In Seattle, a 65-year-old is conducting an experiment into whether we can live only on light and air; because we're plants, right? Spoiler: we can't. Actually, she might die. Voyeurism to the extreme?

I think we all need to see something a bit more upbeat after that. How about a mash-up of TV themes and intros?

Or maybe you'd just like to see something which is guaranteed to calm you down? (After watching that video, you may automatically have been mentally transported back to last week's episode of Game of Thrones and felt upset...)

Labels: comedy, time wasting, TV

I've been to Comedians at the Lyric Hammersmith twice so far, and have two more perfomances to see. I first went to the third preview, on the 9th of October, which was a Friday. Let me just say there was a big difference between that performance and the next I went to, which was last Monday. People were drinking on Friday, you see. The Monday audience was...slightly boring. Dead, in places. Not literally, of course--that would have been creepy. Even though there was a slight chance we might all have been dead by the end of the night, as the fire alarm went off at the end of the third act, through which four-minute blaring Matthew Kelly was the complete professional and went on with his semi-monologue without blinking. But I digress.

I didn't notice much difference in the performances, but certainly the audience has a lot to say when it comes to this play. In short, the story is about six budding/hopeful comedians trying out their material in a local Northern worker's club. Before and after this gig we meet them in the classroom where they've been taught and even groomed by The Lancashire Lad (played by the aforementioned Matthew Kelly) in the evenings. They all have different acts, but one of them, Gethin Price (played by David Dawson, in a role originated by the brilliant Jonathan Pryce--and I'm sure Dawson's tired of being compared to him, but hey, that's the way the cookie crumbles), is even more different... When it comes to the audience, I actually assume some heckling would be welcome (and I don't just say that because of Keith Allen's utterings during The One Show a couple of weeks back--I've witnessed the difference between a heckled and a heckle-free performance...so to speak). On the Friday there was a rather intoxicated gentleman at the back of the auditorium who got some great replies from the actors on stage (especially Michael Dylan, who plays Mick Connor and is first up on stage during The Gig). There was no such patron on the Monday (at some point I was afraid I was the only one there and only imagined seeing other people around me so as to soften the shock). I feel I should apologise for being part of an audience lacking in the 'oomph' department. It must be said that I had been working flat out for six days at that time and wasn't very animated, myself. Nor bothered. Shame, really. On the inside I was laughing, it has to be said.

The play, written by Trevor Griffiths, was first performed in 1975, and has not been altered in any way (as far as I know) for this run 34 years later. The jokes are contemperary and you may shamefully find yourself laughing at jokes that are both racist, degrading to women and basically testing your tolerance. The worst part is when you discover you quite like the silliest jokes of the lot, where you could see the punchline coming from a mile away. At the same time, this being performed at the theatre and not supposed to be a genuine stand-up act, you may find that you try to humour the actors themselves by laughing at jokes that aren't really funny at all. Or perhaps that's just me?

In order to introduce the lot, there's Mick Connor, already mentioned, who's an Irishman and plays off his heritage. Then there's Sammy Samuels (Simon Kunz), who plays off the fact he's a Jew, and George McBrain (Billy Carter), who comes from Belfast and works on the docks. The two brothers Phil and Ged Murray (Reece Shearsmith and Mark Benton--and I have to admit I keep thinking I would like to see a second series of Catterick when I see them together) are trying out their double act in public for the first time, and teacher's pet Gethin Price has changed his act at the last minute; much to everyone's surprise.

Now, the first time around I wasn't too impressed by David Dawson's portrayal of Price (sorry, David), but then again I had no idea what to expect and merely assumed he was exaggerating everything. The part grew on me, however, and I have a feeling I may do a 270, if not a 360, by the end of my fourth and last visit. My hat's off to him for doing a whole routine without much, if any, feedback from the audience! (Technically, of course, silence is a sort of feedback as well. As long as you know there are people out there watching you and listening to what you're saying.)

I've read the reviews and seen that most give the production a three out of five, but I sense that despite my strong bias (Matthew Kelly, Reece Shearsmith, Mark Benton, Paul Rider and Keith Allen) I would like to give it four out of five. When you get into it and the reasons behind the characters' behaviour, you may feel the same way I do.

One last note; strangely enough (although not too strangely, for those of us who always have a tendency to focus on the "supporting artists" anyway), Paul Rider's caretaker/concert secretary and Kulvinder Ghir's Mr. Patel (and that's no euphemism) threaten to take over the show. All in all a strong cast!

