Iain Lee talks about the 11 O’Clock Show

[Ham Bap]

It lives entirely in the wake of Brass Eye - I think the 11OCS really was the most immediate and wrongheaded next move from Talkback and C4. All they've gleaned from BE is 'hey, Chris Morris wound some people up and was a bit rude, C4 is our sweet shop where we can all do that now'.

I mean it's in the form of 'a topical comedy show' for a start, which had long been a known codeword for 'a load of thrown-together shit'.

Iain Lee has said that. He/they wanted to turn him into Chris Morris.
He's always been regretful of how he acted though.

[the]

Iain Lee has said that. He/they wanted to turn him into Chris Morris.
He's always been regretful of how he acted though.

I was talking more of the whole attitude behind the show, not just him.

[A Hat Like That]

I just looked. There are 144 episodes of The 11 O'Clock Show. I guess some are from that final series Iain Lee wasn't in, but still!

actual desolation.

[Jockice]

i literally can't remember anything about that show apart from Ali G. And a mate of mine going on about how Daisy Donovan had 'mad eyes.'

[Thursday]

The more I think about the tone of the humour on T11OCS the more I feel pissed off that it was broadcast. It really represents how bad and lazy Channel 4 comedy got from '98 onwards.

This has set me down the path of remembering the existence of Balls of Steel and Mark Dolan.

Ugh.

[imitationleather]

Okay, okay. I just watched about half of the second one.

When he's talking about the experience of going from the dole to being on telly that is very interesting and I will eat all that up. He comes across as being like someone from here suddenly, through unlikely circumstances, fronting a Channel 4 programme and finding he's very out of his depth. He's good at describing how it was back then and I think anyone who has ever felt like they are chancing it or is prone to being anxious will identify.

However, when he's actually watching the episode and commenting on the quality of the comedy I'm finding it a bit tedious. I'm not expecting him to say the entire show is dreadful and unworthy of being watched by anyone ever as it's the biggest thing he's been involved in and so he no doubt needs to think that some of it was decent (although I probably would agree with him if he did dismiss the entire thing as shite), but him laughing hysterically at every single gag that comes close to landing, explaining that it was a good joke and then rewinding it and playing it again was proper getting to me. I dunno, maybe this is what his radio show is like too and I'm just not appreciating his style.

The comparisons to Brass Eye just highlight how no budget and uninspired it is, and the mention of Dom Joly gives me horrible feelings of melancholy. Proper "Antiques Roadshow round at my Nan's and I've not done tomorrow's homework again" stuff.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Odd behaviour that perversely becomes fine so long as others are invited to watch. Pre-internet you can imagine him gradually wearing out his VHS tapes of the show for weeks on end alone in a wank attic.

[idunnosomename]

i literally can't remember anything about that show apart from Ali G. And a mate of mine going on about how Daisy Donovan had 'mad eyes.'

ricky gervais

[Sebastian Cobb]

i literally can't remember anything about that show apart from Ali G. And a mate of mine going on about how Daisy Donovan had 'mad eyes.'

Ironic she got replaced by Sarah Alexander then.

[Jockice]

ricky gervais

Honestly, I have absolutely no recollection of him being on it.

[Jockice]

Ironic she got replaced by Sarah Alexander then.

And then she got replaced by Marty Feldman.

[Operty1]

Honestly, I have absolutely no recollection of him being on it.

I had no recollection of Rich Hall and Simon Greenall being on it.

Or Brendon Burns

Or Fred MacAulay

[Sebastian Cobb]

Interesting how in this thread the producers of this are seen as lazy and having contempt for the audience, but when Lee was on Herring's RHLSTP, Herring admitted the reason they used to rib Lee on TMWRNJ was because how jealous they were of a production team that gave a shit, contrast to the BBC who fucked around with the schedules, dropped repeats, perpetually empty reserved audience seats for producers/managers etc.

[Dewt]

Interesting how in this thread the producers of this are seen as lazy and having contempt for the audience, but when Lee was on Herring's RHLSTP, Herring admitted the reason they used to rib Lee

He doesn't mean Stewart Lee in case you're having the same problem understanding this that I had

[Lost Oliver]

Can't help but like him after hating him for years. Really enjoyed the first of these and will be watching the rest. I really admire his honesty (and his love of Tommy Boyd).

[Replies From View]

explaining that it was a good joke and then rewinding it and playing it again was proper getting to me. I dunno, maybe this is what his radio show is like too and I'm just not appreciating his style.

I don't know his radio show but I'm fairly sure he's merely nicking a trope from Limmy here.  Have you seen Limmy's analyses of 3-2-1 with Ted Rogers?  It's exactly as if Iain Lee is simply imitating something that he doesn't fully appreciate.

