" it's truly a joyful sight to behold.,

[Paul Dee]

Well, all 8 new episodes are being shown this week (starting Tuesday)  so time for a bump. It looks as dismal as ever: some animation about a dog who talks about supermarket etiquette and Jimmy Saville, some shit with Alex Zane, something about a prison inmate embracing his new sexual orientation, a fake clip show about featuring fictitious shows which would generate loads of ocmplaints if they actually existed, a comedy about a telephone scammer and (stretching the definition of 'comedy' to the very limit) some street magic from that teenager from Bradford who was on Richard and Judy a few weeks ago.

[The Mumbler]

The Alex Zane one is produced by Stewart Williams, who was one of the writers on Balls of Steel.  Yes, Balls of Steel had writers.  It was a Your Show of Shows for the noughties.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

some animation about a dog who talks about supermarket etiquette and Jimmy Saville, some shit with Alex Zane, something about a prison inmate embracing his new sexual orientation, a fake clip show about featuring fictitious shows which would generate loads of ocmplaints if they actually existed, a comedy about a telephone scammer and (stretching the definition of 'comedy' to the very limit) some street magic from that teenager from Bradford who was on Richard and Judy a few weeks ago.

It would be great if all of that was in one show. And was a parody of Comedy Lab.

[neveragain]

I remember Mitchell and Webb did one of these that was quite enjoyable though not fabulous (some sort of sci-fi parody) aaand Jimmy Carr was first seen - by myself anyway - on a programme in this series which purported to take a sideways look at corporate videos and was, whether real or fictionalised, incredibly amusing. At the time anyway, I was bit depressed and not at all bored of Carr.

[Frinky]

I've been noticing that Fonejacker thing being trailed.

Lord help us, the Paul Rose fans are on Televsion now.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

'All these calls are real.'

Yeah, you don't fucking say.

[Jack Shaftoe]

'Wasting the real time of real people who were probably being really recorded by their real bosses which is why they have to put up with this, as they have to try and keep their real jobs that the braying fucking yahoos behind this pile of ghastly crap would probably never really understand in a week of real fucking Sundays.'

I'm guessing. I didn't actually watch it, obviously,

[1 big arm 1 little arm]

If those were the funniest calls they could've included then the ones that didn't make it must have been really fucking bad. Most of us did funnier prank calls than that in sixth form. None of the reactions were amusing in the slightest, it sounded like they'd done them in all in a day. I did like the Nigerian scammer though, the line at the end about being automated telephone banking in particular, I think it was the accent and the way he kept saying "monies"

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

It just reminded me of the Iannucci parody of prank calls:

'Hello, it's the zoo here, I'm afraid a rhino's escaped and it's gone in your garden.'
'Yes, who is this?'
'Um...'

'Ha ha, and we'll be bring that one out on a CD later...'

[chocky909]

Fantastic - I enjoyed the cruelty and timewasting the best. It obviously wasn't meant to be funny.

What did people think of the 'gay prison' one? I only set the timer for the first one.

[Lewis]

It just reminded me of the Iannucci parody of prank calls:

'Hello, it's the zoo here, I'm afraid a rhino's escaped and it's gone in your garden.'
'Yes, who is this?'
'Um...'

'Ha ha, and we'll be bring that one out on a CD later...'

'Are you the owner of the large brick car parked outside Broadcasting House?'
'You're through to British Telecom'
'Oh, I'm ever so sorry.. sorry.. bye'

'Ha ha, classic call!'

[Brutus Beefcake]

Fantastic - I enjoyed the cruelty and timewasting the best. It obviously wasn't meant to be funny.

But it's COMEDY Lab!

[Morgan]

Yeah, that phone call thing was simply appalling.  The fact he was returning to the godawful 'line cracking up' one within the first half of the pilot really doesn't bode well.  No doubt he'll get a series.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

What did people think of the 'gay prison' one? I only set the timer for the first one.

It was alright. My heart always sinks when Kim Wall turns up, though.

Fonejacker really pissed me off. There's two types of prank call - one where you make the victim sound stupid, and one where you use the victim as a straight foil for your own funny character. This seemed to fail on both counts - the calls were lame and the 'victims' just responded politely/reasonably. It was the Fonejacker bloke who ended up sounding stupid.

It had a horrible laddish tone to it as well, plus he included a 'surreal' one (with the mouse) to show his sensitive side.

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

My heart always sinks when Kim Wall turns up, though.

ILLTYD (FORKING A FOLD OF VEST INTO HIS MOUTH: Delicious, Gwynnedd! And very nourishing too. Vest have got Vitamins Llllllll, Ffffffff and Aaaaaaach in it.

DENZIL: Oh, I've had enough of all this Abergavenny.

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

Sometimes I forget comedy can be this bad.

[benthalo]

Sweet jesus christ. I was watching Noble & Silver earlier, and it seems like Hancock's Half Hour by comparison.

Does Sally James know any better? I can no longer tell.

[The Mumbler]

I actually can't receive Channel 4 on my digibox.  Just E4+1 and More4+1.  At times like this, it lifts my otherwise drooping spirits.

[Xander]

Sorry if I sound vague, but being a dirty student without a TV, I presume there was an Alex Zane random and KERAYZEEEEE  quiz show? I only ask because my ex-girlfriend from East -15 (please, no E-17 jokes)  was one of those that did the rehersals replacing real guests. She said the show was shit and Alex Zane was completely deviod of improvisation talents and personality. He was somewhat of a liability to the popularity of the show. Yet that one from Atomic Kitten was lovely. I know we all know he's a bit of a luvvie wanker, but now we have out of CnB confirmation.

Or is Alex Zane next week? It's all true, btw, just give it a week.

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

Super Hans playing Super Hans, there.