Topic: Unpopular Opinions

[tubby]

I've never really found The Young Ones all that good either, but I think it's because I watched it long after it had finished.  Expect that if you caught it when it was live it would've been different.

[BarryCrocker]

The Young Ones was written for a very narrow age group (teens & young adults) who'd never really had anything produced for them before. I was a teenager when it hit the screens in Australia and I can't remember ever watching it with my parents. We'd all been massive fans of the usual UK comedies but this was the first one where no adults I knew watched.

[Nobby Reserve]

I always find it baffling that he and Richard Curtis were able to write something as funny as Blackadder, considering neither of them ever did anything else that was anywhere near as good. Although I can't off the top of my head think of any other sitcoms that Ben Elton wrote.

Ben Elton wrote The Thin Blue Line, which was awful. A scan of Wiki tells me he's done some other stuff, which was forgettable and generally soon cancelled. He collaborated with Lloyd-Webber on some musicals.

Curtis wrote Four Weddings & screenwrote the Bridget Jones films (the first of which is brilliant). A few sitcoms, the best by far of which was Vicar of Dibley.

[Nobby Reserve]

I've never really found The Young Ones all that good either, but I think it's because I watched it long after it had finished.  Expect that if you caught it when it was live it would've been different.

Very much so. I was 11 & 13 when the series came out (had to check) and it was revelatory, unlike anything else. Gave me a pretty confused sense of university was like, and sort of put me off (all that grime and lack of nice food!). For one of my best mates, it did the opposite and made him determined to go to uni. His first student house was not dissimilar to the Young Ones' (it literally had a hole in the kitchen floor into the soil below, about a foot round a foot deep, no central heating, and a filthy cooker)

[Buck Pete]

It's why series 3 & 4 were better than series 2, because in 2 Blackadder was just a bit too rich, popular and successful. He works better when he's a frustrated character stuck in a situation he can't get out of.

You have definitely embraced this thread title I'll give you that. 

Series 2 was absolutely genius.

As Blackadder got smugger, Baldrick and Hugh Lawries' characters got infinitely stupider and Stephen Fry's characters got more and more insane, the show got weaker.  The jokes were just too easy.

Even Flash was so much better in S2 than S4.  (don't think he showed up in S3?)

S2 had some unforgettable supporting characters.  Straight off the top of my head; Queenie, Nursey, Captain Rum, Walter Raleigh, The Baby Eating bishop of Bath & Wells,  Edmunds Puritan aunt and uncle. Ploppy son of Ploppy. Simon Partridge, Geoffrey Piddle and Freddie Frobisher, the flatulent hermit of Lindisfarne.

Series 2 had the perfect balance.  Every single episode is a winner with a super tight script.    It's up there as the greatest single series of comedy of all time IMO.

As it's the unpopular opinions thread I'll say S4 is quite overrated. Yeah, the last episode is legendary, but nowhere near as clever as S2.  Baldrick was written so excessively stupid, the Blackadder putdowns didn't hit the spot.   I thought General Melchett stole the show in S4, a very funny character.

[tubby]

Melchett is a brilliant character.  Fry plays him perfectly.

[Sheer Magnetism]

Now Ben Elton, outside of sitcom screenwriting he's about as funny as a kick in the bollocks.

Ah yes, the creator of The Thin Blue Line, Upstart Crow and (ugh) The Wright Way. Elton has always been patchy at best, it's just that he initially had Lise Mayer or Richard Curtis to filter out the worst material and provide the focus and inspiration.

I'd also agree season four of Blackadder is overrated, generally because of the ending. Two is the best, three excellent and four decent.

[Buck Pete]

Melchett is a brilliant character.  Fry plays him perfectly.

That cameo Fry does as The Duke of Wellington in S3 was funny as fuck.

There's only one way to win a campaign: shout, shout and shout again!

[Kenny's Jacket]

You have definitely embraced this thread title I'll give you that. 

Series 2 was absolutely genius.

As Blackadder got smugger, Baldrick and Hugh Lawries' characters got infinitely stupider and Stephen Fry's characters got more and more insane, the show got weaker.  The jokes were just too easy.

Even Flash was so much better in S2 than S4.  (don't think he showed up in S3?)

S2 had some unforgettable supporting characters.  Straight off the top of my head; Queenie, Nursey, Captain Rum, Walter Raleigh, The Baby Eating bishop of Bath & Wells,  Edmunds Puritan aunt and uncle. Ploppy son of Ploppy. Simon Partridge, Geoffrey Piddle and Freddie Frobisher, the flatulent hermit of Lindisfarne.

Series 2 had the perfect balance.  Every single episode is a winner with a super tight script.    It's up there as the greatest single series of comedy of all time IMO.

As it's the unpopular opinions thread I'll say S4 is quite overrated. Yeah, the last episode is legendary, but nowhere near as clever as S2.  Baldrick was written so excessively stupid, the Blackadder putdowns didn't hit the spot.   I thought General Melchett stole the show in S4, a very funny character.

