Gentle Comedies

Great minds think alike, Barry! I feel May to December is like a pleasant blend of As Time Goes By and Fresh Fields. Was tempted to say so last night but was getting late and kept things short

Time after Time - I really liked. Similar theme to Going Straight but seems to 'work better' - no offense intended to Ronny B. Brian Conley - (Boothroyd) from Enter the Finger (LotSW) is the main character. His probation officer is Samantha Beckinsdale. Sometimes through her mannerisms or facial expressions it is easy to see the family resemblance of her father Richard Beckinsdale shine through. Kate Williams from Love Thy Neighbor is great as his mom who still wants him to stay on the shady side of the law.

Kiss Me Kate is nice, the main character is Caroline Quentin who played Dorothy from Men Behaving Badly. She is a counsellor who has to manage dealing with the everyday lives of her clients and fellow workers. Not on par with a show like Porridge but still watchable. A bit similar to Miranda maybe but minus the slapstick comedy side.

L for Lester - stars Brian Murphy of George & Mildred and Alvin Smedley (LotSW) as a small town driving instructor, Believe it was our Captain Clutterbuck that turned me on to this show. He has some challenging students learning to drive. Like the Kate show it is not on par with Porridge but still watchable - similar to Wyatt's Watchdogs for Foggy or Don't Drink the Water for Smiler. If you like the main actor then probably would enjoy watching the show just for them.


---
On a side note I just started watching Bloomers. Whenever I see David Swift I cannot help but think of his character from Rising Damp. I did not realize that this was the show that sadly Richard Beckinsdale had his heart attack. Tragically, so young at 31. RIP
 
Last edited:
RickAns said:
Great minds think alike, Barry! I feel May to December is like a pleasant blend of As Time Goes By and Fresh Fields. Was tempted to say so last night but was getting late and kept things short

Time after Time - I really liked. Similar theme to Going Straight but seems to 'work better' - no offense intended to Ronny B. Brian Conley - (Boothroyd) from Enter the Finger (LotSW) is the main character. His probation officer is Samantha Beckinsdale. Sometimes through her mannerisms or facial expressions it is easy to see the family resemblance of her father Richard Beckinsdale shine through. Kate Williams from Love Thy Neighbor is great as his mom who still wants him to stay on the shady side of the law.

Kiss Me Kate is nice, the main character is Caroline Quentin who played Dorothy from Men Behaving Badly. She is a counsellor who has to manage dealing with the everyday lives of her clients and fellow workers. Not on par with a show like Porridge but still watchable. A bit similar to Miranda maybe but minus the slapstick comedy side.

L for Lester - stars Brian Murphy of George & Mildred and Alvin Smedley (LotSW) as a small town driving instructor, Believe it was our Captain Clutterbuck that turned me on to this show. He has some challenging students learning to drive. Like the Kate show it is not on par with Porridge but still watchable - similar to Wyatt's Watchdogs for Foggy or Don't Drink the Water for Smiler. If you like the main actor then probably would enjoy watching the show just for them.


---
On a side note I just started watching Bloomers. Whenever I see David Swift I cannot help but think of his character from Rising Damp. I did not realize that this was the show that sadly Richard Beckinsdale had his heart attack. Tragically, so young at 31. RIP
Click to expand...
David Swift and Richard Beckinsale worked together on Rising Damp, Bloomers and Going Straight - all around the same time period too.
 
If I can add an entry to this list even if it's a radio comedy - Parsley Sidings. I'm ashamed to say I'd never heard of this before but it's a lovely gentle railway comedy currently broadcasting on 4 Extra. It features Arthur Lowe, Ian Lavender, Kenneth Connor & Liz Frazer!
 
