The cast will keep me watching for at least another week but I think this may suffer from having a character who should be one of the eccentric satellites orbiting a more realistic and audience identifiable lead thrust instead into that lead position.
I'd hesitate to call it a Walliams vanity project as it may well be that the beeb wouldn't have given it the green light unless they had him as the star turn but I think a more successful approach would have been to write Glenister in a more sympathetic way and made him a more believable main partner for Tate. Or at the very least Walliams should have been persuaded to tone down his character......maybe they planned this as a slow burning will they/won't they scenario but at the moment a rapid restraining order scenario seems more likely.
I think you're right, Glenister would have been better written as a more sympathetic character..
I think you're right, Glenister would have been better written as a more sympathetic character..
I tend to agree with this, but that could be because I really like Phil Glenister and didn't like to see him behave so creepily:o:D
On a serious note though, because Walliams had a hand in it, I was expecting it to be much, much cruder than it was, but I think it would've benefitted from sticking to being a harmless but fun type comedy for family viewing and cutting out the crude stuff altogether - I think maybe it suffered slightly for not quite knowing what it wants to be?
I had it down to record the whole series, with that cast I was expecting it to be great, I've now deleted it off the future recordings, so I'm hardly pleased. I'm also hardly pleased that my license fee is pandering to morons who think that Welsh sheep shagging jokes are the height of humour, is this the 21st century? I'm also not pleased that a Welsh actor didn't have the guts to say this really isn't funny and it's just offensive, instead going with the 'joke'.
In Jersey we have the same locale-led joke, only it involves cows! But, 21st century or not, it's still considered 'funny' to make those jokes by some (it doesn't matter whether I agree with them or not). And, if you're a teacher, expect to hear it somewhere, sometime, in a local secondary school as a form of insult if there's a teacher the (usually boys - it's very much a 'boy joke') don't like or don't respect. As I've pointed out a couple of times before, exaggerated into a short time-frame for 'Big School' or not, much of what was in the first episode I've seen in real life schools and staff rooms, it's just that it's taken me a 25 year career to see them, not half an hour. Whether or not you feel it's appropriate to show what you consider an outdated joke about sheep and Welshmen in a contemporary 'comedy' situation, such situations do still occur. If a Jersey actor is faced with such a joke in a script (local panto is a prime example - we rip ourselves to shreds in those!) they just do it and understand it's not really 'real' enough to get upset about. Or is it only ok when it's people picking up on their own foibles, not when out 'outsider' like Walliams picks up on them?
I wish the word 'moron' wasn't bandied about as if it's just another 'mild' way of saying someone is stupid. When I was 15 in 1983 doing O Level Physics (forced to by my mother - I know the lessons were given in English, but I didn't understand a word of it!) my Physics teacher (who was as scary as hell, apparently not capable of human sympathy to us pupils!) went berserk when someone used that word to describe a fellow pupil in one of his lessons - he explained the etymology of the word, and said that if we had any intelligence at all we'd never use the word again, no matter if it was in jest. I've never forgotten it. And I've never used it 'in jest', or in any situation, as a way of insinuating someone or something is stupid, because there is still a generation who remembers when the word had much more serious connotations than that, with much more serious consequences if anyone was 'diagnosed' as such.
You'll probably say that makes me over-sensitive and say it's not relevant in this day and age - because, as you've pointed out it IS the 21st century now - but then you can't complain about certain jokes and locale-led jibes being outdated for the 21st century, but then say it doesn't matter about using outdated words to describe people on forums whilst happily using them yourself!
I feel just awful now because I still think it was funny:o As for the jokes it was shown after the watershed so I was not surprised by the smut I just ignored it. Where there is David Walliams you get smut.
Well I quite enjoyed it, but then I'm a French teacher! For those who think it was totally realistic, I have to say I've seen many of the things in the programme actually happen, believe it or not. The bit with the lad on the phone especially!l
I just caught up with this. It has its moments, but I think it would be much better without Walliams in the cast. He just seems to be playing a Little Britain character with a funny voice and dodgy wig. I suspect we're supposed to like Mr Church, but he comes across as creepy. The PE teacher is as bad, but that's down to the way he's been written, rather than the actor - such a shame, as Phil Glenister is brilliant, and deserves better.
Recorded this on my Tivo...solely on the names involved, and because I wanted to see if it was like BBC3's Bad Education which was one of their best programmes when they aired the first series... and just got round to attempting to watching it
Wish I hadn't bothered.
Dreadfully unfunny...nothing happened to incite a laugh, and I had to turn it off after about 10-15 minutes because I was bored beyond belief.
This is meant to be a comedy? Should start by inserting some comedy lines into the bloody thing then!
I watched it for Catherine Tate and Frances de la Tour (who was definitely the highlight) -- it was a mildly amusing first episode, but nothing extraordinary. The next episode looks funnier.
As I'm marathoning Life on Mars, it was a bit of a shock to realise the PE teacher was Philip Glenister! And Daniel Rigby as a clueless music teacher did raise a smile.
