Entertainment For Lively Minds
Panel / Quiz Shows on TV
Over here in the colonies our free-to-air and Sky TV offerings are pretty dire, to say the least. I got all excited when we got the UKTV channel, but it only shows dreadful new British sitcoms, full of people we've never heard of and old episodes of The Bill, a show that was dated when it was first broadcast. So we bought a flash internet-capable TV and now spend most of our time watching some absolute crackers on YouTube. Now I know there'll be lots of cringing going on by you lot in Blighty, because you're probably sick to death of them all. But for us, "Would I Lie To You", "Mock The Week", "QI" "Never Mind The Buzzcocks" et al are what keeps us sane. I don't know how the aforementioned programmes are "rated" by you lot, but for us it's pure gold. None of them are broadcast on TV here, except QI and I suspect that's only on because Stephen Fry is in the country apparently.
However, not being locals, we invariably "don't get" a lot of the references. So I have two questions:
1. Who the hell is Fearne Cotton?
2. Is David Mitchell on every single television show in the world?
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Easy peasy
1. http://www.officialfearnecotton.com/ (Or, if you prefer, Wikipedia says: "Fearne Cotton (born 3 September 1981) is an English television and radio presenter who is known for presenting a number of popular TV programmes such as Top of the Pops and the Red Nose Day telethon. In 2007, she became the first regular female presenter of BBC Radio 1's Chart Show. She now presents BBC Radio 1's weekday mid-morning programme".)
2. Yes.
So she's on radio and TV.
I thought she was, like, you know... ... important.
"Fantastic...amazing...incredible..!"
Fearne Cotton is the single most irritating, vacuous 'presenter' on British television since Vanessa Feltz fucked back off to radio. Her technique consists of being astonished by everything up to and including air, electricity, and the ability in other people to stand upright and chew gum at the same time.
Is Cotton the Cockney one or
Is Cotton the Cockney one or the Geordie one on 6music? I always get them mixed up. Both bloody annoying though.
There is...
...not really any similarity between Lauren Laverne (who isn't a Geordie) and Fearne Cotton.
They are both blonde and female though.
I always get John Major and John Peel mixed up. Both had/got grey hair you see, so I can never remember who is whom.
I'm like that with
Vanessa Feltz and Vanessa Redgrave.
both glamorous talented blondes, and, er...
And now...
...myself and Norman are going to throw a few billion quid at the ERM problem and, typically, fail ... starts quietly
The connection is underpants
JP had the big reds; JM had the Y-Fronts of State (see Steve Bell passim)
"Right Time, Right Place, Right Wing, Wrong Speed"
Double post
Strangely, I like Vanessa Feltz on radio
couldny bide her on telly. But she has a "warm,soothing,matron will kiss it better there,there" voice that gently rouses me from my slumbers of a morn.
so there.
Answers
1. Be thankful you have to ask.
2. So it would seem.
Uh uh.
She's not on everything. Robbie Savage is on everything. Last year it was James Corden.
Not forgetting Alexander Armstrong
"Ubiqitous" does not do him justice at the moment, BBC and advertwise.
If David Mitchell dies...
...about 17 TV and radio panel shows that rely on his smarm and 'wit' will crumble overnight.
TS
and the Trust-A-Trader ads on Talksport.
Have a listen
....to him on desert island discs, I really enjoyed it.
Robbie Savage?
Nope.. never heard that name.
And what's the deal with Never Mind The Buzzcocks? Is that still going?
Ex-Footballer
Now a pundit. Some like him, most don't.
Think so. Never watch it though.
Buzzcocks
New, 25th series just started.
Buzzcocks used to be ok
was occasionally good and, once in a blue moon, great.
Now it is completely dire and should be right at the top of the Beeb's "Things To Cut" list.
On a more positive note - I catch the odd episode of "Pointless" and find the combination of Alexander Armstrong and his "know-it-all"
co-presenter, Richard, quite subversive for a daytime gameshow.
It's also fun to play along with.
Pointless
rocks.
Indeed it does
And hard.