Two silly notes: Matthew Kelly is really tall, and Reece Shearsmith and David Dawson are the only ones who look grumpy and like they really would like to be somewhere else while taking their bows. Personally, I would only look like that because I would be terrified of going on stage in the first place...

Labels: comedy, reece shearsmith, theatre

...so happy birthday! You may celebrate as well, by buying his latest release (which came out on Monday).

Labels: comedy, greg proops

Indeed. Went to the matinée of La Cage aux Folles today. My last visit. At least that's what I thought, until the end where I just knew I have to see it again. Unfortunately, the ticket system on the ATG website is pretty dire and simply doesn't want my fifty-five pounds, so it can fuck off. Anyhoo, I was very pleased to not notice anything particularly less energetic in their performance today as opposed to any of the...eight evening performances I have seen, which was a BIG plus! Lots of OAPs there, though, so they got more response than usual when The Best of Times came on (read: Sing-along time!)

Just need to utter a Happy Birthday to Reece Shearsmith (according to Wikipedia, which has been known to make up things in the past)--was just looking for info on Catterick when I stumbled upon his page. Yes, I am finally watching Catterick. At first I couldn't understand why I hadn't until now, but then it hit me; it first aired in 2004, when I hadn't quite moved to the UK yet, and then by the time the Scandie channels would have been able to afford importing it, I had moved to the UK and forgotten all about it. So far, two episodes in, it's great fun. And yes, it was brought on by the return of Shooting Stars yesterday. (I am usually very pleased with my Amazon Prime membership...next day delivery FTW!) (Although today they delivered only Catterick, which was dispatched after the two items I ordered the night before...it's the luck of the draw, I guess.)

In other news, I think a Nurofen capsule dissolved in a rather unfortunate manner earlier today due to the lack of readily available water, and my throat is now burning every time I swallow. Nice.

Labels: comedy, league of gentlemen, musicals, online shopping, personal, philip quast, roger allam, technology, theatre

Yep, I should probably 'kiddieproof' this blog, but I'm rebelling against those US-enforced parental lock thingies. Anarchy in your face!

Quick update on the dream front: The other night I dreamt that Jared Padalecki and Chad Michael Murray had joined forces and were fighting electricity for the benefit of humankind. Please bear in mind I don't watch Supernatural or One Tree Hill and actually had to look up their names to figure out who they were; I guess the power of the TV trail is tremendous!

The following night I dreamt about a new, revolutionary product called iLean. Probably manufactured by Apple. It was a gizmo you wore and which would beam info to the headquarters of iLean (again, presumably to the Apple HQ) every time you leaned on something or someone. You could actually earn up to £7,500 a year on this thing. I woke up feeling rather angry my new-found extra source of income turned out to be imaginary.

In between these dreams we went to the embassy in order to vote in the general election, which takes place in September back in Norway. I tried out a new party this time. Well, a new one for me, but as far as I know, the oldest one in the kingdom. I am worried about the right-wing parties, though, which seem to be getting a stronger grip on the population. There's a lot of hatred there. It's scary to see how they condemn right-wing election results in Austria and Denmark when the exact same thing is happening in their own country.

After having voted we went down to Canary Wharf to take in the view, eat at Jamie Oliver's brand new restaurant and then pay Waitrose a visit. We got home very happy and with lots of chocolate. I then realised I had managed to be in the sun long enough to sport a permanent clown mouth (well, hopefully it'll disappear within a week), and so spent the next two hours on the balcony trying to perfect the silly look by showing only my right profile to the sun. We had fun, anyway, doing our best to remember which British comedy shows we've seen (both before and after we moved here). A rather surprisingly large number of shows, I must say! Anyone remember Chalk? Written by the clever Steven Moffat (Press Gang, Coupling, Jekyll, some Murder Most Horrid and Doctor Who). I watched it because of David Bamber (naturally). He also inadvertently (and not literally) kicked my butt so that I finally noticed (and quickly became a huge fan of) The League of Gentlemen.

Speaking of britcom, I also started watching Peep Show the other day (hence the "cockmunchers" in the title). Fun and embarrassing at the same time. I don't often feel I have to look away because the situation depicted is increasingly excruciating to watch, but with this series it happens frequently. Probably also because it is filmed the way it is, so that it immediately feels more personal. With other shows I can just tell myself 'it isn't happening to me', but these guys are staring right at me, damnit!

Enhance your calm.

