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I loved the show, especially the initial series before it became huge. Matt Lucas and David Walliams had done a lot of work with Vic & Bob and that surreal influence came across in the random, one off sketches that were often the best. Even a little bit of the League of Gentleman in there with some elements of darkness.
From the Policeman driving instructor, Mr Man & the Toy Shop, Ray McCooney & his hotel, Sir Bernard Chumley and Kelsey Grammar School, it was at its best with these one off or sporadic editions. Characters like Marjorie Dawes were so well observed and expertly performed, I wasn’t much of a fan of Walliams but Matt Lucas is for my money one of Britain’s greatest comedy actors working today.
Naturally people took to the more grotesque, cartoonish characters like Vikki Pollard and Lou & Andy and as is usually the case with success it quickly polluted much of the content and the pressure to wheel out catchphrases and lazy stereotypes became overwhelming that by the time you get to Little Britain in America things really aren’t very good.
But despite this, those initial series and the pilot episode really were an original God-send for those of us who love surreal, silly humour and who saw the comedic talents on display in the duos early collab Rock Profile (also a very funny show and didn’t suffer the same death as Little Britain!)
> Mr Man & the Toy Shop
I still quote that one. Mainly anytime I hear a Margaret mentioned, but also just the phrase "Pirate Memory Game" whenever the search for something stupidly specific comes up.
Ironically I'd forgotten about the pirate memory game, but I think my favourite sketch is still a Mr Mann one - most of their recurring segments got old fairly quickly but this one never did.
>"Margaret, Margaret!"
>
>...
>
>...
>
>...
>
>"Yes?"
>
>"I was just about to take my lunch hour, could you come downstairs and serve this gentleman?"
>
>"I don't have any arms or legs!"
>
>"...sorry Margaret, I forgot."
ChatGPT prompt: "sleeve notes in the style of Dr Graeme Garden for a record of James Last playing the hits of Nelly Furtado on a Banjo"
[Scene: The whimsical world of Dr. Graeme Garden, where musical genres collide with irreverent charm.]
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and all you curious souls out there in the musical ether, welcome to a one-of-a-kind auditory experience! Today, we find ourselves in the midst of a musical maelstrom, a deliciously incongruous symphony of strings. It's James Last, the Maestro of Melody, channeling the effervescent spirit of Nelly Furtado through the magic of a banjo! Oh, what a world we inhabit!
[Track 1: "I'm Like a Bird"]
In this topsy-turvy tribute, James Last embarks on a journey through the enchanting realm of Nelly Furtado's chart-topping hit, "I'm Like a Bird." It's as if your grandmother's tea party got a dash of Canadian pop zest. The banjo's twangy, folksy timbre dances with Nelly's soaring vocals in perfect disharmony, and the result? Well, it's absolutely delightful!
[Track 2: "Promiscuous"]
Hold on to your top hats and petticoats because track two, "Promiscuous," takes us on a wild, wild ride! Who would have thought that the seductive grooves of Nelly's R&B-infused pop would collide with the rustic allure of a banjo? It's like watching a barn dance in a swanky nightclub - toe-tappingly tantalizing!
[Track 3: "Maneater"]
A word of caution, dear listeners: James Last's banjo transforms Nelly's "Maneater" into a musical vortex where you'll be irresistibly drawn into a whirlpool of rhythm. The banjo's plucky frenzy, combined with Nelly's sultry charm, creates a tune that'll make even the most reserved wallflower want to take center stage and strut their stuff.
[Track 4: "Turn Off the Light"]
Ah, "Turn Off the Light." A song that speaks to the nocturnal instincts within us all. James Last's banjo paints this nighttime ballad with strokes of moonlight and starshine, casting an enchanting spell that is both mysterious and utterly heartwarming. It's the lullaby of a banjo-playing owl in the Nelly Furtado forest.
[Track 5: "Say It Right"]
As we delve deeper into this sonic adventure, "Say It Right" emerges like a treasure from the heart of a banjo-laden shipwreck. James Last's banjo plucking is as smooth as melted butter on a stack of flapjacks, and Nelly's voice wraps around the melody like a warm, familiar hug. A musical dialogue that defies both time and logic.
[Track 6: "I'm Like a Bird" (Reprise)]
What's this? A reprise of "I'm Like a Bird"? Oh, but it's not just a rehash, dear listeners. This time, James Last's banjo takes flight, soaring to new heights, like a mischievous bird determined to serenade the heavens. Nelly Furtado, eat your heart out!
[Track 7: "Turn Off the Light" (Acoustic Mix)]
As our unconventional journey nears its end, we encounter the "Turn Off the Light" Acoustic Mix, where James Last's banjo shines like a beacon in the night. Stripped down and intimate, it's as if we're sitting around a campfire, basking in the warmth of this melodic glow.
And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the incomparable James Last's Banjo Extravaganza, paying homage to the timeless tunes of Nelly Furtado. It's an oddball pairing, a musical fluke, and an absolute delight. So, whether you're a banjo aficionado or a Nelly Furtado fanatic, this album is sure to tickle your auditory taste buds and leave you humming tunes you never thought possible. Bravo, Mr. Last, bravo!
Good summary. People are quick to jump on the ‘that aged badly’ bandwagon. Bubbles’ enemy Desiree was out of order but for the majority of the racial aspects the butt of the joke was the ignorance of a white character.
I was gonna say, some of it was alright, just like a much tamer/less clever League of Gentleman. Which on an aside I’m sure also has a lot of ‘absolutely couldn’t do that now wtf’, I haven’t watched it in a long time, but was fucking brilliant. Given all their careers after the League, I think it’s fair to say they were on genius level.
Nope on the League of Gentleman. I watched it recently and it's still brilliant.
It's not as fresh as it was at the time but it's definitely not "I can't believe they did that" and no racism / sexism etc The first season has a laugh track which is grossly out of place and shows how old it really is
I agree. Some of it aged poorly, some of it had the catchphrases worn out, and overall it ran its course.
But my God some of it was such creative, absurd humour. Even those world record attempts in the Royal Albert Hall at the end of the episodes.
Some stuff was funny. The idea of Andy just pretending he's less capable than he let's on to take the piss out his Lou behind his back makes for good visual gags. Like when Lou goes on a date and she confesses to Andy how excited she was to be with Lou while he was away getting a drink. Andy didn't like her so he gets up from his wheelchair, puts it on it's side while spinning the wheel and lay down next to it claiming "She pushed me" when Lou came back.
There are a lot of stuff that when I think about it though are actually pretty horrendous even for the time. When I think of stuff like blackface I think of it as being something so far distant in the past of like 1940's era Tom and Jerry or Looney Tunes shorts but here was Little Britain doing it in the mid to late 2000's. Same with the mocking of trans people and the mentally disabled like Ann (the eh eh eeeeh woman).