Better yet, we have a final year student who is a dead ringer for Richard both in appearance and demeanour.
and for fact fans
Richard's brother is Mat Osman from Suede.
I heart Pointless and particulalry when it shows up the holes in the nations pop knowledge*
Among the Bowie albums that none of the 100 people mentioned were Hunky Dory, Scary Monsters and Heathen
*or knowledge of people who stop to answer questtionaries in the street
The Osmans are clearly a race of uebermensch
as Mat is one of the great undervalued bassists in rock history in me 'umble. Richard is a kind of dependable bassist on Pointless, with AA as the showy and essentially shallow lead vocalist...
I find them all unwatchable
Too many egos fighting for attention at the expense of the programme. Everyone trying to out-funny everyone else. Unbearable.
"Too many egos
fighting for attention at the expense of the programme". Sounds like EVERYTHING recorded locally in NZ.... Glad it's not just us then.
One day...
...the stations will realise they only have to hire a chairman/stooge and David Mitchell - who can then be filmed 4 times over and spliced together exchanging witticisms and raised eyebrows with himself. There'll also be editions of University challenge in which 4 David Mitchells and a gonk mascot representation of Stephen Fry take on a panel of 4 Stephen Frys (with a gonk of David Mitchell). What fun it will be.
Jo Lean....
...posted a link to a great blog about the stupid, macho, token-woman-if-any-woman culture of these bloody shows. Jo? I can't find the link now. Who was it?
It was almost certainly...
...David Mitchell in drag.
No, I'm sure it was
No, I'm sure it was JoLean...
Yep, it was me
There's been a big debate about the macho culture of panel games (particularly) Mock The Week over the last couple of years.
The link Bob mentions is here: http://madamjmo.blogspot.com/2011/10/why-caitlin-moran-and-grace-dent-ar...
But the feminist webite, The F Word has been discussing this for ages:
http://www.thefword.org.uk/blog/2011/10/funny_for_a_gir
http://www.thefword.org.uk/blog/2011/09/mock_the_tweet
Lack of women on panel shows
This was mentioned on a QI, Bob. Sir Stephen of Fry said that research has shown that the women in the audience preferred male comedians on the panel to female. As do I, incidentally. I think Jo Brand is fantastic, but can't offhand think of another female comic who makes me laugh. This isn't, I hope, sexism in theory or practice. I'm totally open to women comics, largely because I can't stand so many male "stand-up comedians".
But I'm with the OP, as a pathetic ex-pat hanging onto the shreds of what makes Britain great (the sense of humour), I laugh out loud at the shows I download from UKNova. I think David Mitchell is brilliant. That's what tropical heat does to you.
(Incidentally, Bob, to save me the stamp for a PM, I "LOL" to a lot of your posts. Not that you care, and quite rightly, but when you're good you're great.)
Well, thanks very much.
What a nice thing to say. Ta, Burt.
I didn't MEAN it!
Yes, I did. This doesn't, I hope, preclude us from falling out massively (NPI) over some irrelevancy or another in the future. Just so things don't get too queasy between us.
Oh, of course not.
Although I'm trying to do less of that sort of thing.
we've probably
caused more confusion to the OP by mentioning Vanessa Feltz and James Corden.
oddly
i struggle to tell them apart
Never Mind that, who's this "Dr Fox" that's in the news?
I do my best to keep up, I really do, but when did a Beatrix Potter character become the Defence Secretary?
His mate's called Mister Werritty
I haven't seen him yet, but I assume he's some kind of small rodent in Edwardian clothes
If only his name was Mr Werrizzy...
...we could all shout, 'Almost certainly right behind you, Dr Fox - but not in any official capacity...'
Ferrety Werrity
Didn't he kill Chicken Licken?
one T or two?
Wasn't Werrity in a Dickins novel? If not he should have been.
Or is it some kind of small marsupial?
No, my suspicions are firmly on...
...Foxy woxy.
Dr Fox has been an untrustrworthy character since his days on the folk scene as plain old Mr Fox in the 70s - when some of his dodgy dealings made their way into this piece of news-balladry.
