That’s Numberwang!

[James]

New Series of that Mitchell and Webb Look soon!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/thatmitchellandwebbsite/

And I can’t wait for Peep Show! Returns in May

BBC comedy

Wonderful!

Topic

[si]

The Mirror’s TV critic called it ‘clever, not funny’, and as the weeks go by, I’m inclined to agree. They’re just not as funny as they can be.

I found a tape this week, which had episode one of series one, and I laughed more at that than I have done at three weeks of the new series, which makes me smile mostly, but nothing more.

Where have the snooker commentators gone (easily one of the funniest sets of characters)? Why do we still have Sir Digby Chicken Caesar, who I never liked?

Come on boys, you can do much better.

[Anonymous]

Always thought the radio show was the funniest of their sketch work, but it’s still lightyears behind Peep Show.

[John Hoare]

Where have the snooker commentators gone (easily one of the funniest sets of characters)?

I’m glad they’ve gone – I was getting tired of them by the end of the last series, cumulating in ‘Table of Reds’, which I thought was pretty dire (although loads of other people seem to love it).

Why do we still have Sir Digby Chicken Caesar, who I never liked?

He’s one of the best characters! But they might be wise to stop him after this series.

I was worried about the Five documentary spoof this week, as it seemed to just be the same joke for the third week running, but not done as well – and then the mop and bucket gag at the end made it all worthwhile.

Come on boys, you can do much better.

This seems to be the general reaction from pretty much everyone online – which I’m totally bemused by. I’d be interested to see know how the general audience is taking it, but unfortunately I don’t know any normal people.

[Dave]

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar just reinds me how much I liked Armstrong & Miller’s Detective-with-imaginary-friend-called-Chuffy sketches

[Turk Thrust]

> Why do we still have Sir Digby Chicken Caesar, who I never liked?

It seems like they’ve completely run out of ideas for him and this weeks sketch was desperately unfunny.

[John Hoare]

It seems like they?ve completely run out of ideas for him and this weeks sketch was desperately unfunny.

I’ve just rewatched it now… and if anything, I’d take back what I said before about maybe giving it up after Series 2!

“This is just the birth certificate of her estranged daughter. WHAT A WASTED DAY.”

[Seb Patrick]

Pete, I couldn’t disagree more about the “sitting around” sketches. I thought the cheese discussion this week was the funniest bit of the episode.

[John Hoare]

I think they’ve hugely improved since the last series. As I think I’ve said, I found most of them dull then (Christmas letter aside), but I really like most of them this series.

I wonder whether I’ll find Series 1’s funnier when I get the DVD, mind.

[Ridley]

Where have the snooker commentators gone (easily one of the funniest sets of characters)? Why do we still have Sir Digby Chicken Caesar, who I never liked?

Ah, now I never found the snooker commentators funny. But I was surprised they’d dropped so many recurring characters for the second series.

Why can’t we have these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWWAAMju8fY and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC_QSEvpmyA (if that one loads) back?

First series was much better all round. *cough*green clarinet*cough*

[Andrew]

> Where have the snooker commentators gone (easily one of the funniest sets of characters)?

I think they’d run their course, frankly.

> Why do we still have Sir Digby Chicken Caesar, who I never liked?

Because you don’t get to choose? And because you are wrong. :-)

[Anonymous]

No, YOU’RE wrong and you’re a grotesquely ugly freak.

What were we talking about?

[Pete Part Three]

The first series, while not a masterpiece, was far better. Am glad to see the back of the Snooker commentators but still don’t get the idea of Sir Digby Chicken Caesar. The surreal stuff in the first series worked because, well, it was funnier. I will continue to watch it for the next few weeks simply because I really like these guys, but they don’t deserve a third series of this.

The only “sitting around” sketch I liked was the one where they showed it up as the sham it was in surreal fashion (noting that it was all scripted). It reminded me of something Stewart Lee did in one of his stand-up-shows with stuff written on his hand. I didn’t think they could continue with them after that. I was wrong.

[Tanya Jones]

I don’t think there’s anything complex about Sir Digby; homeless bum imagining a more exciting existence for himself is a fairly one-joke idea. It’s just that I laugh heartily at that one joke every time it appears. I think it’s the expression Robert Webb pulls to camera which makes it for me every time.