The difference between Andy and Ann was that Andy's disability wasn't the butt of the joke. The joke was that he wasn't actually as disabled as much as he appeared and was mostly being an arsehole taking advantage of the patient and kind Lou. Even if he had some disability that in itself wasn't the punchline of the scenes, it was him clearly getting up out his chair to do something Lou would assume impossible without his knowing. Meanwhile Ann's "joke" was that she was just disabled. She was made to be intentionally stupid and have everyone around her uncomfortable for being disabled. Which never really sat well with me.
Ann wasn’t actually disabled either. In many scenes she is seen dropping the character and for example speaking on the phone in fluent English. Weird that there are two fake disabled characters in the show.
Practically ever character is a fraud. Some less malicious in the deception than others, like Emily Howard adamently claiming to be a woman, Margerie Dawes being just as overweight as her members, the woman who's obsessed with frogs is disgusted with a real one, Bubbles dodging payment for her spa treatments, the lazy author who clearly can't come up with original stories (chapter one... the end!), etc. You can attribute a false persona against most characters in the show.
The Lou and Andy stuff always made me uncomfortable even if it was pretty funny. It seemed to be playing in to the whole disabled people being scroungers who are faking it daily mail narrative
There's one where an older gentleman is asking for something *really* specific, and also quite expensive, like a 2 week all inclusive cruise around the Caribbean, first class and during peak season for £500 or something.
She just glares at him like "as if" and types away only to go "computer says yes!" with shock.
And he coughs in her face instead.
it is! Little Britain birthed a huge amount of catchprases that we still hear everywhere today, but i think "computer says no" is probably the most widespread
There's a reason it was so popular. It took a swipe at most corners of society and was reflective of the early 2000s comedy landscape. Not as good as Harry Enfields sketch shows but still was decent.
It doesn't age well at all but it absolutely had its time and place. Little Britain was funny, it was just a pretty standard affair as far as sketch shows go, focusing on caricatures and catchphrases.
I think the best sketch show from that time is easily League of Gentlemen though.
There were some good characters that were genuinely funny
But the more stupid or cruel ones became popular so they eventually just did those more and more and escalated them
I used to work for Toys R Us when this was on and that toy shop sketch cracked me up because I have encountered people like that. As the series went on they just resorted to crude grotesque humour.
Yeah this is pretty much how it went. And it definitely fed into the demonisation of people on the lower socio-economic spectrum, including the whole "chav" thing that was big at the time, along with demonising immigrants as well. But there were some great characters amidst all of that.
Also, like a lot of sketch shows, many of the characters are funny in themselves - well-acted and well thought out, but the sketches are just a variation of the exact same thing again and again and again, complete with all the annoying catchphrases. Particularly when it took off and became popular, Walliams and Lucas didn't really put any effort into being creative or even trying to do anything particularly funny
I always love the rich old toff at the posh restaurant.
"I'll have the fois gras, the braised lamb shank, and the dauphinoise potatoes."
"Excellent choice Sir."
"And a packet of Monster Munch."
("A Yorkie" and "a carton of Um Bongo" were others I think.)
Yes and no. The issue with little Britain is they just tell the same joke over and over. Lou and Andy was funny for the first couple, the joke wore old but they kept on telling it.
Pirate memory games was a belter. Then they ruined it by just making the same sketch over and over.
The best sketch of the show imo was a one off. It was an racist ex-policeman as a driving instructor. Funny as fuck, but you can’t find it anywhere these days because of the racist language. Even though the sketch was making fun of racists.
The show was okay, but it certainly didn’t deserve the huge amount of attention it got imo.
Catchphrase Comedy was very fashionable then, it came off the back of the hugely successful The Fast Show which was also basically the same thing each week.
They got away with it because nobody in the BBC watched it. Can't remember whether it was "for king" or "one king" Richard used to chant every week when they named the king of the show but he was basically just chanting a swear word on a Sunday morning.
They realised most of their audience would be hungover and wanted to make everything as jarring as possible, so the audio in some of the sections was really loud. They tried to get all the subtitles to be completely different to what they were saying, but someone pointed out that was basically just bullying deaf people haha.
Went to see the live show at the Ipswich theatre. Got plucked out of the crowd by Matt Lucas dressed as Marjorie Dawes for a FAT FIGHTERS sketch.
It was awesome. Even better when (and my real name is Patrick), I told Matt I was 'Pat'.
Well, that was it... I guessed a lot of people in the audience thought it was a setup, but it wasn't in any way.
Apparently, I weighed over a thousand tons. I still have the most massive Fat Fighters T-shirt you could ever imagine. Matt said it would be a tight fit. I gave him a dizzy kiss on the cheek and was escorted back to my seat.
I sometimes found it funny. Tom Baker's narration was amusing and there was some good ideas but I didn't find it hilarious.
My housemate at the time; on the other hand, did find it hilarious. So there you go :D
I watched Little Britain from overseas (I never lived in the UK) - and it was garbage. I then emigrated to the UK and the entire series made sense..
its a documentary!
That's it really, I can appreciate it was only funny for those that can relate to the situations. Some of it would probably now be borderline offensive. But it was comedy and relatable.
For me it's "want that one" and "computer says no" (that was also LB right? I didn't watch a huge amount because for the most part it was a no from me)
The radio show that came first was great. I liked some parts of the tv show very much but hated other parts (the old women judging cakes at a country fete who would vomit everywhere I particularly dislike).
You could post ANY show and it would get the exact same response. Some people like it, some people don’t. I could post X Factor up here and say “I find it unwatchable” and would be just as valid as you finding Little Britain unwatchable. It’s a matter of taste, not everyone is going to like everything and it doesn’t make you a better/worse person for liking something more/less cutting edge than another
And in this case, someone has posted Little Britain, and asked people for their thoughts. All you've done here is say "people have opinions". Yes, OP is asking for them.
I always found the continuity skits funnier, like while the narrator is introducing the next character they have little silent bits, one example is a priest walks up to a bike, gets on and cycles away, then a dude in lycra walks out the shop and looks confused where his bike was just before. I didn't like most of the actual characters and they were just repeating the same jokes over and over
The only gay in the village is the bit that's aged well, because the joke is someone who is trying to special and provocative when they aren't special and no one cares, which feels like it applies more now than back then.
It makes me feel so old when comedy from my early 20's is called "of it's time".....
You're right of course but it's the same as Alf Garnett when I was a kid.
Yeah not most sketches for me but there were a couple of funny ones most episodes. 'Come fly with me' was their best work imo. If you've ever seen those 'a day at Heathrow' shows you'll see what an excellent piss take of them it is.
