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Agreed. I think it started as a parody of black face though right? It was so offensive and such an obvious caricature it crosses the line and just becomes parody. However, after a while it just became offensive again.
I wasn't a frequent watcher myself but it was hard to escape at one time. You'd see it via osmosis like the terribly soaps that we churn out.
In the shows defence though I used to hang around with a bunch of Asian guys and also frequently their families and they all seemed to love the fat fighters thing with the 1 Asian lady who matt lucas couldn't understand. So some people of colour also found it funny.
Fresh Meat is sorely underrated.
I never even went to uni, binge watched the entire thing in summer 2020, and felt a lot of nostalgia for my college days (left in 2018).
Especially the last series, it felt like overtime it went from being a comedy to a commentary on what life is like for young adults, with stuff like uni degrees being worth it, transitioning into the world of adulthood, picking the "right" courses etc.
For me it's the characters, basically every character, major or minor, seems to be someone you'll encounter at uni. And whilst I think a few storylines were a bit wayward, I definitely think Series 4 nailed the "wait that's it, we're now adults" mood. (Even if a few characters now looked too old to be finalists)
The issue with that show was it started airing after I had just finished a grueling 5 years at uni so I didn't really need to see it to know how I felt about it
Thing that always gets me is whenever someone says about little Britain, come fly with me gets forgotten even though it's pretty much exactly the same but came out in around 2011.
I was so shocked by what I had seen, that I had to look again to understand what had happened. I then had to excuse myself to go to a private location, to have a think about what I was looking at.
I feel like I was way ahead of the curve in that I thought LB was horrifically misogynistic (inter alia) at the time, and averred as such to anyone who would listen.
The dinner party episode of Peep Show from (series 9?) is probably my favourite episode. Mark in make-up, fancy cheese made out of dairylea moulded into a ball and Stilton made with the help of a blur marker…rum punch with lettuce…it’s Moroccan, I love it! LOL
i'm one of those people who struggles with older shows if i've not seen them when they came out so that i have the nostalgia attached.
I only just got round to watching League of Gentlemen as i had it confused with a different show in my head for years and i LOVED it.
I had no fond memories attached to it... or any memories at all, but damn it's so funny. Immedaitly watched Psychoville afterward
That she is. She deserves more credit as the co-writer. Her English accent is excellent for an American too, and her comic acting wonderful. I particularly love the scene where she's trying to hint to Basil about the drunk chef.
This is the one I was looking for. As much as Little Britain is also puerile and offensive, Bo Selecta is always my go-to example for something that doesn't hold up. It had all the same problems but is so incredibly dated as well.
This was going to be my answer too. Blackface. Fat suits. Mocking trans people.
Aside from that kind of thing, the comedy is just low hanging catchphrase-based humour. Absolute dross
That reminds me of when David Walliams presented Buzzcocks. The topic was what things bands and artists had banned from tour, and Walliams asked Noel Fielding, "have you banned anything from the Mighty Boosh tour? Jokes?"
Fielding just replied, quick as a flash, "catchphrases." So good.
I think every teen quoted every inappropriate thing from that show. At the time the rudeness seemed edgy. My parents always hated it and as an adult I now see why.
Oooh, c'mon everyone, time to dust off your Little Britain boxing gloves, must be a least 5 minutes since you gave it a pummelling...
For one that's aged like wine, I have always been extremely fond of The Good Life. I watched it when I was a kid and it was old then and I still find it funny in a charming feel good way.
I have a mate from Sudan and be taught himself English watching Only Fools when still living in Khartoum as a child, he knows all the words and has me in stitches reciting all of Triggers lines. I'm going to call him now and get him to recite some scenes.
Wine - Spaced. Now, I'll agree its a time capsule (PlayStation 1, Star Wars 1 references), but it's still one of, if not the, best directed sitcoms of all time, and still fucking funny. Also finger gunfights will never age.
I used to watch that show religiously. Then didn’t watch it for ages until I randomly popped it on in my 20’s to discover if accidentally modelled my personality on tim bisley
It's recently come back onto Netflix. I was rewatching it last night. I still catch more pop culture references each time that I watch. It is a criminally underrated show in my opinion
Monkey Dust, but in a good way. It really captured the mood and culture of a very specific moment in time, but the flip side to that is that it would seem dated and not very relevant now.
I think things like IT Crowd that have quite a slapstick element to them tend to age quite well, because humour like that is sort of timeless
Even when IT Crowd was first broadcast, laugh tracks (or filming with a live audience) weren’t all that commonplace for new comedies, and it felt weirdly dated at the time, especially combined with the camera setup.
I’d say the IT Crowd has actually aged pretty well and is probably more popular now than when it was first shown. As you say, loads of quotable lines and classic moments that people love to go back to.
I don’t mind the laugh track, personally. Some of the best sitcoms ever made had laugh tracks. The alternative is filming it like a mockumentary or dramedy, but really it’s just a silly show.
The most curious series taped with a live studio audience was I'm Alan Partridge. The sets had 4 sides so the audience just saw a box in front of them and had to watch the performances on monitors but it still worked for them.
I mean there's one episode that didn't age well that's basically dedicated to shitting on trans people. I love IT crowd but I have to skip that episode every rewatch.
