"Topical" Comedy on Radio 4

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Discussion

RC1807

12,534 posts

168 months

Wednesday 10th March 2021
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checkmate91 said:
Agreed, some of those others quoted (esp. Old Harry's Game and People Like Us) were superb. Replacing Nicholas Parsons on Just a Minute was always going to be difficult. They did fine with Jack Dee on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (and JD got it and does a great job) but who, reasonably, could replace NP?
Just a Minute was going to be the trickiest to replace NP, but they've done okaaaaaay so far (Nish aside as I just don't like his voice).

Nimby

4,591 posts

150 months

Thursday 6th May 2021
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New series of John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme starts tonight, 18:30.

Steve vRS

4,845 posts

241 months

Thursday 6th May 2021
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A Fair Cop is back too. That is quite funny.

Doofus

25,821 posts

173 months

Thursday 6th May 2021
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Nimby said:
New series of John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme starts tonight, 18:30.
Hmm.. Might need a little time to bed in, this one...

surveyor

17,825 posts

184 months

Thursday 6th May 2021
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Steve vRS said:
A Fair Cop is back too. That is quite funny.
Gonna hunt that out. Really enjoy those.

Blackpuddin

16,525 posts

205 months

Thursday 6th May 2021
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Doofus said:
Nimby said:
New series of John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme starts tonight, 18:30.
Hmm.. Might need a little time to bed in, this one...
It didn't pass my 'raise at least a smile in the first minute' test so I turned it off.

RizzoTheRat

25,166 posts

192 months

Friday 7th May 2021
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Steve vRS said:
A Fair Cop is back too. That is quite funny.
We "went" to an online recording of that a few weeks back, not one I'd head of before but not a bad show.

Silverage

2,034 posts

130 months

Friday 7th May 2021
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Nimby said:
New series of John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme starts tonight, 18:30.
Listened to the first half of this this morning. What on earth is going on? It used to be a series of clever / funny sketches. I’m not sure what it is now. Certainly not funny.

Nimby

4,591 posts

150 months

Friday 7th May 2021
quotequote all
Silverage said:
Nimby said:
New series of John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme starts tonight, 18:30.
Listened to the first half of this this morning. What on earth is going on? It used to be a series of clever / funny sketches. I’m not sure what it is now. Certainly not funny.
Yes I agree. Wish I hadn't posted now - so disappointing.

Doofus

25,821 posts

173 months

Friday 7th May 2021
quotequote all
Nimby said:
Silverage said:
Nimby said:
New series of John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme starts tonight, 18:30.
Listened to the first half of this this morning. What on earth is going on? It used to be a series of clever / funny sketches. I’m not sure what it is now. Certainly not funny.
Yes I agree. Wish I hadn't posted now - so disappointing.
I've always thought Finnemore had funny bones.

I fear he may have fallen down the stairs.

Silverage

2,034 posts

130 months

Friday 7th May 2021
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I got the impression he was trying to be too clever.

I didn’t get beyond whatever the recounting of certain moments from someone’s life told in reverse order was supposed to be so maybe it all turned round and was hilarious in the second part. I suspect not though.

K12beano

20,854 posts

275 months

Friday 7th May 2021
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RizzoTheRat said:
Steve vRS said:
A Fair Cop is back too. That is quite funny.
We "went" to an online recording of that a few weeks back, not one I'd head of before but not a bad show.
Ah - thanks for the heads up. A wonderful pairing to my walk earlier!

Having just about given up on most of R4, not just the usual woeful comedy deliverings, Alfie Moore is the exception to the rule!

Of course we all know that, on the whole, members of the constabulary - not unlike the dark humour found in other emergency services, and undertakers for probably obvious reasons - can be quite the wag. Fair Cop is a tremendously good example, with the benefit of being both clean and often informative - and even with the canned laughter, his timing and delivery is just excellent. Of course, Zeus was the star of this latest show and proved that the best shaggy dog stories are.... quite literally.... the best.

If there's anyone out there in PH Land who hasn't sampled this yet you should detain yourself in front of the Sounds app and prepare for a treat!!

RizzoTheRat

25,166 posts

192 months

Friday 7th May 2021
quotequote all
K12beano said:
RizzoTheRat said:
Steve vRS said:
A Fair Cop is back too. That is quite funny.
We "went" to an online recording of that a few weeks back, not one I'd head of before but not a bad show.
Ah - thanks for the heads up. A wonderful pairing to my walk earlier!

Having just about given up on most of R4, not just the usual woeful comedy deliverings, Alfie Moore is the exception to the rule!

Of course we all know that, on the whole, members of the constabulary - not unlike the dark humour found in other emergency services, and undertakers for probably obvious reasons - can be quite the wag. Fair Cop is a tremendously good example, with the benefit of being both clean and often informative - and even with the canned laughter, his timing and delivery is just excellent. Of course, Zeus was the star of this latest show and proved that the best shaggy dog stories are.... quite literally.... the best.