Labels: comedy, current affairs, david bamber, dreams, league of gentlemen, personal, TV

Enjoying this series immensely. It's rather mellow, but the characters really draw me in. Yesterday's episode was particularly exciting for a French & Saunders fan, as they were finally enjoying a whole scene together, just the two of them. Also, I have to keep telling myself Dawn French really isn't like Rosie in real life. It just seems so...realistic, somehow. Which I suppose is a compliment to her acting skills. If one is to take my criticisms to heart, of course (certain people shouldn't).

Fave quote from yesterday; between the Vicar (played by Patrick Barlow) and Caroline (one of the posher inhabitants, played by Jennifer Saunders):

- I'm just delivering a leaflet about the recital Veronica is giving next month.
- Oh, Veronica, your singer friend.
- Yes.
- Oh, John will love that, he was very taken with her areolas.
- Really...

Labels: comedy, TV

I've just updated all the links on the right-hand side there. Apparently the BBC are cutting down on their comedy coverage (yes, I don't get it, either), so Wikipedia, here we come!

Anyway, now they should all work. I also added a couple I discovered recently (i.e. within the last year or so). Feel free to sling abuse my way.

Labels: comedy, TV

Another depressing documentary from Louis Theroux tonight; this time about crystal meth abusers. I wonder what on earth makes people think it's cool to take drugs when we've known for decades how they affect you and the people around you (before people start bashing me; I know the people in that documentary had some 'interesting' personal histories which quite probably played a big part in their addiction). Also, after more than a decade of eye-opening documentaries 'on the edge', I think Mr. Theroux should be awarded a KBE for not bitch-slapping any of his interviewees. In fact, he may be on drugs himself. Valium, most probably.

I think tomorrow's Panorama may be interesting, as may Tuesday's documentary about an autistic guy (on BBC3, I believe).

Yesterday we went to see Billy Elliot - the dancers were good, but damn! It lasted too long. I mean, how on earth did they manage to make that rather straightforward and not-very-fleshy story drag out for nearly three hours? Our seats may have had something to do with it, though; we were in the Grand Circle and quite obviously being punished for not buying tickets sooner. We were really cramped. Literally. I have rather long legs, and they were not happy.

Today, having a day off, I started re-watching The League of Gentlemen, this time with the commentary track on (I am sensing a repeat of what I went through with Red Dwarf--which classic comedy-series-missed-by-me-the-first-time-round comes next, I wonder?) I have started fancying myself as a comedy writer. Yes, you may laugh. Actually, please do.

Well, enough of that nonsense; back to The Last Remnant (game) before watching the last bit of Shaun of the Dead (a film I have seen five times...soon).

Labels: comedy, gaming, league of gentlemen, musicals, red dwarf, theatre, TV

My favourite quote this month, and it's only just begun:

'Now, if you're anything like me, you can often be found standing in the street, laughing at the severely disabled.' (Rev. Bernice (Reece Shearsmith), The League of Gentlemen Live at Drury Lane)

Considering how my life is quickly spiralling downwards due to the noisy neighbour and his nasty ASBO friends, a constant stream of good comedy is necessary. This has led to an almost overdose of The League of Gentlemen (much like Red Dwarf earlier in the year), but it's definitely worth it. The neighbour should be pleased, as it keeps me away from the kitchen knives.

Labels: comedy, league of gentlemen, personal, red dwarf

Well me, obviously. Apart from the boy part(s).

I had a revelation today, a rather embarrassing, but also relieving one. I figured out why I never saw the funny side of The League of Gentlemen before. Plain easy: I watched the wrong episodes. No wonder I didn't get it; this dark and surreal series should really be watched from the very start (oh, and what a start; the first 20 seconds of the very first episode had me in stitches), simply because there's a thread through the whole thing. Excellent stuff, I think, now that I'm halfway through the second series (and Papa Lazarou, which I used to despise before, has now become my favourite). So please accept my humble apologies, those of you who tried to make me see the light years ago and always wondered why I, of all people, didn't like the show. After all, my sense of humour is perfectly aligned with the League guys'.

Oh, and I cannot get the theme song out of my head.

Anyway; what a difference a day makes--after a whole week of very sporadic pockets of sleep thanks to the bastard next-door, his mum came back yesterday with an immediate quelling of any loud noises, so we could finally sleep the whole night through. I then woke up to find both my missing copies of RadioTimes and The Stage as well as a lovely-looking pay slip in the post (quickly making my credit card company cross because they won't get any more interest out of me for a while). I also had a very entertaining dream which gave me an idea for a book, and since there is at current no noise coming from the neighbouring flat, I will be able to concentrate enough to write for a bit. The only thing left to make this a Perfect Day(TM) is if I were to win the top prize in the Euromillions tonight. But I am probably aiming too high.

