The confidence it takes to make the audience wait this long for the payoff…
They explain exactly what the joke is going to be, make you wait seemingly too long for it, then execute it perfectly. (In case you can’t decipher the accent, the character’s name is “Unlucky Alf”).
Bonus Unlucky Alf.
The “Wrexham” episode about hooliganism is really good.
On this day in 1965, the greatest ever TV show - with the greatest ever theme - premiered.
Here are all the full, ridiculously complicated, Rube Goldbergian launch and landing sequences.
The Fast Show is easily the second best sketch comedy Britain has produced. Gotta give Python the #1 spot I think, although it’s close! Sminky pinky bang bang!
Following that, this seem like an appropriate place to link this story:
I love Welcome to Wrexham. Humphrey’s audition for Obi Wan Kenobi is fucking hilarious…and completely irrelevant to the show.
Several ancient posts have mentioned Derry Girls on Netflix and I concur, what a funny show. You’ll need the subtitles unless you live with people who think now and how are pronounced noy and hoy and every statement is a question. And I say that as a person with an Irish mother and who lived in Ireland (the Sout) for a year and a half as a grownup. We could identify the very county ye came from from yer accent unless you were from the Nort. Nobody can understand them folks in the Nort.
I’ve re-watched the first two seasons several times now (they are outstanding) and I think maybe the third watch was when I started not needing subtitles. I’m a few episodes into S3 noy.
If you’re at a loss between now and Friday, and you like British spy thrillers, then look no further than “Slow Horses” on Apple TV+. It has a delightfully twisty plot, Apple’s now customary high production values, and an absolutely fantastic anti-hero character for Gary Oldman to sink his substantial acting chops into.
I saw Slow Horses about 6 months ago and thought it was really good as well.
Watched it a couple months ago myself, had no idea it existed when it came out. Sometimes I can’t believe how bad Apple is at advertising its tv shows.
I don’t think it’s just Apple, we’ve watched plenty of really great shows on Netflix that we had no idea they existed too.
BTW, there’s a Swedish show on Netflix called Fallet which is a Nordic Noir spoof about an English cop who goes to Sweden to help solve a case. Great show. Of course now our recommended list on Netflix is full of Scandanavian shows.
Slow Horses was enjoyable. Nice balance of humor, tension and humanity.
I don’t really care about James Cordon and am only tangentially aware of the backlash against him (he’s a prick in private, apparently). But in comedy, this is the sort of thing you don’t come back from:
SNL is absolutely horrible from start to finish these days.
Thanks for the Derry Girls rec. Wife and I took a flyer on streaming it based on this and finished season 3 last night. The show should come with an aspiration warning - both of us, at various times, were in danger of aspirating whatever we were eating or drinking at the time because we were laughing so hard.
Late to the party but we started it last night, watched 3 episodes and it was pretty good. Good pace, great acting, shot well. Getting a slight Ozark vibe but its early yet.
We also started Ted Lasso this past week and love it. We’re on s1e9 now. Funniest moment to me so far was when his son asked him what a wanker was, I’m still laughing at that.