Been rewatching This Morning With Richard not Judy on YouTube - an old Stewart Lee and Richard Herring Sunday lunchtime show.
Some of the recorded sketches don't hold up, but a lot of it remains absolutely hilarious. The Jesus and Apostles sketches are some of my favourite comedy sketches of all time.
I'm still not entirely sure how they got away with the blasphemy, the explicit references to wanking and bestiality, the use of the word 'tw*t' (not twit or twot) and a few very thinly disguised f-bombs on BBC2 on a Sunday afternoon, in 1998. Also a very early joke about Jimmy Saville's alleged necrophilia.
Great to see the two of them are still going strong, if looking a bit shook these days - i prefer Stew as a shabby old curmudgeon than as a vain young fop. I've met him once, and he's a far nicer and friendlier chap than he pretends to be on stage.
Huge fan of this as well. It's amazing what they got away with on daytime TV. Used to watch this every week with my gf and some mates and I remember when 'Rod Hull' dropped his pesky meddling twats line we were all shocked and delighted.
Some of it has definitely dated and I don't know if it's the nostalgia but some of it is still amazingly funny. I still make Histors Eye jokes to this very day. And cress.
Growing up, I always thought twat was just a synonym for idiot. Now living in the US, it's very clearly a synonym for c*nt, and is therefore one of the Words You Cannot Say. (Well, you could, but you'd shock your relatives and get disciplined by your colleagues.)
This takes me back to when I was 14 and my English teacher organised a class debate, and a young lad publicly announced his opposition to 'dildoes like Kylie Minogue'. Unlike him, I had recently learned that 'dildo' wasn't just a synonym for 'dumbo', and had a knowing chuckle to myself (the teacher let it go).
I still can't work out how TMWRNJ wasn't immediately pounced on and shut down when 'twat' was shouted, or when Rich introduced the 'King' by singing 'Fa fa fa fa fa fa - King' then getting the audience to chant 'fa-king' over and over again. Or how a character said 'fuck all', barely muffled at all by his mouthful of donut.
A lot of potential viewers back then in this country at least would have just come back from Mass and been getting the Sunday dinner ready. In fact I remember having to quickly switch over from one of the Jesus bits as my mate's Opus Dei parents came in the driveway.
One king. Wan-King!
I think they got in more hot water for the apostles sketches than the sneaky swearing. I'm sure one of the most complained about things they did was the sketch where someone slaps Jesus (although that might have been on Fist of Fun).
My wife, who didn't see it at the time, hates it: she doesn't like the fact that by the time you're a few episodes in, half the jokes rely on repetition of earlier jokes. This is one of my favourite things about it.
Quote from: Funt Amenable to Change on 11 March, 2024, 03:59:34 PMGrowing up, I always thought twat was just a synonym for idiot. Now living in the US, it's very clearly a synonym for c*nt, and is therefore one of the Words You Cannot Say. (Well, you could, but you'd shock your relatives and get disciplined by your colleagues.)
I think it's a lot more frowned on in the US than it is in the UK. I had BBC America when I lived over there, and they dipped the sound for it in the same way they did for real swear words.
Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 11 March, 2024, 04:26:33 PMwould have just come back from Mass
I understand a similar solution existed in Lewis on a Sunday. How could you see me going into the pub if you were supposed to be at Church?
Which reminds me of an old law whereby you could only drink in a hotel on a Sunday if you were a bona fide traveler. So, all the folk from Town A got on a bus to Town B, and vice versa.
Quote from: nxylas on 11 March, 2024, 05:27:45 PMQuote from: Funt Amenable to Change on 11 March, 2024, 03:59:34 PMGrowing up, I always thought twat was just a synonym for idiot. Now living in the US, it's very clearly a synonym for c*nt, and is therefore one of the Words You Cannot Say. (Well, you could, but you'd shock your relatives and get disciplined by your colleagues.)