If there's anyone out there in PH Land who hasn't sampled this yet you should detain yourself in front of the Sounds app and prepare for a treat!!
If that's the one about dog napping it's the one we watched. It's not canned laughter, they record the live audience, although I agree it doesn't sound as natural as studio audience when they're recording people at home.

"Timing" is also interesting, until you see something live you don't realise how heavily edited things are, with quite a few retakes (we've also seen The News Quiz, and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue live)


Edited by RizzoTheRat on Friday 7th May 14:29

Riley Blue

20,955 posts

226 months

Friday 7th May 2021
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Silverage said:
I got the impression he was trying to be too clever.

I didn’t get beyond whatever the recounting of certain moments from someone’s life told in reverse order was supposed to be so maybe it all turned round and was hilarious in the second part. I suspect not though.
I thought the last series was self indulgent and that he'd become fixated on being clever and humour suffered as a result; he just wasn't as funny as he had been in the past.

rich350z

359 posts

162 months

Friday 7th May 2021
quotequote all
Doofus said:
Nimby said:
Silverage said:
Nimby said:
New series of John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme starts tonight, 18:30.
Listened to the first half of this this morning. What on earth is going on? It used to be a series of clever / funny sketches. I’m not sure what it is now. Certainly not funny.
Yes I agree. Wish I hadn't posted now - so disappointing.
I've always thought Finnemore had funny bones.

I fear he may have fallen down the stairs.
I've enjoyed his work for years but this was terrible. What was he thinking?

Halmyre

11,201 posts

139 months

Friday 7th May 2021
quotequote all
RizzoTheRat said:
K12beano said:
RizzoTheRat said:
Steve vRS said:
A Fair Cop is back too. That is quite funny.
We "went" to an online recording of that a few weeks back, not one I'd head of before but not a bad show.
Ah - thanks for the heads up. A wonderful pairing to my walk earlier!

Having just about given up on most of R4, not just the usual woeful comedy deliverings, Alfie Moore is the exception to the rule!

Of course we all know that, on the whole, members of the constabulary - not unlike the dark humour found in other emergency services, and undertakers for probably obvious reasons - can be quite the wag. Fair Cop is a tremendously good example, with the benefit of being both clean and often informative - and even with the canned laughter, his timing and delivery is just excellent. Of course, Zeus was the star of this latest show and proved that the best shaggy dog stories are.... quite literally.... the best.

If there's anyone out there in PH Land who hasn't sampled this yet you should detain yourself in front of the Sounds app and prepare for a treat!!
If that's the one about dog napping it's the one we watched. It's not canned laughter, they record the live audience, although I agree it doesn't sound as natural as studio audience when they're recording people at home.

"Timing" is also interesting, until you see something live you don't realise how heavily edited things are, with quite a few retakes (we've also seen The News Quiz, and I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue live)


Edited by RizzoTheRat on Friday 7th May 14:29
They've released a couple of unedited ISIHACs - I wish they'd do a few more. There used to be an extended News Quiz which seems to have been dropped. I'd like to hear an unedited recording.

Riley Blue

20,955 posts

226 months

Sunday 9th May 2021
quotequote all
rich350z said:
Doofus said:
Nimby said:
Silverage said:
Nimby said:
New series of John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme starts tonight, 18:30.
Listened to the first half of this this morning. What on earth is going on? It used to be a series of clever / funny sketches. I’m not sure what it is now. Certainly not funny.
Yes I agree. Wish I hadn't posted now - so disappointing.
I've always thought Finnemore had funny bones.

I fear he may have fallen down the stairs.
I've enjoyed his work for years but this was terrible. What was he thinking?
I finally managed to listen to it all the way through last night having fallen asleep part way through before.

It was dire, rambling, unfunny verbal diarrhoea. Lockdown hasn't been kind to Finnemore's creativity, quite the opposite.

Silverage

2,034 posts

130 months

Sunday 9th May 2021
quotequote all
Riley Blue said:
I finally managed to listen to it all the way through last night having fallen asleep part way through before.

It was dire, rambling, unfunny verbal diarrhoea. Lockdown hasn't been kind to Finnemore's creativity, quite the opposite.
I’m glad it wasn’t just me then. I did wonder if it might in fact be super funny and it was all going over my head for some reason. I won’t bother listening to the other half.

Rumblestripe

2,941 posts

162 months

Monday 17th May 2021
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OK, this will not convert any of the "no-such-thing-as-female-comedian" orthodoxy but I have enjoyed Sara Pascoe's "The Modern Monkey" in which our behaviour is examined under the humorous spotlight of evolutionary psychology. If you enjoyed Paul Sinha's "General Knowledge" you might like this. Intelligent and light of touch, there are some bits that are a bit cringey but one of the better recent products to come out of the Beeb.

Riley Blue

20,955 posts

226 months

Sunday 23rd May 2021
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I listened to the latest episode of 'The News Quiz' last night and four writers were included in credits. As all those taking part were comedians giving presumably off the cuff answers and the questions are based on the week's news; what do the writers do?