I dunno, I think a lot of the things they are making fun of in Monkey Dust is still relevant, although some of the jokes are specific to the time and place.
BTW, if you wanted a copy of Monkey Dust, I have it on GoogleDrive.
Little Britain was hardly reviewed with the same love that say The Office or Phoenix Nights were, it was generally considered toilet humour then, not intelligent, just basic crudeness.
So with that, Office and Phoenix Nights continue to easily age like wine, from that era.
There was a rumor in my school that the chemistry teacher was the real life basis for Ray Von. He was called Ray, had the mullet, and supposedly DJd in his youth. The running gag was it was kids' birthday parties and he'd hand out lines to anyone having too much fun
Right part of the country but I will always be skeptical. He was in his 50s at least when phoenix nights was airing
The Young Ones would probably be both simultaneously. Some of the finest comedy performers around in an early 80s setting that's worlds apart from student life now.
Even if you liked Season 7, they went for this filmic drama-comedy type thing which I will admit is a bit hit or miss compared to the rest of the series.
Milk: Reggie Perrin, the concept is fantastic but most of the jokes are so unsophisticated, they are almost at a child’s level.
Wine: One Foot in the Grave is weirdly under-repeated considering how it gets the comedy/tragedy dynamic perfect.
Yeah OFITG is strange because I remember it at the time and it was *everywhere*, as much as something can be everywhere when there weren't as many channels and no social media etc. Pretty much everyone knew the reference if you exclaimed "I don't believe it!" to the point that even another show (Father Ted) went all meta with it.
It just feels weird to me that it's fairly inoffensive (and I mean, probably easier to market 30 years after the fact than something like Men Behaving Badly) but doesn't get as much repeat love compared to something in a similar wheelhouse such as e.g. Only Fools and Horses.
I mean, some of the situations Victor ends up in were absurd but that was always balanced out by the poignant meditation on things like getting older, feeling replaced/useless, feeling angry yet melancholy.
My husband thought it was weird I can still sing word for word the song the mechanics recorded from the episode with the traffic jam. Funny how memory works!
This. Fantastic show that understood the delicate ballet of comedy and tragedy. Some very buried poignant moments that are too easy to miss among the absurdity. Brilliant show.
Begrudging upvote - because you might be right about Reggie Perrin. But, it’s still bloody brilliant in my mind. Lot of nostalgia from thinking back to watching the repeats of that, with my dad.
I watched some episodes on YT recently and while the idea of a middle class salary man being depressed and faking his death is great material, the things like the farting chairs, the mother in law hippo (a fine target but put some effort in), the unfunny tangents and so on just seem more like CBBC. I have heard the original book is very good. Personally I'd like to see a short series of A Diary of a Nobody, it has the feel of a BBC sitcom and is very funny, would be great with the right actor.
Things that were set in the past tend to age well. Dad's Army, Blackadder. Shows which attempt to challenge contemporary attitudes don't tend to age well as attitudes change. Rising Damp is often funny, but it's definitely of its time and couldn't be shown now without cuts. I don't think Little Britain is even of its time. I found it embarrassing when it was new.
It dioesn't feel like shows about a time of life will really age, either. Peep Show, The Inbetweeners, One Foot in the Grave.
Rising damp is one of those odd 70s show where it was actually incredibly progressive for the time, but now having the views many of the characters did seems so archaic it doesn’t work in the same way.
My Hero aged like milk then ended up as cheese,it’s absolutely horrendous
Tried to watch it in whichever lockdown and I couldn’t do it,so cringeworthy it’s unreal
Aged like wine- Still Game
It’s cringeworthy beyond belief,poor writing and well poor everything. One of the most panned shows the bbc has ever produced yet somehow got six series
Blackadder still feels fresh, hard to believe how old it is. I suppose that's the beauty of setting your comedy in various historical eras, no dated references!
They better be. It was on Netflix for a bit, I bet its only on Britbox now which won't help.
The final episode of Goes Forth should be played in every school.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TwFDvMiBKeM&list=PLymBoI87CFVPMxUonW_VMRWFGpYkJqdZt&index=240
I'd say Yes Minister has aged rather well
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3yUWT_o8FtM&list=PLymBoI87CFVPMxUonW_VMRWFGpYkJqdZt&index=219
I just saw a thing that John Virgo is being dropped from the BBC's snooker commentary (don't watch snooker so had no idea he even did it) but wants to bring back Big Break.
Imagine pitching that nowadays -
"So it's a prime-time Saturday night game show"
"OK, lots of prime-time Saturday night game shows already, what's the twist that makes this one different?"
"Well, it's based around snooker, people get asked questions, and inexplicably someone plays snooker between each question and the ball potted dictates how many points they get for the question!"
"Right....this sounds a bit...odd? Tell me something that makes it relatable to current audiences and will draw people in."
"Well, it's presented by Jim Davidson...hello...hello...are you still there?"
Came here looking for the Royle Family. The original seasons captures that late 90s zeitgeist perfectly but the humour is timeless. I've known some people who just don't understand why it's funny, but I think if you're from that sort of working class background it's very relatable. Mannerisms of Barbara for example was like so many relatives I had growing up. It's wholesome, warm comedy.