Labels: comedy, league of gentlemen, personal, TV

Yay, we won. Since I'm technically still a Norwegian citizen, due to silly UK laws, I say "we" when speaking about Norway. Unless it's something negative, when it's "they".

Funny bit: Alexander Rybak claiming he won because 'he had a story to tell'. Erm, no. People liked the catchy song. The lyrics were crap!

Extreme tweeting going on yesterday; everyone who'd been dissing Eurovision all week still sat down to watch AND tweet at the same time. It was massive. I would read about 50 updates, send a tweet, then in the meantime about 50-100 new updates had been posted. Let's just say I didn't have the time to read them all. I barely watched the show, only listened to it! Great fun, though. Not such great fun this morning, when I woke up with a furry tongue and a pounding head, wondering what the hell I'd been drinking the night before and why on Io I thought that was a good idea on a work night.

Anyway, I did go to work and am now planning on how to get to the Seamen's Church later on (stop your sniggering!) in order to celebrate Norway's constitutional day with other Londoners. Hipp, hipp, hurra!

PS! If I haven't already mentioned it, you need to watch The Thick of It. I would especially recommend the specials. Excellent stuff. They're so funny, all of them. Guest Roger Allam is brilliant as leader of the opposition. I must have seen the specials four times, and it still makes me laugh out loud. DS.

Labels: comedy, music, Norway, personal, roger allam, TV

I just watched Blithe Spirit, wondering why that 'eccentric medium' looked so familiar. Margaret Rutherford. Miss Marple and a lot of great character in a string of Ealing comedies. Duh.

I've also watched Brubaker and Godzilla today. Had a backlog of films I had to watch, you see. Yesterday it was The Blues Brothers (yawn; third time still not very funny or interesting) and Ice Age 2.

Also went to the Comedy Store yesterday; the crowd wasn't very enthusiastic, it seemed, so we were giving the performers a difficult time, but they handled it well and the second part, as always, was very enjoyable indeed. Richard Vranch's Swedish was so horribly Russian we were quite annoyed, but Lee Simpson, Andy Smart and Greg Proops made up for it. Neil Mullarkey was incredibly funny as the slightly miffed (read: blood-thirstily vengeful) gardener in their gothic horror musical "The Smallest Fish on Earth", and Stephen Frost was very good at guessing his job as "the guy who cleans the inside of the Tardis using the rigging of ships inside bottles every Monday, at Ladbrokes in Egypt, wearing only pants". All in all a great night out. Even though we spent the first two and a half hours of waiting for the show to start, bitching about how annoying the queueing system at the Comedy Store is. It basically prevents us from bothering going to see other shows there. I actually have other things to do than standing in line.

Things change as soon as Greg's in town, though. ;-)

Well, I've been itching to play Crysis all weekend, but have been preoccupied with reading The Book Thief. Two-thirds through it I think I'll give it a miss today.

Break a leg for the New Boys in Town* tonight. Will be seeing them next week, fingers crossed!

*) Roger Allam and Philip Quast taking over in La Cage aux Folles.

Labels: comedy, film, greg proops, hank azaria, literature, musicals, philip quast, roger allam, theatre

Just finished watching Lost in Austen again; fine series. Had a glass of something I'd like to call "Whispering Orgasm" as it sort of lacked a couple of the ingredients for a Screaming Orgasm (the drink), which made the programme even better. Could also recommend watching Red Dwarf Back to Earth slightly sloshed; you're sure to laugh then, even if you only chuckled the first time around. Or perhaps that's just me.

I'm clearly suffering from a Red Dwarf withdrawal syndrome now, so will shut up and instead go play some game or other. Finished Mass Effect yesterday (I actually sat through the whole list of credits, simply because it happens so infrequently that I finish a game - strangely enough the last two games I finished were made by the same company (BioWare) and made in the same vein as this one. I think I may be a closet sci-fi enthusiast).

By the by...I'm a fervent believer in everything Jean Michel Jarresque, but Blade Runner would not have been the same without the music of Vangelis. Hats off! Please leave your trousers on, though. Urgh.

Labels: comedy, film, gaming, red dwarf, TV

So, just to make a rather boring, 900th post.

