Comedy Sketch Shows: Good and Bad ones...

[61653 HTAFC]

Well, we've had the sitcom threads, how about the other staple of television giggles (or lack of)? I'll start us off:

GOOD:
Monty Python's Flying Circus is the obvious one to start with. Brilliant, absurd and ground-breaking. Didn't overly rely on catchphrases but still so much of it is quoteable.
Big Train is the only thing that comes close to the Pythons, but is far less well-known. Some absolutely hilarious sketches, almost all of them one-offs. Far more subtle than most, a perfect blend of silliness and surrealism. Kevin Eldon's Evil Hypnotist, Simon Pegg's guy who can't open doors, Mark Heap's evasive boss (one of the few that were repeated)... If you haven't seen it you're missing out!
The Fast Show was a bit more catchphrase reliant but still very, very, funny.
A few others that get honourable mentions: Alexei Sayle's Show (The first one), The Paul Merton Television Programme, That Mitchell & Webb Look/The Mitchell & Webb Situation, Armstrong & Miller, Not the Nine o'clock News, Smack the Pony.
BAD:
Little Britain (in very poor taste, if it was meant to be ironic it was lost on most of the audience), Harry Enfield's various things (far too catchphrase reliant, Paul Whitehouse was too good for it), Hale & Pace (no explanation needed).

Thoughts...?

 

[yorkie]

The Fast Show was a bit more catchphrase reliant but still very, very, funny.

I don't like all the sketches, but many of them are brilliant. Especially Chanel 9 and Rowley Birkin QC.

Hale & Pace (no explanation needed).

Apart from the Yorkshire Airlines clip, of course
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VLYpKGVBUg
[youtube]6VLYpKGVBUg[/youtube]

 

[BlythPower]

Spike Milligan's Q series

 

[fairysdad]

BAD:
Little Britain (in very poor taste, if it was meant to be ironic it was lost on most of the audience)

The first few episodes of Little Britain weren't too bad, but then it got too repetitive and it just lost something. In fact, quite a few sketch shows seem to rely on the same characters in the same situations and that just makes them repetitive, and the further they go they exaggerate the 'comedy', which makes them unbearable. (Little Britain is actually quite a good example of this!)

The Sketch Show was pretty good, an early Channel 5 offering with Tim Vine and Lee Mack. Only did a couple of series though, but maybe that's for the best as you could end up with too much repetitiveness! (see above...)

 

[TheNewNo2]

That Mitchell & Webb Look. FOR VECTRON!

 

[Gutfright]

Burnistoun was excellent, if you haven't seen it yet then you should do tout de suite.

Going back further, I enjoyed Lee and Herring's Fist of Fun and This Morning with Richard not Judy.

 

[dgl]

Paul Merton: The Series, available on 4od. Quite mad in places and it's all the better for it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Merton:_The_Series

 

[unclefreddy]

Monty Python was by far the best, the first series of Little Britain.

I couldn't get Harry Enfield, looking back it was a good prediction of the future.

@BlythePower - Hiroshima Mon Amour?

 

[D6975]

Back in the days of analogue TV, when you would switch channels and not get any info on what you'd just tuned into, I came across a comedy sketch programme that was so bad it took me ages to realise that that was what it was meant to be. When it jumped from one sketch to another I was totally confused as the story was completely detached from what had preceded it (naturally), but as I was under the impression that it was a serious drama programme I was baffled.
The name of the show?
Katy Brand's Big Ass Show

 

[Rapidash]

Mitchell and Webb are certainly up there for quality of sketches. 'Hans, are we.....the baddies? '

Armstrong and Miller were good as well, but it's hard to find it online for some reason.

Big Train was a bit off its rocker, I seem to recall? Dead Ringers was a bit hit and miss....

 

[backontrack]

Dead Ringers was a bit hit and miss....

Brilliant now that it's back on radio, though.

 

[EM2]

Honourable mentions to Naked Video and Absolutely.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Honourable mentions to Naked Video and Absolutely.

I'd forgotten all about Naked Video, when originally broadcast it went over my head but one of the freeview channels repeated it a few years ago. I believe it was the birthplace of Rab C. Nesbit?

 

[MonsooN]

I remember watching Big Train when it first came out and thought it was hilarious. It still holds up now too. My favourite sketch was the new boss scene where the office staff had the exact same reassign every time someone mentioned the name of the new office manager. It was a bit like the McBeth scene in Blackadder.

I also like Mitchell and Webb. Sir Digby Chicken Caeser is Genious! The snooker commentators are also hilarious.

I love Harry Enfield, but I like his later stuff like the surgeons and the scaffolders and the "quare" gentlemen.

 

[GatwickDepress]

Bruiser is one of my favourites. Mitchell and Webb, Matt Holness, and *fangirl squeal* Martin Freeman! You can count the number of shows Matt Holness has been in on one hand, which really is a shame.

 

[Lankyline]

I'd almost forgotten about Hale & Pace, thanks yorkie for posting the Yorkshire airlines clip, absolutely brilliant !

For myself Alas Smith & Jones & Not the nine o'clock news were superb

 

[anme]

This may be sacrilege, but I find the original Monty Python episodes very overrated. There were some brilliant sketches but also an awful lot of unfunny filler. Somewhere I have a "best of" compilation of about 70-80 minutes - I think that's the best way to watch it today.

 

[12CSVT]

The best
Two Ronnies
Morecambe & Wise
Benny Hill
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Alas Smith and Jones

Two satirical comedy shows which had some hilarious sketches, but at times were actually too true to be funny were Not The Nine O'clock News and Spitting Image


The Worst
Hale & Pace
Little Britain