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W1A (Series 2) - Thursdays, BBC2

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    Ash_M1Ash_M1 Posts: 18,703
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    grocerjack wrote: »
    ...Well done the BBC for turning your guns on yourself. ...

    Absolutely right. You wouldn't get that with a private sector company would you. It always impresses me how the BBC, no matter how difficult the story, will always treat itself in a fair and balanced way. The ethos it employs for others it employs for itself. Highly impressive. I so love the BBC.
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    Nocturnal MumNocturnal Mum Posts: 1,710
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    But it was the same joke over and over again.
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    best boybest boy Posts: 836
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    But it was the same joke over and over again.

    ^^^This^^^
    They'd already milked this dry with the 'Olympic' one. I turned off after 20 minutes of the same old repetition. This is just a 'one trick pony'.
    LostFool wrote: »
    It's only the first episode which is an hour. The other three are back to 30 mins.

    30 minutes or 60 minutes, I won't be joining them. Yes we get it. The BBC is full of placemen/wimmin and incompetents - like the rest of the public sector. But these endless, pointless 'meetings', Tennant's totally unfunny 'commentary' etc. is not entertainment.

    They've stretched a decent idea beyond breaking point.
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    TCD1975TCD1975 Posts: 3,039
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    I really enjoyed Twenty Twelve but W1A isn't hitting the mark for me.

    In my opinion, some of the characters aren't very funny or well acted (i.e. Will the intern, or David the Entertainment Format Producer) and most of the jokes have been stretched to breaking point.

    The first episode of the second series barely raised even a smile, and certainly no laughter, so I decided to bail out after 50 minutes.
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    spectraspectra Posts: 2,772
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    best boy wrote: »
    ^^^This^^^
    They'd already milked this dry with the 'Olympic' one. I turned off after 20 minutes of the same old repetition. This is just a 'one trick pony'.



    30 minutes or 60 minutes, I won't be joining them. Yes we get it. The BBC is full of placemen/wimmin and incompetents - like the rest of the public sector. But these endless, pointless 'meetings', Tennant's totally unfunny 'commentary' etc. is not entertainment.

    They've stretched a decent idea beyond breaking point.

    I disagree. I am not bored of the show, it still makes me laugh. The writing is witty and clever.

    See how varying opinions can be. That is why shows you may hate get picked up for new series. What you may think is totally unfunny , some think is hilarious.

    It doesn't make your sense of humour better than theirs like their appreciation of clever and cutting writing doesn't make them more intelligent than you.
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    SnrDevSnrDev Posts: 6,094
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    grocerjack wrote: »
    And as for the poster trying to bring racial slurs into the thread. Get a grip. The Maine **** is a proper cat breed. The offence would be in bleeping that out. The word is only offensive when used in the context of a racial slur. It's like showing the Dambusters and dubbing Gibson dogs name of ****** of when is a historical fact that was both is name and the code word used in the operation. People will look for offence where it doesn't exist and is time the concept of context was used.
    It was a question aimed at one of our more excitable posters on here, who has spent the last 2 months calling Clarkson racist for using a word that is perfectly acceptable in a way that could apparently be misunderstood. I was merely flagging up the hypocrisy of that poster's willing acceptance of coone after all the nonsense about how no word that can cause offence should ever be used ever, no matter what context.

    Thanks for agreeing with my underlying point, nicely summarised as 'People will look for offence where it doesn't exist and is time the concept of context was used'. A few of us have been saying that for a while, to no effect.

    Still think W1A has lost the plot. It may well be a perfect skit on that sort of people, but it warrants a sketch in a comedy show, or at a push one series of well written sit-com. Another 5 episodes of various half-wits saying yah, ookkaayyy, my pass doesn't work etc coupled with cliche of the weakest management structure ever known doesn't bode well.
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    barbelerbarbeler Posts: 23,827
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    SnrDev wrote: »
    Still think W1A has lost the plot. It may well be a perfect skit on that sort of people, but it warrants a sketch in a comedy show, or at a push one series of well written sit-com. Another 5 episodes of various half-wits saying yah, ookkaayyy, my pass doesn't work etc coupled with cliche of the weakest management structure ever known doesn't bode well.
    It needs to be shown as a public service. It is only by subjecting these over-privileged idiots to continual ridicule that the nepotism and old-school-tie methods of employment will be finally ended.
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    JurassicMarkJurassicMark Posts: 12,945
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    I don't buy the idea of it being repetitive or a 'one trick pony' as you can apply that to almost any sitcom.

    I haven't worked in media but have worked in an office environment all my life and many aspects of the characters in this are so close to my experience which may contribute as to why I find it so funny.
    best boy wrote: »
    30 minutes or 60 minutes, I won't be joining them. Yes we get it. The BBC is full of placemen/wimmin and incompetents - like the rest of the public sector. But these endless, pointless 'meetings', Tennant's totally unfunny 'commentary' etc. is not entertainment.

    Tennant's narration is brilliant.
    SnrDev wrote: »
    Still think W1A has lost the plot. It may well be a perfect skit on that sort of people, but it warrants a sketch in a comedy show, or at a push one series of well written sit-com. Another 5 episodes of various half-wits saying yah, ookkaayyy, my pass doesn't work etc coupled with cliche of the weakest management structure ever known doesn't bode well.

    There are only 3 episodes left.
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    PretzelPretzel Posts: 7,858
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    This amuses rather than makes me laugh out loud, and yes I think that the hour was stretching things out a bit. Also I find some characters so OTT that it sort of irritates me that they get away with things somehow.

    Yes, I've worked in environments where that sort of management speak occurs but the pointlessness of it all still fells a bit rambling and there doesn't seem enough normal contrasting behaviour in there to make it ring true. In contrast The Think of It actually felt like it could be happening in the world of politics. Whereas in this, whilst I don't doubt that the BBC is rife with these sorts of situations and behaviour, I also don't see how they'd get any programmes on air if this were that near the truth.

    I still like though, but not as much as it likes itself.
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    Sky_GuySky_Guy Posts: 6,859
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    I quite liked it, but only lasted five minutes, the constant voice over ruined it.
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    LostFoolLostFool Posts: 90,694
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    Sky_Guy wrote: »
    I quite liked it, but only lasted five minutes, the constant voice over ruined it.

    David Tennant's narration is the best thing about it.
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    JurassicMarkJurassicMark Posts: 12,945
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    Pretzel wrote: »
    This amuses rather than makes me laugh out loud, and yes I think that the hour was stretching things out a bit. Also I find some characters so OTT that it sort of irritates me that they get away with things somehow.

    Yes, I've worked in environments where that sort of management speak occurs but the pointlessness of it all still fells a bit rambling and there doesn't seem enough normal contrasting behaviour in there to make it ring true. In contrast The Think of It actually felt like it could be happening in the world of politics. Whereas in this, whilst I don't doubt that the BBC is rife with these sorts of situations and behaviour, I also don't see how they'd get any programmes on air if this were that near the truth.

    I still like though, but not as much as it likes itself.

    I accept there may be some exaggeration for comic effect.

    In places I've worked, there were people who were complete and utter wastes of space and it was a mystery as to how they managed to hold down any job, even more mysterious is that they were often in senior well paid positions. Luckily for them, it was often the case that it was the competent people who worked for/with them that got things done and made them look good. In this show, I'm guessing that there are competent people working in the background to get programmes on air and they are not featured as they add nothing to the comedy.
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    LostFoolLostFool Posts: 90,694
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    I accept there may be some exaggeration for comic effect.

    In places I've worked, there were people who were complete and utter wastes of space and it was a mystery as to how they managed to hold down any job, even more mysterious is that they were often in senior well paid positions. Luckily for them, it was often the case that it was the competent people who worked for/with them that got things done and made them look good. In this show, I'm guessing that there are competent people working in the background to get programmes on air and they are not featured as they add nothing to the comedy.