I think it's a lot more frowned on in the US than it is in the UK. I had BBC America when I lived over there, and they dipped the sound for it in the same way they did for real swear words.
I thought it was considered a swear word over this side of the pond too. I could be wrong though. Lee and Herring were the first people I heard use 'arse' and 'piss' before the watershed too both in the same sketch where Anthony Hopkins is excitedly expressing his sexual fantasies to a female penfriend. 'P.S. I am (BEEP)king as I write this.'
Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 11 March, 2024, 07:18:59 PMI thought it was considered a swear word over this side of the pond too.
It is, but a relatively mild one, or was.
Red Dwarf had the "let's get out there and twat it" line, and although it was on after the watershed, most of the home video releases were rated PG.
Fair enough. I haven't really watched 'normal' telly, with a watershed at 9pm, for a very long time. I expect I'd be surprised at what gets through the net these days.
I'll tell you who I like to get through a net, though - that old Tony Blairs.
You see that Tony Blair? That's you that is. That's your mum. That's your mum on a good day.
Quote from: Fortnight on 12 March, 2024, 07:44:40 AMYou see that Tony Blair? That's you that is. That's your mum. That's your mum on a good day.
You wouldn't let it lie.
Bob, I've hurt me knee!
And in case you haven't heard it, here's Stew interviewing He Who Knows The Score: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lblq9
Cheers, I enjoyed that!
Quote from: nxylas on 12 March, 2024, 05:59:19 PMAnd in case you haven't heard it, here's Stew interviewing He Who Knows The Score: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lblq9
Thanks for this - I thought it was a different Lee / Moore one, and have edited this post accordingly. Stew is without a doubt my favourite stand-up comedian ever, but the Great Beard steals the show in the interview I saw, which was mainly about the sock puppet he ostensibly worships. He was duly handed the role of belligerent interviewer for an episode of
Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle, easily filling the shoes of the regular hostile interrogator Chris Morris, my favourite non-stand-up comedian ever.
Purely out of dumb curiosity I've been watching the original run of Robot Wars from 1996 through to 2004. Might be a bit on the more recent side compared to some nostalgic musings before but for sprogs of a certain age it holds a significant distinction as being one of the sickest things a kid of 8 and under could see from the comfort of their own home.
And yup, it still holds up! Completely madcap carnage and that's what it's remembered for, Craig Charles just cinches it as the manic host (it's public knowledge he was using a lot of the blow at the time, for all the good he was doing here and on Red Dwarf the 90's weren't a good period for the poor guy, glad he got clean) but its particularly funny to consider Jeremy Clarkson as the host of season 1 nearly got decapitated by a faulty razor disc on a house robot imploding and sending shrapnel everywhere.
Well feck me pink. I've got a bit addicted to Lee and Herring's old stuff so stuck on an old episode of Tiswas for a break from it. Twenty minutes in Sally reads out a joke from Stewart Lee from Solihull, who's trying to win an Ultravox album. A little bit of research confirms it's very probably the same Stewart Lee. There's no escape.
Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 21 March, 2024, 08:00:19 AMWell feck me pink. I've got a bit addicted to Lee and Herring's old stuff so stuck on an old episode of Tiswas for a break from it. Twenty minutes in Sally reads out a joke from Stewart Lee from Solihull, who's trying to win an Ultravox album. A little bit of research confirms it's very probably the same Stewart Lee. There's no escape.
HA! That's brilliant - did he win?
And also where does one find old episodes of Tiswas?
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 21 March, 2024, 08:19:52 AMQuote from: JayzusB.Christ on 21 March, 2024, 08:00:19 AMWell feck me pink. I've got a bit addicted to Lee and Herring's old stuff so stuck on an old episode of Tiswas for a break from it. Twenty minutes in Sally reads out a joke from Stewart Lee from Solihull, who's trying to win an Ultravox album. A little bit of research confirms it's very probably the same Stewart Lee. There's no escape.