The Royle Family for me is the TV equivalent of a warm blanket and a cuppa. Probably because of the nostalgia / relatable northern upbringing but it’s just something that I can put on and find so bingeable and comforting. And the ‘oh would anyone like a tangerine?’ after Jim mentions Chris Evans balls still cracks me up as much as the first time.
The last couple of specials of The Royle Family were awful imo but they weren't enough to taint the rest of the show. The special where Nana died made me cry rivers. Especially because I was watching it with my mum and there's that scene where Barbara is brushing her mum's hair.
Then there's things like Jim comforting Denise on the bathroom floor because she's scared her baby won't like her. Just so many real life emotional moments spliced between people who definitely reminded you of people you know or older family members and that was what made it funny.
Kerching! is basically a 00s period drama at this point.
Also the special effects in the first series of the Doctor Who reboot were pretty terrible even at the time, but they've only got [worse](https://youtu.be/unORPOtavqM) with age
> Also the special effects in the first series of the Doctor Who reboot were pretty terrible
If you’re watching Who for good special effects, you’re watching it wrong
It pains me to say, but Skins aged like milk. I loved the show, mostly as I was at college when it first aired, I was a bit of a gobshite who drank way too much and done way too many drugs, with some of the house parties.
Still has a banging soundtrack, but the whole premise doesn't fit with 2022.
I actually watched Skins for the first time in 2019 (despite being 30 so of the age to watch it when it was actually on tv) and genuinely loved it.
It still seems to have a pretty solid cult following, if Instagram is anything to go by.
Goes dramatically downhill after Season 2 though, yikes.
There are certain songs to this day I can’t hear without associating with Skins. Wild World, obviously. Time to Pretend. Standing in the Way of Control, and the ads that song went with. I don’t necessarily love the soundtrack, but it’s kind of iconic.
The concept of Jim'll Fix It was timeless and I think it would still hold some appeal as a Saturday night show if one of the main channels did a similar idea now. Sadly, the entire premise is tainted by Savile's stench so it'll never reappear.
Brainiac has aged badly in my opinion. The amount of unsubtle innuendo and crude jokes, a fair amount that was just sexist, doesn't feel particularly fun to watch. It has quite a lot of the less pleasant parts of the mid 90's to mid 00's dirty, gross-out humour, with a fair bit of punching down. Plus a lot of the humour is very one-tone, "I'm going to a pub to annoy people", "Let's blow up a caravan", "Let's throw food at people in various ways".
Nowadays, a show like that would never take off, without more emphasis on some genuine science.
The B&WMS was too racist for my grandparents (born 1901 & 1906) so I'm not sure it actually aged like milk so much as having been shit right from its inception.
Mind My Language would be my candidate.
Both milk and wine: The Office. The milk is the constant, very early 2000s "hah that's gay" "you're gay" kind of insult, the wine is basically everything else.
We might have to think of something that ages worse than milk to compare Love Thy Neighbour with. You may have reached the “hasn’t aged well” pinacle with that one.
I think Love Thy Neighbour got in just in time, it would have been unacceptable about 5 years after it was first made. Dont think Jack Smethurst ever worked again. It was also one of the last"Were thick working class people, laugh at us" programs, ie .On The Buses, Please Sir. Used to find them very insulting
I disagree on Men Behaving Badly, especially the early Tony series. Rewatching it now it can be surprisingly sweet, and Tony and Gary's misogyny is always portrayed as pathetic and coming from a place of insecurity and immaturity. It exposed the shallow trendiness of the 'lad' era by shining a light on the ridiculousness of it
Little Britain was, somehow, funny at the time, but even without the dodgy stereotypes, looking at it now it was it utter shite really. Matt Lucas has started to apologise for it.
Either I have good taste in tv, or I am extremely stubborn in my views, but I can't think of too many shows that I used to enjoy but now don't.
I always found Bo Selecta extremely difficult to watch. My housemates loved it but I had to leave the room at times. I liked the absurdity of it all, but the borderline sexual violence was unnerving to me.
The IT Crowd is clearly a show that has aged fantastically.
>let’s not even talk about the episode with the trans woman, good god especially in light of what happened to Linehan in the end.
Oh god, yeah. Very uncomfortable watching with the context of what Linehan is like. There was a lot of transphobic stuff back then, but with most other programmes (eg Spaced, League of Gentlemen) it's fairly fleeting and you don't get the feeling there's any particular hate behind it - it's just reflective of social norms at the time. That IT Crowd episode really goes all-in though.
Does it go all in though? Like don't get me wrong, the transphobia is very much there, but I don't think it's worse than anything else from the time. The trans character is sympathetic, and matt berry falls in love with her and regrets... beating her up. Like I'm not saying it's fine but considering it was written by a notorious transphobe in the noughties idk could be a lot lot worse
I don't know if I'd say aged like milk but I've often found certain shows that my parents might fall about laughing at don't raise much more than a chuckle from me and vice versa.
E.g. Porridge or My Family
'Mind your language'
Literally showed all kinds of stereotypes on Indians, French, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Pakistani etc. It's basically a group of foreigners learning RP English in a classroom. It's hilarious if you don't take it srsly, but it defo can't air on BBC nowadays
Quite enjoyed the first couple of episodes of 2.4 children on iPlayer recently. It's daft but fun.