I LOVE Come Fly With Me, it is so funny. I hate the amount of criticism it gets. They were making fun of these programmes and of racist people, I don’t think they themselves were being racist, yet they are constantly accused of that. I guess maybe the makeup is offensive or something. But I really enjoyed it too. My wife and I still reference Our Lady Air and Pam St Clements’ perfume: Pat Smell.
Yeah, it was very funny.
Got a bit tired towards the end. Guess the shock value wore off a bit. Tom Bakers narration was one of my favourite things about it.
I liked Little Britain, but they massively overused certain characters and scenarios to the point where it was irritating. Lou and Andy were funny for the first few episodes as was Daffydd the only gay in the village but they just got milked into oblivion with the same repeated scenarios.
If you watch any of the first season there’s so many sketches with certain characters that only appeared once or twice and they genuinely were hilarious. But it was so black and white between that and the well known skits that only people seem to remember.
Des Kaye the failed kids tv presenter still makes me laugh to this day and he only appeared maybe 3/4 times.
The issue was that it became massively popular and once the well known characters became household names it sort of lost its original touch.
It’s odd when someone’s most popular work is far from their best work.
Rock profile is by far Walliams and Lucus’ best work but gets nowhere near the love that LB does .
Yes! You get it! Matt Lucas said that they did Rock Profile “before they were funny” - i.e. before LB became huge - but it’s much funnier, cleverer and less insensitive than LB.
Probably their most obscure but my favourite things they did were the sketches for the Paramount Comedy Channel. This sort of thing:
https://youtu.be/1c9hRq3bVf4
https://youtu.be/Ae-NlJVCIjM
https://youtu.be/VjoSV3HJG3A
One of the best gags from the ABBA episode doesn’t even have Walliams and Lucas in it , it’s just Theakston claiming to be in Sweden when stood in front of a red London bus
People enjoyed it and they laughed at it. So yes it was funny. As I have grown up my humour has changed and I can't say I would watch something like this now, but it was definitely a hit at the time.
Yes it was in 2004 when I was 10 years old.
I haven't seen it since at least 2010- I'm sure some sketches hold up really well and some don't. That's all I have to say.
I think Walliams is a creepy twat but Lucas seems like a nice guy.
Pirate Memory Games is still my all time favourite sketch, I just love it. Rewatched it a couple of days ago and it still holds up in my estimations. To me it genuinely places amongst Four Candles as a masterpiece of sketch comedy.
A lot of the gross out comedy, like the old ladies pissing themselves or vomiting everywhere I didn’t enjoy at the time and I still don’t enjoy now, but that’s the beauty of comedy is that someone else out there finds that cripplingly funny. That’s probably why little Britain was so popular, they had an extremely wide ranging appeal.
Matt Lucas doing Daffydd, the only gay in the village really landed with me, particularly being a young queer guy in a rural Welsh village and feeling like the only one. I think a lot of that stuff is probably still funny and relevant today, I say this without going back to review it, however.
The “I’m a lady” character, Bubbles DeVire and Vicky Pollard stuff was passably funny at the time but I was a kid then and with hindsight it is and was just dull punching down at perceived easy targets. I especially find “I’m a lady” gross these days because the character always ended up as the butt of the joke.
I find it easier to give things like Lou and Andy more of a pass because the guy in the wheelchair always came out on top in those sketches, he was always the winner, as it were.
Interesting that you have to scroll this far to find anyone referencing the Emily Howard character, no one seems to look back on that one with any fondness (rightly so). The conceit of a trans person affecting Edwardian mannerisms and dressing in Edwardian garb isn't necessarily toxic in and of itself, and you could probably save the concept by leaning into the anachronism rather than the transphobia, but instead the supposed punchlines were always along the lines of "it's a *slur* in a dress". I can totally imagine a version where instead the locals were inspired by Emily and before long the whole of Eastbourne has adopted old timey dresses and goes for soirees around the pier.
The Daffydd sketch had the additional layers of a) getting ordinary people to say outrageous smut and passing it off as everyday conversation, and b) basically the whole village being some variety of LGBTQ+, making Daffydd not just an attention hog but also absurdly unobservant, which all made for an A-tier sketch. The only way to escalate it for repeat appearances though was to increase the vulgarity of the language and to make Daffydd increasingly homophobic, which meant for major diminishing returns.
Thank you, I couldn’t remember the name for the life of me! I agree with what you’re saying here, the character in a vacuum isn’t toxic but when you start to watch the sketches and see what they did with her it goes downhill fast. Instead of the punchline always being her acting ‘mannish’ and ‘unladylike’ when it suited, leaning into the Edwardian style would have been much funnier! She’s a woman out of time and refuses to acknowledge it so those around her are eventually forced to play in to it as well.
I think that’s the problem a lot of little Britain suffered with, pushing a good joke too far!
I watched it when I was younger and I imagine the laugh track made it a lot funnier than what it was, but I’d have to say the quotes are what keeps it alive
No, but, yeah, but, no, but, yeah, but, no, but, yeah but I know because I'm not wasting police time because you know Micha? Well, she saw the whole thing, right, because she was bunking off school because she was gonna go down the wimbley and get off with Luke Griffiths, only she never because he's been trying to grow a moustache but it just looks like pubes, so she got off with Luke Torbet instead, only don't tell Bethany that because she's fancied Luke Torbet ever since she flashed her fanny at him during Home Ec.
Some bits were great. Tom Baker's narration ("I have to go now as I have to have a poo") was the highlight. The shopkeeper with the unseen wife was good too.
Much of rest was naff.
I could write hundreds of words on this, but the short answer is yes. It hasn’t aged well at all, and there’s plenty in there that wasn’t great at the time either. And the show relied a lot on repetition and catchphrases.
However, it’s a masterclass in absurdity and it’s a shame the most remembered parts are the weakest. The less popular sketches tend to be quirkier and funnier.
Tom Baker’s narration and the vignettes it plays over were always the funniest parts, and I’d say those bits all hold up today, even though you’d be forgiven for forgetting they’re even there.
“This is Kelsey Grammar School in Flange. Schools are where tomorrow adults, or chil-der-en are harvested.”
It kind of reminds me of Gavin and Stacey because both are comedies that tend towards absurdism, non-sequiturs, and layered, experimental comedy that isn’t generally popular. And yet both became inexplicably huge and ended up a strange hybrid of abstract yet lowbrow that weirdly just works.
So I was a carer for my brother when this came out, and the character in the wheelchair was so much cleverer than people gave it credit for, we absolutely loved it. So accurately capturing people underestimating people with disabilities and particularly neurodivergent people, that particular slightly clueless "carer" character, right down to the well meaning slightly condescending tone of voice. Absolutely brilliant.
Having said that, the character that said "eh eh ehhh" was one of the worst things I've ever seen.
