New Bbc Sitcom

[davetuc]

Just found out the BBC are making a new sitcom with Paul O'Grady and Cilla Black! Haven't they learnt anything? You just know it will be appalling! It's 2013, not 1985!

[aelmpvw]

whatever their respective talents, acting isn't one of them

[sandyRoe]

I fear there won't be a larra larra laughs

[Baldric]

Unbelievable!

[Frank97]

Doesn't sound very promising, when was the last time the BBC made a good new sitcom? The last thing I recall enjoying was Coupling, whenever that was.

[Saki]

Wow! Prophetic TV critics......I'm impressed.
Any chance of next weeks lottery numbers!

[grumpy01]

Apparently it is a pilot show called Led Astray by Marks and Gran and is
about long lost siblings.

[marwel7]

Well I hope they won't do with Paul O'Grady what they did in Holby and give him a caricature to play,he can do that without bothering to turn up so it's a complete waste of time.

[Zeuhl]

/last thing I recall enjoying was Coupling/

Yes that was BBC early Noughties

'Outnumbered' and 'Episodes' have been recent BBC Comedy highlights (both produced by Hat trick btw)

Marks and Gran are busy boys - there is a new series of 'Birds of a Feather' on the way

Paul O'Grady is pretty awful in Holby, my mate has just filmed the Christmas/New Year Special and was cringing when I asked him about Mr O'G.

[Frank97]

I'd forgotten Outnumbered, I did quite enjoy that!

[viv38]

Saki - good point !

[murraymints]

Well I rather like Mr o.. ! Not too keen on cilla...

[hc4361]

He was in a dreadful sitcom about 10 years ago - Eyes Down.

BBC have made some good sitcoms in recent years - Still Game which is hilarious and the promising Citizen Khan (series 2 starts on Friday).

[trt]

They must be hard up for new talent and I think bringing back birds of a feather is not a good idea as well. Like the saying goes, never go back!

[Zacs-Master]

I was unfortunate enough to see POG in Casualty last week. It was painful.

[Baldric]

Given the fact that both CB and POG seem to have totally lost touch with the meaning of entertainment, I just don't see how it can be anything but dire!

[Arksided]

Must admit it sounds a Audience grabber... Think I'll be giving it a miss.

[Buenchico]

The one major thing that the BBC seems to have forgotten is that sitcoms work best when played by professional actors (not stand-up comedians or TV presenters).

Harry H Corbett, Wilfred Brambell, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Richard Wilson, Annette Crosbie, Patricia Routledge, Clive Swift, etc all were/are extremely talented actors, so it's unsurprising that when presented with great scripts (by professional scriptwriters) they turned in some superb performances.

However there currently seems to be an obsession at the BBC with getting stand-up comedians to try to write sitcoms and then, even worse, to star in them. (I recognise that the sitcom referred to in the question above doesn't quite fall into that category but it's very much the same approach from the BBC).

The BBC has a superb scriptwriter (of both sitcoms and sketch comedy) already working for them on Radio 4. (John Finnemore). If they allowed him to write for TV, and filled the roles with professional actors, they'd almost certainly have a hit on their hands.