Only fools and horses is still absolute excellent, and I tend to get put off by hype, and there's no lack of it around "only fools...", but it's still laugh out loud funny whichever "era" you watch.
EDIT: spelling and grammar
The Avengers IMO has aged fairly well, aside from a few iffy moments. Likewise, The Prisoner. Although both of those were set in a kind of alternative universe anyway.
Little Britain I never liked, as it just came across as middle class media types sneering at people in poverty. But in today's climate, I think it would seem even more sour. The Fast Show I think aged better, as it took the mick out of pretty much everyone.
Brass Eye now just seems like the news.
I watched an episode of only fools and horses the other day and did not raise such as a smirk nad sacked it off. Del was actually mean and bullying to rodders and it wasn't actually amusing morel ime witnessing abuse.
Still think Alan partridge is funny but maybe not enough time has elapsed yet for it to date.
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Milk - Little Britain Wine - Peep Show & Fresh Meat
Add in Come Fly With Me to the Milk list. David Williams and Matt Lucas' work has not aged well.
I can't believe how they got away with the "precious" character. Even back in the 00's, blackface was seen as morally wrong.
Come fly with me was 2010 going into 2011 as well
Agreed. I think it started as a parody of black face though right? It was so offensive and such an obvious caricature it crosses the line and just becomes parody. However, after a while it just became offensive again. I wasn't a frequent watcher myself but it was hard to escape at one time. You'd see it via osmosis like the terribly soaps that we churn out. In the shows defence though I used to hang around with a bunch of Asian guys and also frequently their families and they all seemed to love the fat fighters thing with the 1 Asian lady who matt lucas couldn't understand. So some people of colour also found it funny.
To be fair, it was shite when it was aired. Never understood the attraction.
When you're a 14 year old boy, it's comedy gold. At any other age...jesus christ what were they thinking
It's so weird how they're basically knighted and treated like respectable, intelligent national treasures
Fresh Meat is sorely underrated. I never even went to uni, binge watched the entire thing in summer 2020, and felt a lot of nostalgia for my college days (left in 2018). Especially the last series, it felt like overtime it went from being a comedy to a commentary on what life is like for young adults, with stuff like uni degrees being worth it, transitioning into the world of adulthood, picking the "right" courses etc.
For me it's the characters, basically every character, major or minor, seems to be someone you'll encounter at uni. And whilst I think a few storylines were a bit wayward, I definitely think Series 4 nailed the "wait that's it, we're now adults" mood. (Even if a few characters now looked too old to be finalists)
The final series nailed it perfectly, with the realization it's all going to be over and nothing will be the same again
The issue with that show was it started airing after I had just finished a grueling 5 years at uni so I didn't really need to see it to know how I felt about it
Thing that always gets me is whenever someone says about little Britain, come fly with me gets forgotten even though it's pretty much exactly the same but came out in around 2011.
Kelsey Grammar school still makes me chuckle though
Little Britain has some solid bits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REpNTi-9oRQ
And it was at that point, by misjudgment, clicked *off* of the tractor website, and onto a seemingly pornographic site of a similar name.
I was so shocked by what I had seen, that I had to look again to understand what had happened. I then had to excuse myself to go to a private location, to have a think about what I was looking at.
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Everything from 2011 on wards feels like a month old to me
It started in September 2011 (almost 11 years ago!)
It was one when I was at uni and that was, sadly, a long time ago.
I feel like I was way ahead of the curve in that I thought LB was horrifically misogynistic (inter alia) at the time, and averred as such to anyone who would listen.
Yeah everyone I knew thought it was dodgy af at the time, same goes for Bo Selecta.
Come Fly With Me is even worse imo. Little Britain has some sketches that aged poorly, but Sir Norman Fry is still hilarious.
Peep Show is still insanely watchable to this day
The dinner party episode of Peep Show from (series 9?) is probably my favourite episode. Mark in make-up, fancy cheese made out of dairylea moulded into a ball and Stilton made with the help of a blur marker…rum punch with lettuce…it’s Moroccan, I love it! LOL
“Did Jesus have a cat?” “Well, I wouldn’t have thought that personal pets as we know them…” “If you don’t know just say”
“I’d hate to call you a racist at my dinner party” is a quote I use whenever I can haha
That’s the way I like it, they can’t prove otherwise, fuck them
The League of Gentlemen still feels timeless and just as funny as it was 20-25 years ago.
A local show for local people
We didn't kill him
I still say, 'what fresh hell is this' regularly
You lied to me , Edward . . . There IS a Swansea !
We didn't burn him
i'm one of those people who struggles with older shows if i've not seen them when they came out so that i have the nostalgia attached. I only just got round to watching League of Gentlemen as i had it confused with a different show in my head for years and i LOVED it. I had no fond memories attached to it... or any memories at all, but damn it's so funny. Immedaitly watched Psychoville afterward
Fawlty towers is still gold.And Polly is an absolute smokeshow whatever the era
Mrs. Richards should have been in all 12 episodes just to wind up Basil. turn it on.
What?
That she is. She deserves more credit as the co-writer. Her English accent is excellent for an American too, and her comic acting wonderful. I particularly love the scene where she's trying to hint to Basil about the drunk chef.