[pfm]

If they were gonna bring anything back from series 1 it would be Sir Digby. You could probably have countless Digby sketches and still do something different each time. The snooker commentators needed to be put to bed (I just accidentally typed ‘put to the death’ without realising what I was doing). It’s already time for the Helivets to go.

Would it be wrong to say that this series feels like 3 episodes worth of material stretched over 6?

[ChrisM]

I think it?s the expression Robert Webb pulls to camera which makes it for me every time.

And that tune they play as they dash around the streets, Didlee didlee didlee dee etc.

Silly but comical.

As for the snooker commentators, I didn’t find them all that funny, but I liked the ‘table of reds’ finale. I’m probably just easily pleased though.

As for the bumface reference I made earlier, I was just pointing out that Southpark had done the same idea before them, although I agree that it was different enough to work. I wasn’t suggesting it was a rip-off.

As for Preacher, I’ve only read one of those comics (the first I beleive.) I’m somewhat surprised they did the bumface gag there as it didn’t come across as that kind of comic. (The book with the supernatural comic with the rather unpreacherlike, er, preacher, the lady and the Irish vampire right? Or am I getting mixed up with something else?) No doubt I need to read the scene in context though.

[Andrew]

> I think it?s the expression Robert Webb pulls to camera which makes it for me every time.

It’s also, for me, a rare occasion for Webb to be genuinely endearing, which is generally not how he’s used…

[Ridley]

As for Preacher, I?ve only read one of those comics (the first I beleive.) I?m somewhat surprised they did the bumface gag there as it didn?t come across as that kind of comic. (The book with the supernatural comic with the rather unpreacherlike, er, preacher, the lady and the Irish vampire right? Or am I getting mixed up with something else?) No doubt I need to read the scene in context though.

No, no, you’re right about the book, but Preacher’s Arseface doesn’t literally have an… well, arseface. ;)

[Seb Patrick]

There is an issue, though, called “Arseface World”, where Arseface has this vision of a world full of people who have arses for faces. And they look EXACTLY like both the characters from South Park, and the one from Mitchell and Webb…

In fact… here you go.

(for those who’ve not read Preacher, Arseface was a teenage kid who shot himself in the face in an attempt to emulate Kurt Cobain; but survived and had his face horrifically stitched up. Upon first seeing him, Irish vampire Cassidy said “That fella’s got a face like an arse”, and although not knowing what an arse was, he decided to call himself Arseface from then on)

[pfm]

Well…it’s an arse in place of a face. They’re gonna look similar, aren’t they?

[ChrisM]

Actually seeing that arseface kid in the comic (that is disturbing by the way isn’t it?) that rings a bell. Also Cassidy’s comment. Completely skipped my mind that did. In my defence I read that book a long time ago.

[Ridley]

Actually seeing that arseface kid in the comic (that is disturbing by the way isn?t it?) that rings a bell. Also Cassidy?s comment. Completely skipped my mind that did. In my defence I read that book a long time ago.

That’s my defence too, should have remembered Arseface World when I have the issue.

[John Hoare]

Latest episode was great, as usual. They’re getting *very* good at ending shows. And the working from home/wanking sketch hit rather too close to home…

Also: “Are you somewhat uncouth?”

[Turk Thrust]

I actually thought it was pretty poor in comparison with the rest of the series. A typical mid-series dip in quality I guess but it’s a shame as I thought the first couple of eps of this series were excellent.

[si]

Now *that* was more like it!

Absolutely fantastic last night – the working from home and the ‘everything’s fine’ sketches peticularly funny, as was the wedding/cancer sketch and dull-woman-in-library, which both were fab on the radio as well.

Keep it up!

[Ridley]

I reckon I liked Rebecca, the Narnia wardrobe and Myth Child.

[Andrew]

“Perhaps you ‘reckon’ something…”

[si]

Better every week. Although there was a lot of stuff I’d already heard (the destruction of Earth works better on the radio), which doesn’t make it less funnier. The Myth Child sketch was a particularly good one, though.

[John Hoare]

Lots of lovely stuff, although not my favourite this series. The best sketches were clearly the ‘Have Your Say’ SATIRES, yes. And again with the great ending to the show – they put a lot of care into that, which just shows up how little a lot of other sketch shows seem to think about it.

[Turk Thrust]

Yeah, I thought that this ep was stronger than the last couple of weeks. One or two duff sketches but a good success rate nevertheless.

