[user104658]

There are few rules against controversial comedy; there's still plenty of it about. People make what they think will sell and that's a completely separate issue... what people find funny changes with the times, and that's something you'll just need to come to terms with... some of that old comedy just isn't that funny any more.

I love South Park which has joked about abortion, paedohilia and race within the last year. I love It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia which is far, far less PC than the clips you're posting and is still a current show. I'm definitely not offended by "non PC stuff"... but I'm sorry Alf... those clips you're posting are just boring and un-funny to me . It's fine that they're not for you... different people find different things funny and comedy moves and changes with the times. It has very little to do with what "is and isn't allowed" now. It's not that someone couldn't make and air those shows today. It's just that not many people would tune in. The old shows themselves will remain popular because they're a product of their time and there's a nostalgia element but you couldn't make something in the same style now and expect people to tune in. It's just not relevant.

[Alf]

Originally Posted by Twosugars

deflecting the question, still waiting for your answer

not really, the old comedy which survived the test of time is still funny
but to say comedy now is pc and crap is a lazy proposition

yeah, go on, more lazy generalizations

Are you saying generalisations are a bad thing and wrong?

Why is it a lazy proposition to say modern comedy is crap? What's lazy about it?

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Livia

Look at all the people telling Alfie what's funny and what's not.

But isn't it more Alf who is telling people what's funny and what's not? He's literally posting clips and saying "Look! These are funny! Everyone should find them funny! Modern comedy isn't funny!"

Comedy is purely subjective and it's great that Alf has something he finds funny and that there are others who find those things funny and can enjoy them... but it kind of has to be accepted that other people don't find those same things funny.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Alf

Why is it a lazy proposition to say modern comedy is crap? What's lazy about it?

Because A) It assumes that all "modern comedy" is the same based on what you personally have seen (it isn't and there's huge variety) and also, even then, the most you can say is that you find it crap / it isn't to your taste. Again, "funny" isn't an objective thing... if something makes 2 people in a room of 100 people genuinely laugh, it's still funny to those two people .

[Alf]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

There are few rules against controversial comedy; there's still plenty of it about. People make what they think will sell and that's a completely separate issue... what people find funny changes with the times, and that's something you'll just need to come to terms with... some of that old comedy just isn't that funny any more.

I love South Park which has joked about abortion, paedohilia and race within the last year. I love It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia which is far, far less PC than the clips you're posting and is still a current show. I'm definitely not offended by "non PC stuff"... but I'm sorry Alf... those clips you're posting are just boring and un-funny to me . It's fine that they're not for you... different people find different things funny and comedy moves and changes with the times. It has very little to do with what "is and isn't allowed" now. It's not that someone couldn't make and air those shows today. It's just that not many people would tune in. The old shows themselves will remain popular because they're a product of their time and there's a nostalgia element but you couldn't make something in the same style now and expect people to tune in. It's just not relevant.

You say not many people would tune in to that comedy, so what type of comedy is reaching close to 10 million viewers today? You can half that if you want and tell me what type of comedy is reaching close to 5million viewers today? You can half it again if you want.

[Niamh.]

Benny Hill was utter ****e

[user104658]

Here's an example;

I was watching the second series of "Making A Murderer" last night. There's an episode where they've got this crash test dummy - more like a shop mannequin actually - and they've put a wig on it and doused it in blood and are trying to throw it into a car boot to recreate a blood spatter pattern. They're doing this all completely seriously and with straight faces and it's to try to recreate a real murder. I was in literal TEARS laughing at it, it's some of the best unintentional comedy I've ever seen.

Now...

I imagine the poor murdered girl's family wouldn't be particularly amused.

It's still ****ing funny to me.