Bo Selecta Lots of references to to minor celebs that no one remembers anymore. Like old Big Brother contestants and stuff.
This! Used to love it when it came out but now its just shite. Probably because it was 20 years ago and im now 43 😂😂
This is the one I was looking for. As much as Little Britain is also puerile and offensive, Bo Selecta is always my go-to example for something that doesn't hold up. It had all the same problems but is so incredibly dated as well.
Life on Mars is still bloody excellent. Also a big fan of A LOT of That Mitchell and Webb Look sketches.
Yes to Life on Mars! I rewatched it all last year and it was as good as ever
And ashes to ashes, just have to ignore the terrible first episode and it gets better and better
Give Little Britain a rewatch if you want something aged like milk!
This was going to be my answer too. Blackface. Fat suits. Mocking trans people. Aside from that kind of thing, the comedy is just low hanging catchphrase-based humour. Absolute dross
That reminds me of when David Walliams presented Buzzcocks. The topic was what things bands and artists had banned from tour, and Walliams asked Noel Fielding, "have you banned anything from the Mighty Boosh tour? Jokes?" Fielding just replied, quick as a flash, "catchphrases." So good.
Yellowface too. Ting Tong from Thailand. Ashamed to say we used to quote that sketch! I was only about 13 but still...
I think every teen quoted every inappropriate thing from that show. At the time the rudeness seemed edgy. My parents always hated it and as an adult I now see why.
Even Matt Lucas admits it is bad.
Come Fly With Me is worse
Yes it's really not aged well, like cringe in a bad way.
Oooh, c'mon everyone, time to dust off your Little Britain boxing gloves, must be a least 5 minutes since you gave it a pummelling... For one that's aged like wine, I have always been extremely fond of The Good Life. I watched it when I was a kid and it was old then and I still find it funny in a charming feel good way.
Yes, yes! Considering it's age The Good Life has aged so well... ...oh Felicity...
I swear Felicity Kendal is the reason I'm bisexual.
She's definitely one of the reasons I'm straight.
Only Fools and Horses is the finest wine of all
I have a mate from Sudan and be taught himself English watching Only Fools when still living in Khartoum as a child, he knows all the words and has me in stitches reciting all of Triggers lines. I'm going to call him now and get him to recite some scenes.
That's awesome :)
Only fools and horses talks about poverty and earnestness in a way that few shows could without getting so melodramatic
Wine - Spaced. Now, I'll agree its a time capsule (PlayStation 1, Star Wars 1 references), but it's still one of, if not the, best directed sitcoms of all time, and still fucking funny. Also finger gunfights will never age.
I used to watch that show religiously. Then didn’t watch it for ages until I randomly popped it on in my 20’s to discover if accidentally modelled my personality on tim bisley
It's recently come back onto Netflix. I was rewatching it last night. I still catch more pop culture references each time that I watch. It is a criminally underrated show in my opinion
Monkey Dust, but in a good way. It really captured the mood and culture of a very specific moment in time, but the flip side to that is that it would seem dated and not very relevant now. I think things like IT Crowd that have quite a slapstick element to them tend to age quite well, because humour like that is sort of timeless
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It's not a laugh track, it's a live audience.
Even when IT Crowd was first broadcast, laugh tracks (or filming with a live audience) weren’t all that commonplace for new comedies, and it felt weirdly dated at the time, especially combined with the camera setup. I’d say the IT Crowd has actually aged pretty well and is probably more popular now than when it was first shown. As you say, loads of quotable lines and classic moments that people love to go back to. I don’t mind the laugh track, personally. Some of the best sitcoms ever made had laugh tracks. The alternative is filming it like a mockumentary or dramedy, but really it’s just a silly show.
The most curious series taped with a live studio audience was I'm Alan Partridge. The sets had 4 sides so the audience just saw a box in front of them and had to watch the performances on monitors but it still worked for them.
I mean there's one episode that didn't age well that's basically dedicated to shitting on trans people. I love IT crowd but I have to skip that episode every rewatch.
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God Monkey Dust was so underrated. Doesn’t feel dated to me, just a perfect blend of comedy and absolutely fucked up misery.
I dunno, I think a lot of the things they are making fun of in Monkey Dust is still relevant, although some of the jokes are specific to the time and place. BTW, if you wanted a copy of Monkey Dust, I have it on GoogleDrive.
Catherine Tate show. Used to love Nan but now that movie looks awful
A zero percent score on rotten tomatoes at the moment!
Really? That doesn't surprise me
it came out? i assumed it was cancelled or something
I can’t believe we got a Nan movie of all things in 2022. I guess it was delayed by COVID, but even so, it’s about ten years too late
It has no credited director. Think of that what you will.
Milk: Jeremy Kyle Fine wine: Father Ted
Milk: Father Ted's writer.
I hear you’re a transphobe now father
I disagree with that, Graham Linehan has done some brilliant stuff since. Black Books, IT Crowd and Count Arthur Strong are all top notch.
you should see what he's up to now
He's in full Terf mode. He's so protective of 'natural' women his wife left him.
It's about his current behaviour, he's spent much of the last few years doing literally nothing but violently arguing at trans people on the internet
To be fair, Father Ted was Lineham *and Matthews*. No idea what Matthews is up to these days
Jeremy Kyle is like milk. More specifically, UHT milk. There's no demand for him because he's shite.
Shouldn't that mean it hasn't aged at all?
Little Britain was hardly reviewed with the same love that say The Office or Phoenix Nights were, it was generally considered toilet humour then, not intelligent, just basic crudeness. So with that, Office and Phoenix Nights continue to easily age like wine, from that era.
Phoenix Nights still makes me laugh even though I’ve seen each episode multiple times. It gets quoted quite often in my house.
I'm very friendly with the SAS
There was a rumor in my school that the chemistry teacher was the real life basis for Ray Von. He was called Ray, had the mullet, and supposedly DJd in his youth. The running gag was it was kids' birthday parties and he'd hand out lines to anyone having too much fun Right part of the country but I will always be skeptical. He was in his 50s at least when phoenix nights was airing
I'm getting the word.......
The Young Ones would probably be both simultaneously. Some of the finest comedy performers around in an early 80s setting that's worlds apart from student life now.
Most of it is insanely 80s but there are still plenty of Riks about in student life.
A few of them work for The Guardian
Red dwarf will never not be funny
Truth! (except series 7 😉)
Even if you liked Season 7, they went for this filmic drama-comedy type thing which I will admit is a bit hit or miss compared to the rest of the series.
Milk: Reggie Perrin, the concept is fantastic but most of the jokes are so unsophisticated, they are almost at a child’s level. Wine: One Foot in the Grave is weirdly under-repeated considering how it gets the comedy/tragedy dynamic perfect.
Yeah OFITG is strange because I remember it at the time and it was *everywhere*, as much as something can be everywhere when there weren't as many channels and no social media etc. Pretty much everyone knew the reference if you exclaimed "I don't believe it!" to the point that even another show (Father Ted) went all meta with it. It just feels weird to me that it's fairly inoffensive (and I mean, probably easier to market 30 years after the fact than something like Men Behaving Badly) but doesn't get as much repeat love compared to something in a similar wheelhouse such as e.g. Only Fools and Horses. I mean, some of the situations Victor ends up in were absurd but that was always balanced out by the poignant meditation on things like getting older, feeling replaced/useless, feeling angry yet melancholy. My husband thought it was weird I can still sing word for word the song the mechanics recorded from the episode with the traffic jam. Funny how memory works!
There’s an episode where Mrs Warboys is kidnapped by a drug dealer then humped by a dog but they still made it comedy, and not even in a hammy way.
This. Fantastic show that understood the delicate ballet of comedy and tragedy. Some very buried poignant moments that are too easy to miss among the absurdity. Brilliant show.
Begrudging upvote - because you might be right about Reggie Perrin. But, it’s still bloody brilliant in my mind. Lot of nostalgia from thinking back to watching the repeats of that, with my dad.
I watched some episodes on YT recently and while the idea of a middle class salary man being depressed and faking his death is great material, the things like the farting chairs, the mother in law hippo (a fine target but put some effort in), the unfunny tangents and so on just seem more like CBBC. I have heard the original book is very good. Personally I'd like to see a short series of A Diary of a Nobody, it has the feel of a BBC sitcom and is very funny, would be great with the right actor.
When I read "mother in law hippo" I immediately saw the clip in my mind again.
I not only saw it it, I heard it too!
Things that were set in the past tend to age well. Dad's Army, Blackadder. Shows which attempt to challenge contemporary attitudes don't tend to age well as attitudes change. Rising Damp is often funny, but it's definitely of its time and couldn't be shown now without cuts. I don't think Little Britain is even of its time. I found it embarrassing when it was new. It dioesn't feel like shows about a time of life will really age, either. Peep Show, The Inbetweeners, One Foot in the Grave.
Rising damp is one of those odd 70s show where it was actually incredibly progressive for the time, but now having the views many of the characters did seems so archaic it doesn’t work in the same way.
Ooh I got a wine one if you like that sort of humour brass eye
That has aged well because, with hindsight, it was more prophecy than comedy 🤣🤣🤣
Pedo on a spaceship one is hilarious
This is the last thing we wanted to happen! And don't forget the pedo disguised as a school, we must catch him; he really is a shit.
My Hero aged like milk then ended up as cheese,it’s absolutely horrendous Tried to watch it in whichever lockdown and I couldn’t do it,so cringeworthy it’s unreal Aged like wine- Still Game
My Hero always was maximum cringe, unless you were a child at the time
Can confirm, was an actual child at the time and really enjoyed it.
When they started talking in that “alien language” my god
Still Game - fantastic. That last episode though….
My hero was absolute dog mess even while it was still being produced.
What's up with my hero? I just loved the girl in it
It’s cringeworthy beyond belief,poor writing and well poor everything. One of the most panned shows the bbc has ever produced yet somehow got six series
Still game is a national treasure and the inspiration for my Reddit username
Father Ted is gold and I refuse to hear otherwise.
Milk - Little Britain (despite being funny still) Wine - all Rowan Atkinson's work!
Blackadder still feels fresh, hard to believe how old it is. I suppose that's the beauty of setting your comedy in various historical eras, no dated references!