    You will always find people who have mastered the art of rising up the management chain while contributing nothing. Every decision that needs to be made gets delegated to someone else while they take the credit for everything that goes right and pass the buck on all failures. They spend their time playing the office politics to their advantage rather than doing some actual work.
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    Ess_BeeEss_Bee Posts: 7,716
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    Sky_Guy wrote: »
    I quite liked it, but only lasted five minutes, the constant voice over ruined it.

    Didn't mind the voiceover, it was that moronic intern that made me turn it over!
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    Ex PatEx Pat Posts: 7,514
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    LostFool wrote: »
    You will always find people who have mastered the art of rising up the management chain while contributing nothing. Every decision that needs to be made gets delegated to someone else while they take the credit for everything that goes right and pass the buck on all failures. They spend their time playing the office politics to their advantage rather than doing some actual work.

    Probably these people have reached their level of incompetency.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle
    .
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    JamieHTJamieHT Posts: 12,211
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    It will never be as good as Twenty Twelve because that cast were just so good and believable. In this they're all playing 'characters'. I hope Will stays as he's my favourite.

    Also there's far too much interrupting in the dialogue. If used sparingly it can be fun, but every conversation uses it in this show.
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    BushmillsBushmills Posts: 2,276
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    Ess_Bee wrote: »
    Didn't mind the voiceover, it was that moronic intern that made me turn it over!

    Totally agree.

    Thing is, if you look at the biggest idiot in The Office (Gareth), he's totally believable. We've all met people like him, and his misplaced pomposity plays out in a variety of ways. The 'Will' character is the opposite. He's not only moronic, he's utterly predictable. In Series One he spent all night packing envelopes and got the addresses wrong. In Series Two he spends all night checking the Top Gear archives and fails to note down the time-logs. That's not funny scriptwriting. It's lazy.

    I actually loved the first series (apart from Will) but this second one has got off to a bad start. The opening show was way too stretched, the plot was thin and you could see some of the jokes coming at you a mile off. I hope it improves but the signs aren't good.
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    Johnny 99Johnny 99 Posts: 218
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    Absolutely love it. I'd actually say it's the best comedy the BBC have done since The Thick of It.
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    scoobiesnacksscoobiesnacks Posts: 3,055
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    There is a brilliantly funny bit in tonight's episode. No spoilers, but it's standalone so if you can't wait its on the BBC youtube account now.
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    ZebsZebs Posts: 526
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    Tried this again tonight
    Gave up after 10 mins - found it very boring

    Gavin from Trollied is criminally underused - sad really
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    mike65mike65 Posts: 11,386
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    I zoned out about halfway through tonight,

    I think I really just want to kill them all with a machine gun.
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    miss buzzybeemiss buzzybee Posts: 16,496
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    Don't see how this is still on. It was maybe funny on the first series but a bit too self knowing now. Prefer Inside No 9
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    JamieHTJamieHT Posts: 12,211
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    Not good. I think I blamed the actors in the past but they're great. The problem is the script. Far too much interruption. 'Yes, but,' 'no let me finish' 'yeah' 'cool' is pretty much every conversation on the show trying to get a laugh.
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    barbelerbarbeler Posts: 23,827
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    The problem with it is that the business world is full of people of people like this and although in some ways it's funny, the reality of it is also so annoying that you really want to commit extreme acts of violence against them. There can be hardly anybody in industry who hasn't come across a Siobahn Sharpe in their workplace, but such people are so thick skinned that they wouldn't feel shamed by the ridicule.
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    CaligCalig Posts: 351
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    JamieHT wrote: »
    Not good. I think I blamed the actors in the past but they're great. The problem is the script. Far too much interruption. 'Yes, but,' 'no let me finish' 'yeah' 'cool' is pretty much every conversation on the show trying to get a laugh.

    The constant interruption is incredibly annoying. I don't know how anyone can sit through a whole episode of it.
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