Thank God Going Global - NBC

[kichigai]

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,20528076-10388,00.html

Thank God going global
By Michael Bodey
October 05, 2006 07:45am

US network NBC is the latest international programmer to pick up the rights to Working Dog's series Thank God You're Here.

The network home of ER and America's Got Talent will film a pilot of Ten's improvisational variety show in November after coming to Melbourne to watch episodes prepared here.
FremantleMedia has already sold the format in 10 territories and versions of the program created by Rob Sitch, Santo Cilauro and Tom Gleisner are screening in Denmark and the Netherlands. Denmark's program debuted extremely well on Sunday and the Dutch version improved in its second week.

Working Dog's Michael Hirsh concedes it is early days for any potential US version.

"We're realistic that we know pilots are pilots and series are series," he said. "I know that, basically, NBC wants a hit show.

"We got on to their radar like the rest. When shows are successful somewhere, people are looking to see if they can make it work for their own territory."

FremantleMedia is selling and producing the format worldwide after signing with Working Dog in March. The simple format drops celebrities, actors or comedians into unfamiliar situations. A variation on Theatresports, it sees one person improvise in a real environment where everybody else is scripted. Shane Bourne hosts the local edition in which Shaun Micallef, Peter Rowsthorn and Tony Martin have all starred. Last week's episode attracted 1.7 million viewers.

Hirsh said Working Dog's previous successes, including films The Castle and The Dish, Ten series The Panel and the Jetlag Travel Guide books, count for little internationally.

"I think Fremantle have the weight, not us," he said. "They're one of the big production companies in the world so when they walk into a room it's about them. Our track record helped us in Australia with Ten and helped us get the appointment with Fremantle."

American networks are currently open to international formats, particularly British. English adaptation Dancing With the Stars is taking off again in the US and FremantleMedia has sold America's Got Talent and American Idol into the territory. It has already sold the Thank God format to networks in Russia, Sweden, Portugal, Romania, Belgium, Israel and Germany and expects to seal more deals at next week's Mipcom. Hirsh said the program's appeal is obvious. "This show is attracting an audience that's not normally watching television, the young."

That audience is also working online. Free clips from the series have already been downloaded more than 200,000 times from tgyh.com.au, and its podcasts were the top-rated download from Apple's local iTunes podcasting service last week, while Ten is adding clips to YouTube.

The program's success is yet another hit for some of the graduates of the D-Generation. Their current-affairs spoof series, Frontline, continues to resonate and the third book in their satirical travel-guide series, San Sombrero, has just been released. Hirsh says The Panel will return for its annual Christmas program on Ten but the group's 2007 time is likely be devoted to Thank God You're Here.

[13 schoolyards]

Good news for Working Dog there... I just wish they'd go back to doing a show that didn't feel like a business oppertunity first and foremost. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the show, but selling a format world-wide means you've created a good format, not a good show.

What I mean is, it's the kind of report that follows the sale of 'Deal or No Deal''s format overseas when I wish they'd try and make another Frontline.

[LSNut]

Oh thats a big harsh 13 .. its a great show simple as that ..

I've said before I was skeptical about the show before It came on.. having enjoyed but ultimately getting sick of 'Whose Line is it anyway' ..

The big difference is that in the latter show they're given the setup beforehand - so if the performers cant come up with anything funny they just fall back to overacting carrying on .. while TGYH there is just something inherently funny & fascinating watching someone have to bullshit their way out of a situation !

Anyway.. I doubt Working Dog invented TGYH simply as a business .. tho certaintly one would think this show is easier for them to do than Frontline ..

[youranidiotmick]

We had an NBC Producer at the filming of Thursday's episode (ep #8 ) and he seemed pretty impressed with the way everything worked. His name was Fax (something- Barr i think)

Its great news for the working dog guys.

[13 schoolyards]

Oh thats a big harsh 13 .. its a great show simple as that ..

