Reviving Television Comedy

We're currently watching 'Still Open All Hours,' the BBC1 sitcom on Sunday evening. I'm not sure whether it's as good as the original. I don't see how it could be, without the brilliant Ronnie Barker. David Jason is alright, but who can forget him as the down-trodden Granville, Arkwright's nephew. Now he's running the shop, but it's not quite as amusing. It's got the feeling of 'Last of The Summer Wine', which is bound to happen, seeing as it's written by the same writer, Roy Clark, who also wrote 'Keeping Up Appearances.' It's even in the same slot in the schedules as 'Summer Wine.' That ran for goodness knows how long, something live 42 years and near enough 200 episodes, making it the longest running sitcom in the world. That had to come to an end because most of the actors died and it they kept recycling the storylines and towards the end became very predictable and cliched. There's so much you can do with a group of old men in a northern landscape (which was actually an important part of it's success as the actors or scripts) doing crazy things in tin baths sliding down hillsides, and old women with wrinkled stockings. 

In some ways 'Still Open All Hours,' doesn't really make sense, because in reality Arkwright's shop would have been taken over by a large supermarket chain such as Tesco or Sainsbury's. And Granville would have retired years ago. You just wouldn't run a corner shop the way it's portrayed. It's a bit of an anachronism. For all that, it does have a sort of gentle charm. Non-offensive, and anything that has David Jason in it is going to be something that gets good viewing figures. I suppose it has something to do with being nostalgic. For a time long-gone. As someone said, and I don't know who precisely, that 'nostalgia's not what it used to be.' A sort of cozy, non-existent past, where people actually talked to one another, a world without mobile phones, social media and self-serivice supermarket checkouts. We watched a few of the original 'Open All Hours' episodes on Gold and David Jason looks about 18, or even younger in it. He's come a long way since those episodes were made and it's surprising that he would want to return to this sort of thing. Once you've done a particular show, why return to it? They've opened it out a good deal more than it was in the original 1970s show as well as adding more characters. This episode has scenes set in Scarborough, which I recognise, having been there. It's understandable that they would open it out somewhat as it gives more possibilities for storylines and characters.  Watching it, and listening, it seems as if the audience laughter has been mixed in after the show was recorded. Why does the studio audience for these shows always sound as if they've been prerecorded and then added as a sort of afterthought? Just sounds fake to me. Why do they have a studio audience in the first place? I can understand in one respect, as it gives the actors a sort of sounding-board to play off, but do they think that without an audience cackling in the background, we, the home-audience, won't realise it's comedy and so not get the gags and jokes? 

They did a series of one-off comedy revivals a few years ago, to mark the 60th anniversary of 'Hancock's Half Hour' transferring to BBC television, with the idea that they could revive some of them as complete series. One was a revamped version of 'Porridge.' (yet another former Ronnie Barker vehicle in the 1970's.) as well as a prequel to 'Keeping Up Appearances' which had Hyacinth Bouquet as a teenager. Another, a revival of 'Are You Being Served,' which was, frankly, really awful and unfunny. As it is, the original version of 'Are You Being Served' wouldn't pass the political correctness brigade, and certainly wouldn't be made today in the same sort of style. A bit like a lot of Benny Hill's shows or even 'Mind Your Language' or many other 1970's comedies, including 'Till Death Us Do Part.'

Unfortunately all this 'reviving' television comedy shows a complete lack of imagination and laziness on behalf of the television executives in charge of the various channels. Why not simply develop fresh stuff? Just commission a set of pilot scripts as they did in the 1960's with 'Comedy Playhouse,' which is where such shows as 'Steptoe and Son' originated and then, if those one-off pilots are a success, then make them into full series. 

