Day 3 - Favourite Comedy/Sitcom
Today I am going to talk about my two favourite comedy/sitcom shows. One is from the US and the other is a well loved classic show from good ol' Blighty.
It has to be acknowledged that there are vast differences between British humour and the brand found in the US. I'm not sure exactly how to describe it, its more just a feeling that there is almost always something lacking in the US stuff. But I might just be a tad prejudiced as I grew up on some of the best stuff from the classic BBC comedies.
So firstly, my favourite US sitcom is, unsurprisingly, the US Office. I enjoy both the UK and the US versions of this show, but after I got severely hacked off with Ricky Gervais, the US version became my favourite of the two .
I'm sure everyone knows the format of this show. Cameras from a documentary follow the group of workers in the office and chronicle their lives. The early seasons dealt with the love story between Jim, played by John Krasinski, and Pam, played by Jenna Fischer. This developed into their marriage. The boss of the office is Michael Scott, played by Steve Carrell, is one of my favourite characters and his recent departure from the show was emtional to say the least.
I have high hopes that the next season will be good, but I can't help but wonder how they will cope without Michael Scott.
Secondly, my favourite British sitcom. I was raised on a comedic diet of satire and the 'classics' watching Have I Got News For You from around the age of 5 and not getting a lot of the jokes about politicians but understanding that this was funny. I was also exposed to shows from years gone by such as Dad's Army, Yes Minister and my all time favourite Porridge.
Porridge follows an inmate called Norman Stanley Fletcher, played by one of my heroes Ronnie Barker, as he does his time in prison. There were three seasons all together and along with two Christmas specials totalled 21 episodes, there was also a film.
The title sequences are special as instead of a theme song each one features only a voice over from the judge sentencing him to five years in prison.
There is also a sadness related to this amazing TV show as the other lead character played by Richard Beckinsale died shortly after the film was wrapped, aged only 31. Ronnie Barker commented on his premature death, saying: "He was so loved. He hadn't done much but he was so loved that there was a universal sort of grief that went on".
Nevertheless if you have never watched an episode of Porridge I urge you to seek it out. It is genuinely one of the funniest things I have ever had the pleasure to view.
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