Anyway.. I doubt Working Dog invented TGYH simply as a business .. tho certaintly one would think this show is easier for them to do than Frontline ..

I don't think it came up purely as a business idea either, and I do think it's a good show - it's just one that's not as unique as some of their other work. I mean, I couldn't think of anyone else who could have come up with the JetLag travel books (or if they did, they would be very different books), but TGYH feels like a show that doesn't need Working Dog behind it to work... whereas their best stuff always seems to come from them as an unique group of people and performers, if that makes sense.

No doubt it's great for them and congrats all 'round, but I'd hate to see them become just a production company coming up with ideas that they farmed out to others - they were / are so good as writers / performers that I really wish they'd find time to do a bit more of that side of things. Put another way, if TGYH was from the producers of Skithouse it'd be a massive step up - from the producers of Frontline and The Late Show it feels a little tiny bit like they're marking time.

[LSNut]

Yeah fair enough .. but I guess what I was getting at with my comments is that only the WD guys could have come up with just the way TGYH here is - because they innately understand what actually makes people laugh ..

There have been other Aussie improv shows as well as WLIIA and none of them have worked as well ... any other team like Skithouse team wouldnt have got the formula right the way Working Dog has ..

But yeah ... they're being lazy in their older age ;) spose we can excuse them for that !

[skel]

Fax Barr is the creator of Mad TV which isn't too bad for an American sketch show. If he is in charge it could be a pretty good version.

[skel]

But the other thing I think we are all forgetting is that Rob, Snato and Tom have to write the sketches, the lines the "actors" speak. This would be a very tough thing to do because they have to keep in mind the limitless directions the scene can go. If anything this show would be as hard to write as Frontline.

[13 schoolyards]

Good point Skel - I'm sure it's a heck of a lot of behind-the-scenes work for them. And yet, given the choice, I still think Frontline is a better show / use of their talents. I know they're always wanting to try new things and good on them for not sitting still, but if TGYH is that much work, I just wish they'd someday get around to putting their efforts back into a fully scripted sitcom / comedy show / movie. When was The Dish - five years ago? And Frontline must be close to a decade old now...

[Richie]

The thing that worries me is that the guys leave a project when it's on a high, so that they don't run an idea into the ground. The Panel was an awesome show, but they decided to pull the pin on it, even though it still had a great following...

Hopefully the same won't happen with TGYH... http://members.optusnet.com.au/~raunchy99/rolleyes2.gif

[LSNut]

WD has never really had such a mainstream show with first rate national ratings like TGYH - so certaintly I'd suggest they be in business as long as they want it to go for...

But I'd suspect they stay true to their integrity and pull the plug before its reached its useful lifetime.. hard to say but people *might* become sick of the format before long...

At the moment cant see it happening tho - loving it and looking forward to tonight !

[13 schoolyards]

I dunno - I reckon TGYH (as Ten's biggest hit of the year) would be getting huge pressure to keep going as long as possible, and I reckon it's a show that Working Dog could gradually ease themselves out of if they wanted to sit back and relax and let other people do the hard work. of course, they could have done that with The Panel as well but they wrapped it up instead (and not before time, I think). I think the short bursts of TGYH are a really good idea - if it went for, say, 20 weeks in a row I think things might start to get a little stale, even if they are starting to branch out a little like with last night's bedroom sketch with Jo (and Ed Kavelee!).

Not sure how to feel about the gradual intro of people like that Australian idol host guy though - I thought he did alright last night, but I'd hate to think TGYH was going to become another place for Ten to promote their shoddy 'stars'.

[Richie]

The thing that I like is that TGYH gains more & more interest every single week! The WD guys have been around long enough to know how much is too much ~ they know that putting all their eggs in one basket could cause the show to go slowly downhill, but I reckon they have now mastered the fine art of "wetting your appetite" for more every week!

[Mason Hell-Cat]

of course, they could have done that with The Panel as well but they wrapped it up instead (and not before time, I think).

