will any comedy fans be tuning into "Harry And Paul", from Tuesday onwards?

adam_fransella · 04/10/10 - 18:57

If the answer is 'no', that is entirely understandable - for the new series on BBC2 is arguably a series too far.

Not only have Enfield co. gone a step backwards in being moved from BBC1 (where they were in 2008) back to BBC2 (where they have not been since 1992)...but the absence of any audience laughter makes you wonder how it got made. :eek:

Not only have Enfield and co. not been truly hilarious since the festive special "Harry Enfield And Chums" that was on BBC1 way back in 1998 (or perhaps the compilation of Kevin & Perry moments that was aired in 1999), but the previous series of "Harry And Paul" was an ideal place to stop, since it was funny...but somewhat repetitive. :rolleyes:

Surely the short-lived Harry Enfield sitcom "Celeb" (2002) or before that his "Brand Spanking New Show" for Sky One, were more watchable than the current "Harry And Paul"?

Still, what we have now is perhaps better than the ITV1 sketch series "The All-Star Comedy Show" (2004) and its follow-up "Monkey Trousers" (2005) - which unsurprisingly lacked audience laughter!

degsyhufc · 04/10/10 - 19:24

I won't be watching tonight because of other things, the same as last week. I keep meaning to catch up on iPlayer but from what i've read i'm not sure I should bother.

I saw them a few times plugging the show and they didn't seem to funny or interested. They seemed more interested in looking disinterested in the interviews/interviewers.

[Deleted User] · 04/10/10 - 19:46

I'm giving it another go. The last couple of series have been very hit and miss anyway, but it's preferable to corny shite like My Family, Outnumbered or anything with that bellend James Corden in it.

davie1924 · 04/10/10 - 19:47

thatdarncat wrote: »

I'm giving it another go. The last couple of series have been very hit and miss anyway, but it's preferable to corny shite like My Family, Outnumbered or anything with that bellend James Corden in it.

Couldn't agree more.

Chris1964 · 04/10/10 - 20:14

Iv seen bits of it and bits of the bits were good. Harry's mistake was to jump ship to SKY in the late nineties, where he couldnt take his well known characters with him-no-one watched although I would imagine he did pretty well financially.

Being demoted to BBC2 is a bit of a blow(but the chap at the BBC was a thoroughly bloody nice bloke!) after striding through the mid nineties as pretty much the alternative comedian turned mainstream star. Some of the stuff he did was brilliant -the Association Football sketch is up there with the best of them imo.

valkay · 04/10/10 - 20:56

I saw some of it last week, shan't be bothering again:yawn:

Scrubber · 04/10/10 - 21:16

Watched last weeks, some bits where funny, some weren't.

Drew_M · 04/10/10 - 21:25

Check out the thread about H&P which started to coincide with the fist show last Tuesday for more comments (thread is called 'Harry and Paul on BBC2 9.30pm Tue').

[Deleted User] · 04/10/10 - 21:28

We watched it last week, but won't be bothering anymore.

A series too far just about sums it up for us.

adam_fransella · 04/10/10 - 21:32

thatdarncat wrote: »

I'm giving it another go. The last couple of series have been very hit and miss anyway, but it's preferable to corny shite like My Family, Outnumbered or anything with that bellend James Corden in it.

Oi! :mad: "Outnumbered" is extremely funny, and "My Family" was just as fun to watch for a number of years before it started to decline in quality. :cool:

But "Horne & Corden" was naff - you lose, BBC Three!

DavetheScot · 05/10/10 - 00:05

I'll certainly be watching. Yes, some of the sketches don't appeal, but there's enough that do to make it worth a watch.

performingmonk · 05/10/10 - 00:22

I thought the first episode was pretty good. What's up, because they haven't done a laugh track that suddenly makes it shite? I don't reckon. I found it more hit than miss, which is more than can be said for ANY other recent sketch show. Mitchell & Webb, you're lucky if you get two decent sketches in an episode, Armstrong & Miller the same.

People are also looking at past Enfield with rose-tinted glasses. Plenty of the sketches from 'Television Programme' and 'and Chums' were rubbish (the latter especially) and plenty more just involve him shouting too much. I'm enjoying the 'Harry & Paul' sketches because they have more to them. Then you also get stuff like the 'queer' sketch which is very old-style Harry except in the old days it would have been shouted in front of an audience, that's the only difference.

