Was comedy better years ago?

alchal said:
Pretty much.
We are far more PC than any other country in the world.
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Well except California.

jsmoke said:
You'd have to define "better" better.

Is comedy timeless?

Take a poll of 1000 twenty year olds and ask them to respond to comedy of the past.

It's more the personality delivering the comedy than the actuall script. I find Milton Jones funny but his actually lines are very basic puns.

So it's that knowadays people / comedians don't have a good personality or qualities and that's shaped by the world we live in and by the values we live by.

So comedy knowadays suits the current climate which is superficial and serious. 30 years ago it was more from the heart, sarcastic, sexist, self depreciating, offence. Again that's all relative to the current ruleset as to what's acceptable and what's not.

People will laugh at offence jokes when they're delivered in a subtle environment as it allows them to delve into their "naughty side", the dark side, without fear of reprocussion.
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But we have "comedians" like Nish Kumar who isn't funny at all. It just shows how weak the competition is when he gets air time. Up against people like Ronnie Barker and comedians from that generation (which is a generation far older than me) he would have no chance.
 
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10 - 20 years ago you had Green Wing, The Thick of It, Peep Show, Inbetweeners, Coupling, IT Crowd, Fresh Meat (first 2 seasons), South Park (the last 10 years or so has not been the same as the 2000s), The Office, Extras, I'm Alan Partridge, and I'm probably forgetting loads.

In the last few years the only things I can think that stack up are Always Sunny (although actually started in 2005), Rick and Morty, Toast, Taskmaster (not a sitcom but is brilliant), possibly Veep, The Boys (I'm counting this as a comedy), Archer (up to season 6).

This would suggest to me that it has declined, especially in terms of shows made this side of the Atlantic. I will check out Derry Girls though - looks decent.
 
I think good comedy is relatable.

There as been an Americanisation of British culture. In comedy Americans generally don't get irony or self deprecating humour.

Because the younger generations today here are mostly watching American programmes they are getting an odd hybrid culture that isn't British, so its generally not funny.

British humour punches up, while American humour punches down.
 
BowdonUK said:
I think good comedy is relatable.

There as been an Americanisation of British culture. In comedy Americans generally don't get irony or self deprecating humour.

Because the younger generations today here are mostly watching American programmes they are getting an odd hybrid culture that isn't British, so its generally not funny.

British humour punches up, while American humour punches down.
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They younger just call it boomer humour, dad jokes and move on.
 
BowdonUK said:
I think good comedy is relatable.

There as been an Americanisation of British culture. In comedy Americans generally don't get irony or self deprecating humour.

Because the younger generations today here are mostly watching American programmes they are getting an odd hybrid culture that isn't British, so its generally not funny.

British humour punches up, while American humour punches down.
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It definitely doesn’t help that the Gen Zs tend to watch a lot of YouTube etc, which is dominated by Americans and US influenced foreigners.

I can only assume it also why they have adopted a kind of dim-American way of speaking - lots of upward inflection at the end of sentences, liberal punctuation with “like” etc. We all (including Americans) used to knock “Valley” culture, but it’s become prevalent with Gen Z.

(God, I sound old!).
 
It’s like people saying movies were better then, music was better then, life was better then.

It’s just that you remember only the good stuff, you forget the bad, there are good comedy and bad comedy in all era. Nostalgia, rose tinted glasses and all that. Not to mention there’s are far more material, far more channels, far more platform than before. Back then you get 4 tv channels and to get on it you have to be good, now days there are far more, diluted sure but you also have more places to find good stuff.

So no, comedy or movie or music are not better back then. Also, there is a biological effect in play that things you experience between the age of 10 to about 23 will influence you the most, it’s where your favourite band or movies will be experienced. That contributes into the whole “it’s better back then”.
 
arknor said:
why is it? how much comedy was centred around poking fun at LGBT people?
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you have to remember some shows have been taken off air long ago and never shown again or edited. There were shows that were rasist, sexist and had anti gay language and jokes. One of the few surviving ones is Rising Damp with has racist undertones and jokes throughout it but they still air it in the UK. The show porridge has been edited
 
I dunno, there is still plenty of good stuff around. I think a common theme with some of the best UK shows is they aren't generally written by committee, there are like one or two writers basically (or at least main writers).

I mean Only fools and horses - written by one guy, John Sullivan

Faulty Towers - written by two people, John Cleese and Connie Booth they were married to each other (at least initially)

Red Dwarf - written initially by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor but arguably wasn't as good after Grant left and further episodes were written by Naylor with the help of a few other writers.

Black Adder - Season 1 Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, Seasons 2-4 Richard Curtis and Ben Elton. I think with that series the actors had some input too and they were all quite a tight team.

The Office - Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant, obvs starring Ricky Gervais too.

Now the highest-earning UK comedy show in the world is Ricky Gervais' show After Life, written, produced by, directed by and starring himself!
 
Nah, theres just so many these days that its quite easy to miss the top quality ones in favour of the ones pushed by the advertising. Crap like Big Bang Theory gets massive exposure over here while IASIP gets little promotion. Theres a lot more niche comedy as well.

