I don’t normally watch Mock the Week… I have a low telly threshold, and it seems just another one of a million diminishing returns set of channel fillers, like a live comedy writers’ brainstorming panel, where some of the gags stick and some should have been left to expire.
It makes me wonder about locking them all in a room somewhere, getting a comedy distillery going, or even better extend the format to make it like Big Brother-X-Factor-Mock-the-Week meets Obama’s mythical death panels. ALL the comedians of Britain are involved, and the ones who tell a duff gag are killed by Jerry Sadowitz? ‘Laugh or the Stand-up Gets It’?
I know I’d tune in! However, last night a rich seam of invective was discovered, as the panellists set about porky Cambridge graduate and neo-Nazi Nick Griffin. I’ve written about darlin Nicky before, in the what I hope was unequivocal post ‘Off our streets, Nazi scum’… so I was kind of loath to tag him again, given that Heston Blumenthal is already looming large in the clouds to our right, and I don’t want any nascent readership getting the idea I’m a stereomaniac (or whatever the correct word for someone with a twin obsession is).
But he IS a risible, if compelling character, as fascists often are, and they had a good go at him, which makes me happy. So much for the ‘debate’ about not having him on Question Time. Get him all over telly! Get him on Have I Got News For You? Ten minutes with Paul Merton would destroy him.
ANYWAY, Mock the Nick. I laughed for ten whole minutes at Frankie Boyle’s comment:
“He looks like a plucked owl that’s been fast-tracked for management at Greggs.”
Every word beautifully weighted. More choice quotes and a video from James Manning’s suspicious blog. Some people just get up earlier than me.
September 11, 2009 at 9:08 am
“Ten minutes with Paul Merton would destroy him.”
I think you need to suggest this to them: https://faq.external.bbc.co.uk/templates/bbcfaqs/emailstatic/emailPage?_mftvst:answerRef=%24&_mftvst:entryID=%24comment&_mftvst:id=%24UPL67CCJN31AVE007IO293AVA6&_mftvst:moduleID=%24contact&_mftvst:searchString=%24 is the ridiculous web address…
September 11, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Thanks for the comment on my blog and the link on here (question – does the link work? Yes, i’m vain and want more readers…!)
Enjoy what i’ve seen of your blog – will keep an eye on it.
One other thing – i don’t get up early (in any sense!); i go to bed late!
September 11, 2009 at 3:51 pm
No probs, that’s the cultural exchange dynamic, innit? I click your posts, you click mine…
September 11, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Like the Jerry Sadowitz reference there.