Apparently
Cameron wanted to fire Liam Fox, but couldn't. He's got this cat, you see...
Is it just me
But everytime someone on the BBC news mentions Dr Fox I keep thinking about the muppet who used to DJ on Capital. Im sure some editor somewhere thinks likes that to because Im sure he's always been liam Fox up to this point.
Me too
but I also can't help recalling Dr Fox (the big-faced radio DJ one) when he appeared on the Brass Eye Pedo Special explaining that a paedophile is genetically more like a crab than a human, saying "And that's scientific FACT. There's no actual evidence for it, but it IS scientific FACT."
You're talking
nonce sense.
A paedophile hearing that would be nonplussed...
So go away and learn it.
It is scientific fact.
Shatner's Bassoon and all that. How else could you cough up your own pelvis?
He used to be one of those...
...40-something portly dadrock-looking kind of guys who seemed desperate to be down with the pop kids on Saturday morning TV shows. And then somehow he became the guy in charge of the nation's defence. He's struggling to defend himself at the moment.
Ah Colin
I knew I could rely on you.
We don't get "Would I Lie To You", "Mock The Week", "QI" or...
... "Never Mind The Buzzcocks" on TV over here. Not even on BBC America!
I rely on YouTube for QI. Some kind soul usually posts it right after it was broadcast so I can watch it on Friday evening.
And I bet
the kind soul who uploads all these episodes is "nickfromfulham". If not, Billybob, go have a look at HIS playlists.
UKNova
Makes most of these shows available as (legal) torrents. Much better than YouTube, if you're in the torrent habit.
That word "torrent"
has always scared me a little. I've always found them to be either illegal (and you've already said UK Nova ISN'T illegal, so no problem there), or difficult to use. I've never figured out how to actually download a valid movie-format file that I can then watch.
It's just me, right? I'm sure there are 12 year olds out there having no problems at all.
I'm not sure
UK Nova is legal. They're certainly more ethical than your average torrent site, in that they remove anything that is commercially available but legal..? Not even vaguely.
Make sure you use the .com address, btw.
UK Nova legal?
yeah about as much as Kocaine is.
I prefer thebox which is as equally non kosher if not more so. Handy for when you forget that thing on BBC4
It's only illegal in the sense that
it is in violation of The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. §512©(3). Apart from that, it's clean as a whistle (some irony may be present). I certainly don't feel like I'm breaking the law when I'm using it. It's a pretty responsible site.
Torrents are so easy: you need a tiny little application (is that right?) called a "torrent client" (I use Transmission, for Mac) which will be available free to download. Then you just click on the torrent you want, have a bit of a life while the "torrent client" digests the file - can be ballsachingly slow - and sooner or later the file will drop into your downloads folder like The Beano on the hall mat. In *effect*, it works just like a download, only you need the extra doohickey to manage it for you. It's all very much simpler than it sounds. And it sounds pretty simple here, right?
Hey, I've used it for years
and don't have any major qualms about it either. I use iPlayer and podcasts for stuff that's within 7 days, but don't feel that I'm doing any great harm by downloading free-to-air stuff that's otherwise not available.
But it's not legal, that's all I was saying.
Thanks for saying it!
I didn't know it was illegal until I "did some research" (spent two minutes on Google, like everyone else "doing research"), based on your heads-up. It just goes to show, dunnit, that the law is a ass.
They're a particularly nice bunch over there. My ability to seed is almost nil for some reason (although I'm sure someone using my connection could seed to, say, Pirate Bay with no trouble at all), and they haven't yet cut me off.
Double
Post.
My mum has liked Buzzcocks
since Noel Fielding started appearing on it. She thinks he is very witty and his good nature means that he often covers for the weaker guests on the show.
She is 81. Possibly not the target audience the commissioning editors had in mind.
I like some of them very much
I love QI, always have, and the current series shows no drop in standard. I'm also quite partial to Would I Lie To You?, which is one of the most consistently entertaining shows on the box. It's probably no coincidence that these two shows contain very little of the ghastly point-scoring, dick-waving and injunctions to be unpleasant that a lot of the other ones major in. And yes, David Mitchell is always in the latter, and often in the former. Doesn't bother me, as I think he's pretty funny. I also highly rate his column in the Observer.