Only just caught up on this. I thought it was dreadful! As others have said its a shame to see Philip Glenister in a role like this. Frances de la Tour acted everyone off the screen and whether she had the best lines or not, she acted the rest off the telly!
I can't understand the Walliams character, is he supposed to be likeable or what? I felt he was a rip off Mr Bean character and I couldn't bear that either! I know it's popular but it's not my so of humour at all. I won't waste more time watching.
Well I quite enjoyed it, but then I'm a French teacher! For those who think it was totally realistic, I have to say I've seen many of the things in the programme actually happen, believe it or not. The bit with the lad on the phone especially!l
I believe you - I've been saying the same thing for the same reason! (Except I don't teach French!)
I was sceptical about this but I don't think it was that bad. Certainly seen a lot lot worse on the Beeb. I won't go out of my way to watch it, but I'd happily have it on if there was nothing else on. A few chucklesome lines and good characters in Philip Glenister and Catherine Tate (can't remember their character names). Gone off David Walliams in the last few years though (even though I really like him on BGT) so I wasn't really laughing when he was on screen.
Quite liked it. I used to teach and saw lots of misfits like these. And if someone out there says that these characters were "exaggerated" and "not real", no they weren't.
Time to revive the best ever comedy about a school - the magnificent "Hardwicke House", cruelly halted mid-run by the protests of politically correct, po-faced educationalists who didn't get the joke.
Comments
I think you're right, Glenister would have been better written as a more sympathetic character..
I tend to agree with this, but that could be because I really like Phil Glenister and didn't like to see him behave so creepily:o:D
On a serious note though, because Walliams had a hand in it, I was expecting it to be much, much cruder than it was, but I think it would've benefitted from sticking to being a harmless but fun type comedy for family viewing and cutting out the crude stuff altogether - I think maybe it suffered slightly for not quite knowing what it wants to be?
In Jersey we have the same locale-led joke, only it involves cows! But, 21st century or not, it's still considered 'funny' to make those jokes by some (it doesn't matter whether I agree with them or not). And, if you're a teacher, expect to hear it somewhere, sometime, in a local secondary school as a form of insult if there's a teacher the (usually boys - it's very much a 'boy joke') don't like or don't respect. As I've pointed out a couple of times before, exaggerated into a short time-frame for 'Big School' or not, much of what was in the first episode I've seen in real life schools and staff rooms, it's just that it's taken me a 25 year career to see them, not half an hour. Whether or not you feel it's appropriate to show what you consider an outdated joke about sheep and Welshmen in a contemporary 'comedy' situation, such situations do still occur. If a Jersey actor is faced with such a joke in a script (local panto is a prime example - we rip ourselves to shreds in those!) they just do it and understand it's not really 'real' enough to get upset about. Or is it only ok when it's people picking up on their own foibles, not when out 'outsider' like Walliams picks up on them?
I wish the word 'moron' wasn't bandied about as if it's just another 'mild' way of saying someone is stupid. When I was 15 in 1983 doing O Level Physics (forced to by my mother - I know the lessons were given in English, but I didn't understand a word of it!) my Physics teacher (who was as scary as hell, apparently not capable of human sympathy to us pupils!) went berserk when someone used that word to describe a fellow pupil in one of his lessons - he explained the etymology of the word, and said that if we had any intelligence at all we'd never use the word again, no matter if it was in jest. I've never forgotten it. And I've never used it 'in jest', or in any situation, as a way of insinuating someone or something is stupid, because there is still a generation who remembers when the word had much more serious connotations than that, with much more serious consequences if anyone was 'diagnosed' as such.
You'll probably say that makes me over-sensitive and say it's not relevant in this day and age - because, as you've pointed out it IS the 21st century now - but then you can't complain about certain jokes and locale-led jibes being outdated for the 21st century, but then say it doesn't matter about using outdated words to describe people on forums whilst happily using them yourself!
Also, I'm Welsh and didn't find the sheep jokes offensive at all. Never have understood the fuss about that
I'll bet good stuff gets binned to allow 'names' to get their shows on.
Wish I hadn't bothered.
Dreadfully unfunny...nothing happened to incite a laugh, and I had to turn it off after about 10-15 minutes because I was bored beyond belief.
This is meant to be a comedy? Should start by inserting some comedy lines into the bloody thing then!
Oh Gene Genie I do miss
And Philip Glenister is the only reason I'm watching this Big School,its ok il watch it again next week
No way I'd watch it
As I'm marathoning Life on Mars, it was a bit of a shock to realise the PE teacher was Philip Glenister! And Daniel Rigby as a clueless music teacher did raise a smile.
I can't understand the Walliams character, is he supposed to be likeable or what? I felt he was a rip off Mr Bean character and I couldn't bear that either! I know it's popular but it's not my so of humour at all. I won't waste more time watching.
Should have stuck with it.
I believe you - I've been saying the same thing for the same reason! (Except I don't teach French!)
Time to revive the best ever comedy about a school - the magnificent "Hardwicke House", cruelly halted mid-run by the protests of politically correct, po-faced educationalists who didn't get the joke.
I must be psychic. :rolleyes: