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An error has ocurred. Please try againThe list covers the TV shows made in the UK that I discovered/like/dislike/remember watching. Some are aimed at children while some are aimed towards adults, so there is a bit of a mix in this list.
Reviews
Friday Night Dinner: The Girlfriend (2014)
A disaster of an episode.
Out of all of the episodes I've seen of the show, I think this has to be my least favourite one of Friday Night Dinner. It was rather hard to watch towards the second half of the episode, and I have to admit it made me feel irritated throughout.
The premise revolves Adam inviting his new girlfriend to dinner, but knowing the nature of the programme of characters hiding a small problem which leads to it being revealed, it's rather predictable on what will happen towards the end of the episode. It doesn't help either that Jonny setting up a prank and Adam recieving text messages also makes the plotline a lot more predictable, with the girlfriend dumping Adam towards the end. Upon the introduction of Kate, the episode then proceeds to become more and more irritable to watch, with her dialogue sounding so unrealistic. I'm also slightly saddened Jim barely appears in the episode too.
Despite it being my least favourite episode, I did actually found myself enjoying a couple small gags, although they weren't good enough to secure a good rating from me.
And this was rated 7.8?
ChuckleVision (1987)
The best CBBC programme if you ask me.
ChuckleVision is a comedy programme featuring the exploits of the hapless Paul and Barry Chuckle. If you were to ask me, I would consider ChuckleVision to be the best CBBC show made for the channel. Why? You may ask me. Well, let me explain.
Throughout this long running series, ChuckleVision features the aforementioned Chuckle Brothers trying to perform a basic task whilst causing trouble on the way. The two brothers are identified by their personalities, with Paul being the bossy but smart one, and Barry being the kind but dimwitted one. It seems the two brothers viewed Laurel and Hardy as a major inspiration for these two characters, and they are very memorable, likeable and funny.
Each episode often focuses on a basic outline, such as the brothers running a pizza delivery service or painting a rather large ship. The jokes would often be full of well written puns, as well as slapstick that commonly occurs in a few scenes. They would be related to the overall plot of the episode, and you're bound to have a chuckle at them. I should mention that the running times vary for each series of the show (with some episodes lasting for 15 to 20 minutes), but I wouldn't call it an issue. I feel Paul and Barry managed to give this show a broad appeal, because the comedy is appropriate for all generations; children may enjoy the slapstick, while the adults will laugh at the well written jokes.
Because the show is a long runner, you may be thinking that the quality of this programme declined in the later episodes. ChuckleVision manages to avert this, as the last few episodes manage to be just as good as the older ones. However, I did prefer the later episodes over the older ones, as I thought they were funnier and more exciting. Then again, viewers may prefer the older episodes.
I'd definitely recommend ChuckleVision if you're a fan of comedy, and as the episodes are easily available on YouTube you can choose whatever episode you want to start with.
Friday Night Dinner (2011)
It's fine, but it's not for me.
Friday Night Dinner is a Channel 4 sitcom written by Robert Popper about a dysfunctional Jewish family, known as the Goodmans. Each episode would often follow a formula, in which two young adults, Adam and Johnny, visit their parent's house each Friday night for a shabbat dinner. It may sound repetitive, but once you watch the show you're bound to take no notice of this formula thanks to the plot lines.
Throughout the show, the setting primarily takes place in the Goodman home, and in every episode something would somehow go wrong, usually leading to the family in odd scenarios towards the end. Many episodes I've seen are structured in a similar way, in which one character would build up a small problem into a larger one, with the ending showing the implosion of that problem. It does become notable, although it does make the episodes entertaining for the viewer nonetheless.