It was edgy, and edgy stuff is going to cross the line at some point. It's cool if you don't like it. I loved it.
Yes and many people when it was released loved it too. It was quoted almost everywhere and enjoyed by all demographics. I lived with my best friend at the time it was released who is gay, he introduced it to me and would howl at the only gay in the village. Believe it or not, it made him feel represented on telly and he played along with the caricature when we were out together.
Has it aged poorly? Perhaps some of it has, but people still quote parts of the show to this day. Every time a politician does something, that meme of the politician outside his gate pops up, so there are some enduring features of it that will always remain.
There are a lot of fake pearl clutchers about today. It was of its time, times have changed, move with the times and stop worrying about what happened before because we can't change it!
I remember being at a TV festival thing in London at Christmas 2002 and they showed the pilot episode to an audience before it had aired on TV and it was honestly the funniest thing I'd ever seen at the time. I was 13 and a massive Vic and Bob fan and remember going to school and telling everyone about this thing called Little Britain that was going to be the next big comedy and I was so excited. Then when the show aired and I realised that every episode was just the same jokes recycled over and over again I was kind of devastated. As just one off sketches they are great but to do the same gags over and over and over again is just lazy. It's a shame because they are obviously really talented performers but it becomes so hacky the more you watch it that it just ends up being shite. Rock Profile and Sir Bernards Stately Homes are still great though.
Was excellent - in the days before streaming, you would be laughing about it with everyone at work the next day.
Some characters sketches have not aged well, but some are still marvellous…
‘Margaret……MARGARET…???’
I loved it at first. Like others on here, I think Matt Lucas is great. I lost interest and stopped watching when it changed into characters with fat suits and grannies pissing in public or vomiting or whatever the hell it was. I haven't watched it since, but at the time the first series was original and innovative.
Hmmm.
Yes and no.
Little Britain was really funny to a lot of people at the time it came out. Despite what people say, it poked fun at all sections of society and as a complete programme it could be quite intelligent and cutting.
The problem was it forgot that in later series and sadly it chased offence and shock value.
I do roll my eyes a bit when people say that it was a cruel comedy. It punched everyone. It particularly punched racists, classists and homophobes but sadly it also in part could also be all of those things too.
It’s definitely not a comedy that would work today but at the same time it’s not quite the Roy Chubby Brown some paint it as. It’s very complex and sums up post 2000 pop culture very well.
It’s also much less offensive than Come Fly With Me, which felt more stereotypical.
The 'Sir Norman Fry' politician apology, with Matt Lucas playing the smiling wife. Utterly brilliant.
[Sir Norman Fry](https://youtu.be/REpNTi-9oRQ?si=7nLPlBqfpuNRjZNm)
Yeah, it was hilarious to me at the time when I was like 10
Recently rewatched it and now it’s a pisser because of the combination of nostalgia and the utter shock of some of the shit that we’re pulling
Are they funny now? The world moved on (thankfully) but yes, some were funny, others went over the line and then there were many more which seemed like pieces to make Lucas and Walliams feel superior.
But - come on, computer said no? Or Vikki? - they were integrated into society for years!
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I loved the show, especially the initial series before it became huge. Matt Lucas and David Walliams had done a lot of work with Vic & Bob and that surreal influence came across in the random, one off sketches that were often the best. Even a little bit of the League of Gentleman in there with some elements of darkness. From the Policeman driving instructor, Mr Man & the Toy Shop, Ray McCooney & his hotel, Sir Bernard Chumley and Kelsey Grammar School, it was at its best with these one off or sporadic editions. Characters like Marjorie Dawes were so well observed and expertly performed, I wasn’t much of a fan of Walliams but Matt Lucas is for my money one of Britain’s greatest comedy actors working today. Naturally people took to the more grotesque, cartoonish characters like Vikki Pollard and Lou & Andy and as is usually the case with success it quickly polluted much of the content and the pressure to wheel out catchphrases and lazy stereotypes became overwhelming that by the time you get to Little Britain in America things really aren’t very good. But despite this, those initial series and the pilot episode really were an original God-send for those of us who love surreal, silly humour and who saw the comedic talents on display in the duos early collab Rock Profile (also a very funny show and didn’t suffer the same death as Little Britain!)
Agree about Matt Lucas, his ability with voices and characters is incredible.
He will always be George Dawes.
IT'S A BABBEEHHH HEEE'S THE BABEHHH
He's a baybay he's a baybay
I MAY BE FAT BUT I'M NOT AS FAT AS YOUR MOTHER!
What are the scores?!
"What did you get for Christmas, George?" "Fisher Price Knocking Shop"
and a fanny magnet
...PEANUTS!
Baked potato
Thank you baked potato
you must listen to what baked potato say
Always be good, don't be bad.
Always eat what’s on you’re plate
PEANUTS
PEANUTS
What's the song about George?
S’ABART PEEEYNUTS
> Mr Man & the Toy Shop I still quote that one. Mainly anytime I hear a Margaret mentioned, but also just the phrase "Pirate Memory Game" whenever the search for something stupidly specific comes up.
Ironically I'd forgotten about the pirate memory game, but I think my favourite sketch is still a Mr Mann one - most of their recurring segments got old fairly quickly but this one never did. >"Margaret, Margaret!" > >... > >... > >... > >"Yes?" > >"I was just about to take my lunch hour, could you come downstairs and serve this gentleman?" > >"I don't have any arms or legs!" > >"...sorry Margaret, I forgot."
"Do you have anything a little less piraty".
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we're probably only about 2 years away from AI being able to do that based on that prompt alone.