Crikey mate, he’s not the only one

[bradders1011]

The Young Ones was written for a very narrow age group (teens & young adults)

It was written by YOUNG ADULTS for YOUNG ADULTS! Our world too!

Edmunds Puritan aunt and uncle

Devil's Dumplings!

[Buck Pete]

Devil's Dumplings!

That turnip,  very funny.  Exactly the same shape as a ... thingy!

[Nobby Reserve]

I think series 2-4 were all firmly in the 'excellent' bracket, but I'd rank them 4, 3, 2 in my personal order of preference.

I love clever-funny over slapstick, and each series got more clever-funny.

All of them had at their heart the juxtapositioning of different classes & status (the put-upon grunt/the smart middle-class chap frustrated that he's subordinate to idiots/the dim posh aristocrat who looks up to Blackadder/the rather unhinged posh aristo in a position of power - in S3, the third and fourth character are merged, although Fry as Wellington is a prototype of General Melchett in S4).

For Goes Forth, this concept worked the best with clear class distinctions that we could more identify with (possibly as they're more contemporary/recent history). Yes, Baldrick-4 is is the most obviously dense of all the Baldricks, but the other characters are at the pinnacle of the whole franchise. George and Melchett are perfect for illustrating the lunacy of the upper classes who nevertheless got to rule everything despite being thick and/or deranged.



Saying all that, the Blackadder Christmas Carol is my all-time favourite.

[Kenny's Jacket]

I think series 2-4 were all firmly in the 'excellent' bracket, but I'd rank them 4, 3, 2 in my personal order of preference.

I love clever-funny over slapstick, and each series got more clever-funny.

All of them had at their heart the juxtapositioning of different classes & status (the put-upon grunt/the smart middle-class chap frustrated that he's subordinate to idiots/the dim posh aristocrat who looks up to Blackadder/the rather unhinged posh aristo in a position of power - in S3, the third and fourth character are merged, although Fry as Wellington is a prototype of General Melchett in S4).

For Goes Forth, this concept worked the best with clear class distinctions that we could more identify with (possibly as they're more contemporary/recent history). Yes, Baldrick-4 is is the most obviously dense of all the Baldricks, but the other characters are at the pinnacle of the whole franchise. George and Melchett are perfect for illustrating the lunacy of the upper classes who nevertheless got to rule everything despite being thick and/or deranged.



Saying all that, the Blackadder Christmas Carol is my all-time favourite.

I think Hugh Laurie character in 3 was a much better one than In
4

Was never sure what George in S4 was supposed to be

Is rank then 3.4,2

[Buck Pete]

Was never sure what George in S4 was supposed to be

An upper-class twit with an officer rank given purely down to family connections.

Even that didn't help him when it came to going "over the top".

[Kenny's Jacket]

An upper-class twit with an officer rank given purely down to family connections.

Even that didn't help him when it came to going "over the top".

Would you say he was upper class? The upper classes usually have am hereditary title and land and a manor.  Like say Lord Derby.

[Ghost Town]

I always find it baffling that he and Richard Curtis were able to write something as funny as Blackadder, considering neither of them ever did anything else that was anywhere near as good. Although I can't off the top of my head think of any other sitcoms that Ben Elton wrote.

It came out years later that the Blackadder scripts were highly collaborative, with all the cast pitching in, while Elton and Curtis took the onscreen credits. This probably explains why neither writer managed anything of that type again.

[Terry de Niro]

I may have missed it but has anyone mentioned Tim McInnerny as Lord Percy in Blackadder II?
Thought he was brilliant. Stupid but really good.

[bradders1011]

That turnip,  very funny.  Exactly the same shape as a ... thingy!

Look, do you lot want to hear about this goblin or not?

[Buck Pete]

Would you say he was upper class? The upper classes usually have am hereditary title and land and a manor.  Like say Lord Derby.

Of course

A simple wiki search backs it up. But Wiki isn't the gospel to be fair

The first incarnation of the character was a caricature of George, Prince of Wales, serving as one of the three main characters of the third series. The second, Lt. The Hon. George Colthurst St Barleigh, was a young officer in the British Army during World War I, a supporting protagonist in the fourth series. Both portrayals were of "dim-witted upper-class twits",

[Ghost Town]

Great Boo's up Edmund

[Buck Pete]

Oh No!  Not Farters Parters!

Maybe we should move to the dedicated Blackadder thread

[Kenny's Jacket]

Of course

A simple wiki search backs it up. But Wiki isn't the gospel to be fair

The first incarnation of the character was a caricature of George, Prince of Wales, serving as one of the three main characters of the third series. The second, Lt. The Hon. George Colthurst St Barleigh, was a young officer in the British Army during World War I, a supporting protagonist in the fourth series. Both portrayals were of "dim-witted upper-class twits",

Fair play, you’ve done me there Pete

Well played

I though if upper class he would have an obvious title

[rob1966]

Very much so. I was 11 & 13 when the series came out (had to check) and it was revelatory, unlike anything else. Gave me a pretty confused sense of university was like, and sort of put me off (all that grime and lack of nice food!). For one of my best mates, it did the opposite and made him determined to go to uni. His first student house was not dissimilar to the Young Ones' (it literally had a hole in the kitchen floor into the soil below, about a foot round a foot deep, no central heating, and a filthy cooker)

I was almost 15 when the Young Ones hit the screens and me and all my mates loved it, it's all we'd go on about at school, it was brilliant.