Out of all the characters I've seen, I think Jim Bell is clearly the most memorable character; he is well written, and he is by far the nicest and funniest person in the show thanks to the excellent performance of Mark Heap. With this statement in mind, I think a good character to me would have both positive and negative traits; the Goodman's on the other hand have mostly negative traits that does leave a few viewers feeling bitter. I thought the main characters in the family were rather unlikable most of the time and had very little to no redeeming quantities. I felt they had weak characterisation, and they always act a bit too hostile to each other in many episodes. Despite this statement, the characters provide a lot of memorable gags, and they are well acted thanks to their actors. You're bound to have a chuckle or two at Johnny's childish pranks and Martin's idiocy.
When I watched each series in order, I came to realise the characters became increasingly exaggerated in some of the later episodes and how the humour has changed rather heavily. Once I've seen the Series 2 opener "Buggy", it almost felt like I was watching a deconstructed parody of the show, complete with overblown hostility and unrealistic scenes, and by the time it got to Series 5, it becomes apparent that the show got more erratic in terms of humour and characterisation. It's kind of like how The Simpsons became less down to earth later on during its run. However, that doesn't mean the show is bad, but it is noticeable if you were to compare a Series 1 episode to a Series 5 one.
Although I wouldn't say this would be my favourite sitcom, it did have a lot of good quality episodes that left me laughing. Even though it becomes more eccentric in later episodes, I would still recommend Friday Night Dinner if you're into farce comedies.
This Time with Alan Partridge (2019)
Needless to say, it's not that good most of the time.
I remember submitting a review here when I saw maybe two or three episodes, and I thought it was pretty enjoyable at first. However, as time went on, I have changed my overall opinion of it.
The premise of "This Time" is essentially a parody of many magazine based programmes from the likes of "The One Show" and "Good Morning Britain", and radio host Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan) takes on the role as a presenter alongside Jennie Gresham (Susannah Fielding). It would sound like a great premise if you ask me, but once you watch at least one or two episodes it comes off as being mostly mediocre.
In each episode, we get a glimpse on a typical episode of this supposed TV show, and we even take a look at behind the scenes footage, which I thought was a good touch. However, I wasn't too keen on how the writers pulled it off. The atmosphere throughout each episode felt mostly awkward at times, and despite one episode revealing the audience members for "This Time", it gave a rather empty and quiet feel of the show. Furthermore, I feel that Alan had learnt his mistakes from presenting "Knowing Me Knowing You", meaning he doesn't act that horrible to the guests featured on the show.
Aside from the scenes taking place on the set, we are given a few pre-recorded segments where Alan covers a topic, including hygiene or product placement for instance. They reminded me of "Alan Partridge's Scissored Isle", although they were a bit of a mixed bag if I were to be honest. I did chuckle at a few scenes such as the poorly done special effects and the cringe inducing parts, but I did feel that some of the jokes were pretty much done to death already.
Despite the negativity, I did like some of the ideas the producers came up with, and there were a few scenes that were genuinely clever. One of my favourite bits of the show was where Alan attempts to talk to a reporter, and the technical issues caused some delay between the responses. I also liked the parts involving the touchscreen display, in which Simon Denton (Tim Key) would often to struggle to get it to work.
I've noticed that there is an abundance of five star reviews submitted by "professional" TV critics, and if I were to be honest I don't think "This Time" would deserve that rating; I'd probably give it a more reasonable three stars if I were them.
If you're looking for something to watch if there's nothing on, you might want to give "This Time" a try, and if you're not a fan of it, I'd definitely recommend some of the other Alan Partridge programmes rather than "This Time".
Outnumbered (2007)
Ingenious. And very rewatchable too.
Outnumbered is a BBC sitcom about the Brockmans, a family consisting of a mother and father who are, apparently, "outnumbered" by their three unruly children. Now, it may not sound like an original premise, but what makes Outnumbered so unique is the way it presents itself in the most down to earth way.
Throughout each episode, we get a glimpse surrounding the family's life, whenever they're getting their children ready for school or sorting out their house. Many of these storylines sound basic and mundane, but once you watch them you're bound to be entertained during them. The way its filmed is unique, and there is no laugh track to be heard, which further adds to the realism factor. Whenever the children are on screen, this is where most of the comedy comes from; nearly all of their lines are improvised.
You know how in many sitcoms the child actors tend to learn their lines written by adults? Well, in Outnumbered, the child actors are only given a brief description on what will happen in their scenes, which means they're able to give a more convincing performance. I'd consider this to be a great move by the writers, because thanks to this method, the child actors act like they're just being themselves, and you also get some of the most original lines from them as well. Not to mention it helps makes the programme feel even more realistic too.
If you're about to watch this show, I'd recommend you to watch Series 2 first, because I believe it to be the strongest one out of the five. Highlights of the series include memorable episodes such as "The Wedding", "The Dead Mouse", and my personal favourite episode "The Airport". I should also point out that there is an ongoing storyline throughout each series, so I would probably advise you to watch each episode in order.
The Morph Files (1996)
Really funny, but its mostly recycled footage of previous Morph clips
The Morph Files was my first exposure to Morph when I was young, and I have become a fan of Morph since. Before I move on to this specific series, I think it would be necessary to give you a brief idea on who Morph is.
If you haven't heard of Morph, it is about a plasticine man who has the ability to change shape, and he lives on top of an artist's desk (presumably Tony Hart's). He also has a friend called Chas, and they would frequently get into fights. Morph was first introduced in the 70's before getting his own show in the 80's (called The Amazing Adventures of Morph), and in recent years he was been given another series available on YouTube. I always admired the comedy of the show, and to this day it still makes me chuckle when I'm feeling down.
Moving on to the actual review of the programme, The Morph Files basically takes place on the artist's desk, but there is a new touch to it; a computer has been added to it. As indicated by the opening sequence, Morph receives a computer, which he then sets up along with Chas. Throughout the show, Morph and Chas would use the computer to play games or do arty things. I didn't think the scenes interfered with the overall programme.
However, the scenes where the computer is used are one of the few scenes that are newly animated, because throughout all of the episodes, the show would use previous footage from past Morph clips. No, I'm not just referring to the short segments that aired on various CBBC shows in the 90's, I'm referring to both them AND The Amazing Adventures of Morph.
I kind of felt a little saddened when I realised this years later after when I last seen the show as a kid. While it doesn't sound like a big deal, the usage of recycled footage in the show leaves a few continuity errors, such as the sudden animation change from one clip to a past episode of TAAoM for example. I think I even noticed this error when I was young watching it back then.
I should point out that most of the episodes reuse storylines from TAAoM, which becomes apparent when the show uses full clips from it. However, the episodes tend to add a different twist to the recycled stories (usually involving the computer), but it does feel a little lazy. I should also mention that the show isn't narrated by the great Tony Hart, but instead the show is narrated by Neil Morrissey, which you may recognise him from Men Behaving Badly and Bob The Builder. I don't think he's a bad narrator, but I kind of wished the creators would have stuck to Tony Hart.
Despite the aforementioned elements, I still found it to be hilarious. It's a good show to watch with children, and it's pretty nostalgic as well.
6/10
Hypothetical (2019)
Surprisingly enjoyable stuff
When I first heard of this show, I wasn't particularly interested in the format, but when I finally gotten around watching two episodes, I found it hilarious.
I like the overall format, in which you try to come up with a feasible response to the most hypothetical scenario, whenever its getting a statue built in your town, wearing a puppet on your hand for an entire year, or even stopping an assassination while as a cat. I did like the parts where James Acaster does imitations and brief one liners, and I also liked the fact some of the comedians were originally in Taskmaster (which is a show I'd consider to be worth watching).
The format reminds me of Would I Lie To You and Mock The Week, and I found it to be unique and fun.
I'm only going to give this eight stars however, because I think there are (mostly) minor improvements that could be done. I'm not too keen on the long running time, which I felt it would be best suited for a half-hour programme.
Although I'm not that much of a fan of panel shows, I feel Hypothetical is a good one to watch.
8/10