Limmy's first video on 3-2-1:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Lh99XmcOr8


It's some mightily coincidental simultaneity otherwise, and without any evidence yet that Lee has ever had any of his own ideas or creativity it's easy to suspect he's just lifted this format.

[Replies From View]

He doesn't mean Stewart Lee in case you're having the same problem understanding this that I had

It's like that time Laurel and Hardy were on Fist of Fun and everyone was only referred to as L&H for a day.

[Lost Oliver]

He's been copying (might not be intentional) the way Limmy talks. That constant repitition of something when he wants to empathise a point. Anyway, it's annoying once you notice it.

[bgmnts]

He's been copying (might not be intentional) the way Limmy talks. That constant repitition of something when he wants to empathise a point. Anyway, it's annoying once you notice it.

Basically. Which is a bit desperate, maybe thats why I don't like him a bit, he's the Andy Dawson to Limmy's Bob Mortimer.

[idunnosomename]

Honestly, I have absolutely no recollection of him being on it.

fair enough, he was awful, and why I originally refused to watch The Office.

He had separately filmed segments that preceded the ad break as far as I recall

[idunnosomename]

Iain Wee

[Sebastian Cobb]

fair enough, he was awful, and why I originally refused to watch The Office.

He had separately filmed segments that preceded the ad break as far as I recall

They were a 'roving reporter' type thing but basically just a vehicle for him to tell edgy jokes. A 2nd rate Boyle.

The only one I remember is him saying he was been seen by a nurse and he asked her if her shampoo was called 'come to me', she said no, so he said 'well it smells like fuckin' cum to me, love, have a bath!'.

He then told the same jokes again in segments on his Channel 4 chat show that both Channel 4 and him are trying to pretend don't exist. You know the one, it had Uncle Albert's chair in it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meet_Ricky_Gervais

[Replies From View]

Series 1 Episode 2 up now

https://youtu.be/H_fDt7Oa-eQ

Hmm.  I'm not even ten minutes into the second episode yet and the repetition tells me only one episode was needed.  I've had my fill.

It's rude of me because there are plenty of comedy groups I'll gladly hear the history of over and over again in different configurations.  I just never perceived Iain Lee and the 11 O'Clock Show to be anything more than a very shit imitative merging of The Day Today and Trigger Happy TV by tedious 'edgelords' (though that term didn't exist yet, that kind of 'humour' was already rife) rather than creative people.

[up_the_hampipe]

I appreciate how forthcoming Lee is about his shitty behaviour back then, and how he seemed to fall out with everyone on the show. He seemed like a real tool back then, not sure how much better he is now but he seems more mature.

[Replies From View]

Well it's a bit "I'm going to spill the beans and give out all the gossip" in nature, isn't it.  So while on the surface it seems like he's matured and repentant, he's largely just admitting how stuff isn't appropriate anymore that seemed fine in the 90s; he's distancing himself from those views but he's often sidestepping his own responsibility by saying he was inexperienced (he didn't know better because he was young) and misguided (other people's fault).

[bgmnts]

And "the producers made me do it"

Hate this cunt now.

[the]

He's being candid about stuff but TBH he is also insisting that a lot of stuff is funny when it's really weak piddle that comes from a really obvious, pointless, imitative place. I understand that revisiting something you did in your twenties is going to burn more brightly for you personally (if you enjoyed being involved with it), but c'mon.

[Replies From View]

And "the producers made me do it"

Hate this cunt now.

When discussing the first episode he said he was told to do a Chris Morris impression/rip-off.

Given that he can nowadays be defined as doing a continuous Limmy impression/rip-off (albeit perhaps not consciously), I think it's clear where his limitations lie.  I just don't believe he was given so little control over his own 'character'; I think he just regrets how obvious his Morris-channelling was.

[up_the_hampipe]

Well it's a bit "I'm going to spill the beans and give out all the gossip" in nature, isn't it.  So while on the surface it seems like he's matured and repentant, he's largely just admitting how stuff isn't appropriate anymore that seemed fine in the 90s; he's distancing himself from those views but he's often sidestepping his own responsibility by saying he was inexperienced (he didn't know better because he was young) and misguided (other people's fault).

I'm not really talking about the material in the show, more about how he treated people. Although he does use cocaine as an excuse a fair bit.

When discussing the first episode he said he was told to do a Chris Morris impression/rip-off.

Given that he's now (perhaps only subconsciously) doing a Limmy impression/rip-off, I just don't believe he was given so little control over his own 'character'.

He said he wanted to be like Chris Morris and that the producers wanted to make a Chris Morris type show, he doesn't blame them for making him be that way.

[Replies From View]

He said he wanted to be like Chris Morris and that the producers wanted to make a Chris Morris type show, he doesn't blame them for making him be that way.

I wish I could find the exact moment in the first episode I'm talking about, but I don't want to watch it again.  I'm sure he said he was told to impersonate Morris.