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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

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Original poster

Harry and Paul-BBC comedy,I think not, I felt like the last 40 years haven't happened

36 replies

DarrellRivers · 13/10/2010 09:24

Did anyone see this last night?
DH has been watching on and off and I haven't really been watching it as am not really a fan but had caught sight of 'Parking Patewayo' and had thought that that was uncomfortable watching already.

Last night, I was in the room a little more during the episode and saw the last sketch which was 'Van Drivers' Lament'
The apparent joke in this sketch was to verbally abuse a young attractive woman whose car had broken down and block the road, and then when they had made her cry, drove past and made crude sexual suggestions to her.

It was horrible and the fact this has been paid for by my license fee has incensed me.
Do people really think this is comedy, really?

I am writing to complain.
Did anyone else see it?
And anyone want to join me in complaining?

OP posts:
Original poster
DarrellRivers · 13/10/2010 09:33

Anyone?

OP posts:
HeftyNorks · 13/10/2010 09:37

I didn't see this but know Harry Enfield has sailed very close to the wind in the past.

Was the sketch making a point about idiot van drivers or was it more uncomfortable viewing than that?

Ellielou02 · 13/10/2010 09:38

Yeah I felt quite uncomfortable watching this last night, and I can swear with the rest if them but it was ott!

webwiz · 13/10/2010 09:40

I thought it was making out what idiots the van drivers were.

anastaisia · 13/10/2010 09:40

Worth complaining, but knowing the BBC they'll come back with something like 'well, they were obviously taking the piss out of van drivers so it isn't sexist its van driverist'

I don't know anyone who hasn't been responded to with the verbal equivalant of a pat on the head when they've complained to the BBC.

Original poster
DarrellRivers · 13/10/2010 09:41

Wellll, I tried to look at it that way, but it didn't work. I felt slightly sick after watching it
Why should we laugh at people being verbally abusive toward women?
I didn't feel we were laughing at the idiot van drivers, we were meant to be laughing at how they were behaving
Which wasn't funny

OP posts:
Unprune · 13/10/2010 09:44

anastasia - so true.
I once framed a complaint to say that I understood that they were trying to do X but that it didn't work because of Y.
Long response from producer (which I did appreciate) saying 'ah but you see we were trying to do X, sorry if you didn't understand'. Angry

Can I just add that I think Harry Enfield is one of the laziest comedians ever, and relies on laboured half-jokes which would be so much better in another comedian's hands. OTOH he is likely a millionaire, and I am not, so what do I know?

Original poster
DarrellRivers · 13/10/2010 09:49

I could sort of see what he was trying to do, but he didn't.
It was a case more that we were (well I wasn't) laughing at a group of men shouting and making crude sexual suggestions to a woman.

It gets so difficult trying to express why this was unacceptable when other people will say 'oh it was tongue in cheek ' etc
Standard defense

OP posts:
anastaisia · 13/10/2010 09:51

I detest having to pay the licence fee. If a subscription channel continually ignored complaints I'd cancel the subscription. All you can say to the BBC is please don't do that. But unless you give up all TV channels you still have to fund them.

weblette · 13/10/2010 09:53

It was so utterly unfunny and yes, did feel like something they'd dredged up from the 70s.

CarmelitaMiggs · 13/10/2010 09:55

I thought the Parking Patewayo sketch was much dodgier. I can hardly believe someone let that go out. I'll complain about that, if you like Smile

Van drivers thing was just profoundly weak and unfunny, imo (in that way it was a fairly accurate reflection of the whole 30 mins). I didn't feel the woman was being victimised; the blokes were plainly the idiots. Thoroughly embarrassing for all concerned

Original poster
DarrellRivers · 13/10/2010 11:55

I think I have got closer to why I feel like this.
The behaviour was offensive.
It was not funny
And I have never understood why it is justified as humour/comedy
Why is it funny that some men behave like this Hmm?

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BecauseImWorthIt · 13/10/2010 12:06

I wrote a long response to this, and it has vanished! Perhaps the BBC is on to me?

