Quite possibly the worst Brit-Com of all-time - Bread (1986) Discussion

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] ib011f9545i 18 years ago

I do not believe that 24 million people watched this programme.
The population of Britain is only 50 million.
It was very popular but like the first person to post I hated this programme.

I am of working class background and have been on benefits in the past.
Not for 16 years I am glad to say.
But not all people on benefit do benefit fraud or approve of other people doing it.

This programme showed an unrealistic portrait of people on benefits in the 1980s,of course some people cheated,but most did not.
I know it is a comedy but I never found it funny,just annoying.

Perhaps this programme made non unemployed people think that people on benefit were all driving Jags and dressing like film stars?

Always hated this programme,always hated CARLA LANE.
The cast were on tv tonight in a programme about the show.
One of them was complaining how little they were paid to be in a hit show,they were overpaid I think.
But to be fair most of them have done better things since BREAD.

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] ib011f9545i 18 years ago

I watched the programme and did not believe the figures,did half the population really watch this programme?

I did not find it funny,or based on reality,I have a sense of humour but do not have to like this.

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[–] Wanderer11 18 years ago

I'm not saying you have to like it, just accept that other people do!

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[–] cuecue2002 18 years ago

21 million people watched Bread when it was "on air" it was on the radio the other day lol

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[–] chrisow 18 years ago

For me, the problems with the show are:

It is patronising in it's treatment of characters (It's grimm up Noorf cliches, Cafflick and Praddestant cliches)

Heavy handed when dealing with the grimness of the period

Stereotypes who do not evolve

Compare it to something like Only Fools and Horses, a similar programme from the period. It was outrageous in it's scenarios but still managed to communicate the harshness of the Thatcherite period and had characters who evolved throughout the show's run.

Just my £0.02

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[–] Emsworthy 18 years ago

Don't forget there were only 4 TV channels back in the day...

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[–] alasdair-whyte 18 years ago

The main problem with this programme is that it was lazy and predictable.
It was written for stupid people, and found a willing audience easily.
I can easily believe 24 million people watched this tripe - any occasion in which I've taken public transport has brought me face to face with countless numbers of vacuous, tabloid reading proles, dead behind their eyes, blethering senselessly on their mobile phones.
I've sat in offices and listened as the previous night's Coronation Street is dissected by the slack-jawed automatons around me.

24 million?
That many people watch the Queen's speach - and that says it all.

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[–] Startanew 17 years ago

Um. What I don't like, is how people say that 'not all people are like this!'
Did the show SAY that all people were like that? No they did not. It just followed one family. If people are so stupid to believe that all people from Liverpool are like that, then that's not the fault of the tv show.

http://community.livejournal.com/heard_of_it/profile
LJ community for obscure fandoms

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[–] superted2uk 17 years ago

I can't dispute your "0 out of 10" and yet I would argue that this still isn't the worst all time, but only the second worst.

Surely the worst was Carla Lane's other pathetic offering, 'Butterflies'.

The popularity of these two shows makes me ashamed to be British.

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[–] infinata-1 16 years ago

Since everyone is entitled to their own opinions, it was just a TV Series. It wasn't meant to say that all people are like that. Just like Dynasty doesn't say that all people in the U.S. are rich.
If you compare the two series it's Bread that is realistic not Dynasty.

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[–] fiona97 14 years ago

I heartily agree with the OP. Charmless, unrealistic and utterly unfunny.

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[–] Tapender 12 years ago

I think Birds of a Feather does it for me(dreadful whining mince), but this was equally as bad! Everything from the plots, storylines and contrived laughter always made me feel depressed yet it seemed like the entire country loved it. Utter rubbish. I recently watched it to see if I missed anything the first time round and discovered it was actually worse than I thought (if u can imagine such a thing). And that stupid theme tune! Irritating and had the ability to make you reach for the remote. Like everything else Carla Lane done it was appalling and I was really glad when they announced it was finishing. It was like inviting the cast of Big Brother into your living room. Im sure many Liverpudlians felt the same way. Dont ever let Carla Lane's garbage onto television again please. John Sullivan she is not.

Jaaaaack!...I aint putting decent villians inside for a lousy oner from the police fund!

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[–] Nomad-1968 9 years ago

I wouldn't say it was the worst UK sit-com ever but I think it is one of the least likeable. I don't rate Carla lane's 'comedies' anyway - far too preachie for my tastes. BREAD always annoyed me and i am surprised it lasted so long. Then and now I didn't see the appeal of a tribe of benefits scroungers. Why anyone would want to rewatch it or own it on DVD is beyond me. I don't usually visit IMDB boards to be negative but this caught my eye.

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[–] Nomad-1968 9 years ago

I wouldn't say it was the worst UK sit-com ever but I think it is one of the least likeable. I don't rate Carla lane's 'comedies' anyway - far too preachie for my tastes. BREAD always annoyed me and i am surprised it lasted so long. Then and now I didn't see the appeal of a tribe of benefits scroungers. Why anyone would want to rewatch it or own it on DVD is beyond me. I don't usually visit IMDB boards to be negative but this caught my eye.

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[–] HolyOnions 9 years ago

How this show ran for so long is beyond me. It wasn't that bad to begin with, but the repeated 'jokes' got old fast and only two characters were even close to bearable... Grandad and Freddie. Was TV really that bad back then that this was regarded as hilarious, or was it simply popular with soap fans? We're still trying to get through the last two series, and yes... we really are that stubborn. We thought Sorry was bad, but Bread... it takes abysmal to a whole new level.

"Gizza job! I can do that!"

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[–] pauldoe 9 years ago

My family and I loved Bread. The acting and the writing were superb. Considering the awful sitcoms here in the US I'd say Bread is one of the greatest comedies ever produced.

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