[Nitramdorf]

I was almost 15 when the Young Ones hit the screens and me and all my mates loved it, it's all we'd go on about at school, it was brilliant.

Yes same here although a bit younger. It also seemed to coincide with everyone getting videos as well so you could watch it relentlessly.

[bradders1011]

Surprised there isn't a user on here called Toxteth O'Grady.

[Buck Pete]

Surprised there isn't a user on here called Toxteth O'Grady.

On a similar theme

I remember that Not The Nine O'clock News skit on University Challenge.  The two teams were made up of criminals from Wormwood Scrubs and Parkhurst

Incidentally., Me dad was telling me a story only last night about how they used to call Steve Highway "Big Bamber" and Brian Hall "Little Bamber". On account of them being scholars.

Just googled it and he wasn't lying.  From an article in the Guardian.

But the engagingly amiable Hall was hardly a typical footballer, having graduated as a Bachelor of Science from Liverpool University. This amused most of his teammates enormously, earning him the nickname of “Little Bamber”, a reference to University Challenge host Bamber Gascoigne, while fellow scholar Heighway rejoiced in the tag of “Big Bamber”.

[rob1966]

Yes same here although a bit younger. It also seemed to coincide with everyone getting videos as well so you could watch it relentlessly.

Have we got a video recorder?

[Terry de Niro]

Have we got a video recorder?

"YES, WE' GOT A VIDEO !!!"

[kavah]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/UucAljBkBYU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/UucAljBkBYU</a>

[rob1966]

On a similar theme

I remember that Not The Nine O'clock News skit on University Challenge.  The two teams were made up of criminals from Wormwood Scrubs and Parkhurst

Incidentally., Me dad was telling me a story only last night about how they used to call Steve Highway "Big Bamber" and Brian Hall "Little Bamber". On account of them being scholars.

Just googled it and he wasn't lying.  From an article in the Guardian.

But the engagingly amiable Hall was hardly a typical footballer, having graduated as a Bachelor of Science from Liverpool University. This amused most of his teammates enormously, earning him the nickname of “Little Bamber”, a reference to University Challenge host Bamber Gascoigne, while fellow scholar Heighway rejoiced in the tag of “Big Bamber”.

Yes, that is 100% true. Heighway got a degree from Warwick University in Economics and Politics.

I used to watch Not The Nine O'Clock news, that was brilliant too. "I like trucking and I like to truck" always stuck in my mind.  The MET never changes though

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/BO8EpfyCG2Y&amp;t=106s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/BO8EpfyCG2Y&amp;t=106s</a>

[jambutty]

Adrian at the window shouting "Shut up you barstards!" at the bells.

"I always poo before I get up."

[Buck Pete]

  The MET never changes though

My favorite NTNON sketch, bar none.

They were calling out the MET when they were REAL bastards.

[Buck Pete]

Have we got a video recorder?

Was that the same episode where they recorded the dot on the TV screen when BBC shut down for the evening?  So they could watch it in the morning. 

[Nitramdorf]

Was that the same episode where they recorded the dot on the TV screen when BBC shut down for the evening?  So they could watch it in the morning. 

"The dot means something really heavy. It means theres no more telly." 

Think that was a different one when they wished they had a video. Rik said "I wish we had a video then I could watch it in the morning" because Vyv was staying up late to watch it.

[Terry de Niro]

For all those like me with a childish sense of humour, fill yer boots here https://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=79401.0   

[Hazell]

Yes, that is 100% true. Heighway got a degree from Warwick University in Economics and Politics.

I used to watch Not The Nine O'Clock news, that was brilliant too. "I like trucking and I like to truck" always stuck in my mind.  The MET never changes though

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/BO8EpfyCG2Y&amp;t=106s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/BO8EpfyCG2Y&amp;t=106s</a>

Not the Nine O'Clock News was ace. I loved "I like trucking" and "I like Bouncing"

[Hazell]

Ben Elton wrote The Thin Blue Line, which was awful.

Massively underrated

[bradders1011]

Was that the same episode where they recorded the dot on the TV screen when BBC shut down for the evening?  So they could watch it in the morning. 

Go to bed spotty.

[Brian Blessed]

Massively underrated

You’re in the right thread!

[Alan_X]

I always find it baffling that he and Richard Curtis were able to write something as funny as Blackadder, considering neither of them ever did anything else that was anywhere near as good. Although I can't off the top of my head think of any other sitcoms that Ben Elton wrote.

Elton: The Young Ones, Upstart Crow, The Thin Blue Line. I was never a massive fan of his stand up persona but he's a good writer.

Curtis: Not the Nine O'Clock News, Spitting Image, Mr Bean, Vicar of Dibley, Four Weddings & a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones Diary, Love Actually...

Not all to my taste but that's some output.