The first episode of the current run of Would I Lie
hit a peak of hilarity I haven't seen for a long time. At one point DM laughed more explosively than I've ever seen anybody do on TV. Good for him, for that if nothing else.
HIGNFY is always my favourite thing on telly whenever it's on. Merton's performances on that show are the unacknowledged miracle of the age - probably because he's so useless on everything else he does.
Surely the reason DM is on so much is that he doesn't seem to have a girlfriend. As this is probably the seat of his grumpiness and therefore his comedy, let's hope he remains out in the cold indefinitely.
Nah.
He's been going out with the annoyingly erudite, deeply pulchritudinous, proudly norky and filth-friendly poker bore Victoria Coren for some time now. The BASTARD.
What!
These two should not be allowed to have children. They would be mutant superbrains who would rule over us all whilst snickering at our paltry inferiority.
But at least we'd still have decent panel shows.
Mitchell & Coren
Someone please tell me that's not true.
I may be a faithful, happily married man of 25 years but Victoria Coren would be the one woman to make me stray.
Sorry, Sebastian.
It's true. It was in the Telegraph. And as far as I know, neither Delingpole nor Young wrote the story, so there's a reasonable chance of its being true.
He has?
Lucky get.
One the truly great and accepted truths is that Vicky Coren is filthy beyond all previously held concepts of the word.
Just in case...
I'm sure you don't need telling (nor Bob!), but if there are any other "admirers" of Victoria Coren here - and I unashamedly include myself in that - you need to read her fantastic book, written with Charlie Skelton, Once More, With Feeling. I won't spoil it for y'all, suffice it to say it's not a book you'd give your proverbial Maiden Aunt for Christmas...
Seconded.
Her poker book is bloody tedious, but her poke 'er book is ace. And Len, your theory about the tendencies of Miss C. will be amply vindicated upon reading it.
Amazon delivered it to me on the day of publication.
I did find it a bit chummy that the cover was done by the same bloke who used to do the pics for the restaurant reviews in The Times written by Victoria's miserable, witless talent-vacuum of a brother.
I've not seen the resultant film, though. Has anyone?
Can somebody please
post that picture of her in her Hallowe'en outfit from last year please?
Thanks in advance
What?
This one?
Or this one?
And she's probably old enough to be your mother, Joseph. So don't even think about it.
I checked
When I was born, she was 13, so not old enough to be my mother. Oh, and I've definitely thought about it.
Hm.
"When I was born, she was 13, so not old enough to be my mother."
Which shows, if nothing else, that Joe doesn't come from Portsmouth.
Hmmm.
Can't share the enthusiasm shown here for VC.
Attractive, clever, funny, yes.
But she also strikes me as the kind of woman who would, at a strategic moment, snap her jaws shut... for a laugh.
Good luck David.
Best of the Bunch - if you can find it
Only Connect
hosted by the delectable Victoria Coren
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lskhg
See above
Curse you Mitchell! (even though I think you're funny and seem fundamentally decent).
And I love Only Connect too. Especially the idea that choosing questions based on Greek letters was a bit too low-brow. So they changed to hieroglyphs instead.
Part of me would love to go on the show, but finding a good team might be tough...
"The Word Bloggers"
Maybe a team could be raised from in here?
I'd happily chuck my hat in. Would be a laugh if nothing else.
It's bad enough
that Joe Cornish knocked up Claudia Winkleman.
Now you tell me that Coren and Mitchell are an item?
I can't stand it!
Victoria Coren and Claudia Winkleman are best friends.
Mmmmmmmmmmmm.
So Claudia says....
She has no idea who knocked her up. She can't see a damn thing for that fringe.
Joe Cornish & Claudia W
No, you're mistaken there.
I thought Sarah Millican
was a guest more than DM. I like Mr Mitchell. Not so keen on Millican. Or that skinny bloke what was funny in The Thick Of It but less so on the panels.
