People getting bullied on a panel show ...

[Ray Travez]

I don't think Simon Amstell is a prick.

Rewatched When Louis Met... Chris Eubank a few months back, which has a segment showing the abuse he got on They Think It's All Over. Now that's a nasty bit of television. Deeply unpleasant.

[Twonty Gostelow]

Bill Bailey says it isn't nasty

There is only one thing about comedy that might discomfit Bailey, I would imagine, and that is its careless cruelty. He says he does not warm to it. Like the major key in music, it is too direct.

"If you start wanting to shoot people, you'll find targets. Knock them down. That's fine. That's a big part of comedy. I'm not averse to that, but I think if you're going to pick targets, they have to be powerful, not people who have no voice."

Not somebody who creeps in late to a gig?

"No, exactly. That's right."

Or Dominic Raab, fired from the Foreign Office, for allegedly paddle-boarding in Crete as Kabul fell. (I present him this hard case because paddle-boarding along the Thames is among Bailey's top recreations.) "Don't knock paddle-boarding. If you've tried it, you'd understand why you wouldn't want to get off the board for anything."

Nevertheless, for six years he was a team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, a notoriously vicious panel game that targeted musicians. Was he cruel on that show?

"Well, I don't think I was. I say that now. You'll probably find some YouTube clip of me berating someone, but I think it had that reputation unfairly. Real musicians were always celebrated, always championed. Martha Reeves, Jimmy Cliff, these were the heroes we worshipped on the show. Those who were pretenders, people who were not real musicians, whatever that means, were rightly pilloried and egos were punctured and maybe bruised. That was the nature of the show."

[bgmnts]

Did Vic and Bob bully Mark LaMarr on Shooting Stars?

[Jerzy Bondov]

I'd love to get bullied by Vic and Bob, it would be hilarious

[PammySpacek]

To be serious, I don't think Vic and Bob bullied Lamarr - he either sarkily rebuffed what was thrown at him or found it amusing. If anything, Lamarr could be the source of trouble on Shooting Stars as well as NMTB. There's one bit on an early edition of Shooting Stars where Reg Presley of The Troggs is on, and Lamarr starts suddenly loudly mocking Reg's belief in UFOs. Bob had to step in and defuse the situation with a daft comment.

But I do think Bob on occasion went too far with Ulrika, to the point where I find myself genuinely cringing watching some moments back. He doesn't actually hate her or anything, but he got way too carried away sometimes. It makes me think of that anecdote he told where he upset half a wedding reception with his best man's speech and everyone nearly kicked off.

[Pauline Walnuts]

"Well, I don't think I was. I say that now. You'll probably find some YouTube clip of me berating someone, but I think it had that reputation unfairly. Real musicians were always celebrated, always championed. Martha Reeves, Jimmy Cliff, these were the heroes we worshipped on the show. Those who were pretenders, people who were not real musicians, whatever that means, were rightly pilloried and egos were punctured and maybe bruised. That was the nature of the show."

I used to hate that Never Mind the Buzzcock worshiping of real musicians playing real music on real instruments in the golden olden tymes, which is so much better than anything.

Hey kids, one day we'll tell you about the real stuff when we think you can handle the brilliance of the real music played on blah blah  from when I was young

[madhair60]

Those who were pretenders, people who were not real musicians, whatever that means,

huh? what do you mean "whatever that means", you thick cunt. you're the one saying it!

[The Crumb]

To be serious, I don't think Vic and Bob bullied Lamarr - he either sarkily rebuffed what was thrown at him or found it amusing. If anything, Lamarr could be the source of trouble on Shooting Stars as well as NMTB. There's one bit on an early edition of Shooting Stars where Reg Presley of The Troggs is on, and Lamarr starts suddenly loudly mocking Reg's belief in UFOs. Bob had to step in and defuse the situation with a daft comment.

But I do think Bob on occasion went too far with Ulrika, to the point where I find myself genuinely cringing watching some moments back. He doesn't actually hate her or anything, but he got way too carried away sometimes. It makes me think of that anecdote he told where he upset half a wedding reception with his best man's speech and everyone nearly kicked off.

It doesn't necessarily mean it was bullying, but I remember something with Lamarr saying being forced into that role made him actually grumpy, and he didn't really enjoy working on the show after that.

Agree with the Ulrika stuff being a bit rum in hindsight. One of those things where perhaps the person dishing it out thinks it's all good fun and just ribbing, but looks pretty dodgy from the outside and is all one way. Bob's book, for all his accounts of being the shy retiring sort, makes it sound like he was pretty into the loutish side of 90s celebrity.

[Dusty Substance]

Not an example of bullying, and not even a panel show, but anyone else remember an episode of Vic Reeves' Big Night Out where there seemed to be some tension between Vic & Bob? It's been ages since I last watched the series but I recall one episode where something just didn't seem quite right between the two of them - IIRC, Bob kept calling Vic 'Slim' in the episode.

[Jackson K Pollock]

Not an example of bullying, and not even a panel show, but anyone else remember an episode of Vic Reeves' Big Night Out where there seemed to be some tension between Vic & Bob? It's been ages since I last watched the series but I recall one episode where something just didn't seem quite right between the two of them - IIRC, Bob kept calling Vic 'Slim' in the episode.

Not sure about that, but I do remember the episode of Smell Of Reeves & Mortimer where something was clearly not right between them - to the extent that after one wisecrack too many, Vic absolutely laid into Bob with an oversized frying pan.

Haven't been able to track down the clip online, but the violence has stayed with me.

[AsparagusTrevor]

I remember on Big Night Out they'd often accuse each other of being a 'lying get', I wonder if that's related to any animosity between the two.

