No Laughing Matter

As you'll know if you visit here often, i'm a bit of a fan of a good TV comedy. And last night was the 'British Comedy Awards'. I couldn't bear to watch it, since such uncensored arse kissing brings me out in a rash.... but no doubt they proclaimed 2005 as 'a great year for British comedy', and no doubt someone swore before 9pm (with hilarious consequences.....)

Winners

Actor
Chris Langham (Help, The Thick of It)
Hooray! Chris Langham's an excellent actor, and his recent programs - 'People Like Us', 'The Thick of It' have been superb.
EDIT: Or should I say 'Internet criminal Chris Langham'. Very mysterious.

Actress
Ashley Jensen (Extras)
A poor actress in a mediocre show.

Entertainment personality
Paul O'Grady (The Paul O'Grady Show)
Christ. 1-0 to the blue rinse brigade. Harry Hill wasn't even nominated!!!

Newcomer
Ashley Jensen (Extras)
Ditto above. What's the opposite of 'scene stealing'? Watching her performance in Extras, I doubt very much that she'll ever work again. Except, ironically, as an extra.

New TV comedy
The Thick Of It
I enjoyed this, despite the nausea-inducing camera work.

TV comedy
Little Britain
Talentless Cunts.
EDIT: Of course that's not strictly true. Maybe 'lazy and unimaginative cunts' would be more appropriate.

TV comedy drama
Shameless
The couple of episodes of this I saw were pretty good. More drama than comedy though.

Entertainment programme
The X Factor
Weren't these supposed to be comedy awards? The only programme I can think of that should have won this is 'QI', which makes me laugh every week. Or Harry Hill's 'TV Burp'. What are the chances, eh!

I wish I could be 'entertained' by these so-called entertainment programmes. However it's different strokes for different folks I suppose. Some countries regard bear baiting as a good night out. Which to be honest would indeed provide for a more entertaining Saturday night then seeing Sharon Osbourne's botoxed mug grimacing grotesquely out of the screen. Yeah of course you shop at fucking Asda you parasitic money-grabbing whore. Now GET OFF MY TV.

International show
The Simpsons
Last funny five years ago. Do the people who vote for this actually watch the programmes?? The Simpsons has won this award for the last two years - just when it has become stuck in an inspirationless, humourless mire. I keep banging on about 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and 'Arrested Development' - but how on earth did one of them not win this?

Film
Festival
I've not seen it, but it's supposed to be pretty decent...

Ronnie Barker Writing Award
Little Britain
'Writing Award'? Little Britain? I can't fucking believe that one. Their 'script' is clearly knocked out in the taxi on the way to the studio. Now if there was a 'Les Dawson Dressing Up As Overweight Women Award' they'd be a shoe-in.

Yeah, I need to get out more and stop paying attention to shite like this. But it just annoys me that in a year of such feeble comedy, the few things that are worth rewarding get all but ignored, and the same old humourless crud beloved by tabloid columnists pick up all the plaudits.

Still, at least Ricky Gervais didn't win anything.

Anyway, the comedy nerds on the Chris Morris 'Cookd and Bombd' message board have celebrated the new depths British comedy has plummeted to with an alternative award ceremony. Yes, all the shite programmes and celebrities we are continually told are brilliant are revealed as the charlatans that they are. Although i've not seen most of the things they slag off. 'Spoons'? 'Balls of Steel'? 'Shirley Ghostman'?

One interesting thing that i've found last night & today while reading about this, is the constant praise that 'Peep Show' keeps picking up. A show i've neither heard of or watched. Has anyone seen this? Is it as good? Apparently it's on the third series now! I can't believe if it's that good it would have escaped my attention.....



Sorry for the diversion... it's just that i've watched my Father Ted DVD's to death, I watched the last ever episode of Curb last night and Arrested Development is constantly on a life-support. What am I going to laugh at next year?