AGXStarseed
Well-Known Member
(Not written by me. Click the link at the bottom of the page to read the full article)
DESPITE some episodes being more than 50 years old, classic Home Guard comedy Dad's Army repeated for the umpteenth time on BBC2 still attracts more than 1.1million viewers and, on a typical day, is the channel's most-watched programme.
Over on BBC1, last month's re-runs of Fawlty Towers were enjoyed by more than 2.6 million people. And on BBC4, the sitcom hour featuring Reggie Perrin and Yes Minister, has been racking up from 450,000 to 600,000 viewers.
Which all goes to show that there is something timeless about these TV treasures. So just what is it about these classics of yesteryear that we can't get enough of?
Why is it that the aforementioned sitcoms, together with so many others from the Seventies and Eighties, still resonate powerfully with the public while many contemporary comedies disappear without trace after a single series?
The late Jeremy Lloyd, who co-wrote Are You Being Served? and 'Allo, 'Allo!, once told me: "The most memorable characters are those you'd like to have around for dinner, even if they're pompous like Captain Mainwaring in Dad's Army, my all-time favourite sitcom character."
Lloyd, responsible - along with David Croft - for creating the likes of Mr Humphries, Mrs Slocombe and René Artois, was lamenting the decline in strong characters from modern day comedies. "The problem is that sitcoms aren't given a chance to grow now. Unless they're an instant hit, they're scrapped. Consequently, audiences don't have time to get to know the characters."
Eric Chappell, whose output included Rising Damp, Only When I Laugh and Duty Free, concurs with Lloyd. "To work, you've got to take risks, spend money and give sitcoms time to grow," he explains.
"Most don't attract big audiences on the first outing. Rising Damp's first series failed to reach the Top 20, but by the third we'd topped the ratings' chart. Successful comedies are rare these days.
"New shows have to be given as much time as possible but in the world of commercial TV - where my shows were shown - pressures in terms of advertising revenues are now so intense that decisions regarding a show's future are often made too hastily."
The lion's share of sitcoms we still enjoy today were written by writers who had experienced life and played out by actors who had learnt their trade via years of repertory theatre - sadly, an avenue mostly now closed to today's budding actors.
"By the time they arrived on TV, they were fully-formed, middle-aged performers who could play a multitude of roles," observed Lloyd, adding that actors in more recent times "leave drama school and go straight into TV", missing out on the grounding.
"This must play a part in their ability to bring characters alive on screen - the perfect recipe for easily forgotten characters."
Lloyd also believed that writers couldn't create strong identifiable characters unless they'd experienced the world, too. He recalled: "I had ten jobs, including plumber, road digger and department store sales assistant before I started writing."
Graeme Garden, one third of The Goodies and a regular panellist on Radio 4's I'm Sorry, I Haven't A Clue, believes the cosy style of comedy is another reason the classics have transcended the decades.
"Although we're inclined to look back with rose-tinted specs, it's true that with few exceptions there was plenty of warmth in comedies from that era - something many people miss in today's sitcoms," says Graeme.
He cites the US import Schitt's Creek as the only recent comedy he's enjoyed. "It's a wonderful pure sitcom which has gone back to basics and is beautifully done. Now there is a lot of comedy of embarrassment and humiliation. In a way, it's easier to do.
“I always thought it was easier to draw an ugly face than a beautiful one. People want to make their mark and a quick way of doing it is to shock and push the boundaries."
In most of the classics, serious smut and innuendo are virtually non-existent, according to Jeffrey Holland, who made his name as Spike in Hi-De-Hi!, just one of many gems from the estimable writing team of Jimmy Perry and David Croft.
"It was good clean family fun," he says. "People don't write that anymore, they try to be smart and think it's funny being rude. Call me old-fashioned, but I think that's what is wrong with comedies now."
Sue Holderness struck gold when she joined the cast of Only Fools and Horses as Marlene, wife of car dealer Boycie, and agrees that vulgarity played no part in sitcoms like Only Fools.
"They were written for all ages to enjoy. John Sullivan had grandparents and children in his life when writing Only Fools and wanted every generation to be able to sit together and be entertained without fear of embarrassment or discomfort.
The main characters don't swear, don't take drugs, they care for both young and old and have big hearts. Well, maybe not Boycie!"
"Also, each episode had a jolly good story, including a proper beginning, middle and end. They always managed to make you laugh, but because the audience learns to like and care about the characters, they can also sometimes make you cry. What more can you ask?"
