Britcom Goes To The Movies Guy Walker and Rob Heath

Episode three of series two sees us tackle our most recent film. The Covid-delayed darkly comic and borderline (if not out and out) psychological horror, All My Friends Hate Me by the Toms (Stourton and Palmer). Here’s a movie that tackles alienation, anxiety, and (like most good British comedies) the class system.
 
Rob and Guy discuss all those topics, plus the university experience, the leg-up in the industry that is public schools, and of course Sandstorm by Darude. That’s not to mention our (kind of) source material, the cringe-core sitcom Siblings, starring Stourton and Charlotte Richie.
 
The quiz scores are starting to take shape as well. Can Rob claw back his two-point deficit, or will Guy pull even further ahead?
 
Siblings Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4hW0OAD0ps
 
Totally Tom - People’s Houses 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG3jvfd_ZDQ
 
High Renaissance Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJY73GgkvWg
 
Cardinal Burns Episode 5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7caUGv6yY8k
 
All My Friends Hate Me - Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcLusCip1Gs
 
All my friends hate me - Norman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Odbe6AcFHKc

Episode 2 of Series 2 sees another crossover with the Best Pick Podcast as another of its hosts Jessica Regan (our second guest after Tom Salinsky) joins to talk about the 2012 darkest of dark comedies Sightseers. Jess provided unparalleled insight into director Ben Wheatley’s process, starring as she did in his 2009 sketch show The Wrong Door.
We take a closer look at The Wrong Door, a show in which dinosaurs are dates, Pirates hijack commuter trains and Matt Berry puts John Virgo’s trick shots in the shade, as well as a deep dive into Wheatley’s third feature-length film, which became the first big screen starring roles for comedy collaborators Steve Oram and Alice Lowe.
It helped to have a voice of Irish sanity to help assess a movie that so precisely captures a slice of English eccentricity, repressed anger and downright insanity! We also take a look at the use of double, double pop covers for needle drops and a supporting cast of some of the British movie industry’s very best bit players.
How would Guy and Rob get on with Jess’ questions on the Oram and Lowe and could we have a new contender for the top spot? Find out in episode two.The Wrong Door Episode one - The Wrong Door S01E01 The World's Most Annoying Creature (youtube.com)
The Wrong Door – Train Pirates starring Jessica Regan 2008 The Wrong Door. The Train Pirates! (youtube.com)
Alice Lowe and Steve Oram interviewed by Alan Partridge - EM 10004 Video NA RunEscape GunShot TsktpkV15 Nor Q F NA EN PC A bluedemo (youtube.com)A Dark Song Trailer A Dark Song - Official Trailer I HD I IFC Midnight (youtube.com)Sightseers Trailer Sightseers trailer (youtube.com)Sightseers – Report that to the National Trust - SIGHTSEERS - National Trust - Film Clip (youtube.com)

We're back for our difficult second series. Guy and Rob carefully curated a list of films that span eight decades and showcase all manner of British comedy....or we just picked some random films from the long list. I forget now.
Series two begins with a classic sitcom spin-off. The seventh favourite British sitcom of all time (as recorded in 2004 in a BBC light entertainment list show, so legally binding) the Ronnie Barker vehicle Porridge!
Lots to get through for our intrepid hosts, including pondering the likely career trajectory of Richard Beckinsale (had he not been taken from us so early), the likelihood of being able to stand a 12 month stretch of Norman Stanley Fletcher's wise cracks without lamping him and the continued quest to ascertain exactly what makes the comedy transfer from small to big screen, such a difficult process.
Our master league table continues from series one, but the quiz scores are reset with Rob having narrowly taken victory in series one. So nerks and nerkettes, enjoy Porridge!
Porridge Intro https://youtu.be/nvmYfcQB5HY?si=FOcKacUB1h08h0_E
Porridge Medical Scene https://youtu.be/VEsxfpK_8L0?si=_SctuVtow7vzyks2
Porridge Movie Trailer https://youtu.be/XVaZJEEXUh0?si=KNnpqzUd8oRsNoBp
Two Ronnies - Mastermind https://youtu.be/QRhyc56aVb0?si=ZlWUwn9i_9_bBFpN
Not the Nine O Clock News - The Two Ninnies https://youtu.be/IbC3Fdv5wKU?si=Wed25oMahFl1T_qm

