MovieChat Forums > Gavin & Stacey (2008) Discussion > Stop the Decline of Comedy!!

Stop the Decline of Comedy!!

posted 16 years ago by crazymother
29 replies | jump to latest

Its not often that you find a TV show so disturbingly bad that you vomit your own brain out into the toilet and sh+t your very soul all over the tiled floor. This almost happened to me after watching “Gavin and Stacey”. To me this “show” is a sad reminder that standard of comedy is deteriorating at a startling rate. To make matters worse , people’s expectations of comedy have also dropped to an all time low. The script, which was partly written by the insufferable idiot James Corden, has about as much humour in it as Terrorist attack on a kindergarten. The only thing worse is the cast of actors.

Why is it so popular though? I’ll tell you why, its because most people between the ages of 15 and 25 think Catherine Tate is hilarious! They think “2 Pints of Larger and a packet of Crisps” is a modern classic!! They think Russell Brand is genius stand up!! Yea. They’re a bunch of clueless imbeciles!! Just take a look at the enormously popular “Little Britain.” The one liners were funny the first time, but come on, how long can people laugh at “I want that one.” ????? Its catchphrase comedy for f++k sake!! Is that the level we’re at now??? Ricky Gervais made fun of it in Extra’s with “ When the whistle blows”, but that is Actually the level we are at now!!

However, the worst thing about “Gavin and Stacey” is that the cast now think they are sh++t hot. Have you seen them in interviews?? James Corden actually thinks he’s Ricky Gervais, and although he mimics his high pitched comical voice, he can’t mimic the most important thing. His humour!! Although that’s not for want of trying. One word describes his appearance on Jonathan Ross. CRINGE!! His ego is as big as his belly.

Please for the love of God stop giving your support to the arse holes of the comedy scene!! You have created monsters, and now those monsters have created “Lesbian Vampire Killers” and “Horne and Corden”!!! When will the pain stop! KILL ME KILL ME …. I hate life now

[–] jagheterjack00 16 years ago

Here here!

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[–] Maccfan 16 years ago

I like you dislike, Catherine Tate, Little Britain, and Russell Brand but Gavin & Stacey i think is hilarious!! You quite clearly like Ricky Gervais from what you have written but this is odd because:

1) You criticise James Corden for his ego... and what Ricky Gervais is just modest? I dont think so, he could not be more big headed!

2) Ricky Gervais the "comedian" showed himself up big time by saying after his dance in 'the office' i will never do that dance again... now we must have seen that dance about 20 times since!! When he was on stage at that Diana concert waiting for Elton John to come out and sing he showed how unfunny he was by just standing there saying very little, panicking and then doing his dance (again)!

This is just my opinion but i have to say i would rather watch Gavin and Stacey than watch 'the office' (personally i quite like extras despite Ricky Gervais)

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[–] skiop 16 years ago

Its not often that you find a TV show so disturbingly bad that you vomit your own brain out into the toilet

Well, that explains it.

[–] garybatmanbusey 16 years ago

i like a wide range of comedys, to be fair there is not a decline in british comedy, obviously you are not looking hard enough, snuff box, peter serafinowics (however you spell his name), peep show, psychoville, inbetweeners, we have also had dark place,we got charlie brooker....theres probably more that im missing that are not springing to mind at moment.

oh yeah, theres nothing wrong with gavin and stacey

ricky gervais is a tw*t ever since the office finished

"she's the tear that hangs inside my soul forever."

[–] dogsoldier_spoon-1 15 years ago

at some point I quite agree that Gavin & Stacy isn't that funny. However, I do think that's it's a great show and love watching it.

And I never quite liked The Office (haven't watched Extras though) and I can't really stand Ricky Gervais. The guy strikes me as plain annoying in real life. I haven't seen Corden in any interviews so I can't judge him (yet).

[–] Marz_Barz 15 years ago

i think Gavin and Stacey is the funniest show ever but everyones got there own opinion!

[–] captaincheekypants68 15 years ago

Gavin and Stacey is one of the worst show in recent history and Horne and Corden are involved in another. Their attempt at a comedy sketch show was horrendous.

The fact the the standard of comedy in the UK is so desperate and dire that unmitigated garbage like this is championed as funny show the state we are in.

Before anybody asks, yes I have watched several episodes and gave last years Christmas Special a go and have to admit I laughed more during "Sophies Choice"

I'm getting the word 'Nonce'

[–] rcolfer 15 years ago

I agree on all points. Except one - Russell Brand's actually very good at what he does, audience interaction and the like. I can't remember ever seeing him do a typical stand-up show on telly.