What I said was that I think this is a shocking series. Not even funny. Racist, sexist and homophobic. Really lazy. I thought better of Paul Whitehouse.

Aitch · 13/10/2010 12:12

i really think that a lot of it is funny, but there are a few bits i don't get. thought PP was going to go somewhere else, comedically, for example.

Original poster
DarrellRivers · 13/10/2010 12:20

BIWI, perhaps if it was google I would understand your paranoia, but not the beeb yet.
(and agree, sexist and racist)

Aitch, yes, I felt let down by Paul Whitehouse

I never thought I would ever say this, but I have been enjoying drama from ITV recently so so so so much more.

OP posts:
BecauseImWorthIt · 13/10/2010 12:47

The homophobic stuff is the two old, posh men in the gentlemen's club, discussing who is 'queer'. Pointless - no resolution/funny ending/twist in the tale, etc

Which bits do you find funny Aitch?

Aitch · 13/10/2010 12:53

i saw you coming is v funny
middle aged men in love with polish cafe girls v funny (and accurate round here)
i like the conceit of what would have happened if the beatles hadn't taken drugs, although the sketches are ropey
like the two doctors

erm... what else?

GetOrfMoiLand · 13/10/2010 13:02

Oh god those two are fucking useless. Mind you I have never thought harry Enfield was funny at all, remember watching Loadsamoney when I was 7 and thinking 'wanker' (or whatever my 7 year old equivalent word for wanker was)

Hideously unfunny. I cannot think of any Harry Enfield character which is funny. Seriously. Kathy Burke was funny as Waynetta and that's it ('why did you get a braaahn car')

Old fashioned comedians are embarassing. Surely there is a Jimmy Tarbuck golf course where they can all congregate?

That programme is so untopical. Dragons Den? How novel is it to take the piss out of a programme which has been on the screen for 4 years. Compare the lazy tripe to Harry Hill, for instance.

BecauseImWorthIt · 13/10/2010 13:03

yy - agree re those two. Beatles sketches a bit too long/humour is too patchy

Aitch · 13/10/2010 13:20

the acting on the dragons den thing is very good, imo, but the sketch has gone on too long. although in next week's ep they are a bit more political, explaining hedge fund trading using that format. but yes, it's not got as good legs as they think.

BecauseImWorthIt · 13/10/2010 13:27

I think the acting and the costumes/sets are exceptional - but actually I think that's what is carrying the whole thing and disguising the fact that it's, mostly, not that funny.

Clever and well-observed, perhaps.

sievehead · 27/10/2010 22:40

Sorry i think it's brilliant and that you are taking things too seriously by disapproving!

Parking patewayo is particularly funny.

InMyPrime · 27/10/2010 22:49

It was a very weird sketch and uncomfortable to watch, not sure how it was supposed to be funny. I have seen this before with male comedians though where they think a sketch about women being followed home, harrassed, stalked or threatened can be funny when as a woman watching it's quite frightening and reminiscent of what happens in real life or what can happen.

One sketch that always sticks in my mind was a 'candid camera' on a TV show I saw once, where a comedian pretended to be a loony taxi driver who was offensive to passengers. A young woman got in his car and he started making suggestive comments to her and asking creepy questions, as he was about to drive off. She just looked terrified and got out of the car almost in tears. It wasn't funny at all, it was just scary.

PosieComeHereMyPreciousParker · 28/10/2010 08:51

I'm a little uncomfortable watching but think it's more about the idiocy of the people they characterise rather than women.

EvilAntsAndMiasmas · 28/10/2010 09:21

I don't get why they think these sketches are ok. If you're going to have an entirely white cast the rest of the time, why bring in the one and only ethnic minority character to play an annoying idiotic jobsworth and make great play of his name? And present it all in a 70s-style format which will presumably remind many people of the days when Alf Garnett was treating the nation to his racist rants on prime time. Nice.

The van drivers sketch was clearly taking the piss out of van drivers, but the van drivers watching were pretty unlikely to be upset whereas the thousands and thousands of women and children who get sexual comments shouted at them in the street will be.

Tossers. Time H & P retired.