Big Train... (& Fame)

ukdane · 31 January, 2003, 02:49:32 PM

... is being shown on tv over here, starting this weekend.
Is it any good? (I loved "Spaced")

The sad news is that BBC Prime (my local BBC Station) are going to start showing Fame Acadamey from the middle of February, I wrote and complained about that, saying it was pointless, as the winner had already reached number 1 on TOTP which they showed last weekend (or the weekend before). Their reply...

"Indeed the winner of the Fame Academy series has been announced in the UK but the series does not only concentrate on the winner but also the other contestants in the programme so although you may already know the winner, you may not know all the runners up, the winners and the losers and it is through the process of elimination that the format of the programme follows. Each week a contestant will be eliminated and it is this element of the programme which we feel will produce the tension.

I would like to point out that part of the reason for broadcasting the series is through feedback from our audience however, we realise that not everyone will like the programme and we appreciate you taking the time to write in with your comments."

The Enigmatic Dr X · 31 January, 2003, 02:59:07 PM

It's worth watching the first ten minutes of the first episode just so you can see how low TV has become. The lowest common denominator for British telly seems to be an amoeba. Reality TV is public execution for the 21st century. (Check out the film Series 7 - The Contenders for an illustration of both points!)

Mangamax · 31 January, 2003, 03:08:14 PM

Can anyone help me out and save me a long trip to the attic trawling through back progs?
What's the colour scheme for the SJS Judges uniforms?

Oddboy · 31 January, 2003, 03:15:20 PM

Excellent film that, Series 7. See also Battle Royale.

Queen Firey-Bou · 31 January, 2003, 03:46:21 PM

"Reality TV is public execution for the 21st C"

yeah but the interesting thing about fame academy was how lovely back slappy aren't they wonderful manner in which people were executed, this pretense of being positive & constructive, is a slightly better example to show to the kids that the pure vitriol of big brother etc. Also fame ack'(vomit sound gag there) did kindof show these kids working their butts off & being able to sing & write ...when you watch top of the pops afterwards, its kindof obvious that the total loosers from fame ack , were still a million times more talented than the pop chart starletts.

obviously they all need shooting, but from the point of view of the little kids who are influenced by this pap, i thought i'd make those points.

Frobisher · 31 January, 2003, 10:10:27 PM

Big Train's first series is amazing, really hilarious, especially Tim the Evil Hypnotist. Shame the second series is nowhere near as good though.
Spaced is a favourite of mine aswell.

Quirkafleeg · 31 January, 2003, 10:16:41 PM

World Staring was a stone cold classic...

karne · 01 February, 2003, 12:54:43 AM

Did you know that you can actually buy the book of "The World Stare-Out Championship Final"? It's called, funnily enough "The World Stare-Out Championship Final" is by Paul Hatcher and costs ?6.99. I don't think it's as funny as the cartoons, but as I picked up my copy for 99p in a W.H.Smiths sale, you won't find me complaining to much.

Maintaining eye contact from across the table,

karne.

Adrian Bamforth · 01 February, 2003, 02:21:01 AM

I seem to remember the first series of Big Train being alright, it seemed to focus a lot on very straight situations, office life, academic lectures and stuff, except there would be a surreal twist. Though I think Smack The Pony did a similar thing only better. The second series seemed awful to me, really running out of ideas. Trouble is, I think it was trying too hard to be a different kind of sketch show to, say, The Fast Show.

That's my 2 Creds.

ADE

Smiley · 01 February, 2003, 02:37:42 AM

Big Train was inspired. Wanking in the office, jockey safari, substituting Hitchcock's birds with the working class, parodying Virginia Plain long before Shooting Stars, etc, etc. Magic stuff. Kevin Eldon was born to be the evil hypnotist.

But I still think Wagner and Gibson's depiction of Olympic Staring in the Megazine was funnier.

Adrian Bamforth · 01 February, 2003, 02:53:31 AM

Yeah, that was an odd decision, the idea of Olympic Staring is quite funny, but for some reason they did it with "animation" rather than filming it just to be different. Just didn't work for me.

ADE

Smiley · 01 February, 2003, 03:37:35 AM

Blimey, that Cud icon doesn't half remind me of a Tellytubby.

Just had a flashback to Ming The Merciless getting home from work, doing some hoovering, watching Tellytubbies and having a sly hand-shandy.

JayEales · 04 February, 2003, 10:11:49 PM

I'd imagine that they chose to do it in animated form, because they liked the original cartoon strips by Paul Hatcher that inspired it! ; )

It wouldn't have been anywhere near as funny if they'd done it as live action.

Shame that Paul Hatcher wasn't around when they came to do the second series. I was working with someone who used to do small press comics with him, and he told me that Hatcher was abroad when they started work on series 2, and when he got back, they'd already done it...

But yeah, series one was inspired, and series two lost the plot somewhat.

Jay
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