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[–] Finkle-is-Einhorn 15 years ago

i personally cant stand 2 pints or catherine tate and your right about LVK and horne and cordon but gavin and stacey is funny, i dont realy watch it four the lovey dovey gavin and stacey stuff, i watch it for nessa, smithy , pam and bryn who are hillarious.

[–] martin-barney1 15 years ago

Isn't the problem often that people cannot separate the body of work of the writer in question into individual shows?

Of course this is inevitable, but does ignore the fact that the same performer/writer can come up with good stuff and *beep*

Case in point - Nicholas Lyndhurst. Fantastic in Only Fools and Horses, shocking in pretty much everything else.

Another is Catherine Tate - The Nan in her show is extremely funny for me and my family, because she's like my Nan. The rest of the show is pretty average.

Everyone raves about Peep Show, but it's not all written by Mitchell and Webb. It's also far superior to their self penned sketch show.

Horne and Corden's sketch show was poor, but it's not Gavin and Stacey.

Also Gavin and Stacey isn't about belly laughes - It's almost Mike Leigh-lite (the casting of Alison Steadman suggests that's what Corden and Jones were aiming for). Observational comedy at the gentle end of the spectrum (although I accept that definition doesn't apply to all Mike Leigh stuff - Naked wasn't a bundle of laughs).

There's more than enough room for the edgy and the gentle stuff. One of the great things about British comedy is that there is this level of variety and British TV channels are prepared to give all of it a chance,

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[–] Finkle-is-Einhorn 15 years ago

nicholas lyndhurst was good in goodnight sweet heart that was a greate coemdy show

[–] martin-barney1 15 years ago

Good Night Sweet Heart wasn't my cup of tea.

I felt it did the one thing that comedy shouldn't do - Go on too long, and therefore start to over-rely on the same stock situations and characters (like the idiot in the pub - Reg?).

I was also unsure about a comedy about a man who was essentially a bigamist. Although I wasn't married then - Might be more sympathetic now.........

[–] Finkle-is-Einhorn 15 years ago

TECHNICALLY HE WASNT

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[–] Finkle-is-Einhorn 15 years ago

WELL i find many laughs in each episodes mainly the dialogue of bryn , pam, smithy and nessa as well as there subtle actions and facial expressions.

some people dont get pick up on certain things, and probably is why they dont find it funny

[–] ginda2000 15 years ago

I personally love Gavin and Stacey, I think it gets a hard wrap because everyone assumes its a comedy - but it's not it's a comedy drama. Tonights episode highlighted that. It's also fantastic we have had a TV show that brings the family together again and doesn't contain filth and smut in every sentance. The art of honest family comedy writing seems to have gone down the pan over the last 15 years.
I'm also not stupid, playing devils advocate (and knowing the BBC the way I do) that show would never have been commissioned on Ruth Jones and James Corden's writing ability. They are good story tellers but not great comedy writers and the scripts would never have been optioned if anyone else had sent them in. Jones and Corden were lucky enough to pull together an entire team of great comedy actors who are all legends in their own right (Rob Brydon, Alison Steadman, Julia Davis etc). All of these people they had worked with and knew. They then get Steve Coogan to produce it. You go to the BBC with that team of people and you've got a series without writing a word. Much of what makes us laugh isn't the writing its the actors, had the show been made with performers who didn't have comic timing it would have been dire with just the script alone.

However, as much as I love Gavin and Stacey I'm not comfortable with the way Matthew Horne and James Corden have been turned into comedy icons. Firstly, James Corden is a fantastic actor but he's not a comedian. Matthew Horne isn't even that funny and he's not a great comedy performer. He couldn't do a great deal in 'The Catherine Tate Show'.

Nowadays too many people get tarred with (what I call) the Nicholas Lyndhurst brush. Everyone assumes Lyndhurst is some kind of comedy legend - in actual fact he's crap. However both David Jason and John Sullivan are comedy masters and combined they brought something out in Lyndhurst that gave us Rodney Trotter. If you notice Lyndhurt's scenes in OFAH with any characters other than Del Boy, Uncle Albert or Grandad he weakens (watch scenes of him in bed with Cassandra) and in later episodes his cockney accent even switches to posh in parts. Yet there is something so brilliant about David Jason's Del Boy that he and Lyndhurst have a fantastic chemisty that allows him to make Rodney such a funny character. In anything else he does (even the well written Goodnight Sweetheart) he's really average and dull.

