Mrs Browns Boys - Why doesn't it make me laugh?
Discussion
Eric Mc said:
Johnnytheboy said:
Why not just not post instead of repeatedly posting to say how above it you are?
Above what?MBB?
You really ARE missing the point.
If people want to discuss something they can; telling them in a weary, schoolmasterish tone that they shouldn't bother is just as pointless as the supposedly lowbrow bickering you're trying to stop.
Just don't post in discussions you don't like. Works for me!
Edited by Johnnytheboy on Monday 30th December 08:08
not a fan but understand the appeal, of course it's not edgy / new. but to me the guy came across well in this interview-
Harder to refute is the allegation that O'Carroll uses a lot of second-hand jokes – but then, disarmingly, he doesn't even try. "I have absolutely no problem recycling old gags," he tells me. "The old is new if it hasn't been seen for a long time. And y'know, every time we have a new child, we tell them the same fairytales we were told when we were kids. And they sound great!" You can tell O'Carroll till you're hoarse that Mrs Brown's Boys is backwards-looking, full of whiskery gags and a bit coarse in its stereotyping. He professes to care not a jot. "Who gives a f
k?" he says. "It is what it is. There are people who will love it, and people who won't."
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/jan/2...
Harder to refute is the allegation that O'Carroll uses a lot of second-hand jokes – but then, disarmingly, he doesn't even try. "I have absolutely no problem recycling old gags," he tells me. "The old is new if it hasn't been seen for a long time. And y'know, every time we have a new child, we tell them the same fairytales we were told when we were kids. And they sound great!" You can tell O'Carroll till you're hoarse that Mrs Brown's Boys is backwards-looking, full of whiskery gags and a bit coarse in its stereotyping. He professes to care not a jot. "Who gives a f
k?" he says. "It is what it is. There are people who will love it, and people who won't."http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/jan/2...
Kinky said:
I'm tempted to start a mirror thread, with the only difference being that I'd replace MBB with Open All Hours, or Birds of a Feather, or somesuch drivel and tripe.
It's rare that I agree with Eric, but today I do
I think MBB is one of the funniest programmes on TV at the moment. I also find the IT crowd funny, along with Father Ted. Although there is an obvious common theme there, it does not apply across the board .... I did not find London Irish funny, nor Count Arthur Strong (Sorry Glinner).
I also don't see the humour in The Office, nor Extras. In my book, I think that Blackadder was the last great british comedy series on TV.
Jimmy carr is dull, Jack Hall is a knob, but Rich Hall is hilarious.
Go figure
It's rare that I agree with Eric, but today I do
I think MBB is one of the funniest programmes on TV at the moment. I also find the IT crowd funny, along with Father Ted. Although there is an obvious common theme there, it does not apply across the board .... I did not find London Irish funny, nor Count Arthur Strong (Sorry Glinner).
I also don't see the humour in The Office, nor Extras. In my book, I think that Blackadder was the last great british comedy series on TV.
Jimmy carr is dull, Jack Hall is a knob, but Rich Hall is hilarious.
Go figure
Hear Hear HEAR!!!Watched the New Year's Eve show last night and found it very funny in places. The ad lib bits are the best where the cast miss their lines or in last night's episode one of their phones went off mid show. Some of the jokes are old and hackneyed but I still find them enjoyable. There are a lot worse shows than this on tv at present.
PHmember said:
I cringe whenever I hear someone utter 'But Mammy' for the umpteenth time per episode. It's a terrible show & I genuinely judge the intellect of people who like it.
That's ridiculous. You don't have to be bright to enjoy MBB. It's funny on many different levels and appeals to a broad spectrum of society. e21Mark said:
I never got why they constantly show the bit of Only Fools & Horses when Den falls over in the bar? Is it really so funny?