HA! That's brilliant - did he win?
And also where does one find old episodes of Tiswas?
He did! I like to think he still has it - He's also a massive collector and hoarder, on a scale that would give any of us forum members a run for our money.
I found this on YouTube- the same episode had an art competition based around Rubik's Cube puns, which I vaguely remembered from my distant childhood. What I didn't remember was a kid's drawing of the 'Kube Klux Klan' - it was accepta-bulll in the eeiighties, I suppose.
Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 21 March, 2024, 10:21:05 AMI found this on YouTube- the same episode had an art competition based around Rubik's Cube puns, which I vaguely remembered from my distant childhood. What I didn't remember was a kid's drawing of the 'Kube Klux Klan' - it was accepta-bulll in the eeiighties, I suppose.
Oh my giddy art that sounds amazing - I've got to finish watching Ghost World tonight but I know what might well be next!
What was the joke? Please tell me it went on for about 20 minutes and ended with him insulting the audience for laughing at it.
Sadly, Stew hadn't quite honed his craft yet as a prepubescent kid, and the Trevor McDonald bit may possibly have been racist.
I'll watch the second half of it tonight- apparently Sting is going to give the shirt off his back away as a prize. Apparently dads in their droves used to watch because of Sally James- went totally over my head as a 6 year old of course, but my grud, I see it now. Thin Kate Bush's slapstick sister.
I tried to post this, but no luck. Here it is again - read it and weep. (https://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/12787/stewart-lee-tiswas)
I'll give it to you straight...
Early Lee told three jokes when asked for one. Later Lee tells the same joke three times.
Early Lee told three jokes when asked for one. Later Lee tells the same joke three times.
Early Lee told three jokes when asked for one. Later Lee tells the same joke three times.
(Not as easy as it looks.)
Ha.
Ha.
Ha.
Quote from: Funt Solo on 21 March, 2024, 05:57:46 PMI'll give it to you straight...
Early Lee told three jokes when asked for one.
Well, he was only a slip of a lad back then, writing into a Saturday morning kids' show and hoping for his first real grown-up record.
He was twenty eight years old.
He's let himself go.
Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 21 March, 2024, 06:43:09 PMWell, he was only a slip of a lad back then, writing into a Saturday morning kids' show and hoping for his first real grown-up record.
He was twenty eight years old.
And then he got off the bus, aaah.
Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 21 March, 2024, 08:00:19 AMWell feck me pink. I've got a bit addicted to Lee and Herring's old stuff so stuck on an old episode of Tiswas for a break from it. Twenty minutes in Sally reads out a joke from Stewart Lee from Solihull, who's trying to win an Ultravox album. A little bit of research confirms it's very probably the same Stewart Lee. There's no escape.
And here he is again, in the pages of the latest Megazine. He's a mate of Dan Abnett - who knew? (Him, I suppose, and Dan Abnett.)
I've seen him do routines about his Hulk comics collection - little did I know that our Dabnett got him back into reading them.
Last night's YouTube nostalgia watch was Cracker; specifically the episodes where Robert Carlyle is Albie the homicidal Hillsborough survivor. Between Carlyle and Coltrane, here were two Scottish actors at the very top of their game.
Two Scottish Roberts, now I think of it.
As opposed to the Bogie Man TV movie, which sees Coltrane at the very bottom of his game.
Yep, I was thinking of that alright. Great actor, awful script.
Speaking of nostalgia, I've just gone through Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World for the first time since it originally aired in 1980. It's crammed full of lovable crackpots and has a wide-eyed awe of Computers, with not a single mobile 'phone or web page in sight. Some of the interviews are ripe for satire, for example three Irish priests in a rowing boat recounting their brush with a lake monster has Father Ted written all over it. (And some of the retrospectively ill-advised scenes of Uncle Arthur and young Sri Lankan boys seem to have something else entirely written all over them.)
It's sometimes hard to believe that the world I grew up in looked like that.