Today too many people are called comedy heros when in actual fact they are no. Ricky Gervais is the polar opposite to Ruth Jones and James Corden he's an amazing comedy writer - in fact Gervais is probably one of the greatest comedy writers Britain has seen for the past 20 years. However he's embarrasingly unversatile as an actor. He can only ever play Ricky Gervais in whatever he does. In you look at Ruth Jones work she's morphed so many times, from Alison Steadman's blonde northern daughter in fat friends, to Little Britain and Linda the timid and weird hairdresser in Nighty Night.

Catherine Tate I believe is one of our greatest comedy performers of today. However, people dislike her because she's gone down the Harry Enfield catchphrase route. She's most remembered for Lauren the teenager (who I find really annoying) however for me her Nan character is stroke of genius. I had female relatives who were absolutely like her and people don't realise who real she is.

The original post is right, we've lost genuine old style comedy. Someone like Catherine Tate could write a great sit-com as she has the comedy skill to do it. Instead of BBC giving Corden and Horne their own comedy show they should be looking at new writers and performers.

Ultimately I think Gavin & Stacey has helped us, it might convince the BBC to commission more 'must see' family comedy and get rid of contrieved drivel like My Family or filth like Two Pints of Lager!

[–] mikerowerush 15 years ago

i`m with the very first post.its absolute garbage...about as funny as cancer.however the nation has taken this bilge to its heart is beyond me..........pure tripe from start to finish.

[–] Laura_Ann 15 years ago

Well im just posting to stick up for the show and frankly cant believe the comparisons people are posting. You dont like it, get over it. Why feel the need to post a patronizing, often long winded speech informing us we are absolute idiots for liking the show (slight re-phrasing but thats the impression I get).

Personally I love the show and have done from day one, I was a big fan of Fat Friends so have followed the careers of the actors / actresses and had been awaiting the first episode. Obviously I was slightly biased but thats not reason for the full family enjoying the show and its one of the only shows on TV that we sit and watch together.

It's just comedy preference, some people like it some people dont but that doesn't mean thats its absolute garbage if it was hundreds of people wouldn't have tuned in every week.

[–] Daveyhaze 15 years ago

The reason I liked Gavin and Staceys is because, although obviously over the top, most of the characters within the show are like people we know. The show relies heavily on developing each characters' little quirks and personalities, rather than going for obvious one liners or laugh out loud "hilarity" like walking in on a character in a compromising position with a stuffed animal or something equally silly.
The original poster goes on about the decline of British comedy but I don't see how it's any worse now than 20 or so years ago. Comedy evolves in different ways, there are a lot less ridiculously "anarchic" sit coms around these days. Catchphrase comedy is hardly a modern phenomenon either, as has been mentioned before, the likes of Harry Enfield and The Fast Show were doing this years ago and they weren't even the first.
As for Corden, I don't think he's a comic genius by any stretch but he's not unfunny either. Someone posted that he's just like a bloke you'd meet down the pub, well thats part of his appeal. You could imagine having a friend like James Corden, slightly daft, pretty funny, amiable enough guy. With Gavin and Stacey he has essentially built a series around many of these aspects, putting different characters we can all vaguely identify with in situations we've all been in (weddings, christenings, christmas parties, anything where a melting pot of characters can get together and it just works).
Although I'm sad the series has ended, I think the third series did begin to buckle a little in the middle. It was as though the ideas had began to dry up a bit, and although they had worked out how it'd all end, the build up to the ending seemed a little stretched at times.
I think there's scope for a few one off's in the future, as has been hinted, but the only way a fourth series would have worked is if they shook up the format considerably, and that would take away from the charm I think.

[–] Finkle-is-Einhorn 15 years ago

james cordon is funny extremly funny, mathew horne i dont even like he has never made me laugh and plays practicaly the smae character in everyhthing he does

[–] kurupt-gotti 14 years ago

i once picked up a stick with poo on the end and chased my friend with it!

[–] drwordsmith 14 years ago

I've never really classes 'Gavin and Stacey' as a comedy. I don't really mind watching it - I have some friends who worship it, but I'm not one of them. It's certainly not one of the best british comedies of the last 10 years.

Speaking of which, I can only really name 3-4. The Inbetweeners, Peep Show, Extras and the Office (which just about reaches the past 10 years. It's quite a real shame.

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