[Alf]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Benny Hill was utter ****e

You know what they say about Irish people though? Known for being a bit backwards

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Alf

You know what they say about Irish people though? Known for being a bit backeards

You're the one posting videos from 1970 though

[Livia]

A sense of humour is a wonderful thing. And everyone's is different it seems. And to an extent, PC has killed-off certain parts of comedy... Alf likes what he likes... plenty of people have rocked up to tell him it's not funny when what they mean is, it's not funny to them.

[Twosugars]

Originally Posted by Alf

You say not many people would tune in to that comedy, so what type of comedy is reaching close to 10 million viewers today? You can half that if you want and tell me what type of comedy is reaching close to 5million viewers today? You can half it again if you want.

That's nothing to do with the quality of comedy, Alf, c'mon.
Back then people had 3 channels to choose from, they were a captive audience, there was nothing else to watch.
Current shows will never equal those viewing figures bc the choice is 100 times broader and audience accordingly dispersed

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Alf

You say not many people would tune in to that comedy, so what type of comedy is reaching close to 10 million viewers today? You can half that if you want and tell me what type of comedy is reaching close to 5million viewers today? You can half it again if you want.

It's not really a relevant comparison Alf; you're comparing a world that had 3 TV channels to one that has dozens (or hundreds), Netflix, Youtube and the internet in general. Families don't sit round watching the telly each evening any more... it's just not that world. I mean, you could say the exact thing about something like "Gladiators" which got 10+ million viewers on a Saturday night in it's day... because the vast majority of families had ITV on on a Saturday evening. They did a reboot that was the exact same concept, but didn't do very well because that's just not what people do, currently. Likewise all of those old family shows... Blind Date, You've Been Framed, COUNTLESS gameshows that were hugely popular and drew in millions.

You've Been Framed is a great example actually, because not many people tune in to watch it nowadays... while videos on YouTube of the exact same sorts of things get literally billions of views.

[Twosugars]

Originally Posted by Livia

A sense of humour is a wonderful thing. And everyone's is different it seems. And to an extent, PC has killed-off certain parts of comedy... Alf likes what he likes... plenty of people have rocked up to tell him it's not funny when what they mean is, it's not funny to them.

I'm not telling Alf some old stuff is not funny bc it is. I love Benny Hill bc I love smut. Have Rising Damp on dvd, loved it. Same with Are you being served or some Carry on stuff. Loved Bottom, monty python etc.
But to say current stuff is pc and crap? Not when League of Gentlemen exists. Don't know all of the old stuff (moved to uk when 20) but challenge anybody to show me something equally un-pc and morbidly funny as LoG that was produced in the "old days".

[Liam-]

Originally Posted by Alf

You say not many people would tune in to that comedy, so what type of comedy is reaching close to 10 million viewers today? You can half that if you want and tell me what type of comedy is reaching close to 5million viewers today? You can half it again if you want.

The Big Bang Theory gets about 8 million viewers a week in America apparently, that itself shows that everyone has a different sense of humour, I personally don’t see how people can find that drivel funny, but millions clearly do, so modern comedy is definitely not as bad as you claim it to be.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Livia

A sense of humour is a wonderful thing. And everyone's is different it seems. And to an extent, PC has killed-off certain parts of comedy... Alf likes what he likes... plenty of people have rocked up to tell him it's not funny when what they mean is, it's not funny to them.

I agree with most of that but I guess where it gets complicated is, it's not necessarily PC that has killed it off (there is still loads of un-PC comedy around) it's just that changing times have killed the specific things he finds funny. If it's not funny to enough people for it to be worthwhile for people to make, then it won't get made, even though it's still funny for some people. It all comes down to money, more than "regulations".

That said I still honestly believe that even if they did make stuff in the same style now, Alf (and most others) would find it to be a pale imitation of the original material and not worth the time.

I do enjoy SOME old comedy (Fawlty Towers, Blackadder etc.) but again it is what it is, a captured moment in time. If they started making new ones now - even if they kept the type of jokes exactly the same - I'm pretty sure it would fall totally flat.