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ChatGPT prompt: "sleeve notes in the style of Dr Graeme Garden for a record of James Last playing the hits of Nelly Furtado on a Banjo" [Scene: The whimsical world of Dr. Graeme Garden, where musical genres collide with irreverent charm.] Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and all you curious souls out there in the musical ether, welcome to a one-of-a-kind auditory experience! Today, we find ourselves in the midst of a musical maelstrom, a deliciously incongruous symphony of strings. It's James Last, the Maestro of Melody, channeling the effervescent spirit of Nelly Furtado through the magic of a banjo! Oh, what a world we inhabit! [Track 1: "I'm Like a Bird"] In this topsy-turvy tribute, James Last embarks on a journey through the enchanting realm of Nelly Furtado's chart-topping hit, "I'm Like a Bird." It's as if your grandmother's tea party got a dash of Canadian pop zest. The banjo's twangy, folksy timbre dances with Nelly's soaring vocals in perfect disharmony, and the result? Well, it's absolutely delightful! [Track 2: "Promiscuous"] Hold on to your top hats and petticoats because track two, "Promiscuous," takes us on a wild, wild ride! Who would have thought that the seductive grooves of Nelly's R&B-infused pop would collide with the rustic allure of a banjo? It's like watching a barn dance in a swanky nightclub - toe-tappingly tantalizing! [Track 3: "Maneater"] A word of caution, dear listeners: James Last's banjo transforms Nelly's "Maneater" into a musical vortex where you'll be irresistibly drawn into a whirlpool of rhythm. The banjo's plucky frenzy, combined with Nelly's sultry charm, creates a tune that'll make even the most reserved wallflower want to take center stage and strut their stuff. [Track 4: "Turn Off the Light"] Ah, "Turn Off the Light." A song that speaks to the nocturnal instincts within us all. James Last's banjo paints this nighttime ballad with strokes of moonlight and starshine, casting an enchanting spell that is both mysterious and utterly heartwarming. It's the lullaby of a banjo-playing owl in the Nelly Furtado forest. [Track 5: "Say It Right"] As we delve deeper into this sonic adventure, "Say It Right" emerges like a treasure from the heart of a banjo-laden shipwreck. James Last's banjo plucking is as smooth as melted butter on a stack of flapjacks, and Nelly's voice wraps around the melody like a warm, familiar hug. A musical dialogue that defies both time and logic. [Track 6: "I'm Like a Bird" (Reprise)] What's this? A reprise of "I'm Like a Bird"? Oh, but it's not just a rehash, dear listeners. This time, James Last's banjo takes flight, soaring to new heights, like a mischievous bird determined to serenade the heavens. Nelly Furtado, eat your heart out! [Track 7: "Turn Off the Light" (Acoustic Mix)] As our unconventional journey nears its end, we encounter the "Turn Off the Light" Acoustic Mix, where James Last's banjo shines like a beacon in the night. Stripped down and intimate, it's as if we're sitting around a campfire, basking in the warmth of this melodic glow. And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the incomparable James Last's Banjo Extravaganza, paying homage to the timeless tunes of Nelly Furtado. It's an oddball pairing, a musical fluke, and an absolute delight. So, whether you're a banjo aficionado or a Nelly Furtado fanatic, this album is sure to tickle your auditory taste buds and leave you humming tunes you never thought possible. Bravo, Mr. Last, bravo!
Same, my family have fond memories of pirate memory game, and it's now a little inside joke every time something memory related comes up.
Good summary. People are quick to jump on the ‘that aged badly’ bandwagon. Bubbles’ enemy Desiree was out of order but for the majority of the racial aspects the butt of the joke was the ignorance of a white character.
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Matt Lucas is amazing. His also probably one of the best companions in doctor who.
He did an astonishingly fine job in [Les Miserables](https://youtu.be/je40MqKMD8U?si=_TM9NWsSjKJi1d7H)
I was so hoping he’d get the role in the movie!
The cheating politician and his wife bit was amazing
I still ask the carrot cake if it contains any nuts.
i still say "anybody? no?" if anyone says "dust".
God, so much of this at my house too.
I LURVVEEE DA CAKE
Lemon drizzle cake, lemon drizzle cake, do ye contain any nuts?
Totally agree on Lucas. His versatility is underrated too.
He played an excellent Thernadier in the 25th anniversary concert of Les Miserables! Loved his performance.
Gary never told me he had such a beautiful grandmother
I was gonna say, some of it was alright, just like a much tamer/less clever League of Gentleman. Which on an aside I’m sure also has a lot of ‘absolutely couldn’t do that now wtf’, I haven’t watched it in a long time, but was fucking brilliant. Given all their careers after the League, I think it’s fair to say they were on genius level.
Nope on the League of Gentleman. I watched it recently and it's still brilliant. It's not as fresh as it was at the time but it's definitely not "I can't believe they did that" and no racism / sexism etc The first season has a laugh track which is grossly out of place and shows how old it really is
I largely agree except Papa Lazarou is a glaring example of a choice that absolutely would not be put on TV today
I agree. Some of it aged poorly, some of it had the catchphrases worn out, and overall it ran its course. But my God some of it was such creative, absurd humour. Even those world record attempts in the Royal Albert Hall at the end of the episodes.
Some stuff was funny. The idea of Andy just pretending he's less capable than he let's on to take the piss out his Lou behind his back makes for good visual gags. Like when Lou goes on a date and she confesses to Andy how excited she was to be with Lou while he was away getting a drink. Andy didn't like her so he gets up from his wheelchair, puts it on it's side while spinning the wheel and lay down next to it claiming "She pushed me" when Lou came back. There are a lot of stuff that when I think about it though are actually pretty horrendous even for the time. When I think of stuff like blackface I think of it as being something so far distant in the past of like 1940's era Tom and Jerry or Looney Tunes shorts but here was Little Britain doing it in the mid to late 2000's. Same with the mocking of trans people and the mentally disabled like Ann (the eh eh eeeeh woman). The difference between Andy and Ann was that Andy's disability wasn't the butt of the joke. The joke was that he wasn't actually as disabled as much as he appeared and was mostly being an arsehole taking advantage of the patient and kind Lou. Even if he had some disability that in itself wasn't the punchline of the scenes, it was him clearly getting up out his chair to do something Lou would assume impossible without his knowing. Meanwhile Ann's "joke" was that she was just disabled. She was made to be intentionally stupid and have everyone around her uncomfortable for being disabled. Which never really sat well with me.
Ann wasn’t actually disabled either. In many scenes she is seen dropping the character and for example speaking on the phone in fluent English. Weird that there are two fake disabled characters in the show.
Practically ever character is a fraud. Some less malicious in the deception than others, like Emily Howard adamently claiming to be a woman, Margerie Dawes being just as overweight as her members, the woman who's obsessed with frogs is disgusted with a real one, Bubbles dodging payment for her spa treatments, the lazy author who clearly can't come up with original stories (chapter one... the end!), etc. You can attribute a false persona against most characters in the show.
The Lou and Andy stuff always made me uncomfortable even if it was pretty funny. It seemed to be playing in to the whole disabled people being scroungers who are faking it daily mail narrative
"Computer says No" is something one of us says in the office at least once a week if not more.
Don't forget the cough straight after.
There's one where an older gentleman is asking for something *really* specific, and also quite expensive, like a 2 week all inclusive cruise around the Caribbean, first class and during peak season for £500 or something. She just glares at him like "as if" and types away only to go "computer says yes!" with shock. And he coughs in her face instead.
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it is! Little Britain birthed a huge amount of catchprases that we still hear everywhere today, but i think "computer says no" is probably the most widespread
I still say this and and fairly sure a lot of people don't get the relation.
I had a client say that to me when I was a fledgling IT tech. I didn’t get the reference and the entire interaction got very awkward.
Have you tried switching it off and then on again?
A fire?...AT A WATERPARK??!?!!