[si]

The Lindsay Davenport sketch is one of the funniest things ever.

[John Hoare]

Missed it tonight, but will catch up tomorrow.

One thing I didn’t realise until recently is that the show is also broadcast in HD! Excellent. I can’t wait to watch it when I get a proper setup – it’ll probably be the first comedy show I really love that I’ll see in high definition…

[Dave]

Will it benefit from HD?

I remember the continuity announcer suggesting I might like to watch Jam & Jerusalem in HD. Doctor Who isn’t in HD, but Jam & Jerusalem is. That isn’t necessarily a criticism just an observation. I don’t have HD so I really don’t know what the fuss is about.

[John Hoare]

I keep passing a load of HD tellies (actually set up properly for once!) in my local Tesco… and am absolutely blown away every time. In fact, I have to be dragged away…

It’s fucking gorgeous. And benefits anything. Strictly Come Dancing looked amazing.

As for the fact that Jam and Jerusalem being in HD but Doctor Who isn’t, the reason given is that Doctor Who is a much harder show to make, with a lot more effects work. Which is sensible, considering that they already find the effects work tough to do, let alone rendering it in HD – but I think they should be *shooting* it in HD, to give them a chance to upgrade the effects and do a proper HD version later. I suppose their argument there would be that then the sets would also have to be upgraded, mind, which would be another production hassle.

[Ridley]

Speaking of high definition… Webb seems to have dyed his pubic hair since Confetti.

But that was great when you lost to us when your faces melted, it really was.

[Pete Part Three]

I watched the first couple of episodes in HD (have more or less given up on the show but I have the other episodes on Sky+).

It’s obviously a step-up from the BBC2 SD signal, but I don’t think the programme is “filmic” enough to see a huge benefit. Torchwood looks better, Lost, Prison Break and 24 look awesome, Mitchell and Webb less so.

[John Hoare]

I don’t really think a show needs to look ‘filmic’ to look stunning in HD. In fact, in an odd way, shows like Strictly Come Dancing impress me more – because I’m used to seeing filmic stuff in HD at the cinema, but I’m not used to seeing multi-camera shows in HD…

[si]

The Numberwang night was fine (especially Robert Robinson), but the pay-off was awful.

[Seb Patrick]

I thought that went on far too long, actually – it felt like the entire second half of the show! Compare it with how concisely Attitudes Night was done, and it looked so weak by comparison.

Still enjoyed the series, despite the fact that its main problem was that of sketches going on far too long. At times it was very funny – the rest of the time, well, someone from NOTBBC summed it up quite well: even though it wasn’t always making you laugh loads, something about it was very likeable. Aside from the odd instance of something going WAY past its natural end point (and the repeated overuse of the Helivets), it never felt a chore to watch, even when it wasn’t the funniest.

[John Hoare]

Finally got round to watching it. I loved it – a slightly uneven start, but it warmed up quickly. I loved Numberwang night too, and didn’t think it went on too long – the number of good jokes justifed the running length, unlike some of the longer sketches this series. (And it was really more a series of connected sketches, rather than one long one.) I even liked the pay-off!

And I was very amused by Robert Webb not doing a Robert Robinson impression, but by doing an impression of Fry and Laurie doing a Robert Robinson impression…

The very amusing film director stuff was clearly a reference to Webb’s experiences on Confetti, wasn’t it?

[John Hoare]

One thing I didn?t realise until recently is that the show is also broadcast in HD! Excellent. I can?t wait to watch it when I get a proper setup – it?ll probably be the first comedy show I really love that I?ll see in high definition…

I now have a proper HD setup in the form of a 40″ Bravia. And tonight I caught Mitchell & Webb for the first time in HD.

Jesus Christ, it was stunning.

[pfm]

> I now have a proper HD setup in the form of a 40? Bravia

Yep, it’s 3:10am and I’m gonna enquire about the model number. So, John, which model did you get?

[Tanya Jones]

The KDL40W4000.

[Ian Symes]

That’s numberwang!

[Ben Paddon]

I think 40W is s jerky middle name.

[Dave]

What?s numbertang?

[Ian Symes]

A 7Up, or a Five Alive.

[pfm]

> The KDL40W4000

Nice one! The ‘W’ series are sheer class.

[James]

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Sony-KDL40W4000/

[Ridley]

Can you smell cum?

[John Hoare]

REMAIN INDOORS

[Author]

Replies