[Alf]

Originally Posted by Twosugars

I'm not telling Alf some old stuff is not funny bc it is. I love Benny Hill bc I love smut. Have Rising Damp on dvd, loved it. Same with Are you being served or some Carry on stuff. Loved Bottom, monty python etc.
But to say current stuff is pc and crap? Not when League of Gentlemen exists. Don't know all of the old stuff (moved to uk when 20) but challenge anybody to show me something equally un-pc and morbidly funny as LoG that was produced in the "old days".

The League of Gentlemen is 20 years old besides 3 comeback episodes which actually took the piss out of the pc culture ruining comedy.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Twosugars

I'm not telling Alf some old stuff is not funny bc it is. I love Benny Hill bc I love smut. Have Rising Damp on dvd, loved it. Same with Are you being served or some Carry on stuff. Loved Bottom, monty python etc.
But to say current stuff is pc and crap? Not when League of Gentlemen exists. Don't know all of the old stuff (moved to uk when 20) but challenge anybody to show me something equally un-pc and morbidly funny as LoG that was produced in the "old days".

I agree and I think LoG is the best British example of "non-PC done right" (while SP and Always Sunny would be my US examples).

But also... even Ch4 stuff like The Inbetweeners, while not to everyone's tastes, really can't be accused of being "PC"...

[Liam-]

The inbetweeners

[Alf]

Your top comedian entertainers today are Mel and Sue, they tick the right boxes, who looks forward to watching them? Morecambe and Wise were as popular as Father Christmas because they made people laugh.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Twosugars

I'm not telling Alf some old stuff is not funny bc it is. I love Benny Hill bc I love smut. Have Rising Damp on dvd, loved it. Same with Are you being served or some Carry on stuff. Loved Bottom, monty python etc.
But to say current stuff is pc and crap? Not when League of Gentlemen exists. Don't know all of the old stuff (moved to uk when 20) but challenge anybody to show me something equally un-pc and morbidly funny as LoG that was produced in the "old days".

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I agree and I think LoG is the best British example of "non-PC done right" (while SP and Always Sunny would be my US examples).

But also... even Ch4 stuff like The Inbetweeners, while not to everyone's tastes, really can't be accused of being "PC"...

...this is a local forum for local members..there’s nothing for DS people here...

[Twosugars]

Originally Posted by Alf

The League of Gentlemen is 20 years old besides 3 comeback episodes which actually took the piss out of the pc culture ruining comedy.

the same people did other things like inside no.9 etc

the comeback episodes actually took the piss out of the brexit britain, but I guess you'd not acknowledge that as a brexiter

[Nicky91]

Originally Posted by Liam-

The Big Bang Theory gets about 8 million viewers a week in America apparently, that itself shows that everyone has a different sense of humour, I personally don’t see how people can find that drivel funny, but millions clearly do, so modern comedy is definitely not as bad as you claim it to be.

i have seen that a few times, some of it's humour on there i like

[Alf]

Originally Posted by Liam-

The Big Bang Theory gets about 8 million viewers a week in America apparently, that itself shows that everyone has a different sense of humour, I personally don’t see how people can find that drivel funny, but millions clearly do, so modern comedy is definitely not as bad as you claim it to be.

Yes the Yanks have streaked ahead of us in comedy. they have the first ammendment though which is why the writers aren't having their art surpressed.

[Twosugars]

Originally Posted by Alf

Your top comedian entertainers today are Mel and Sue, they tick the right boxes, who looks forward to watching them? Morecambe and Wise were as popular as Father Christmas because they made people laugh.

they are not top comedians, they moved into presenting ages ago
even back when they were comedians they were not "top"

you sound like my ukip-voting "in-laws", stuck in your opinions regardless of the evidence

[Alf]

Originally Posted by Twosugars

they are not top comedians, they moved into presenting ages ago
even back when they were comedians they were not "top"

you sound like my ukip-voting "in-laws", stuck in your opinions regardless of the evidence

And I suppose you're not stuck in your opinions?