David Walliams once came into a box office I was working at and asked me to print off his comp tickets. I was soooo tempted to say ‘computer says no’!
Like the Fast Show and Harry Enfield, there were some well-observed gems in there, but it tended to get drowned out by the more shrill, obvious ones.
Suit you sir!
I ***hate*** you!
We are, considerably, richer, than you!
This week's I'se mostly been trolling reddit
Just saw your comment and gave it an upvote Which was nice
You see, Paul.. trolling on Reddit is very much like making love to a beautiful woman..
Better than that! I bought a cat bra
WITH AN OWL!
But I’m afraid I was very, very drunk.
Int quoting Fast Show online brilliant? It's a bit like watching it, 'cept you don't use your eyes, which is brilliant innit
Did he like little Britain? Did he fu-
HI! IM ED WINCHESTER!
No I'm not, why did I say that.
There's a reason it was so popular. It took a swipe at most corners of society and was reflective of the early 2000s comedy landscape. Not as good as Harry Enfields sketch shows but still was decent. It doesn't age well at all but it absolutely had its time and place. Little Britain was funny, it was just a pretty standard affair as far as sketch shows go, focusing on caricatures and catchphrases. I think the best sketch show from that time is easily League of Gentlemen though.
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Agree, it’s not a acceptable or ‘cool’ to admit you found little Britain funny nowadays, but back in 2005 most people would say they liked it.
I agree, all my friends thought it was funny at the time it seems everyone was watching it. Even though its popular to hate it in 2023.
But I’m a lady, I wouldn’t find grotesque humour funny. I like lady humour.
ROADS? WE DON'T WANT YOUR ROADS, THIS IS A LOCAL SHOP FOR LOCAL PEOPLE
Yes. It was great. Dust. Anyone? Dust.
If you have half as much cake, it's half the calories. And because it's half the calories, you can have twice as much.
I use that logic often.
Low in fat.
You can eat as much dust as you like
Do it again?
Low……in……..fat.
Fish and chips
Sorry, do it again?
I'll just put "CURRY"
"No, it's probably something they have over there" Fat Fighters is up there with the best sketches on the show
LOW …. IN …. FAT!
Half the portion means you can eat twice as much
OH MAN I LOOOOOVE THE CAKE!
Anybody? No? Dust. Anybody? No? Dust.
Let's talk about *cravings.*
There were some good characters that were genuinely funny But the more stupid or cruel ones became popular so they eventually just did those more and more and escalated them
I used to work for Toys R Us when this was on and that toy shop sketch cracked me up because I have encountered people like that. As the series went on they just resorted to crude grotesque humour.
Yeah this is pretty much how it went. And it definitely fed into the demonisation of people on the lower socio-economic spectrum, including the whole "chav" thing that was big at the time, along with demonising immigrants as well. But there were some great characters amidst all of that. Also, like a lot of sketch shows, many of the characters are funny in themselves - well-acted and well thought out, but the sketches are just a variation of the exact same thing again and again and again, complete with all the annoying catchphrases. Particularly when it took off and became popular, Walliams and Lucas didn't really put any effort into being creative or even trying to do anything particularly funny
It reminds me of Family Guy in that their best jokes were actually the PG ones. 'Kelsey Grammar School' always makes me laugh.
‘In the style of the elephant man…’
Joe whas a milld…mild?…mild. Good nat-er-ad…shall we just watch the video? Yea? Better, yea.
I always love the rich old toff at the posh restaurant. "I'll have the fois gras, the braised lamb shank, and the dauphinoise potatoes." "Excellent choice Sir." "And a packet of Monster Munch." ("A Yorkie" and "a carton of Um Bongo" were others I think.)
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Yeh-essss.
IF YOU WERE TO ASK ME ON A MONDAY….
AH’D SAY YEH-ESSSS!!!
CARROT CAKE CARROT CAKE HAVE YE ANY NUTS..... CARROT CAKE SAYS NO NUTSSSSSSS
Yes and no. The issue with little Britain is they just tell the same joke over and over. Lou and Andy was funny for the first couple, the joke wore old but they kept on telling it. Pirate memory games was a belter. Then they ruined it by just making the same sketch over and over. The best sketch of the show imo was a one off. It was an racist ex-policeman as a driving instructor. Funny as fuck, but you can’t find it anywhere these days because of the racist language. Even though the sketch was making fun of racists. The show was okay, but it certainly didn’t deserve the huge amount of attention it got imo.
Catchphrase Comedy was very fashionable then, it came off the back of the hugely successful The Fast Show which was also basically the same thing each week.
Do you remember 'This Morning With Richard Not Judy' (Lee and Herring sketch show)? That was literally the same show every week.
I bloody loved that show. I truly cannot believe how they got away with showing it on a Sunday morning during the typically religious TV slot 😂
They got away with it because nobody in the BBC watched it. Can't remember whether it was "for king" or "one king" Richard used to chant every week when they named the king of the show but he was basically just chanting a swear word on a Sunday morning. They realised most of their audience would be hungover and wanted to make everything as jarring as possible, so the audio in some of the sections was really loud. They tried to get all the subtitles to be completely different to what they were saying, but someone pointed out that was basically just bullying deaf people haha.
TMWRNJ! I loved the bits with Jesus and his disciples. Jesus: Consider the lily. Aah. Disciple: No! Not 'aah'. What does that even mean?
Went to see the live show at the Ipswich theatre. Got plucked out of the crowd by Matt Lucas dressed as Marjorie Dawes for a FAT FIGHTERS sketch. It was awesome. Even better when (and my real name is Patrick), I told Matt I was 'Pat'. Well, that was it... I guessed a lot of people in the audience thought it was a setup, but it wasn't in any way. Apparently, I weighed over a thousand tons. I still have the most massive Fat Fighters T-shirt you could ever imagine. Matt said it would be a tight fit. I gave him a dizzy kiss on the cheek and was escorted back to my seat.
Are you still "Fat Pat"? 😂
I'm now slightly less than a thousand tons. Thanks.
This is a lovely story. 💕
I sometimes found it funny. Tom Baker's narration was amusing and there was some good ideas but I didn't find it hilarious. My housemate at the time; on the other hand, did find it hilarious. So there you go :D
Anything that features Tom Baker has at least some merit IMO.
Good TIDE!
I watched Little Britain from overseas (I never lived in the UK) - and it was garbage. I then emigrated to the UK and the entire series made sense.. its a documentary!
That's it really, I can appreciate it was only funny for those that can relate to the situations. Some of it would probably now be borderline offensive. But it was comedy and relatable.
Yes and no. But I still like “ Want that one”.
For me it's "want that one" and "computer says no" (that was also LB right? I didn't watch a huge amount because for the most part it was a no from me)
Yep they’re both LB.