Full Article: Dad's Army: Golden oldies winning TV ratings war
DESPITE some episodes being more than 50 years old, classic Home Guard comedy Dad's Army repeated for the umpteenth time on BBC2 still attracts more than 1.1million viewers and, on a typical day, is the channel's most-watched programme.
Over on BBC1, last month's re-runs of Fawlty Towers were enjoyed by more than 2.6 million people. And on BBC4, the sitcom hour featuring Reggie Perrin and Yes Minister, has been racking up from 450,000 to 600,000 viewers.
Which all goes to show that there is something timeless about these TV treasures. So just what is it about these classics of yesteryear that we can't get enough of?
Why is it that the aforementioned sitcoms, together with so many others from the Seventies and Eighties, still resonate powerfully with the public while many contemporary comedies disappear without trace after a single series?
The late Jeremy Lloyd, who co-wrote Are You Being Served? and 'Allo, 'Allo!, once told me: "The most memorable characters are those you'd like to have around for dinner, even if they're pompous like Captain Mainwaring in Dad's Army, my all-time favourite sitcom character."
Lloyd, responsible - along with David Croft - for creating the likes of Mr Humphries, Mrs Slocombe and René Artois, was lamenting the decline in strong characters from modern day comedies. "The problem is that sitcoms aren't given a chance to grow now. Unless they're an instant hit, they're scrapped. Consequently, audiences don't have time to get to know the characters."
Eric Chappell, whose output included Rising Damp, Only When I Laugh and Duty Free, concurs with Lloyd. "To work, you've got to take risks, spend money and give sitcoms time to grow," he explains.
"Most don't attract big audiences on the first outing. Rising Damp's first series failed to reach the Top 20, but by the third we'd topped the ratings' chart. Successful comedies are rare these days.
"New shows have to be given as much time as possible but in the world of commercial TV - where my shows were shown - pressures in terms of advertising revenues are now so intense that decisions regarding a show's future are often made too hastily."
The lion's share of sitcoms we still enjoy today were written by writers who had experienced life and played out by actors who had learnt their trade via years of repertory theatre - sadly, an avenue mostly now closed to today's budding actors.
"By the time they arrived on TV, they were fully-formed, middle-aged performers who could play a multitude of roles," observed Lloyd, adding that actors in more recent times "leave drama school and go straight into TV", missing out on the grounding.
"This must play a part in their ability to bring characters alive on screen - the perfect recipe for easily forgotten characters."
Lloyd also believed that writers couldn't create strong identifiable characters unless they'd experienced the world, too. He recalled: "I had ten jobs, including plumber, road digger and department store sales assistant before I started writing."
Graeme Garden, one third of The Goodies and a regular panellist on Radio 4's I'm Sorry, I Haven't A Clue, believes the cosy style of comedy is another reason the classics have transcended the decades.
"Although we're inclined to look back with rose-tinted specs, it's true that with few exceptions there was plenty of warmth in comedies from that era - something many people miss in today's sitcoms," says Graeme.
He cites the US import Schitt's Creek as the only recent comedy he's enjoyed. "It's a wonderful pure sitcom which has gone back to basics and is beautifully done. Now there is a lot of comedy of embarrassment and humiliation. In a way, it's easier to do.
“I always thought it was easier to draw an ugly face than a beautiful one. People want to make their mark and a quick way of doing it is to shock and push the boundaries."
In most of the classics, serious smut and innuendo are virtually non-existent, according to Jeffrey Holland, who made his name as Spike in Hi-De-Hi!, just one of many gems from the estimable writing team of Jimmy Perry and David Croft.
"It was good clean family fun," he says. "People don't write that anymore, they try to be smart and think it's funny being rude. Call me old-fashioned, but I think that's what is wrong with comedies now."
Sue Holderness struck gold when she joined the cast of Only Fools and Horses as Marlene, wife of car dealer Boycie, and agrees that vulgarity played no part in sitcoms like Only Fools.
"They were written for all ages to enjoy. John Sullivan had grandparents and children in his life when writing Only Fools and wanted every generation to be able to sit together and be entertained without fear of embarrassment or discomfort.
The main characters don't swear, don't take drugs, they care for both young and old and have big hearts. Well, maybe not Boycie!"
"Also, each episode had a jolly good story, including a proper beginning, middle and end. They always managed to make you laugh, but because the audience learns to like and care about the characters, they can also sometimes make you cry. What more can you ask?"
Full Article: Dad's Army: Golden oldies winning TV ratings war