Yeah I agree on this. For me the Panel was feeling a little tired.

Not sure how to feel about the gradual intro of people like that Australian idol host guy though - I thought he did alright last night, but I'd hate to think TGYH was going to become another place for Ten to promote their shoddy 'stars'.

Yeah Im a bit dubious on this point too.....I thought Andy G was bad, I thought the Wiggle was bad and those two from the Wedge were ridiculously bad.

[louie]

Thank God going global?
Monday, October 30, 2006
Runaway Aussie success Thank God You're Here is going global!
While the Thank God You're Here team is currently working on a number of projects – including a feature film which they hope to make next year – their biggest hope at the moment is that Thank God You're Here will get picked up in the US, where the NBC network is currently making a pilot.

Tom is remaining cautiously optimistic about that, because "a lot of pilots get made in America and never go to series" – but he's happy that the show is doing so well around the world. It's already been sold to a number of countries, including Denmark, Germany and Israel, and its popularity is continually growing.

"Each week, we get another note saying that someone else has picked the show up, which is very exciting," says Tom.

This week's Thank God You're Here season finale will feature some of the show's most popular performers, with an added twist to end the season "on a bit of a bang" says Tom.

Grab this week's copy of TV WEEK to find out what the finale twist will be, and which stars Tom Gleisner would love to have on the show!

http://tvweek.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=154790

[foolhardycousingeorge]

I don't know if anyone on this forum admits to being a regular viewer of Today Tonight . I'm usually sitting down to eat tea at 6.30 weeknights, so there's my excuse.

Last week they did a story about the US version of TGYH . The footage shown was of Seinfeld's Jason Alexander in the same Star Trek scenario that Peter Rowsthorn did.

I read that Fran Drescher has, or will be on TGYH. There is talk that Channel Seven may decide to air the US version here.

[skel]

I found a review of the US TGYH at Aint It Cool News. Usually I find these guys to be woefully inaccurate in what they like, because they tend to give great reviews to their mates (they gave Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning a tops review and it sux). SO by that logic, TGYH should be a winner:

I love improvisational theatre; I surely do. I’ve been to Los Angeles’ Groundlings Theatre – which nurtured Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, Laraine Newman, Lisa Kudrow, Conan O’Brien and Pee-wee Herman – a hundredy zillion times, and never had a bad night, I swear.
But I’ve always hated “Whose Line Is It Anyway” – the televisonized improv half-hour starring the grotesquely overvalued Greg Proops and Ryan Stiles and Wayne Brady – and I don’t like the episode I saw of “Thank God You’re Here” any better.
It makes me sad to say so, because I harbor great fondness for Chris Guest regular Jennifer Coolidge and “The Soup” host Joel McHale, two of the four guest stars of the "Thank God" episode forwarded our way. But the show is pure nonstop tedium.
For what it’s worth, you will grow to suspect that “Malcolm in the Middle” star Bryan Cranston believes that kissing every other player on the lips makes for good improv.
But what matters Herc’s opinion?
Variety (http://www2.variety.com/ref.asp?u=AICN&p=1MQT&sid=VE1117933292) says:
… Hit-miss in the way improv almost invariably is, the show feels flabby at an hour ("Whose Line" was half that and paired with sitcoms), leaving a premiere that yields a few of the cheapest kind of chuckles on just about every level.…

The Hollywood Reporter (http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSN0726468720070408) says:
… There are clever moments in NBC's new improv series "Thank God You're Here," but you can get awfully restless waiting for them. Mostly, it is because of the unpredictably hit-or-miss nature of the improv form. It nearly is impossible to be consistently funny with the first thing that comes into your head. Comedy club audiences understand and give actors leeway; TV viewers probably won't. … NBC is under a mandate to cut production costs for some of its primetime shows. "Thank God" will certainly help do that. Whether it does anything else for the peacock network is unlikely.