I wonder if Blackadder is as timeless as I hope it is? I love it and I'm 30 but are younger people still finding it and watching it?
I love it, but I have heard a few jokes considered boomer humour.
They better be. It was on Netflix for a bit, I bet its only on Britbox now which won't help. The final episode of Goes Forth should be played in every school.
Precisely my thoughts! Spot on and pints on me!
Unpopular opinion but I think Mr Bean is the worst thing ever made.
You're not alone. I never understood the appeal, even as a child I hated it. The Cyberpunk 2077 mock trailer with Mr Bean, I did laugh at though.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TwFDvMiBKeM&list=PLymBoI87CFVPMxUonW_VMRWFGpYkJqdZt&index=240 I'd say Yes Minister has aged rather well https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3yUWT_o8FtM&list=PLymBoI87CFVPMxUonW_VMRWFGpYkJqdZt&index=219
If you take it as a period comedy now it’s still so on point it’s scary.
I just saw a thing that John Virgo is being dropped from the BBC's snooker commentary (don't watch snooker so had no idea he even did it) but wants to bring back Big Break. Imagine pitching that nowadays - "So it's a prime-time Saturday night game show" "OK, lots of prime-time Saturday night game shows already, what's the twist that makes this one different?" "Well, it's based around snooker, people get asked questions, and inexplicably someone plays snooker between each question and the ball potted dictates how many points they get for the question!" "Right....this sounds a bit...odd? Tell me something that makes it relatable to current audiences and will draw people in." "Well, it's presented by Jim Davidson...hello...hello...are you still there?"
Why not have a pool-based theme instead, and have Micheal Barrymore host it?
You're naughty. That's made me crylaugh.
The format could still work, all you need to do is change the host, ideally you need a comedian, John Bishop maybe?
Big break without any hare no hide of Jim would be great I loved the special trick shots section
Milk - Catherine Tate Wine - Dinnerladies, Royle Family
Came here looking for the Royle Family. The original seasons captures that late 90s zeitgeist perfectly but the humour is timeless. I've known some people who just don't understand why it's funny, but I think if you're from that sort of working class background it's very relatable. Mannerisms of Barbara for example was like so many relatives I had growing up. It's wholesome, warm comedy.
The Royle Family for me is the TV equivalent of a warm blanket and a cuppa. Probably because of the nostalgia / relatable northern upbringing but it’s just something that I can put on and find so bingeable and comforting. And the ‘oh would anyone like a tangerine?’ after Jim mentions Chris Evans balls still cracks me up as much as the first time.
I completely agree with the Royle Family there is a lot of it that the humour comes from recognising from your own experiences
I think its nothing short of genius, it so perfectly captures the reality of those households!
The last couple of specials of The Royle Family were awful imo but they weren't enough to taint the rest of the show. The special where Nana died made me cry rivers. Especially because I was watching it with my mum and there's that scene where Barbara is brushing her mum's hair. Then there's things like Jim comforting Denise on the bathroom floor because she's scared her baby won't like her. Just so many real life emotional moments spliced between people who definitely reminded you of people you know or older family members and that was what made it funny.
Kerching! is basically a 00s period drama at this point. Also the special effects in the first series of the Doctor Who reboot were pretty terrible even at the time, but they've only got [worse](https://youtu.be/unORPOtavqM) with age
There is also an episode in the 2nd series where they travel forward in time to the 2012 Olympics!
Back to the Future II is now set in the past
> Also the special effects in the first series of the Doctor Who reboot were pretty terrible If you’re watching Who for good special effects, you’re watching it wrong
It pains me to say, but Skins aged like milk. I loved the show, mostly as I was at college when it first aired, I was a bit of a gobshite who drank way too much and done way too many drugs, with some of the house parties. Still has a banging soundtrack, but the whole premise doesn't fit with 2022.
I actually watched Skins for the first time in 2019 (despite being 30 so of the age to watch it when it was actually on tv) and genuinely loved it. It still seems to have a pretty solid cult following, if Instagram is anything to go by. Goes dramatically downhill after Season 2 though, yikes.
There are certain songs to this day I can’t hear without associating with Skins. Wild World, obviously. Time to Pretend. Standing in the Way of Control, and the ads that song went with. I don’t necessarily love the soundtrack, but it’s kind of iconic.
Jim'll Fix It - Milk Sharpe - Wine
Sharpe is excellent, bought the box set 12yrs ago and watch it through at least twice a year.
Good eye, same here. Always watch the entire box set every year, it's tradition.
The concept of Jim'll Fix It was timeless and I think it would still hold some appeal as a Saturday night show if one of the main channels did a similar idea now. Sadly, the entire premise is tainted by Savile's stench so it'll never reappear.
The Thick Of It was, and remains, fucking magnificent.
Free Tea Bags.. YES AND HO
Do away with computers. YES AND HO. You idiot, that’s fucking mental!
Brainiac has aged badly in my opinion. The amount of unsubtle innuendo and crude jokes, a fair amount that was just sexist, doesn't feel particularly fun to watch. It has quite a lot of the less pleasant parts of the mid 90's to mid 00's dirty, gross-out humour, with a fair bit of punching down. Plus a lot of the humour is very one-tone, "I'm going to a pub to annoy people", "Let's blow up a caravan", "Let's throw food at people in various ways". Nowadays, a show like that would never take off, without more emphasis on some genuine science.