The problem is that media is being increasingly policed by the ********** who are incapable of just letting people enjoy something that someone else might not like. I think BBT is crap but lots of people love it and they are welcome to it. Things like Little Britain are still hilarious despite people deciding its "problematic". Yes it takes the **** out of gay people, men that dress as women and disabled people. And why shouldn't it. Why is anyone not fair game. If I was in any of these groups I would be more offended if they thought I couldn't laugh at myself simply due to being part of group X.
 
Too many old shows are suffering edits as to not offend any ******** out looking to be offended. Porridge has edits and blurring of some items in the background, only fools also suffers the same thing, awkwardly placed edits of words and some things in the background being blurred out.

Either air them in their original form or don't air them at all, fed up seeing shows getting chopped up on the off chance some bellpiece is watching and kicks up a stink about a word or situation in a show written decades ago.

This review of only fools and horses says it all, some wee ******** out looking to be offended on other people's behalf so she could write an article about it. Apparently she was "mortified". :rolleyes:


https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.my...nion/i-watched-only-fools-horses-19429327.amp
 
weringo said:
10 - 20 years ago you had Green Wing, The Thick of It, Peep Show, Inbetweeners, Coupling, IT Crowd, Fresh Meat (first 2 seasons), South Park (the last 10 years or so has not been the same as the 2000s), The Office, Extras, I'm Alan Partridge, and I'm probably forgetting loads.

In the last few years the only things I can think that stack up are Always Sunny (although actually started in 2005), Rick and Morty, Toast, Taskmaster (not a sitcom but is brilliant), possibly Veep, The Boys (I'm counting this as a comedy), Archer (up to season 6).

This would suggest to me that it has declined, especially in terms of shows made this side of the Atlantic. I will check out Derry Girls though - looks decent.
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I don't think Taskmaster has been as good since it moved to Channel 4.

robcat101 said:
It definitely doesn’t help that the Gen Zs tend to watch a lot of YouTube etc, which is dominated by Americans and US influenced foreigners.

I can only assume it also why they have adopted a kind of dim-American way of speaking - lots of upward inflection at the end of sentences, liberal punctuation with “like” etc. We all (including Americans) used to knock “Valley” culture, but it’s become prevalent with Gen Z.

(God, I sound old!).
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TBH some of the stuff on youtube, made by a handful of people with bascially no budget is better than the shows the big channels are putting out.
 
dowie said:
Now the highest-earning UK comedy show in the world is Ricky Gervais' show After Life, written, produced by, directed by and starring himself!
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Thats a cracking show. Really enjoyed the first season.
 
I just looked on the BBC iPlayer at the comedy section.

Is anyone watching?

Ghosts
King Gary
Jerk
People Just Do Nothing
Motherland
The Young Offenders
Famalam
Dreaming Whilst Black
 
BowdonUK said:
I just looked on the BBC iPlayer at the comedy section.

Is anyone watching?

Ghosts
King Gary
Jerk
People Just Do Nothing
Motherland
The Young Offenders
Famalam
Dreaming Whilst Black
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Only one I've ever heard of is People Just Do Nothing and don't rate it.

I think the BBC has just become what people used to joke about back in the 80s and 90s.
 
Nasher said:
Seems like the US has taken over for comedy. Sad times.
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Sad for you perhaps, but I prefer U.S. comedy even if a lot of it, (Veep, Frasier, Curb your Enthusiasm aside), is quite lightweight.
Having a bunch of American friends, and spending extended periods of time over there, I’m au fait with a lot of Americana, I know which States are Blue and which are Red, a Senator from a Congressman, the political fallout from Gubernatorial contests, which day Thanksgiving falls on, (last Thursday in November), and when Labor Day is, September 6th this year.
Downside being that while I’m inwardly chuckling at “King of Queens”, “Young Sheldon”, and “Everyone loves Raymond”, my wife is impatiently waiting for me to explain it all to her.
I appreciate that it borders on sacrilege, but Morecambe and Wise’s attraction is a mystery to me, as is “Blackadder”, likewise “Fools and Horses”, although I thought that funny originally.
The Two Ronnies would have me running across the road to The Neptune pub, where I’d stay until I was sure that The Two Ronnies had finished.
 
Jean-F said:
Sad for you perhaps, but I prefer U.S. comedy even if a lot of it, (Veep, Frasier, Curb your Enthusiasm aside), is quite lightweight.
Having a bunch of American friends, and spending extended periods of time over there, I’m au fait with a lot of Americana, I know which States are Blue and which are Red, a Senator from a Congressman, the political fallout from Gubernatorial contests, which day Thanksgiving falls on, (last Thursday in November), and when Labor Day is, September 6th this year.
Downside being that while I’m inwardly chuckling at “King of Queens”, “Young Sheldon”, and “Everyone loves Raymond”, my wife is impatiently waiting for me to explain it all to her.
I appreciate that it borders on sacrilege, but Morecambe and Wise’s attraction is a mystery to me, as is “Blackadder”, likewise “Fools and Horses”, although I thought that funny originally.
The Two Ronnies would have me running across the road to The Neptune pub, where I’d stay until I was sure that The Two Ronnies had finished.
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Hmm, any chance you have had your teeth whitened?
 
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