- Paperback: 496 pages
- Publisher: Harper Perennial; New Ed edition (4 Oct 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007181329
- ISBN-13: 978-0007181322
- Product Dimensions: 19.7 x 12.9 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
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- #60 in Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Film > Film Genres > Comedy
- #100 in Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Television > TV Genres > Comedy
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Review
'Brilliantly insightful, warmly appreciative, and chock full of observations of the most alarmingly accurate kind ! Thanks to the perceptive Mr Thompson, I know now what I've been doing wrong all these years.' Jonathan Ross 'If you are passionate about comedy you'll want to read this book.' Time Out 'An awesome compendium'. Arena 'Can't fail to become definitive.' Observer 'A brilliant book'. Jimmy Carr, Radio 4's Loose Ends 'Erudite and funny ! Thompson demonstrates both an encyclopaedic knowledge of his subject matter and an astonishingly broad frame of reference.' Guardian
Review
'Brilliantly insightful, warmly appreciative, and chock full of observations of the most alarmingly accurate kind … Thanks to the perceptive Mr Thompson, I know now what I’ve been doing wrong all these years.' Jonathan Ross
'If you are passionate about comedy you'll want to read this book.' Time Out
'An awesome compendium'. Arena
'Can't fail to become definitive.' Observer
'A brilliant book'. Jimmy Carr, Radio 4's Loose Ends
'Erudite and funny … Thompson demonstrates both an encyclopaedic knowledge of his subject matter and an astonishingly broad frame of reference.' Guardian
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book attempts to trace the development of British comedy from the late eighties to the present day. To save space, it focuses its attention in a number of ways: there is a lot of coverage of TV performers and TV programmes and only the odd nod to the non-TV regulars on the live scene, usually with the sentiment that it is a terrible shame that we don't see more of so-and-so on the box. It also chooses in particular to look at the 'Post-Alternative' movement in British comedy, those comics who extend and/or react against the 1980s Alternative Comedy boom, in which many took their first fledgling flights.
Thompson is biased towards TV, seeing it in some ways as the culmination of a successful comedy career, which might upset fans of the live scene who feel this is the proper environment for comedy. But this is not a simplistic work, and there is some attempt made to, as I say, nod toward the importance of the world beyond the screen. On the other hand, the perspective on TV, both comedy and non-comedy, is illuminating; only half-joking, Thompson imagines figures such as Vic Reeves and programmes such as The Day Today as visionaries who pointed the way to the current era of docusoaps, reality TV and "I'm a celebrity get me out of here!".
The book is both informative and enjoyable, and manages to be even handed about a talented yet questionable entertainer such as Frank Skinner, while occasionally putting the boot in when it comes to worthy causes (See chapter on David Baddiel syndrome). Really not sure about the fairly arbitrary contention that the 2003 Office Christmas special marked the end of a era, though (how?).
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The British comedy scene of from the late eighties to the early years of this century is undeniably fertile subject matter for a book. Unfortunately, Ben Thompson has produced a work which while frequently enjoyable is deeply flawed.
For one thing, Thompson adopts an irritating spoof academic style (extensive footnotes and all) which veers uneasily between the present and past tense throughout. Thinking of buying this? I'd urge you to read at least the introduction first as you're in for a long haul (or more likely, a wasted purchase) if you cannot cope with Thompson's tiresome style.
Even worse, are the factual errors. To touch on Alan Partridge alone, no, the Christmas Special did not see Alan accidentally killing one of his guests. No, there were only two, not three series of I'm Alan Partridge. And, yes, I am sounding petty. But surely in a book citing Partridge as one of the ten best series of the decade, it's not unreasonable to expect Thompson to get his facts straight?
Despite these shortcomings, I still found this an engaging read, perhaps because I was so interested in the subject. Thompson's argument that the period covered by the book spawned a golden age of British comedy is a compelling one. The Fast Show, Father Ted, I'm Alan Partridge are all undeniably classics, even if Thompson's exclusion of Spaced from his "top ten" list seems bizarre.