9 p.m. Monday. NBC.

[kim]

NBC is under a mandate to cut production costs for some of its primetime shows. "Thank God" will certainly help do that. Whether it does anything else for the peacock network is unlikely.

Looks like NBC doesn't have to worry about being the centre of attention these days, but that's for another topic...

I only just watched the TGYH season finale last night - talk about delay! I really have a beef with the supporting cast not reacting spontaneously themselves to the comedians' responses. About 80% of the time they appear to be just jumping on to the next set-up question and not following on from the actual response. I find it frustrating.

[menagers]

Just to add my two cents worth to this interesting TGYH debate...

Firstly, I get what you're on about there Kim, but don't you think they do that just to move the scene on a bit within time restraints? They also want to draw all the attention on to the star, so they refrain from corpsing etc. (although I do recall this happening once or twice and it was very funny to watch). Also, following the train of thought can sometimes mean going into some dangerous waters ie. Frank Woodley's over-the-top antics (highly lovable of course!), so they steer it back to a controllable place. Having been a big theatresports fan for many years (oh Simon Rogers, how I loved you) it did often wind up in semi-blue areas, or with the punchline simply being the F-bomb just for the gratutious grab at the big laugh, so to keep it all very "family" I suppose they have to use a tight leash.

For this and other reasons, I really came to respect this show. At first I was a tad outraged that Tommy G was quoted as saying "we've come up with an idea for a new show that no one's ever thought of before". So when it turned out to be Theatresports I was heard to cry "ROBBERY!!". However, I got over this after I saw how much work was being done in the set up of a scene, it was very clever. Of course the best bit of the show is the 'on location' clips. The editing of these is absolute comedy brillance! The funniest thing of the whole series I think is when Glen Robbins, Fifi Box and was it Shaun? are doing the voice overs for the cinema ads - I'm chortling right now just thinking of it! Lastly, I believe that WD weren't just churning out a money maker here, I think they saw a need for quality family entertainment that didn't involve taking a group of people and locking them in a house/ stranding them on an island. BRAVO!:grin:

[kim]

nicely thought out argument :-P
I agree that it's good that the prompts are there to stop the comedians from going off course, but sometimes the questions are phrased in such a way that they almost have to react in a predictable way. But it is what they make of it isn't it? They can choose to be as boring or as entertaining as they want.

[13 schoolyards]

I think my problem with TGYH is that if they're going to go to so much trouble to set-up a scene and have a supporting cast keeping it on a tight leash, why not go the extra yard - especially with seasoned comedy writer / performers like Shaun Micallef and Tony Martin - and just do a regular sketch comedy show? I know for many the thrill of seeing things made up on the spot is where the show's value lies, but when half the guests have proven they can be much funnier when they have the time to think about what they're going to say / do, then just throwing them into a room seems a bit of a waste.

Of course, the response to that is to only have on guests who are improv specalists, but then the whole 'tight leash' arguement comes into play. I think TGYH is a decent show, but that Working Dog are doing the right thing by not letting it get over-exposed - it's limitations are such that after a fairly short time the charm starts to wear off.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

I said this before, I think, but I've found TGYH quite hard to get through. I'm not one of those people who thinks that any situation that's a bit uncomfortable for those involved in it is the biggest cack in the world. That seems to be the main reason some people like TGYH, which I find totally mystifying. So basically, I'm hoping that TGYH will make me laugh for reasons other than it being "uncomfortably hilarious" or whatever.

In terms of comedy, I think a lot of the potential for comic creativity is stiffled by the supporting cast constantly having to bring the situation back to some pre-scripted scenario. In my opinion pretty much all of the performers seem to struggle to make the scene work within those constraints. The only ones who succeed are the ones who are either incredibly quick and clever or who veer off into complete surrealism (Tony Martin, Shaun Micallef and Frank Woodly). The other guests just seem to desperately flail about in a way that I find neither funny or entertaining.