[JaDanketies]

I watched a Simon Amstell stand-up and thought it was very clever, poignant and vulnerable. Cool dude imo

[Tony Yeboah]

I remember when Bob put a bucket on Vic's head and bashed the bucket with a hammer with such force that Vic's head was molded into the shape of the bucket. I've always sensed a bit of friction between the duo since then.

[shoulders]

Definitely trust the opinion of the guy who has only seen Amstell in one thing (in which he adopted a persona to help himself and the audience follow on from the often brutal Mark Lamarr).

[BeardFaceMan]

Definitely trust the opinion of the guy who has only seen Amstell in one thing (in which he adopted a persona to help himself and the audience follow on from the often brutal Mark Lamarr).

Amstell was doing that shtick on Popworld before he got the Buzzcoks gig, in fact that's why he got it. So, no.

[shoulders]

Anyway, my opinion is that British pop culture is incredibly incestuous and revolves around back slapping and favours, false modesty and fake relationships based on career preservation only.

So is America, but there is enough space out there that a comedian can be fearless and the audience and guests have to be prepared for what's coming. The culture is more based on calling out arseholes but also being able to take it.

For a while in the 80s and 90s it looked like we had found a bit of that until interest in UK based music sagged and the agencies consolidated all the talent to the extent they had most comedians balls in a vice.

When you hear a comedian slagging off a comedian now it is usually someone who they are not connected with and not on the same circuit.

[shoulders]

Amstell was doing that shtick on Popworld before he got the Buzzcoks gig, in fact that's why he got it. So, no.

And you recognise it is an act. But not that he was clearly influenced by Lamarr (and Morris)?

[BeardFaceMan]

And you recognise it is an act. But not that he was clearly influenced by Lamarr (and Morris)?

You didn't say he was influenced by Lamarr, you said he adopted that persona to fit in as host of Buzzcocks, which is clearly nonsense, he'd been doing it for a while. And as I've not seen an awful lot of him outside of Buzzcocks, no, I don't recognise it as an act or persona, for all I know, that's what he was like.

[Ray Travez]

Amstell on Popworld was poking fun; most of it is silliness, mockery of the vacuousness of the showbusiness industry, the conventions of the interview process and so on.

[AllisonSays]

Grandma's House is a genuine masterpiece and Amstell is a clever, thoughtful guy who is also a bit of a prick, probably. The world is complex!

[JarrowMonkey]

Almost any Buzzcocks episode from the Amstell and Lamarr days.

It's strange watching old episodes now where the vitriol would seem out of place and a bit uncomfortable on today's panel shows. Most people I feel took it in good humour (bar obviously exceptions like Preston) and it produced some genuinely funny moments but obviously bits like the line-up was cruel and nasty even for back then.

That being said, when Amstell laid bare Noel Fielding's flimsy whimsy for all that it is/was was a particular highlight for me;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWmNTtJ-OPI

Yeah that was some burn, Fielding was needing some Savlon, Amstell might as well called him a blooming ruddy bloody fool

[JesusAndYourBush]

Donny Tourette took his ribbing from Amstell well too.

I caught a bit of one of those awful cheap talking heads "tv's worst (whatever)" shows the other day and they were showing a clip on Donny Tourette on Buzzcocks.  I know nothing about him but he struck me as a quite ordinary person trying to be some sort of wacky bad boy but totally failing. Amstell didn't need to do much to make him look stupid, he was doing it himself.

[Ray Travez]

Did he ever actually dick on the Sex Pistols?

[Chollis]

I caught a bit of one of those awful cheap talking heads "tv's worst (whatever)" shows the other day and they were showing a clip on Donny Tourette on Buzzcocks.  I know nothing about him but he struck me as a quite ordinary person trying to be some sort of wacky bad boy but totally failing. Amstell didn't need to do much to make him look stupid, he was doing it himself.

a cigarette!? that you can legally buy in shops?!

[sutin]

Not the first time it's been mentioned on here that Amstell had a post-Buzzcocks sitcom which, bizarrely, seems to be pretty well liked. I'm not sure I could bear to look at his smug face long enough to make up my own opinion though.

I had to google 'Popworld' and i'm pretty shocked to learn he was on TV so much pre-Buzzcocks. Never knew this show existed, but I was almost definitely asleep every time it was on.

[oggyraiding]

Grandma's House is worth it just for James Smith's performance. The worst thing about the show is Amstell himself, though he seemed aware he was shit so that makes it okay.

[turnstyle]

Amstell's and Oliver's presence on Popworld is easy to overlook these days, but having two cynical presenters fronting a pop show was pretty bold.

Was enjoyable to watch them take down manufacturered pop bands with a wink and a nod to the viewer. Yes maybe it was a bit harsh, but the targets were mainly pop bands out together by moguls to drain kids of their pocket money. Fair enough I reckon.

Also, put me down as another person who enjoyed Grandma's House. Cheers. 

[Catalogue of ills]

I watched a Simon Amstell stand-up and thought it was very clever, poignant and vulnerable. Cool dude imo

I also like him. His stand-up was always about what a mess his head was, and after Buzzcocks he went on an Ayahuasca retreat which rewired his brain and allowed him to lose a lot of his fear and (self) loathing. I think he'd be the first to admit his earlier self was driven by his massive insecurity. He's also very funny, imo.

[Ambient Sheep]

Just another voice to say that Grandma's House is excellent and well worth a watch.

[gilbertharding]

Amstell on Popworld was poking fun; most of it is silliness, mockery of the vacuousness of the showbusiness industry, the conventions of the interview process and so on.

Yeah - basically exactly what Smash Hits was doing twenty years previously, but on telly. The grand tradition.