I think the beauty of that tiny clip, is that it works as a very small stand alone segment. It is something that most people can connect to also. Who hasn't ended up looking like a tool when trying to flirt with someone! Or the flip side, who hasn't witnessed someone embarrassing themselves whilst trying to look all cool? It's inoffensive, ageless, non sexist and is a visual joke, so is not even limited by language.A lot of comedy is disposable with a really short shelf-life, for example, I used to find The Fast Show, really funny at the time, but I expect if I was to watch it again now, it would leave me cold. But the sight of John Cleese bashing an Austin 1100 with a branch will still make me chuckle on my death bed I reckon!
Pistom said:
Much of MBB is "in your face" humour which is not funny. I didn't realise some thought that is what was supposed to be funny. The humour that makes me smile and laugh is at a level far deeper than that. I can understand if people just take MBB at surface value and don't get the subtlety of the entire show proclaiming its crap.
I feel like I've missed something. What is the 'far deeper' comedy in the show?
budgie smuggler said:
I feel like I've missed something. What is the 'far deeper' comedy in the show?
Dissecting comedy is very difficult. The fact that some people find ordinary situations funny demonstrates that even the ordinary can have comedic value. With MBB, some of the actors are particularly skilled at consciously using body language to bring humour to a situation. They do it so well that most people don't even know why they find a situation funny. Equally if you see something that you think is trying to be funny but you know shouldn't be, your brain is telling you "this is crap" but then when you unconsciously recognise humour, you can't help recognise it but your brain wants to block that out.
What makes MBB stand out so much is how well it has transitioned from radio to TV as on radio, there was no opportunity to use body language but in moving it to the visual format, the writers have managed to make the most of the medium.
If you take the scene where Grandad had sucked all the chocolate off the nuts. That joke is as old as the hills and was very predictable. What made it funny rather than cringeworthy was the reaction by Hilary. These days nobody would laugh at the chocolate nuts scenario but the acting is that made it.
The best example I can remember of this was when The Royal Family was first run. My wife would sit there saying "this is crap, this is crap", next moment she'd stifle a laugh. Her brain was telling her it was rubbish but on a deeper level, she recognised the comedic value.
Series like Fawlty Towers were far more reliant on contrived story lines and eccentric characters (although I don't remember any men dressed as women in that).
I would say that if someone doesn't like MBB or doesn't understand the humour, watch something else. Leave those of us who appreciate well written and acted comedy in our ignorant bliss.
Pistom said:
I would say that if someone doesn't like MBB or doesn't understand the humour, watch something else. Leave those of us who appreciate well written and acted comedy in our ignorant bliss.
The OP was only trying to understand why it is so popular when he doesn't find it funny himself?I've never watched more than a minute of it, are you saying that it is intelligent high-brow humour? From the clips I've seen, I would never have guessed.
mildmannered said:
The OP was only trying to understand why it is so popular when he doesn't find it funny himself?
I've never watched more than a minute of it, are you saying that it is intelligent high-brow humour? From the clips I've seen, I would never have guessed.
MBB appears to appeal to different people on different levels. I find most good comedy is intelligent but some don't find intelligent humour funny at all.I've never watched more than a minute of it, are you saying that it is intelligent high-brow humour? From the clips I've seen, I would never have guessed.
I think what I'm trying to say is that there is little point in questioning whether something is funny. If it is drawing in 10M+ viewers then surely the BBC are doing their job well.
If I have said anything to suggest that I think MBB is "high brow" then I take it back. Some find it funny because it has a very simple element to it. Some because of the creative ability of both the writers and the actors. Some hate it as they can only see an intelligence insulting waste of licence payers money.
Eric Mc said:
Pistom said:
Dissecting comedy is very difficult.
And pointless.If a joke needs explaining to someone, they aren't suddenly going to find it funny.
I don't understand Keith Lemon humour. Many people find him funny but I just don't get it. People have tried to explain it to me and I still don't get it but I try to deride anyone who does.
Gassing Station | TV, Film, Video Streaming & Radio | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff