I love Buzzcocks and Mock the week and I seem to remember them having one female guest each week at least, sometimes two.
I shouldn't matter. Look at Loosewomen all female panel what about them? And also Take me out can you imagine the uproar of it was males choosing females!
I love Buzzcocks and Mock the week and I seem to remember them having one female guest each week at least, sometimes two.
I shouldn't matter. Look at Loosewomen all female panel what about them? And also Take me out can you imagine the uproar of it was males choosing females!
Exactly! The fact is,if women are up to he job then use them ,not because they are women,but because they are good, full stop! There simply aren't that many comediennes that are really funny ...and by forcing the not so funny ones on the viewers will only result in people turning off the programmes.
Comedy should never be defined by gender... comedy ,is just comedy. I cannot think of a single comedienne I'd pay to see,I can think of several comedians that I would.
Could that be due to female comedians being underrepfesented and male ones overdepresented?
I haven't done any "sorting" here, I've simply googled the following phrases:
sarah millican quotes
rhod gilbert quotes
I've then selected the first page offered by Google with some quotes from these individuals and here's the first quote from each
the BBC will learn that their viewing figures will drop as a result of this plan to "get more women on TV" - maybe there's a reason they're not up there already.... maybe the public don't want them to be?
On the other hand they might attract more female viewers. And I don't believe men will stop watching favourite comedy shows because a comedienne appears along with the men. I mean, they didn't stop using banknotes because Jane Austen's face appears onthem, did they?
I find QI to be a much better show when the regular female guests are on it. At times over the last few series when it has been dominated by male guests, Ross Noble, Sean Lock, Jimmy Carr and so on it has been too much make a gag out of everything, and I mean everything and then play the gag out to the death to the extent it almost became unwatchable.
Most of those are actors playing "funny" On these panel shows you have to be yourself to some degree.
I think you are right.
Our most decent female comic talent is the type that doesnt work well in the quick cut and thrust of panel shows.
Stand up comics (the large majority of which are men) run rings around the likes of woods fench saunders etc.in a panel show quick fire enviroment.
Lets face it they run rings around plenty of mediocre male comics too. I think the main problem is that standards are so high on these shows and most women struggle to match it.
Jo Brand (who I like btw) was crap on MTW. She just couldnt keep up.
Edit
Pushed off into the long grass of the Broadcasting forum eh?
Good way to ensure this doesnt get discused mod.:)
Whether or not you consider that there are enough and good enough female comedians, the structure of these shows is different. eg French & Saunders may be able to cope with drawing up a script over a period of time and where they are in complete control of what the other participants do & say, but how well could they less time and no control over topics and what other people say. These shows deal with wit, rather than comedy. There is no pre-written and rehearsed script to fall back on.
....... I would however be more than happy to pay (again) to see the likes of Stephen K Amos/Al Murray/Rhod Gilbert/Michael McIntyre/Peter Kay/Dara O'Brain etc purely because their act is not just about men and the male view of the world
I think it is just that are far fewer of them and few seem to go into stand-up which I think is a very over-rated style. I would not even watch any of the male names above on television and certain not pay to see them as I don't find any of them funny.
I assume he/she means the all male python line up (apart from 1 part time women)
would prevent them from being commissioned if this plan goes ahead.
Aye, that's what I thought Julian.
If this plan goes ahead it will mean having more women on panel shows, it has absolutely nothing to do with commissioning work by writers for new programming.
Yet more stupidity from the BBC. What next?
Every programme must have a white person, an Asian person, a black person, and the number of male and female guests be equal?
Don't know about women but sure these shows need more ethnic minorities as well.
That's the danger when you start bringing in quota. Each minority will want their share of places - each ethnic group, left handed people, red haired people, homosexuals etc etc.
The irony here is that Cohen was responsible for ending the largely female, award-winning BBC3 comedy Pulling.
In what must be one of the worst commissioning decisions of the decade, BBC Three controller Danny Cohen decided to axe the show despite the growing audience share and critical praise the show picked up. What an idiot.
I'll probably get hung for saying this, but frankly women aren't as funny as men!
comedy is not a simple two-way street... Sarah Millican has made a career dining on divorce stories, men don't find that funny so alienating 50% of the target audience is really stupid!
you could say the same about male comedians talking about masturbation/drinking/sex etc but frankly, it's funny to men (we've all been there etc) and for the women, it plays up on the stereotypical view that women have about men so they find it funny also....
However women do find it funny hence her popularity, it isn't only men who go to see comedians.
Goneril says that comedy should not be defined by gender, but it is - the entire purpose of comedy is to take a specific topic/point and mock it - anyone can mock a politician or famous celebrity but not everyone can "hit home" with the childhood stories or tales of going out with friends and happening upon a funny incident etc.... comedy takes a LOT of talent (something a lot of people seem to misunderstand sometimes)
I would never pay money to go and watch a female comedienne and I'm not being sexist, I just don't see the point in spending an evening paying to watch males get berated for various reasons with the whole point being "Come on ladies, we can do better than this!!" even though it's seen as "comedy" - the closest I would come to paying to see is Gina Gershon but even then, I would expect a supporting comedian as a "warm up"
I would however be more than happy to pay (again) to see the likes of Stephen K Amos/Al Murray/Rhod Gilbert/Michael McIntyre/Peter Kay/Dara O'Brain etc purely because their act is not just about men and the male view of the world
Actually you are being "sexist". I have seen most of the male comedians who appear on shows like MTW as well as many of the women, Lucy Porter, Andi Osho, Jo Caulfield, etc, and none of the female comedians live material I have seen comes even close to "males get berated for various reasons with the whole point being "Come on ladies, we can do better than this!!", and that includes the likes of Jo Brand and Sarah Millican.
However the real problem with this proposal is there are too few female comedians to make it workable. I read an interview with the producers of MTW a few years ago and they said then they would love to have more females on the show but there simply isn't enough of them. How does Danny Cohen propose to overcome that minor detail?
This thread is predicitably awful, filled with people moaning about political correctness, people moaning about women not being funny so that's why they aren't on, and people asking "what's the problem?"
And that's really what I expected, given that we live in a heavily patriarchal society, and also because of things like cronyism - ie, ever wondered why the same acts get on telly all the time, or suddenly somebody becomes famous overnight. Here's a hint: it's not on merit.
I took the liberty of finding some links that everybody here should read/listen/watch before commenting further:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IYx4Bc6_eE - Stewart Lee on political correctness (which should really be renamed "don't be a dick" because that's all PC is really. Not being a dick to people. It's not hard.)
There's shedloads more information out there, and it may be worth people actually doing some research before commenting on things that they have absolutely zero knowledge about.
It's *incredibly* hard to see the world from the point of a view of a woman if you aren't one, because you don't understand your own privileged position.
Comments
I shouldn't matter. Look at Loosewomen all female panel what about them? And also Take me out can you imagine the uproar of it was males choosing females!
Exactly! The fact is,if women are up to he job then use them ,not because they are women,but because they are good, full stop! There simply aren't that many comediennes that are really funny ...and by forcing the not so funny ones on the viewers will only result in people turning off the programmes.
What an appropriate forum name.:p
Most of those are actors playing "funny" On these panel shows you have to be yourself to some degree.
Could that be due to female comedians being underrepfesented and male ones overdepresented?
Not really just my opinion, which seeing as comedy is so subjective is just as valid as yours
On the other hand they might attract more female viewers. And I don't believe men will stop watching favourite comedy shows because a comedienne appears along with the men. I mean, they didn't stop using banknotes because Jane Austen's face appears onthem, did they?
I think you are right.
Our most decent female comic talent is the type that doesnt work well in the quick cut and thrust of panel shows.
Stand up comics (the large majority of which are men) run rings around the likes of woods fench saunders etc.in a panel show quick fire enviroment.
Lets face it they run rings around plenty of mediocre male comics too. I think the main problem is that standards are so high on these shows and most women struggle to match it.
Jo Brand (who I like btw) was crap on MTW. She just couldnt keep up.
Edit
Pushed off into the long grass of the Broadcasting forum eh?
Good way to ensure this doesnt get discused mod.:)
I think it is just that are far fewer of them and few seem to go into stand-up which I think is a very over-rated style. I would not even watch any of the male names above on television and certain not pay to see them as I don't find any of them funny.
Not all gingers are talentless w**kers
I assume he/she means the all male python line up (apart from 1 part time women)
would prevent them from being commissioned if this plan goes ahead.
Aye, that's what I thought Julian.
If this plan goes ahead it will mean having more women on panel shows, it has absolutely nothing to do with commissioning work by writers for new programming.
Monty Python would still be commissioned.
So I stand by my confused smilie:)
Every programme must have a white person, an Asian person, a black person, and the number of male and female guests be equal?
That's the danger when you start bringing in quota. Each minority will want their share of places - each ethnic group, left handed people, red haired people, homosexuals etc etc.
http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/pulling/
Not so bothered about supporting the sisterhood there was he? Shithead.
However women do find it funny hence her popularity, it isn't only men who go to see comedians.
Actually you are being "sexist". I have seen most of the male comedians who appear on shows like MTW as well as many of the women, Lucy Porter, Andi Osho, Jo Caulfield, etc, and none of the female comedians live material I have seen comes even close to "males get berated for various reasons with the whole point being "Come on ladies, we can do better than this!!", and that includes the likes of Jo Brand and Sarah Millican.
However the real problem with this proposal is there are too few female comedians to make it workable. I read an interview with the producers of MTW a few years ago and they said then they would love to have more females on the show but there simply isn't enough of them. How does Danny Cohen propose to overcome that minor detail?
And that's really what I expected, given that we live in a heavily patriarchal society, and also because of things like cronyism - ie, ever wondered why the same acts get on telly all the time, or suddenly somebody becomes famous overnight. Here's a hint: it's not on merit.
I took the liberty of finding some links that everybody here should read/listen/watch before commenting further:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IYx4Bc6_eE - Stewart Lee on political correctness (which should really be renamed "don't be a dick" because that's all PC is really. Not being a dick to people. It's not hard.)
http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-ways-were-programmed-to-think-women-arent-funny/ - Very interesting discussion about women and humour and men and how they respond to it.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/news/stewart-lee-is-not-amused-at-monopoly-control-of-tv-comedy-8477824.html - More Stewart Lee, talking about the close-knit community/revolving door between production companies and comedians and TV/Radio.
There's shedloads more information out there, and it may be worth people actually doing some research before commenting on things that they have absolutely zero knowledge about.
It's *incredibly* hard to see the world from the point of a view of a woman if you aren't one, because you don't understand your own privileged position.