I think it would be a better show if there were less restrictions on what the supporting cast could do. The supporting cast are all experienced improvers anyway and it seems a shame that their skills are barely used. Skilled improvers would be able to come up with something funny or set up something funny without upstaging the big guest. Also I think they need less unfunny "names" like Fifi Box or more guests who can work well in the format. There's an episode towards the end of the first series in which an Australian improv champion and stand-up comedian appears. I forget her name but she was one of the best guests I'd seen on the show.

[kim]

In terms of comedy, I think a lot of the potential for comic creativity is stiffled by the supporting cast constantly having to bring the situation back to some pre-scripted scenario. In my opinion pretty much all of the performers seem to struggle to make the scene work within those constraints. The only ones who succeed are the ones who are either incredibly quick and clever or who veer off into complete surrealism (Tony Martin, Shaun Micallef and Frank Woodly).

Yes! This is what I've said. So I find the quick and clever ones very funny, but then just when they're getting interesting they get reined into the next set-up scenario.

Had no idea who Fifi Box was before the show and still don't really.

To be honest, they should just get shoved into the scene and then start gabbering on and interacting with whoever's around them, but the key thing is they'll need to take the lead and not wait for someone to question them along prescribed routes.

[menagers]

Might be the Lone Ranger on this one, but I reckon Matthew Newton is excellent on this show.

P.S. Loved the Tony Martin "Brashes voucher" gag!

[Dufflecoat Supreme]

I also reckon Matt Newton is pretty good, but I wouldn't count on him appearing again any time soon for obvious reasons.

Favourites would have to be Angus Sampson, Josh Lawson, Tony Martin (of course), Hamish Blake and Shaun Micallef.

[13 schoolyards]

Supposedly Matthew Newton is going to be in another season of Stupid Stupid Man - if he can manage that, I can't see why a sneaky return to TGYH might not be on the cards sometime in the medium-term future. It'd be a shame if he didn't - it's probably been his best work.

[menagers]

What? Surely you jest? Aren't you forgetting his luminous performance in "Late for School"???

[Bean Is A Carrot]

What? Surely you jest? Aren't you forgetting his luminous performance in "Late for School"???

How I remember Late For School. Is it out on DVD yet?

[13 schoolyards]

I think Sit Down Shut Up is first on the "Aussie school comedies to DVD" list.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

I think Sit Down Shut Up is first on the "Aussie school comedies to DVD" list.

Is Sit Down Shut Up before or after The Games series 2?

[13 schoolyards]

After The Games series 2 but before The Comedy Sale / Let Loose Live box set.

[menagers]

I think my problem with TGYH is that if they're going to go to so much trouble to set-up a scene and have a supporting cast keeping it on a tight leash, why not go the extra yard - especially with seasoned comedy writer / performers like Shaun Micallef and Tony Martin - and just do a regular sketch comedy show?

You know what? I'm sure I read somewhere when they were first promoting TGYH, that they had some other show ideas in the works. Does anyone remember this? It would be Herald-Sun as I'm too bogan to read the broadsheets nowadays. I wonder what happened there? Maybe they put all their eggs in the run-away-success basket.

[13 schoolyards]

There was talk a few years back of a TV series based on the Jetlag travel guides, and I'm pretty sure Tommy G said somewhere that Working Dog were working on a movie when TGYH came up, and that they've since put the movie on the backburner thanks to TGYH workload. To which I say "Nooooooo!"

Hopefully they'll get back to it - or the TV series, or something with a bit more substance - sooner rather than later, if only because they can be actually funny (unlike most people working in the Australian media) and to be putting together an improv show seems to be a big waste of their talents. Make that a very big waste.

[menagers]

I know... Enough with the babies already, back to work!:-P

[TV'sBenBaker]

NBC have cancelled TGYH, incidentally. Or at least "wont be making new episodes in the immediate future".

http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/05/14/the-upfronts-nbc/

[kim]

Not surprised, really... oh well.