Do guys in general want kids/a family, or do they want to stay prepubescent throughout the rest of their lives, if they were to choose? Which, of course, they're not, as women rule the world, but let's pretend for a minute.

The whole "girls grow up so much faster than boys" theory is so annoying. And who's to say we're supposed to be spreading our genes everywhere anyway (apart from nature as a whole)? I'd much rather human beings just died out, really, but then that's just me (it seems--as most people appear to be happy about the way the world is turning out)? Anyhoo, I've been watching way, WAY too much Red Dwarf lately. I was absolutely chuffed "I'm gonna eat you, little fishy" was included (strangely enough, being absolutely obsessed with Rimmer, this quote from The Cat is my favourite, or simply the easiest to remember/sing--also, there's a strange connection with one of my faves from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life: "Ooooh, fishy, fishy, fishy, FISH! / And it went wherever I did go!) Now that I've seen the whole of Back to Earth without ad breaks etc., I am in love with the piece and wish there would be more. Preferably within the next few years or so.

Excuse me while I eat the rest of my Belgian chocolate and pretend I have nowt to do in order to further my career as a writer.

Labels: chris barrie, comedy, personal, red dwarf, time wasting, TV

I am rewatching Blade Runner and comparing with Red Dwarf: Back to Earth. I can't make up my mind whether BTE is a parody of, an homage to or a blatant rip-off of BR.

And then I realise I don't care! Any which way it's well done (especially on their budget) and it doesn't have Harrison Ford in it, which is always a plus in my book. Yes, anything without that guy in it automatically gains half a star in its rating, unless it's Safe, which is just fucking awful no matter what.

Think I need to go to bed, though. Apparently there's a new dawn tomorrow. Who'd've thunk?

PS! Seems today's Massive Speed (which had just about as many 'wow, that's kewl' moments as the other Massive... programmes) could have been the first episode after all, which would explain why I didn't notice it in RadioTimes last week. Duh!

Labels: chris barrie, comedy, film, red dwarf, TV

...what I actually planned to do with my money if I ever won a big prize in the lottery. Invest it all in a high-risk venture, get even richer (naturally I was already under the influence of the Luck virus, so anything "high risk" wouldn't be to me), then fund another series of Red Dwarf (yeah, I don't care about the film; no point in destroying the concept with silly Hollywood cameos, although I do understand that this seems to be the ultimate dream for the ones involved), get none of my invested money back, but hopefully get a lot of laughs out of it. Well worth the one-pound ticket!

...then spread the word that everyone else putting in a pound that day had just brought back Red Dwarf (back...for the fourth time?) whether they wanted to or not. Hah!

By the by, re: yesterday's episode: Could the newsagent's scene be more camp? I actually had to hide my face at that point. Brilliantly funny and very embarrassing at the same time. Just the way I like my comedy.

Labels: chris barrie, comedy, film, personal, red dwarf, time wasting, TV

Yeah, whatever. Back to Earth is over and done with...although not quite. I'm recording all three episodes in a row tonight so that I can edit them and watch them in one go, until the awaited DVD/Blu-Ray release in June. I have lots of thoughts about the episodes and I must have read about 1000 thoughts that other people have; clearly Red Dwarf stirs up a whole lot of emotions in people, one way or another!

So I'm going to edit the thing tonight, which means I won't actually SEE it tonight. I realised this is the first time ever that I got to see Red Dwarf on its first screening; having suffered from the Norwegian Handicap Syndrome (NHS? Hmm...) for years and having to rely on transmissions years after the initial release, this has marred me, yet made me stronger. OK, so I'm talking out of my arse. But the Norwegian Handicap Syndrome has been a problem for someone who became an anglophile at the age of eleven. I used to buy UK mags when I could find and afford them, and kept cuttings and adverts on my bedroom walls during my teens. I had an A4-page ad for some Have I Got News for You video next to my bed for years! (Bear in mind this was pre-Internet. Please. Although I did buy that video many years later on eBay, LOL!) I noticed Armando Iannucci during the summer of 1995, when I was stuck in a hotel room in Hoogeveen, Holland, and had almost fainted when noticing they got BBC1 and BBC2 on terrestrial telly. So I was watching Friday Night Armistice there. Took another eight years or so before I got to see much more of his work, though (The Day Today, by the way; bought the DVD on a whim).