DavetheScot · 05/10/10 - 01:31

performingmonk wrote: »

I thought the first episode was pretty good. What's up, because they haven't done a laugh track that suddenly makes it shite? I don't reckon. I found it more hit than miss, which is more than can be said for ANY other recent sketch show. Mitchell & Webb, you're lucky if you get two decent sketches in an episode, Armstrong & Miller the same.

People are also looking at past Enfield with rose-tinted glasses. Plenty of the sketches from 'Television Programme' and 'and Chums' were rubbish (the latter especially) and plenty more just involve him shouting too much. I'm enjoying the 'Harry & Paul' sketches because they have more to them. Then you also get stuff like the 'queer' sketch which is very old-style Harry except in the old days it would have been shouted in front of an audience, that's the only difference.

Disagree about Armstrong and Miller. I like the vast majority of their stuff. The only one I really liked that much from Mitchell and Webb was the football sketch.

mike65 · 05/10/10 - 10:46

adam_fransella I'll be watching just to annoy you

mb@2day · 05/10/10 - 11:00

As a fan of comedy I'll definitely not be watch Harry and Paul on Tuesday night. The first series wasn't very funny and they needed to improve it and as they haven't I'll be looking elsewhere for entertainment.

[Deleted User] · 05/10/10 - 11:09

Most sketch shows work really hard to prove it's hard to do a good sketch show.

davelovesleeds · 05/10/10 - 15:44

I'll watch as from tonight. Didn't see it last week due to a double recording on my Sky+ and couldn't really be bothered to 'watch again' so I'll see what the fuss is/isn't about later.

degsyhufc · 05/10/10 - 15:55

I watched it last night and thought it was absolutely dire. It was terrible. Not a single funny moment.

Not sure what happened to them. They used to be good at accents but now they are awful and seem to rely on ear and nose prosthetics for everything.

Jason · 05/10/10 - 16:02

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=1359080&page=3&highlight=harry+paul

as i've always said with these two, they are the very epitome of 'hit and miss', but when they do hit, it's worth the price of admission so i'll certainly be watching.

trevgo · 05/10/10 - 16:41

Very surprised at the negative comments re the opening show.

I thought 90% was very sharp. Could have taken an easier route, but it was surreal and in the case of the Chavs In the Library, not really funny but a devastating portrayal. Harry was bitten many years ago by Loadsa Money, which was supposed to be biting satire, but got adopted by all the get-rich oiks of the time as they loved it. Can't see the chavs repeating that one.

Way, way better than Mitchell & Webb, who's last series was absolutely excrutiating.

I'm not surprised it's on BBC2, given some of the material last week.

All that said, I expect it will be downhill from now on. Usually is.

AdamDowds · 05/10/10 - 16:54

I'll be out tonight, but will definitely watch it tomorrow at my earliest convenience.

Miles_T · 05/10/10 - 17:05

All based on one episode OP?:rolleyes:

Comedy is subjective and down to taste. I think it was mostly very good (1st episode) especially the Dragons Den sketch.

So I will be watching and I hope they get a run like last of the summer wine just to annoy the detractors

adam_fransella · 05/10/10 - 18:40

mike65 wrote: »

adam_fransella, I'll be watching just to annoy you

Annoy me?

This thread is not about me - it is about "Harry And Paul"!

Watch what you like - like the other people here, you are a free agent!

And so am I!

performingmonk · 05/10/10 - 18:45

I disagree with whoever said they can't do accents. Paul is still brilliant, I love the voice he does for the surgeons sketches. They don't want to repeat old voices they've done, what would be the point?

mikebuk · 05/10/10 - 19:07

I think they are doing their On The Buses type characters again tonight. It was the only funny think they did in the last one.

degsyhufc · 05/10/10 - 20:08

performingmonk wrote: »

I disagree with whoever said they can't do accents. Paul is still brilliant, I love the voice he does for the surgeons sketches. They don't want to repeat old voices they've done, what would be the point?

It's the posher voices that were the most annoying for me in the episode. The surgeons, the private members club and even the spoof old time movie which I admit may have been over emphasised for humour.

It does seem that Whitehouse does want to keep repeating characters (voices) though.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/sep/25/harry-enfield-interview

Despite his enthusiasm, Enfield will never be his own best publicist. He admits he is already bored with some of the characters. "I get bored far more quickly than Paul does. Once Paul does it he loves it and wants to do more, and I just think I've done it. I didn't want to do any of the old stuff in this series, and he was going, 'No, you've got to do that character it's popular.'"

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will any comedy fans be tuning into "Harry And Paul", from Tuesday onwards?

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