Last edited:
Barrychuckle said:
If I can may add an entry to this list even if it's a radio comedy - Parsley Sidings. I'm ashamed to say I'd never heard of this before but it's a lovely gentle railway comedy currently broadcasting on 4 Extra. It features Arthur Lowe, Ian Lavender, Kenneth Connor & Liz Frazer!
Click to expand...
It's a great find and such a shame the BBC have only released only 4 episodes on cd.
 
mashibinbin said:
Thank goodness Dad's Army's radio sequel wasn't mentioned! :eek2:
Click to expand...

Not listened to Parsley sidings but imagine it's good based on the posts . I imagine Rick and certainly I will give a shout out to what is considered a DA radio sequel , It sticks out Half a mile which has John Le Mesurier, Ian Lavender, Bill Pertwee starring as their Wilson,Pike and Hodges characters with MRs Pike in a couple of episodes . Arthur Lowe was in the pilot but I believe he passed away before the show was subsequently recorded. Rick discovered that there was a pilot and a tv series Walking the planks and High and Dry respectively starring different actors but the same content as It sticks.
 
captain clutterbuck said:
Not listened to Parsley sidings but imagine it's good based on the posts . I imagine Rick and certainly I will give a shout out to what is considered a DA radio sequel , It sticks out Half a mile which has John Le Mesurier, Ian Lavender, Bill Pertwee starring as their Wilson,Pike and Hodges characters with MRs Pike in a couple of episodes . Arthur Lowe was in the pilot but I believe he passed away before the show was subsequently recorded. Rick discovered that there was a pilot and a tv series Walking the planks and High and Dry respectively starring different actors but the same content as It sticks.
Click to expand...
It's a great show captain, I just don't want Parsley Sidings renaming themselves over it!
 
mikey1965uk said:
I can grasp the technical aspects but it's the repetition of notes and chords. Pretty demanding physically.
And in Parsley Sidings you can hear the notes being individually placed as he uses definite chord structures. Impressive.
Click to expand...
One reason I never took much to bluegrass. While it's obvious the individual musicians are very skilled, the end product often sounds like a herd of cats fighting. That's why I like to listen to the Kreuger Brothers (starts a little bit after 41.00 and 1:20.00).
 
If I may reference As Time Goes By on this thread, I have been fortunate enough to be loaned the whole series on DVD by a close friend. Such a gentle and undemanding comedy it suits me down to the ground. I must say however - No spoilers here - that series 9 seemed to be a bittersweet end to the run, So the reunion special whilst entertaining felt, to me at least, unnecessary. I am sure it was catering to demand, but, I felt series 9 was sufficient, perhaps it is just me.
 
I’ve got to around s4 and stalled as I’m struggling for motivation to watch more as I’m finding it a bit samey. Perhaps on what you’ve said here Denton I should persevere, particularly as my many friends on this site who’s judgment I value, speak of it so highly…
 
Barrychuckle said:
I’ve got to around s4 and stalled as I’m struggling for motivation to watch more as I’m finding it a bit samey. Perhaps on what you’ve said here Denton I should persevere, particularly as my many friends on this site who’s judgment I value, speak of it so highly…
Click to expand...
Once the whole book subplot fades in the background and it's just the interplay between the characters over almost nothing then it becomes something special, Geoffrey Palmer can make the most mundane line full of understated emotion.
 
I don't remember much of the last few seasons of ATGB. A few things I do recall of the later parts with lukewarmness. More on me I guess because a plot line or two did not play out as I would have liked.

One episode I do recall with a chuckle was when the ladies thought Lionel was losing his hearing and encouraged him to see a doctor about it. I also really liked Lionel's Dad Rocky and Madge plus Mrs. Bale with her weather reports on the Channel. Lol Ferris the gardener, Penny and Stephen added some humor.

A neat bit of trivia is that Dench's real life daughter and Palmer's son are in some pictures during the opening title sequence. Both appearing as a younger Jean and Lionel. A nice touch of detail, I think.

Wow, I had overlooked that there are 10 series of the show. Sorry Barry, thought it was shorter than that. Oops.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top