Personally can't believe The IT Crowd is being screened there, though. I don't find it funny in the slightest. How many times can you say 'Have you turned the computer off and turned it back on again?' before the joke gets old? (Answer: About once.)

[13 schoolyards]

And they're doing a US version of political sitcom The Thick of It! Doesn't the US have a totally different system of government? Sure, they'll just focus on the PR aspects of being in power (as the UK version does), but then... why not just create a whole new show? This US Office-inspired fad for ripping off Uk sitcoms is getting very strange very quickly.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

The irony of it all being that British comedy's actually in a terrible state at the moment, in contrast to American comedy which seems to be getting better and better (Wonder Showzen, bits of The Daily Show, et al).

[menagers]

Yes, yankee telly is ok by me. Personally I'm into just about everything they put on ch 7 on Monday and Thursday nights (although they need to bring back Arrested Development). I like the way they shade it from "family" to "naughty", its almost seamless.

[baudrillard]

There's plenty of good British comedy. Armando Iannucci made Time Trumpet last year, the year before was The Thick of It. There is Mitchell and Webb making Peep Show, numerous radio shows, That Mitchell and Webb Look. Chris Morris is making a film about terrorism. Last year saw the second series of Green Wing. I could go on but it's late.. Thank God You're Here is easy to do. Much easier than a sketch show, which is why they don't do it. They're burnt out, lazy, or both and looking to make a quick buck by shovelling conservative, easy to make, crap tv at us, and believe me I'm not watching it.

[menagers]

Oh Pooh Pooh to that. TGYH makes me laugh and I've heard of every single person who appears on the show, unlike that paragraph of people you listed. I object to it being too readily labelled as "easy", I mean its clearly not easy for the guests to walk on and bullshit their way through the scene. Nor is it easy for the producers and Kavalee type regulars to conceive the scene and keep it flowing. This is good telly, and it's clear to most as it is a high rating show. Possibly, as late show fans (presumably), we resent the fact that the producers who are wonderful on screen have removed themselves to off screen.
Personally I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to see my very favourite comedians talents showcased - Bob, Tone, Shaun, Frank, Pete, Glenn. As there doesn't seem to be any other producers/ideas/networks that are prepared to take that task on.

[13 schoolyards]

It might not be easy to make a show like TGYH, but it does rely a lot on "what'll they do next". Getting Tony Martin to wear a superhero outfit and bluff his way through five minutes of improv is a lot easier than getting him to sit down and write a TV sketch comedy show - which I think is what we'd all rather see him doing on TV. I'm glad to see Tone et al. back on TV, but what shits me is that the only place they can get on is playing theatresports rather than doing something they've proven themselves to be good at time and time again.

The thrill of TGYH is seriously starting to wear off for me, but I don't think it's a bad show - just a show that pretty much anyone could have come up with. Working Dog's real contribution was to have enough clout to get it on air, and if they can get a tricked up improv show on TV, why can't they try to get something as good as Frontline up again? When people call TGYH 'easy' around here, what I think they're saying (and what I know I'm saying) is that it's a lot easier for Working Dog to come up with some improv ideas and hand it off to a cast and set designers than it is for them to sit down and write some proper comedy. Which is what I'd love for them to do again.

[menagers]

I hear you. But in our depressing land of poor television, where efforts such as The Nation are already getting the slow clap from the critics, pilots from the likes of Tony Martin never see the light of day, TGYH is my little ray of sunshine. Well at least I hope it still is, the international guests thing might kill the very thing I love about the show.... surrealisms of Shaun, jaunty two-steps of Bob.....

[baudrillard]

Grow up it's theatre sports. What shite.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

There's plenty of good British comedy. Armando Iannucci made Time Trumpet last year, the year before was The Thick of It. There is Mitchell and Webb making Peep Show, numerous radio shows, That Mitchell and Webb Look. Chris Morris is making a film about terrorism. Last year saw the second series of Green Wing. I could go on but it's late..

