I’ve just discovered this UK comedy show on You Tube. Haven’t stopped laughing since. It’s called Mock The Week. Can we have this on NZ TV please! Here’s a brief sample:
The problem with a copycat show like that here in NZ is without a doubt it would be lame, populated by unfunny “comedians” making jokes about bums.
BE: Possibly, though Seven Days is pretty good. I was actually thinking of importing the UK programme, not making a Kiwi version. And, to be fair, Britain has a much bigger comedy catchment.
“Godzone” seems to me to be totally meaningless etymologically. What on earth is a “Godzone”? This spelling perhaps (?) originated with a journalist in the days before the internet who had heard someone refer to New Zealand as “God’s Own” but didn’t have the wit to enquire about what he/she had heard.” The phrase “God’s Own Country”, and hence the reduction to “God’s Own” first appeared in a book of poetry written by Thomas Bracken (yes, he of “God of Nations” fame) called “Lays and Lyrics: God’s Own Country and Other Poems” published in 1890. Can we please get rid of this this “Godzone” nonsense? I know the spelling appears in Harry Orsnam’s dictionary but only to direct the uninformed to the correct reference! Yours in pedantry, Number Eleven.
Too right Julian and if John Key doesn’t like it it would no doubt be refused NZOA funding or have a charge of “Improper Humour” laid against it – all legal of course. A sort of Key “We are not Amused!” (Watch out for more Media censorship.)
the phrase “God’s Own Country” was in popular use long before Bracken appropriated it for his poem, and applied it specifically to NZ. The abbreviated form “Godzone” is a play on the NZ accent I believe, the respelling attributed to Allen Curnow (according to Max Cryer’s book).
I’ve always assumed that TV3’s 7Days is our “version” of something between MTW & HIGNFY, and is very often very funny indeed.
I’d also recommend checking out Russell Howerd’s Good News.
Have you come across any of Frankie Boyle’s stuff yet on MTW..???
BTW, if your fabled strolls ever need some audio accompanyment, then can I suggest sampling some SandiToksvig et al @ http://tinyurl.com/lsng2b
And to Keith above – you might want to sample the wares on offer at BBC4 Extra… just sayin’
MTW is hilarious. I went to a recording two years ago – they record about two and a half hours to get 30 minutes of broadcastable comedy. The quality of the outtakes is very high though, because the professional comedians they have on are usually at the top of their game.
Whaleoil January 22nd, 2012 at 16:51
The problem with a copycat show like that here in NZ is without a doubt it would be lame, populated by unfunny “comedians” making jokes about bums.
BE: Possibly, though Seven Days is pretty good. I was actually thinking of importing the UK programme, not making a Kiwi version. And, to be fair, Britain has a much bigger comedy catchment.
Keith January 22nd, 2012 at 18:50
Great stuff. Takes me back to the good old Les Dawson days of stand up British comedy.
Number Eleven January 22nd, 2012 at 19:22
“Godzone” seems to me to be totally meaningless etymologically. What on earth is a “Godzone”? This spelling perhaps (?) originated with a journalist in the days before the internet who had heard someone refer to New Zealand as “God’s Own” but didn’t have the wit to enquire about what he/she had heard.” The phrase “God’s Own Country”, and hence the reduction to “God’s Own” first appeared in a book of poetry written by Thomas Bracken (yes, he of “God of Nations” fame) called “Lays and Lyrics: God’s Own Country and Other Poems” published in 1890. Can we please get rid of this this “Godzone” nonsense? I know the spelling appears in Harry Orsnam’s dictionary but only to direct the uninformed to the correct reference! Yours in pedantry, Number Eleven.
Doug January 22nd, 2012 at 19:39
Check “whose line is it anyway” on Prime 7pm weeknights – this is a current version
BE: I’m a great fan of the show already.
Julian ward January 23rd, 2012 at 00:21
If fourteen year old Kiwis can’t understand British humour then I doubt we will be allowed to have it.
Richard Aston January 23rd, 2012 at 09:18
very funny and yes we have the talent to do a show like that here.
Mariah January 23rd, 2012 at 10:24
“And please welcome our guest chef Charlie Chan who will proceed to create his renowned signature dish — Moggy Chop Suey.”
Ianmac January 23rd, 2012 at 10:28
Too right Julian and if John Key doesn’t like it it would no doubt be refused NZOA funding or have a charge of “Improper Humour” laid against it – all legal of course. A sort of Key “We are not Amused!” (Watch out for more Media censorship.)
And yes the Brits have the real humour as above.
Dazza January 23rd, 2012 at 10:36
Import the British one, and spare us the Seven Days boys’ pee-po-belly-bum-drawers “jokes”.
Dean Papa January 23rd, 2012 at 16:18
the phrase “God’s Own Country” was in popular use long before Bracken appropriated it for his poem, and applied it specifically to NZ. The abbreviated form “Godzone” is a play on the NZ accent I believe, the respelling attributed to Allen Curnow (according to Max Cryer’s book).
e-clectic January 23rd, 2012 at 18:42
I like 7 Days – nice to have our own humour. But the Brit series I would like to see here is Man Stroke Woman – a sample http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9dj66MdG-E .
Alex January 24th, 2012 at 01:23
I’ve always assumed that TV3’s 7Days is our “version” of something between MTW & HIGNFY, and is very often very funny indeed.
I’d also recommend checking out Russell Howerd’s Good News.
Have you come across any of Frankie Boyle’s stuff yet on MTW..???
BTW, if your fabled strolls ever need some audio accompanyment, then can I suggest sampling some SandiToksvig et al @ http://tinyurl.com/lsng2b
And to Keith above – you might want to sample the wares on offer at BBC4 Extra… just sayin’
Cheers guys ……….. A.
Baz January 24th, 2012 at 10:04
I don’t think a programme of one-line cooking jokes would get much traction.
Ethan Tucker January 24th, 2012 at 21:54
MTW is hilarious. I went to a recording two years ago – they record about two and a half hours to get 30 minutes of broadcastable comedy. The quality of the outtakes is very high though, because the professional comedians they have on are usually at the top of their game.
In the absence of MTW on NZ TV, I recommend BBC Radio Comedy, particularly The Unbelievable Truth and The News Quiz:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/radio/categories/comedy
Richard Cranium January 25th, 2012 at 10:44
The Golden Age of TV British humour — Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Dick Emery, Porridge, Till Death us to Part et al, has long-passed.
Droll, stand-up humour can only go so far.