Friday Night Live

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

What do we think?

Do you remember the original?

Ben in his sparkly suit.

Had it aged?

Yep. Haven't we all.

Jeesus Ben Elton is funny as fuck! So glad he's still got it!

I hope they bring this back as a series sometime or give him a show, I'd love to see more of him again. 😂

Yes the song was just as awful. Why the fuck would they think there's anything appropriate about the line 'I can do anything better than a woman can, because I used to be a man' given the current debate. Surely that's going to do nothing to further trans rights? It's just going to piss women off even more.

As women, we are expected to accept that someone like that is 'one of us': I don't think so!

Well, I'm not whacking my tits out and playing a piano with them. And to think it was only 6 years ago I was getting shit for breastfeeding in public.

Ben's final rant was fab! The trans act - I was kind of going with it as self aware until the final strip - such a male act. Made me think about how many white male voices there were on the show...

so did I, then watched the news which was equally as awful!

Watched a bit but then it got too painful! Ben Elton can actually be quite funny but some bits were excruciating. Harry Enfield's Stavros was awful... the whole thing is just racial stereotyping and it looked so out of place to be on tv in 2022. Julian Clary was entertaining back in the day but looked like he'd rather be anywhere else than there. Rosie Jones is just fucking annoying, her only topic is her disability and she's not remotely funny anyway.

She's just not funny.

I thought Victoria Wood as well then it got about as far away from her as it gets.

I was wondering if it was the penis I found offensive. But it wasn't just the penis it was the juxtaposition of the breasts which jarred. Naked Jordans body looked to be of the male sex with breasts. In all their glory Jordan did not look like someone of the female sex with a penis. It was like looking at a 3d image of one of those folded paper drawing games where several people take it in turns to add something. I'm not sure it will have moved the trans movement on.

It was meant to shock, it was meant to have women clutching their pearls and swooning; so that they can be called bigots and worse.

The breasts by the way
looked lovely. The tiny shrivelled penis not so much.

The rest of the show felt largely stuck in the 80s and wasn't funny, and was only marginally entertaining.

If I'm watching Naked Attraction I'm expecting naked bodies. On FNL not so much.

I thought Ben Elton was brilliant. I liked the band, and young Leo Reich. And I loved that Jo Brand started with the same opener that she did when she was first on.

I was an adult when it was on in the 80s and I think the vibe was very much the same. Julian Clary was quite shocking, almost as shocking as Jordan Gray, when he first appeared although now he is part of the mainstream. I liked the two young guys but I've never liked Rosie Jones - you don't have to like everything and that was the case back in the day but there were haters then too.

Harry Enfield's Stavros had changed, the vegan cafe twist was funny - hipsters who didn't want to sit next to working class people smelling of meat - even though I recognised some of myself in parts I think that was the point. Ditto Loads a Money - he's still around having got even richer and he's the type that wants Johnson back.

Mostly really good! I remember the original.

Ben Elton has still got it! I can see why all the Tory mumsnetters would be clutching their pearls though😃

Not keen on Rosie jones!

Thought Ben Elton was brilliant, as ever. Julian Clary looked very nervous and. Missed the mark several times. Loved the 'racist' song. Found the toddler taking off their clothes, doing the 'look at me' dance utterly cringe. All in all, for me, more miss than hit, sadly.

@CaptainMyCaptain quite right. I loved the original, though there were always hits and misses. (I never liked Emo Philips) Ben Elton always held it together, though, as he did last night.

I was a lot more sober watching last night’s episode than I was for the originals.

I was a teenager when this was on originally, living through the Thatcher years. Ben and his cohort were new, funny, shocking and I loved them.

Last night was nostalgic for me and kind of took me back so I did enjoy (some of) it.

I actually felt worried for Julian Clary. His shaking hands. Is he unwell? Or just super-nervous.

Jo Brand was Jo Brand of old. It used to seem funny in the 80s when she fat shamed herself but it got boring every damn performance and I feel we are passed that now. I was disappointed that she opened with that (a PP says it's exactly how she opened the original though, I wasn't aware of that so can perhaps appreciate it now).

Rosie Jones, in my opinion, is not remotely funny.

Green tracksuit boy really made me laugh!

Trans person - I was open minded when they started but felt alienated pretty early on. Better than me because you used to be a man? Aye, right pal. Yes, I know it was comedy but not appropriate for me. The worst was he described himself as female!!! Surely the question is - are TWW? But am I crazy? Are they actually referring to themselves as female? For fuck sake!!!!

I actually liked what's-her-name (I forget) do Olivia Coleman. Her mannerisms were spot-on.

I'll watch next week but maybe not the next one...

I think it was just a one-off, it's not going to be on weekly.

I also switched off at Rosie Jones, don't find her funny at all. I thought BE seemed nervous at the start but then got into his stride.

Well I only caught the last hour as was watching Have I Got News for you but I loved what I saw , Obviously I haven’t grown up , made me wish it had been on all these years and even if you found it shocking and out of time with our PC times if you have to admit Ben Elton has a point !
I loved Harry Enfield Loads of money . Pure silliness but so funny . Looking at my news feed the millenniums didn’t like it and mums netters didn’t either

Yeah it was a One off special. Thankfully.

I see there's quite a bit of praise for Jordan online and 'her powerful message'
Weird how none of the rave reviews then go on to say "as she ended by playing the keyboard with her female penis"

'Mostly really good! I remember the original.
*
Ben Elton has still got it! I can see why all the Tory mumsnetters would be clutching their pearls though😃'*

Doubt anyone is pearl-clutching tbh.
Ben Elton writes and performs some genuinely funny stuff. Sadly much of the rest seemed out of place or just not remotely funny. I quite liked Leo Reich.

Julian Clary just looked so uncomfortable. But then when you think his heydey was as The Joan Collins Fan Club 40 years ago it's hardly surprising. Same with Jo Brand and her fat shaming stuff, and Harry Enfield's Stavros. Making comedy out of being camp, fat or racial stereotyping felt cutting edge back in the day but just isn't relevant now. Not shocking or inducing any pearl clutching- just boring.

Rosie Jones is just boring as fuck, I really struggle to see how anyone can find her funny.

I didn't see the trans item as I'd switched off by then.

I feel a tad sorry for Ben Elton; I agree he's still got it and if he'd just reappeared doing a couple of monologues as a 'homage' to the original show it would have been a lot better, because he can write genuinely funny stuff about current affairs. Dragging in the 'has beens' and a few new unfunny guests ruined it.

Definitely more offensive than powerful, did a massive disservice to the trans cause.

I really enjoy stand up comedy and enjoyed a lot of last night, I wouldn’t switch on for a stripper singing a misogynistic song, completely of place, the worst type of male unfunny posturing showing off to shock.

I was really looking forward to this, having loved Ben Elton, Julian Clary, Jo Brand etc in the '80's.
I made it past Julian Clary (yes, seemed nervous but funny), Rosie Jones (not my humour)&Olivia Colman (love her in film roles but not doing stand-up) then got fed up and switched over. Was so disappointed!