Yet even this theory is undermined by Thompson's apparent conviction that Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer are some sort of comedy geniuses. Even their mainstream flop Families At War - by any yardstick, a critical and commercial disaster - is heralded here as some sort of comedy triumph.
Events since the book's publication in 2004 have also weakened Thompson's hypothesis still further. If the golden age ended with the second series of The Office, how does Thompson explain the likes of The Thick of It, The IT Crowd and Peep Show?
For one thing, Thompson adopts an irritating spoof academic style (extensive footnotes and all) which veers uneasily between the present and past tense throughout. Thinking of buying this? I'd urge you to read at least the introduction first as you're in for a long haul (or more likely, a wasted purchase) if you cannot cope with Thompson's tiresome style.
Even worse, are the factual errors. To touch on Alan Partridge alone, no, the Christmas Special did not see Alan accidentally killing one of his guests. No, there were only two, not three series of I'm Alan Partridge. And, yes, I am sounding petty. But surely in a book citing Partridge as one of the ten best series of the decade, it's not unreasonable to expect Thompson to get his facts straight?
Despite these shortcomings, I still found this an engaging read, perhaps because I was so interested in the subject. Thompson's argument that the period covered by the book spawned a golden age of British comedy is a compelling one. The Fast Show, Father Ted, I'm Alan Partridge are all undeniably classics, even if Thompson's exclusion of Spaced from his "top ten" list seems bizarre.
Yet even this theory is undermined by Thompson's apparent conviction that Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer are some sort of comedy geniuses. Even their mainstream flop Families At War - by any yardstick, a critical and commercial disaster - is heralded here as some sort of comedy triumph.
Events since the book's publication in 2004 have also weakened Thompson's hypothesis still further. If the golden age ended with the second series of The Office, how does Thompson explain the likes of The Thick of It, The IT Crowd and Peep Show?
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A man who doesn't wear his learning lightly, Ben Thompson has written one of the worst books I have ever read. I ploughed through it for the occassional nugget thrown up by his interviews with various comedians, but it was awfully hard going. If he refers to Henri Bergson once, he does it a thousand times, and what is with those sub-Pratchett footnotes, ostensibly offering information, but mainly attempts at humerous digressions which most definitely do not work. There is a good book in here, although it would only be around 50 pages long - the remainder of the 400-odd pages is taken up with the author's tedious, self aggrandising, meretricious nonsense. Not recommended.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A book what I wrote.
Years ago, I shared digs with a literature student called Paul. Every essay Paul wrote was created in the same way. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Ivan Zehdra-Maychayne
Infuriatingly biased third-rate essay style
This has to be one of the most infuriating books I've ever read. I purchased it thinking I might get a 1990's equivalent of the excellent 'From Fringe to Flying Circus' by Roger... Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2010 by Weasel powered cheese maker
An entertaining read, but too self-indugent overall
This book is a rather strange amalgam of bits and pieces which, taken together, never quite satisfies. Read more
Published on 7 July 2006 by kingofwessex
The Vic Reeves Fan Club
This could have been one of the most important books to be released on comedy in several years, but instead it turned out to be a grovelling hero-worship of Vic Reeves. Read more
Published on 4 May 2006 by M. D. P. Meechan
Like the Guardian Letters Page
Illuminating interviews with the likes of Steve Coogan and Jonathan Ross are offset by the author whining about the popularity of his pet hates (apparently Peter Kay is a poor... Read more
Published on 17 Jun 2005
Comedy Culture Criticism
First off, Thompson has it absolutely spot on about what is funny and what isn't. This is very important in a book like this - if he'd devoted any time over the importance of... Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2004
Solid overview of comedy let down by sloppy research
Ben Thompson covers all the relevant bases on the subject but far too often when it comes to specific TV work he makes glaring factual errors which seem to undermine all the good... Read more
Published on 26 Mar 2004 by DaveDogFacedBoy
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