Watchification » quiz

All New Shooting Stars

Steve Bowbrick — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:04:27 +0000

The once yawning gap between the peerless silliness of Reeves and Mortimer and their obvious antecedents Morecambe and Wise is closing fast: the first episode of Shooting Stars went out fifteen years ago, which is nearly half as long ago as the 28-million viewer everest of the 1977 Christmas Show (if you get a move on you might still catch Paul Merton’s excellent tribute to M&W here). And in those fifteen years they’ve got closer in other ways too.

Even this brand new show—which preserves the format of the original unchanged—now seems as innocent as an Ernie Wise play—in comparison, I suppose, to the rest of contemporary TV comedy—which needs to be ‘edgier’. In this rather melancholy documentary about Shooting Stars it’s clear that the BBC executives who commissioned the show back then really did hope they were investing in the new Eric and Ernie. It didn’t really work out – they’re still a minority taste (and half the population will never sit down to watch the same show ever again). I wonder if it still could.

Buzzcocks

roo — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 23:49:27 +0000

Controversy? What controversy?

Simon Amstell, the cheeky-faced tousle-haired youth who chairs Never Mind the Buzzcocks recently appeared on Russell Brand’s last radio programme where he seemed to enjoy baiting the Daily Mail. Who would have guessed he’d have felt nervous after that? Despite playing at being extra careful here, he is as dry and funny as ever.

A welcome return to the screen for Alexi Sayle too.

Never mind the global systemic catastrophe

Steve Bowbrick — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:10:51 +0000

Look, I probably ought to put up something about Credit Default Swaps or LIBOR or something but, honestly, I just can’t. So—by way of light relief—here’s this week’s Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Laugh? You’ll probably find yourself unwinding your long-term leverage or increasing your tier 1 capital. Sarcastic grammar school charmer Simon Amstell is outstanding: a major primetime find for BBC2. He’ll be presenting Newsnight before the year is out. Guest captain Stephen Fry is clueless and magnificent. Jupitus weary and witty. I laughed like a drain—like an accelerating market collapse in fact. The funniest thing on the telly this week by about 85 basis points or $700B, whichever is the greater…