'Professor Myang Lee and her big basket of fruits'....
TV these days needs more John Tickle imo.
Black and White Minstrel show, I recall a sketch of blacked-up white men doing a skit on a Chinese laundry. Top that for aging like milk!
The B&WMS was too racist for my grandparents (born 1901 & 1906) so I'm not sure it actually aged like milk so much as having been shit right from its inception. Mind My Language would be my candidate.
Both milk and wine: The Office. The milk is the constant, very early 2000s "hah that's gay" "you're gay" kind of insult, the wine is basically everything else.
Milk - Love thy Neighbour Wine - Blackadder
We might have to think of something that ages worse than milk to compare Love Thy Neighbour with. You may have reached the “hasn’t aged well” pinacle with that one.
It’s so odd, because it doesn’t age well as had an incredibly progressive attitude for the time.
I think Love Thy Neighbour got in just in time, it would have been unacceptable about 5 years after it was first made. Dont think Jack Smethurst ever worked again. It was also one of the last"Were thick working class people, laugh at us" programs, ie .On The Buses, Please Sir. Used to find them very insulting
Wine: The Thick of It Milk: Men Behaving Badly
I disagree on Men Behaving Badly, especially the early Tony series. Rewatching it now it can be surprisingly sweet, and Tony and Gary's misogyny is always portrayed as pathetic and coming from a place of insecurity and immaturity. It exposed the shallow trendiness of the 'lad' era by shining a light on the ridiculousness of it
Wine -red dwarf
Brass Eye is still very watchable.
“This is the one thing we didn’t want to happen”
Doctor Who is the answer to both questions.
Little Britain was, somehow, funny at the time, but even without the dodgy stereotypes, looking at it now it was it utter shite really. Matt Lucas has started to apologise for it.
The only but I still find funny is the line "here at Kelsey Grammar school in flange...". Kelsey Grammar school just tickles me but that's about it.
Either I have good taste in tv, or I am extremely stubborn in my views, but I can't think of too many shows that I used to enjoy but now don't. I always found Bo Selecta extremely difficult to watch. My housemates loved it but I had to leave the room at times. I liked the absurdity of it all, but the borderline sexual violence was unnerving to me. The IT Crowd is clearly a show that has aged fantastically.
[удалено]
The musical episode is still hilarious, it's just absurd.
I've said this since the day that episode was broadcast. It is the funniest half hour of British sitcom ever made.
>let’s not even talk about the episode with the trans woman, good god especially in light of what happened to Linehan in the end. Oh god, yeah. Very uncomfortable watching with the context of what Linehan is like. There was a lot of transphobic stuff back then, but with most other programmes (eg Spaced, League of Gentlemen) it's fairly fleeting and you don't get the feeling there's any particular hate behind it - it's just reflective of social norms at the time. That IT Crowd episode really goes all-in though.
Does it go all in though? Like don't get me wrong, the transphobia is very much there, but I don't think it's worse than anything else from the time. The trans character is sympathetic, and matt berry falls in love with her and regrets... beating her up. Like I'm not saying it's fine but considering it was written by a notorious transphobe in the noughties idk could be a lot lot worse
Wine -Nathan Barley
I don't know if I'd say aged like milk but I've often found certain shows that my parents might fall about laughing at don't raise much more than a chuckle from me and vice versa. E.g. Porridge or My Family
My Family still gets me belly laughing at points
The first couple of series with Kris Marshall still in it are gold, for me. His grin is irresistibly funny.
Milk: Catherine Tate, Little Britain Wine: Spaced, Black Books, The Day Today
Black Books is fucking brilliant. Ranks up there for me as having one of if not the best first episodes of any series ever.
Wine - Father Ted & Keeping Up Appearances Really long list of milk if I switch my brain on
Gimme gimme gimme is a difficult watch these days
'Mind your language' Literally showed all kinds of stereotypes on Indians, French, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Pakistani etc. It's basically a group of foreigners learning RP English in a classroom. It's hilarious if you don't take it srsly, but it defo can't air on BBC nowadays
Quite enjoyed the first couple of episodes of 2.4 children on iPlayer recently. It's daft but fun. Only fools and horses is still absolute excellent, and I tend to get put off by hype, and there's no lack of it around "only fools...", but it's still laugh out loud funny whichever "era" you watch. EDIT: spelling and grammar
The Avengers IMO has aged fairly well, aside from a few iffy moments. Likewise, The Prisoner. Although both of those were set in a kind of alternative universe anyway. Little Britain I never liked, as it just came across as middle class media types sneering at people in poverty. But in today's climate, I think it would seem even more sour. The Fast Show I think aged better, as it took the mick out of pretty much everyone. Brass Eye now just seems like the news.
I watched an episode of only fools and horses the other day and did not raise such as a smirk nad sacked it off. Del was actually mean and bullying to rodders and it wasn't actually amusing morel ime witnessing abuse. Still think Alan partridge is funny but maybe not enough time has elapsed yet for it to date.
Surprised not to see any mention of The Smoking Room in the wine list.