Now you're talking
Phil, I am in the same position. I seem to love panel shows and my preferred kind are the gentler ones. Prime and UKTV give us QI and that really oozes quality compared to local TV fare in NZ - apart from 7 Days, which is frequently very good. Britain is spoilt for choice.
On a recent visit, I saw Pointless and it achieves true crossover, my elderly parents love it and so does everyone else. Apparently Alexander Armstrong was up for the Countdown job but turned it down.
Talking of Countdown, when I worked in a large office in the 1980s, I worked opposite an older gentleman who would come in at 7 and go home at 4 - just so he could be home in time for Countdown. I realised that there is a real, actual, demand for shows like that - rather than a notional Half Man Half Biscuit appeal.
The OP
For the uninitiated Phil O'Brien co-hosts a fantastic programme on Radio NZ called Matinee Idle - a very Word-friendly show that's a heady combo of great music and much enjoyable bollocks spoken at a rate of knots. I think it's back on air in a few weeks and is well worth searching out on whatever the Kiwi equivalent of the i-Player is.
(blushes...)
.
Panel shows
Mock The Week, QI and HIGNFY make me laugh out loud on a regular basis more than any other TV comedy currently available. Nothing about them offends me. They are only as good as those who are on the panel though. Mostly it's good natured banter. The women thing I don't see - the opportunity is there to contribute if you are sharp enough regardless. Victoria Coren and others have shone on HIGNFY for example. As for David Mitchell - oh what an annoying smart arse! Really - he does not make me laugh. He labours his smug witty observations so much.
Fearne Cotton features on the panel show from hell with the eminently slappable Rufus Hound and other vomit inducing extra channel filler no talent rent-a-slebs known as Celebrity Juice.
I like David Mitchell
But aside from that I'm with you on all of the above.
While you're at it
What is a jammy dodger? (The Doctor wanted a couple when in the Oval Office)
What is Babycham? (Neil wondered if it contained real babies)
What is the distaste for James Corden about? (only ever seen him in two Dr Who episodes and as Clem Cattini in "Telstar")
Hello!
Jammy Dodger is a biscuit with some glue/jam mixture in the middle.
Babycham is a very light perry (pear cider) aimed at 'the ladies'. There was a VERY famous logo and advertising campaign during the '70s or '80's, so everyone of a certain generation would know about it and say 'Hey, I'll have a Babycham!". Some people (me) used to drink brandy and babycham when they wanted to get rat-arsed at aged 15.
James Corden: ubiquity mainly, was suddenly on everything, everywhere, being photographed at parties, being interviewed, being on low-grade panel games, being arrogant, etc. Shame, because he is is a good actor and writer underneath the bluster and bullshit.
Brandy and Babycham
is a wonderful tipple - I still have one or two occasionally, when I don't have to move very far. I am 48. And male.
Phil Jupitus
is the bloke up the pub who thinks he's funny. Or worse, the "office comedian" who breaks everyone up at parties. Give me David Mitchell any day.
I forgot about Jupitus.
God, he's annoying isn't he???
You forgot about Jupitus?
Tell me how you managed that, please. He's worse than annoying, he's truly embarrassing.
I remember seeing him...
....on an old videotape that had my one and only episode of Never Mind The Buzzcocks (circa Mark LaMarr). I must have watched that episode 50 times, a pointless exercise when you think about it considering I knew all the answers.
Anyway, Jupitus was on that and he was ok. Then I saw him on a DVD of the reformed Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and I thought "well, he must be credible if Neil Innes rates him".
Years later, courtesy of Mr and Mrs YouTube, I was able to catch up on more Buzzcocks, then QI, Have I Got News etc., and Jupitus was everywhere. I very quickly realised that he's simply a smart arse. How the hell did he become so popular? Am I missing something here?
I don't think you're missing anything.
He's not even particularly smart. He's one half of a crap comedy double act that nobody else wants to join.
(Hey - in the interests of CTP (cross-thread pollination) don't miss my on the "money" response to your Nothing thread.)