Then again, it took me no less than 19 years to get all of the Monty Python's Flying Circus episodes, which is a complete travesty for someone who used to be so hooked (and bored out of her mind) that she wrote Monty Python quotes all over her jeans when she ran out of space on her pencil-case and desk and arms.

No, I have never, ever been obsessive about anything! How very dare you! ;-)

Speaking of obsessed; I cannot believe I completely missed Five starting showing Massive Speed last week--especially since I was searching for any DVD release of that series last week. How blind is it possible to get? After all, it's important I get to see and buy everything Chris Barrie has ever appeared in before the obsession wears off and I start regretting buying all that crap, LOL! (Been there, done that, with many others, and he's not going to be the last one, I'm sure!) (To my defense, I have mostly bought only the good stuff (as in "series/films they've appeared in", not as in "drugs"))--which means in CJB's case I'm avoiding Back in Business--then again I'm a completist collector, so if I ever win a big prize in the lottery...oy vey! (Luckily for my wallet, again in CJB's case, I already owned Filthy Rich and Catflap, The Young Ones, The New Statesman and Blackadder, being a Rik Mayall fan, after all, and Simon the Sorcerer, being an avid gamer)

Well, the football is on, so I'm going to hide my head in the sand until I can run home from work and prepare for Massive Speed and The Gadget Show. Yay!

Labels: chris barrie, comedy, Norway, personal, red dwarf, TV

Geeky linguistic moment: The two kids on the bus, they're supposed to be siblings, right? Then why on Io do they speak different dialects?

Can hardly wait for tonight's episode, though. More loveliness!

Labels: chris barrie, comedy, linguistics, red dwarf, TV

Guess there ARE a few fans among those 5000 households...or they've picked 5000 households who just happen to have many of the same interests! Oh, what to think, what to do?

Labels: comedy, red dwarf, TV

Oh, wow. Visiting the Red Dwarf forum I just have to comment upon last night's first outing of Series VIII.5, as I like to call it.

First of all. People who claim they're fans and then go on about how surprised they were at there not being any 'canned laughter' (a mistake in itself, btw, as Red Dwarf has always had a studio audience or an audience viewing the actual episode, and canned laughter is something entirely different and highly annoying) - if they're such big fans, shouldn't they have read up on the new 'series' a little bit beforehand? We have been informed of the new format time and time again.

Secondly. The adverts came slightly abruptly. The first ad break I actually thought, if only for a split second, 'surely Mitchell and Webb aren't part of the RD crew?'

Thirdly. Yes, it should have been shown in one go...then again they are doing that on Monday, and personally I think it's great that they're spreading this thing across the whole weekend, as that means the end is further away. I'm lousy at goodbyes, you see. I'm still suffering from slight depression brought on by Stoke Me a Clipper from series 7 (which also happens to be my favourite episode, if only by a smidgen compared to whichever episode I deem to be the runner-up (the jury is still out on that one, and probably will be indefinitely, as it's very difficult to choose favourites among such great episodes)).

Fourth. I'm amazed at how little people seem to know about how TV works. Maybe I am being too harsh, and that I just happen to be rather geeky about it. People seem to think that ratings show the actual number of people watching a programme, and that if they get all their mates to watch the show, it will help. It won't. I used to work for TNS and they put these digital boxes in selected homes, give everyone in the household their own code, connect all the PVRs etc. to the system so that every bit of viewing and taping in that particular household is monitored. Not many people therefore create the basis for the viewing figures; figures that will just be extrapolated to form an approximate ratings overview. I think it's silly, really. Let's say none of the UK's selected 5000 households (yes, only 5000 households! Preposterous!) contain a Red Dwarf fan (I know, unbelievable, but possible). The ratings would then be completely off. Unfortunately, in our day and age, we're dominated by ratings (luckily not to the extent the US of A are). In my view this is paving the way for low-quality telly, but then again, seems we're heading for a dumbed-down society as a whole anyway. /rant.

Fifth. Perhaps I should comment upon the contents of the episode itself, but I won't just yet. Just have to mention that yes, I did laugh a few times, and I actually managed to snort and spit a little bit of pizza across the table at the "ferrety face" comment. I still don't know how I did that.

Sixth. Awaiting the next few episodes with glee! Also smegups-o-rama tonight (no doubt I have seen them all before, numerous times, but that's the best bit as you see the actors behind the characters...and is how I became a fan of Barrie-boy (not to be confused with 'batty boy', which is a whole different game of cricket)), and 'making of' tomorrow! Eeexcellent.

Labels: chris barrie, comedy, red dwarf, TV