Current Television Comedy

What, in the way of television comedy, do the networks have to offer us at the moment? BBC1 can give you a rehash of the classic 1970's show 'Porridge.' It was revived as part of the BBC's 'Sitcom' season, something to do with it being 60 years since the first 'Hancock' television series. They gave us  rehashes of 'Are You Being Served?' (really awful. The original was never brilliant, a lot of cliches and rather annoying catch-phrases, Mr Humphry's limp wrist and Mrs Slocombe's cat and her over-the top hairstyles, but definitely stuck in a 1970's end-of-the-pier type comedy limbo.) Also, a prequel to 'Keeping Up Appearances' (I never saw it). The one-off episode of 'Porridge' was alright, up to a point, but it wasn't exactly what you'd call 'comedy gold.' It's the one episode which has been developed as a full series of six episodes. But let's be honest, 'Porridge,' in it's original incarnation, was brilliant for being great basically because it was a well-written and acted gem because of it's leading actor, Ronnie Barker. How on earth can an actor emulate his timing, his skill as a comic actor and general all-round likability? The BBC had revived another of his comic hits, 'Open All Hours,' and given David Jason's character, the downtrodden nephew, Granville, the central role. From being the put-upon delivery-boy to becoming the owner of the corner shop, might sound a good idea, basically because Jason is such a popular actor, and they know, with him in it, audiences will watch regardless. It's just that there remake, which is called, unimaginatively, 'Still Open All Hours' is just a clone of the original and is stuck determinedly in the mid 1970's. By now real corner shops have moved on, to being Tesco Extras and Little Waitroses. I think Arkwright's shop would have been taken over by Tesco's by now. It's just a rather creaky excuse for some corny jokes.

Let's leave off about the reboots. Please, BBC, don't do any more. Just because they get large ratings doesn't mean it's a good idea to do more. ITV revived 'Birds of A Feather' which was originally made for the BBC, and gets good ratings, but why do they have to keep on copying what the other channel does?

To original sitcoms. There's 'W1A', which isn't what I'd call a traditional sitcom in the sense that a sitcom is made in a television studio, with around 3 electronic camera, and is performed and recorded before a live audience. 'W1A' isn't made in that format. It doesn't have a live audience, to begin with, is shot (presumably) using a single camera, on location, in the style of a 'mockumentary.' It was a 'sort of' spin-off from the earlier series '2012' (to tie in with the London Olympics.) It has many of the same actors from that, Hugh Bonneville being one of those actors. There is a commentary, delivered by David Tennant (which is something traditional sitcom never has.) It is something of a one-joke comedy.

I've just discovered something on Gold, one of the UKTV digital channels. It's called 'The Rebel' and stars Simon Callow who plays Henry Palmer, a pensioner who absolutely detests the way old people are treated in society. It's based on a comic strip in 'The Oldie' magazine. In this way it is similar to a Radio Four sitcom called 'Clare In The Community' which is based on Harry Venning's 'Guardian' cartoon strip of the same name. 'The Rebel' is currently in it's second series, but, as I've only just discovered it, I've started watching it from the beginning of the first series which is available on catch-up. One of the advantages of having this technology is that you can watch series which you might not have otherwise managed to see. I know you can do this if you have DVDs of series, but in some way catch-up is better because you don't have to have piles of DVDs you watch once and probably never watch again. Anyway, I don't think Simon Callow has ever done sitcom before. He's generally known for fairly light comedy, or at least learning towards that sort of area, but I've never seen him in this sort of vehicle before. It's great to see actors in something that is slightly different from their usual roles. I can't see this being shown on the main channels, BBC1 or BBC2, although it might be shown after the watershed, because the language and some of the subject matter is quite, what I'd call contentious. By the way, don't confuse 'The Rebel' with the Tony Hancock film of he same name. There is no connection in any way with that film. Just a note.

Another more recent sitcom, although not in the stereotypical mould is 'Boomers'which is about three couples who are in the category of being retired. They live in 'Norfolk's only west facing resort, Thurnmouth. It ran for two series as well as a couple of Christmas specials on BBC1 and was written by Richard Pinto. It starred Philip Jackson, Alison Steadman, Russ Abbott, June Whitfield, Stephanie Beacham and Paula Wilcox. It was written by Richard Pinto. It's shot on film and has a similar feel to a much earlier series which also starred Russ Abbott with the sorely missed actor, Michael Williams, married to the fantastic Judi Dench and called 'September Song.' I think you would describe it as being 'bitter/sweet' as it could be extremely funny one minute and the next quite sad and extremely poignant. I think the best comedy should be able to shift between sad and the next be amusing. In a sense Anton Chekov's plays have a similar feeling to them, not entirely achingly funny, but having a depth to them beyond being merely amusing. It could definitely leaving you with a lump in your throat and give you pause for thought. Not a lot of modern comedy can do that. It moves from being funny one minute and the with a shift of emphasis be quite profound.