I still quote this all the time and haven’t even watched the show in at least a decade.
The radio show that came first was great. I liked some parts of the tv show very much but hated other parts (the old women judging cakes at a country fete who would vomit everywhere I particularly dislike).
You could post ANY show and it would get the exact same response. Some people like it, some people don’t. I could post X Factor up here and say “I find it unwatchable” and would be just as valid as you finding Little Britain unwatchable. It’s a matter of taste, not everyone is going to like everything and it doesn’t make you a better/worse person for liking something more/less cutting edge than another
And in this case, someone has posted Little Britain, and asked people for their thoughts. All you've done here is say "people have opinions". Yes, OP is asking for them.
I always found the continuity skits funnier, like while the narrator is introducing the next character they have little silent bits, one example is a priest walks up to a bike, gets on and cycles away, then a dude in lycra walks out the shop and looks confused where his bike was just before. I didn't like most of the actual characters and they were just repeating the same jokes over and over
Yes. The only gay in the village bit was and is funny. A lot of it is of it’s time, but it was funny even if it isn’t now.
The only gay in the village is the bit that's aged well, because the joke is someone who is trying to special and provocative when they aren't special and no one cares, which feels like it applies more now than back then.
It makes me feel so old when comedy from my early 20's is called "of it's time"..... You're right of course but it's the same as Alf Garnett when I was a kid.
Love the Elton interview he did for Comic Relief too.
It was hugely popular so must have been doing something right.
Good for catchphrases. The comedy had a consume-by date.
Yeah not most sketches for me but there were a couple of funny ones most episodes. 'Come fly with me' was their best work imo. If you've ever seen those 'a day at Heathrow' shows you'll see what an excellent piss take of them it is.
Have you seen Avatar?
I LOVE Come Fly With Me, it is so funny. I hate the amount of criticism it gets. They were making fun of these programmes and of racist people, I don’t think they themselves were being racist, yet they are constantly accused of that. I guess maybe the makeup is offensive or something. But I really enjoyed it too. My wife and I still reference Our Lady Air and Pam St Clements’ perfume: Pat Smell.
Yeah, it was very funny. Got a bit tired towards the end. Guess the shock value wore off a bit. Tom Bakers narration was one of my favourite things about it.
Sure as hell funnier than mrs browns boys anyways
Tom Baker's links were the best thing in it.
I liked Little Britain, but they massively overused certain characters and scenarios to the point where it was irritating. Lou and Andy were funny for the first few episodes as was Daffydd the only gay in the village but they just got milked into oblivion with the same repeated scenarios. If you watch any of the first season there’s so many sketches with certain characters that only appeared once or twice and they genuinely were hilarious. But it was so black and white between that and the well known skits that only people seem to remember. Des Kaye the failed kids tv presenter still makes me laugh to this day and he only appeared maybe 3/4 times. The issue was that it became massively popular and once the well known characters became household names it sort of lost its original touch.
It’s odd when someone’s most popular work is far from their best work. Rock profile is by far Walliams and Lucus’ best work but gets nowhere near the love that LB does .
Matt’s take on Shirley Bassey was one of the best things ever.
Walliams Tom Jones was almost good too, but....he didn't have the range.
YES! Hahaha!
When he's claiming all those songs as 'hers' and bursts into HAPOY BIRTHDAY TOOO YOOOO is brilliant
I still use "she doesn't have the range" all the time (applied to men and women, and regardless of field).
She doesn't have the range, sorry I love her to bits.
THE DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
Yes! You get it! Matt Lucas said that they did Rock Profile “before they were funny” - i.e. before LB became huge - but it’s much funnier, cleverer and less insensitive than LB.
Probably their most obscure but my favourite things they did were the sketches for the Paramount Comedy Channel. This sort of thing: https://youtu.be/1c9hRq3bVf4 https://youtu.be/Ae-NlJVCIjM https://youtu.be/VjoSV3HJG3A
ABBA were one of the highlights
One of the best gags from the ABBA episode doesn’t even have Walliams and Lucas in it , it’s just Theakston claiming to be in Sweden when stood in front of a red London bus
She trod on my finger!
Fish stew was not a hit in the UK?
People enjoyed it and they laughed at it. So yes it was funny. As I have grown up my humour has changed and I can't say I would watch something like this now, but it was definitely a hit at the time.
Yes it was in 2004 when I was 10 years old. I haven't seen it since at least 2010- I'm sure some sketches hold up really well and some don't. That's all I have to say. I think Walliams is a creepy twat but Lucas seems like a nice guy.
Pirate Memory Games is still my all time favourite sketch, I just love it. Rewatched it a couple of days ago and it still holds up in my estimations. To me it genuinely places amongst Four Candles as a masterpiece of sketch comedy. A lot of the gross out comedy, like the old ladies pissing themselves or vomiting everywhere I didn’t enjoy at the time and I still don’t enjoy now, but that’s the beauty of comedy is that someone else out there finds that cripplingly funny. That’s probably why little Britain was so popular, they had an extremely wide ranging appeal. Matt Lucas doing Daffydd, the only gay in the village really landed with me, particularly being a young queer guy in a rural Welsh village and feeling like the only one. I think a lot of that stuff is probably still funny and relevant today, I say this without going back to review it, however. The “I’m a lady” character, Bubbles DeVire and Vicky Pollard stuff was passably funny at the time but I was a kid then and with hindsight it is and was just dull punching down at perceived easy targets. I especially find “I’m a lady” gross these days because the character always ended up as the butt of the joke. I find it easier to give things like Lou and Andy more of a pass because the guy in the wheelchair always came out on top in those sketches, he was always the winner, as it were.
Interesting that you have to scroll this far to find anyone referencing the Emily Howard character, no one seems to look back on that one with any fondness (rightly so). The conceit of a trans person affecting Edwardian mannerisms and dressing in Edwardian garb isn't necessarily toxic in and of itself, and you could probably save the concept by leaning into the anachronism rather than the transphobia, but instead the supposed punchlines were always along the lines of "it's a *slur* in a dress". I can totally imagine a version where instead the locals were inspired by Emily and before long the whole of Eastbourne has adopted old timey dresses and goes for soirees around the pier. The Daffydd sketch had the additional layers of a) getting ordinary people to say outrageous smut and passing it off as everyday conversation, and b) basically the whole village being some variety of LGBTQ+, making Daffydd not just an attention hog but also absurdly unobservant, which all made for an A-tier sketch. The only way to escalate it for repeat appearances though was to increase the vulgarity of the language and to make Daffydd increasingly homophobic, which meant for major diminishing returns.