It's not quite time for the second series of Britcom Goes to the Movies yet, but in the meantime, we've prepared a top ten British sitcoms special.In 2004 Jonathan Ross hosted Britain's Best Sitcom on the BBC. Audiences were polled on their favourite British sitcom. A top 50 list was compiled, episode one rattled through numbers 50-11 at a dismissive pace and then audiences were polled once again on the top ten.This time, each sitcom from the top ten had it's own celebrity advocate who would try to persuade you to vote for their favourite. Ranging from Carol Vorderman to David Dickinson. So like a French Presidential run-off (but with few fascists), voters were asked to choose again from a smaller sample.Rob and Guy discuss this poll, the accompanying show, and then after, run down their top 10 British sitcoms. Who (if at all) do you agree with? Get in touch and tell us!Britain's Best Sitcom - Blackadder with John Sargeanthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwgFjrfXqYcBritain's Best Sitcom - Yes Minister with Armando Ianuccihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBtKm9HuFs4Britain's Best Sitcom - Fawlty Towers with Jack Deehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1MOdntdKa8 
Britain's Best Sitcom Top 50 sitcoms listhttps://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/top/Keeping Up Appearances: 30 years of Laughshttps://www.channel5.com/show/keeping-up-appearances-30-years-of-laughs

The main series may be over, but we’ve one more festive treat. Guy and Rob joined by actor Monica Sagar to discuss the divisive Christmas classic on its 20th birthday, Love Actually. We also get stuck into the Vicar of Dibley Christmas special, which is perhaps the most tonally similar to Love Actually of all of Richard Curtis’ TV work.A movie that’s been reappraised by both its cheerleaders and detractors over the course of the past two decades, Love Actually has also caused Richard Curtis himself to address things he would rather have changed with his time again. With a multitude of plots, some classic rom-com, some a bit more esoteric, and some just downright weird and difficult to defend, our panel try their best to revisit with an open mind to see where it will place in the final league rankings of series one of Britcom Goes to the Movies.We will also crown the series one winner of the Britcom Goes to the Movies quiz. After episode 10, Guy led for the first time in the series, but who would come out on top?Vicar of Dibley Christmas Trailerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTon56Kb3P0
Vicar of Dibley Christmas Special – Sprout-offhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ck4qRdfGCURed Nose Day Actually Trailerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9vGoj449s4Love Actually Trailerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9Z3_ifFheQLove Actually – Dancing Prime Ministerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcgxBHBsl-4Love Actually – To me you are perfecthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7u6bMBlCXwLynden David Hall – Sexy Cinderellahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqmsWk2gO3oMartine McCutcheon – This is my Momenthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG16jv-itYw 

We've reached the magical tenth installment and what better way to round off the regular series than by following our newest film so far, with our oldest.
The Rebel from 1961 is the earliest example we've found yet of transporting a character (Tony Hancock) out of his usual environment of 23 Railway Cuttings, East Cheam into new foreign and exotic climes. A blueprint for many, many BritCom adaptations to come. As Guy and Rob discuss, this is not the only thing for which Hancock, Ray Galton, and Alan Simpson set the blueprint.
Join us as we talk all things Hancock up to The Rebel, including his beginnings in panto and variety and his most celebrated work, Hancock's Half Hour.
Hancock's Half Hour - Poetry Society https://youtu.be/lMVmxDwjaJc?si=pL_Li6O65louxjCf
Hancock's Half Hour - How to Win Money and Influence People https://youtu.be/Kcxb4c3jyns?si=JEfoqBQSFy-o2Th2
The Rebel - Trailer https://youtu.be/3V-AXTHnsUY?si=ySeD16-_Gzc3-mE_
The Rebel - Existentialism https://youtu.be/IhXfhYbq92E?si=5TspSXhhkNp9EXfh
The Simpsons - The Bloodening https://youtu.be/pAJPf-I7PkM?si=BKH1nmCEedx3WX6z