Comedy- Best Medicine- 2

I mentioned 'The Goon Show' in my last blog post. These, and many of the classic BBC radio comedies, are broadcast regularly on the digital station BBC Radio Four Extra. Not only 'The Goons' but 'Hancock's Half-Hour,' 'Round The Horne,' 'The Men From The Ministry,' 'I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again,' 'The Burkiss Way,' Radio Active' and many more.

Quite a few comedies start life on Radio Four (the main channel) and then get transferred to television. The most famous of all must be Hancock's Half Hour, which made the transfer in 1956, hence the 60th anniversary of this fact this year. As a result they did a series of revivals and one-offs of famous sitcoms, such as 'Are You Being Served?", "Porridge", "Goodnight Sweetheart" and a 'prequel' of "Keeping Up Appearances" called "Young Hyacinth" with the character, originally played by the brilliant Patricia Routledge,  by Kerry Howard. I didn't see it, and, frankly, didn't see the point. Why can't the BBC come up with new sitcoms? In the 1960's they used to do a series called "Comedy Playhouse" which generally consisted of what were, in effect six pilots for potential series. This is how shows such as "Steptoe and Son" began. They also did another series called "Six of One" which were, again, pilots for shows which starred Ronnie Barker. Two became series, one being "Porridge" and the other "Open All Hours." A couple of years ago they did a one-off called " Still Open All Hours." Having Googled this just now, it appears that they are making a third series of this. Personally I don't see the point, when it can't be as good as the original because Ronnie Barker, who made Arkwright, the central character in the original series, died several years ago, and no matter how good David Jason is in it, it can never be as good as that 1970s series. Still, I suppose if it gets the BBC high ratings, that can't be a bad thing.Perhaps it's the nostalgia of the thing that attracts such a big audience, the security of something familiar in a fast-changing world. ITV revived "Birds of A Feather" with similar high audience figures and it seems to be as popular as it was when originally shown on the BBC in the 1990s, and with most of the original cast members in place. Mention of Ronnie Barker reminds me that he was born in Bedford, about a 20-minute drive away from where I live, here in Milton Keynes. He also began his professional acting career in repertory theatre in Aylesbury, another 30 minutes away from here in the other direction, and when the newly-opened Waterside Theatre was opened there a few years ago, a statue of him was unveiled outside, sitting on a wall outside which means you can see him at street level, rather than up on a plinth. His comic timing and acting ability must have been learned because of his time in 'rep' due to him having to play a wide range of characters over a long period, do doubt doing weekly 'rep', meaning playing one show during the evening whilst rehearsing another during the day. All good experience for a young actor. He appears regularly in episodes of "The Navy Lark," yet another brilliant sitcom which is broadcast on Radio Four Extra, alongside another comedy legend, John Pertwee.

So, what exactly constitutes a 'sitcom'? There are a few key criteria I would suggest. They normally run for no more than 30 minutes, although there are examples of sitcoms running to 50 minutes or so. A sitcom is generally set in what I would call a 'closed world,' for example, a prison ('Porridge'), a department store ('Are You Being Served?') or a family ('Bread', 'My Family', 'Two Point Four Children', 'Outnumbered.') etc. The characters don't always get on with one another. This creates friction, conflict. There is generally a hierarchy, class divisions ("Keeping Up Appearances,' the class-snobbery of the Patricia Rutledge character thinks herself far above her relations, Onslow and Daisy, who she looks down at as they are 'working class' while she thinks of herself as 'Middle Class.' In 'Dad's Army' Mainwairing sets himself up as the platoon leader, because he is a bank manager, but has a chip on his shoulder because his Assistant in the bank, Wilson, went to a public school while he went to a state school.