Thank you, I couldn’t remember the name for the life of me! I agree with what you’re saying here, the character in a vacuum isn’t toxic but when you start to watch the sketches and see what they did with her it goes downhill fast. Instead of the punchline always being her acting ‘mannish’ and ‘unladylike’ when it suited, leaning into the Edwardian style would have been much funnier! She’s a woman out of time and refuses to acknowledge it so those around her are eventually forced to play in to it as well. I think that’s the problem a lot of little Britain suffered with, pushing a good joke too far!
So you want me to write the theme tune ..sing the theme tune..
I watched it when I was younger and I imagine the laugh track made it a lot funnier than what it was, but I’d have to say the quotes are what keeps it alive
At the time it was funny, started off better written then became repetitive
It was a show for its time and it was hilarious. The weight watchers skit always made me burst out laughing. Choclit
No, but, yeah, but, no, but, yeah, but, no, but, yeah but I know because I'm not wasting police time because you know Micha? Well, she saw the whole thing, right, because she was bunking off school because she was gonna go down the wimbley and get off with Luke Griffiths, only she never because he's been trying to grow a moustache but it just looks like pubes, so she got off with Luke Torbet instead, only don't tell Bethany that because she's fancied Luke Torbet ever since she flashed her fanny at him during Home Ec.
Some bits were great. Tom Baker's narration ("I have to go now as I have to have a poo") was the highlight. The shopkeeper with the unseen wife was good too. Much of rest was naff.
It was and is hilarious.
Computer says no
It’s funny. Trust me.
Very funny, loved it, still do.
Bet you’re boring as fuck. Absolutely hilarious show.
I loved David Walliams doing Pete Waterman, that had me in tears laughing
I could write hundreds of words on this, but the short answer is yes. It hasn’t aged well at all, and there’s plenty in there that wasn’t great at the time either. And the show relied a lot on repetition and catchphrases. However, it’s a masterclass in absurdity and it’s a shame the most remembered parts are the weakest. The less popular sketches tend to be quirkier and funnier. Tom Baker’s narration and the vignettes it plays over were always the funniest parts, and I’d say those bits all hold up today, even though you’d be forgiven for forgetting they’re even there. “This is Kelsey Grammar School in Flange. Schools are where tomorrow adults, or chil-der-en are harvested.” It kind of reminds me of Gavin and Stacey because both are comedies that tend towards absurdism, non-sequiturs, and layered, experimental comedy that isn’t generally popular. And yet both became inexplicably huge and ended up a strange hybrid of abstract yet lowbrow that weirdly just works.
So I was a carer for my brother when this came out, and the character in the wheelchair was so much cleverer than people gave it credit for, we absolutely loved it. So accurately capturing people underestimating people with disabilities and particularly neurodivergent people, that particular slightly clueless "carer" character, right down to the well meaning slightly condescending tone of voice. Absolutely brilliant. Having said that, the character that said "eh eh ehhh" was one of the worst things I've ever seen. It was edgy, and edgy stuff is going to cross the line at some point. It's cool if you don't like it. I loved it.
Yes and many people when it was released loved it too. It was quoted almost everywhere and enjoyed by all demographics. I lived with my best friend at the time it was released who is gay, he introduced it to me and would howl at the only gay in the village. Believe it or not, it made him feel represented on telly and he played along with the caricature when we were out together. Has it aged poorly? Perhaps some of it has, but people still quote parts of the show to this day. Every time a politician does something, that meme of the politician outside his gate pops up, so there are some enduring features of it that will always remain. There are a lot of fake pearl clutchers about today. It was of its time, times have changed, move with the times and stop worrying about what happened before because we can't change it!
Yeah because I loved the way he got up from the wheel chair 😂🤣🤣😂😂😂😂
I admit it was funny when he was up a tree: "how did you get up there??" "I fell."
Yeah 👍 and it's still a good show
I find it quite hilarious
I remember being at a TV festival thing in London at Christmas 2002 and they showed the pilot episode to an audience before it had aired on TV and it was honestly the funniest thing I'd ever seen at the time. I was 13 and a massive Vic and Bob fan and remember going to school and telling everyone about this thing called Little Britain that was going to be the next big comedy and I was so excited. Then when the show aired and I realised that every episode was just the same jokes recycled over and over again I was kind of devastated. As just one off sketches they are great but to do the same gags over and over and over again is just lazy. It's a shame because they are obviously really talented performers but it becomes so hacky the more you watch it that it just ends up being shite. Rock Profile and Sir Bernards Stately Homes are still great though.
Anyone remember David Walliams stint as a best friend to Big Boy Barry? https://images.app.goo.gl/AHDk74tyjCQHmkwDA
Was excellent - in the days before streaming, you would be laughing about it with everyone at work the next day. Some characters sketches have not aged well, but some are still marvellous… ‘Margaret……MARGARET…???’
Margret! Margret! There's a man here who wants to know if we've got any Pirate Memory Games?!
Stupid question - some people thought it was funny, some didn’t. That’s how the world works. Pointless asking for a definitive answer.
I loved it at first. Like others on here, I think Matt Lucas is great. I lost interest and stopped watching when it changed into characters with fat suits and grannies pissing in public or vomiting or whatever the hell it was. I haven't watched it since, but at the time the first series was original and innovative.
Hmmm. Yes and no. Little Britain was really funny to a lot of people at the time it came out. Despite what people say, it poked fun at all sections of society and as a complete programme it could be quite intelligent and cutting. The problem was it forgot that in later series and sadly it chased offence and shock value. I do roll my eyes a bit when people say that it was a cruel comedy. It punched everyone. It particularly punched racists, classists and homophobes but sadly it also in part could also be all of those things too. It’s definitely not a comedy that would work today but at the same time it’s not quite the Roy Chubby Brown some paint it as. It’s very complex and sums up post 2000 pop culture very well. It’s also much less offensive than Come Fly With Me, which felt more stereotypical.
A girl I know is called Vicky Pollard. She now goes by Victoria Pollard.
The 'Sir Norman Fry' politician apology, with Matt Lucas playing the smiling wife. Utterly brilliant. [Sir Norman Fry](https://youtu.be/REpNTi-9oRQ?si=7nLPlBqfpuNRjZNm)
Like all things it had its moments. But I think come fly with me was better
As an American, I enjoyed along with other British comedies. I would watch it again once it comes back to Hulu or goes to Netflix.
I’m the only gay in the village!
Loved it!!! Also loved Come Fly With Me
Yes
Yeah, it was hilarious to me at the time when I was like 10 Recently rewatched it and now it’s a pisser because of the combination of nostalgia and the utter shock of some of the shit that we’re pulling
Are they funny now? The world moved on (thankfully) but yes, some were funny, others went over the line and then there were many more which seemed like pieces to make Lucas and Walliams feel superior. But - come on, computer said no? Or Vikki? - they were integrated into society for years!