Get you with the acronyms....
CTP indeed! Yep - I've been noting your brilliant suggestions. Interesting....
I think it's me that's missing something
A lot of people seem to have zero tolerance of Phill Jupitus, I used to live in a house with a lot of them and felt then, as I do reading your posts now, like a very perplexed minority.
Okay, he's not Bill Hicks but nor would I imagine he'd claim to be. To me he just seems like a nice bloke who enjoys a laugh and seems to have found his niche keeping things ticking along amicably on Buzzcocks and the like. Someone above pointed out the incredible amount of comic pedalling done by Paul Merton on HIGNFY and I don't think Phill Jupitus' job on Buzzcocks is dissimilar. He's got a real enthusiasm for music, (and I couldn't dislike him anyway because he's a ska afficionado... I refuse to portmanteu that couplet...) and a genial nature that must have been behind his not punching Simon Amstell or any number of idiot pop pipsqueaks across the set every episode. He must miss Mark Lammar more than any of us.
Granted, he also appears on other panels and is, I hope, making money from it but I don't recall ever seeing him on Mock the Week where it really is an ego contest every time. For me, Russel Howard is that bloke down the pub trying to be the centre of the laughs, Phill Jupitus would be standing quietly by the jukebox, occasionally fielding off abuse from the lads with placatory self-depracation.
End counter-rant.
Fair do's.
Fair do's. But you must have been lonely back there in the squat, with all your mates throwing food debris at the TV while you spoke up for him in a rather high voice from behind the sofa.
Yeah...
But I didn't pipe up then. Seems I've been bottling up that spiel for some years...
Agreed.
I wouldn't describe myself as Phill Jupitus's biggest fan, but I don't understand why people hate him as much as they seem to.
My friend Roo's mum and dad hate his GUTS, incidentally. Never understood it. He seems OK to me. Quite a nice chap. Occasionally pretty funny, mostly sort of lightly witty.
Phill Jupitus
used to live across the road from my folks. He was generally considered to be a good neighbour apparently. Kept fairly low key, isn't self-obsessed and is a family man.
My folks still see him and his hound when out dog walking. By all accounts he's a perfectly nice chap.
Jupitus
One of the principal reasons I listened to 6music. Loved his breakfast show with Phil Wilding, which was just two funny blokes who like music dicking around of a morning and playing some nice tunes into the bargain.
I really miss that show. Keaveney's nice and laid back and all, but it's not quite the same.
funny no!
I've got to agree with those who find Jupitus intensely annoying and not funny in the slightest - yet he clearly believes that he is. I can't even watch the great QI when he's on it.
Jupitus hanging in by a thread ...
... another vote against him and he's got a one-way ticket to Palookaville. His supporters here agree that he's a "decent bloke" and "lightly amusing". We all know plenty of people like that. Only funnier.
Get your coat, Jupitus. Your fifteen minutes are up.
I've never understood...
... the bile that Phill Jupitus provokes in some people. On TV and radio, he comes across as an amiable contributor to the various programmes on which he appears, and I've never seen him do anything that would explain the response he seems to get. I've just picked up his book 'Good Morning Nantwich', about his 6 Music days, and am very much looking forward to reading it.
As for the wider issue of panel shows - nothing wrong with them. Provided they're interesting, and not-too-obviously scripted or pre-planned, I enjoy them. The only notable exception to this would probably be 'Mock the Week', and whilst I like the idea of a group of comedians engaging in a kind of competitive gag-telling, I find its roster of regulars and guest stars rather variable. Hugh Dennis and Chris Addison I like a lot. The others, less so.
Phill
gets my vote just for being "Viv" with the Bonzo's. Anyone who allowed me to see that silly old men live is ok.
The last time they played he rushed over from a play he was doing to do "Canyons" with them. We spoke top him briefly in a pub round the corner afterwards cos he looked v pissed off that he couldn't do the whole show cos the dates had been rearranged. Asked us about the gig, if we'd seen em before and all that. Lovely chap.
Oy
Don't diss the Bill. I loved the Bill.
**still in mourning**