I have to disagree with you there baudrillard. Time Trumpet was full of lacklustre material and relied too much on rubbish You Tube-esque mash-ups. The Thick of It's not a patch on Yes Minister. That Mitchell and Webb Look was repetitive and needed a script editor, also they're over-stretching themselves. Peep Show series 4, while it had its moments, wasn't a patch on earlier series. Green Wing is one of the worst comedies I have ever seen and after Nathan Barley and Brass Eye Special I seriously doubt Chris Morris has the ability to be funny any more.

The best British comedies of the past year or so have The Dame Edna Treatment, I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue and Down The Line, all staring people who've been around for a billion years. The future looks bleak.

[baudrillard]

Sorry but compared to the tripe Australia serves up. Those are brilliant comedies.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Sorry but compared to the tripe Australia serves up. Those are brilliant comedies.

I don't disagree with that, although I think that Get This and Clarke & Dawe are better than any of the British comedies you mentioned, but why praise mediocre stuff because it's the best of a bad lot. It's still mediocre and should be treated as such.

[baudrillard]

Clarke and Daw is 2 minutes a week. I'm not really sold on Get This yet, I'm not a big fan of Ed. And as for the British stuff I've been mentioning, it's all good, whereas Australian stuff is pitiful these days. It's really sad for me to say that because I have over the years taped almost everything Australia has produced. But things like TGYH really was the last straw for me.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

I would argue that British comedy's been in the shit for about 10 years; Brass Eye was the last British comedy that really blew me away. Whereas Australia's had more recent successes like The Games series 2 (2000) and The Micallef Programme series 3 (2001). Micallef Tonight (2003) and CNNNN (2002) also had their moments too.

But thinking about what we've had this year, British comedy has the slight edge. In Britain we've had I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, The Dame Edna Treatment and Down The Line. Ben Elton's also done a new series called Get A Grip, which wasn't great but generated a few laughs per episode from me. Whereas in Australia you've had 2 minutes of Clarke & Dawe a week and Get This. And I like Clarke & Dawe and Get This (Martin needs to reign Kavalee in, which he does pretty well), but they're not a lot to survive on. Mind you, you get more comedy and satire in 2 minutes of Clarke & Dawe than you do with CWOE series 2, which has stunk to high heaven this year.

[menagers]

Kath & Kim was pretty grouse. Martin/Szubanski pash rash, fleur de lys piccolos, pack of chunts........ Many happy memories. And saw it filmed down my local too.

[baudrillard]

Yeah sadly I haven't watched any of the Chaser this year. It really seems like a tired formula already. I'll have to catch up on them later I guess. Although it is mid-year so I should really do it soon before they disappear from the internet. But yeah I just watched the recent specials of The Thick of It and I really must say it is brilliant. Armando Iannucci is a genius. And yeah 2 minutes a week and Get This is not good enough for an entire nation. Sadly I even miss the Glasshouse and what the hell is that new Paul McDermott show, eek! The Nation possibly might find it's feet, it seems to be doing a bit better, but that sketch about the baby ab-blaster this week made me nearly puke. Sorry but the British are still doing it better. I'd prefer to even listen to Mitchell and Webb's recent radio show than anything Australian. It's sad but there's just no sketch comedy in Australia any more, and TGYH really signals the absolute end of it being made by this last generation of comedians for me, and quite frankly the bottom of the barrel.

[baudrillard]

Ha Tony is talking about the Armando Iannucci shows on Get This, at least he knows British comedy is good.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

That was very pleasing. A shame the bloke who played Hugh's dead, though.

[wogsncash]

Did anyone record the show tonight, I have been stuck in meetings all night:sad:

[menagers]

I did - yeah! but no means of uploading - boo!

Have you tried the official download at www.tgyh.com.au ?
Don't know what its like