Yup I do, and wanted to re-read it before voting so I could make sure I didn’t leave out any of my most beloveds in the “Other” category. So I found it myself and made a link here for you, 'cuz you’re nice.
I think it’s extremely funny, although the Sherlock Holmes sketch from the last episode of the most recent series is something only the coldly satanic creative spirit of David Mitchell could have conceived. There’s twenty minutes of my life, curled up in a ball and weeping into the carpet, that I’ll never get back.*
Honestly though, I think the earlier TV version The Mitchell and Webb Situation and the original radio version That Mitchell and Webb Sound are in many respects even funnier than the Look, and the Look re-uses and adapts various parts of their material.
Mind you, David Mitchell as a person is probably a perfectly nice guy, I wouldn’t know. But IMHO, as an artist he conceals beneath that lovably self-deprecating blustering-bookish-nerd persona an almost sadistic delight in laying bare a devastating truth. I frankly find him somewhat terrifying and shall watch his future career with considerable interest.
It’s a shame he isn’t on more. I guess House takes his time. I’ve never even seen House; I only know him from…Blackadder and his stuff with Stephen Fry.
It’s extremely funny. And don’t forget Peep Show. On it Mitchell plays a character that’s basically what David Mitchell would be if he didn’t have the balls to rant.
Huh? Is that the one with the dueling egos, or is there something I’m not aware of?
-Joe
He actually sort of sucked on that one, too. He didn’t do bad he just barely said anything. But I would still love to see him on any time. He can’t possibly be bad!
I voted Alan Davies, David Mitchell, Jimmy Carr, and Rob Brydon. I would have gone for Bill Bailey if he’d been up there or I’d remembered about him.
A big thank you, by the way, to the people from the previous thread who pointed me towards Would I Lie To You?. It is absolutely amazing. Mitchell, Brydon, and Lee Mack are all phenomenal on it, and some of the stories are the funniest things I’ve ever heard in my life.
a) accidentally buying a horse
b) Ruth Jones and her pet turtle
c) the stolen tent
d) pretty much every single lie told by David and Lee
Just excellent. I only wish there were more episodes available.
He may have said more than we think: as other posters pointed out in the abovelinked “I love Q.I.” thread, each episode takes two hours plus or thereabouts to film and is then edited down to about 30 min. for the regular version and 45 for the XL.
Laurie might have been brilliant and hilarious in some segments that we just never saw because the editors decided that other pieces of dialogue worked better as a coherent episode.
That said, though, I get the impression that Laurie has an overall preference for performing with scripted material and isn’t really interested in the panel show/improv type of stuff.
Plus, AFAICT he may be in the “Too Big For That” category now. I don’t quite understand how that works, but British (in particular) actors and comedians seem to have some kind of subtle caste system where if you’ve become a big enough star, you no longer bother with minor appearances on things like panel shows or guest spots on drama or comedy series, although you can do cameos in movies and interviews on talk shows.
(Stephen Fry himself is still pretty eclectic about his choice of gigs, but then he’s a self-described “shameless whore” in his professional life and will take any job that appeals to him whether it’s a bit declasse for this point in his career or not. And even Fry isn’t to be found popping up here and there on panel shows like ordinary-mortal comedians.)
Whether that exclusiveness is a form of professional snobbery, or a gracious decision to leave more exposure opportunities available for the less established performers, or simply because the panel-show money is chump change for the big-name performers now, or some combination of any or all of the above, I couldn’t say. But it contributes to my feeling of confidence in predicting that we aren’t going to see Hugh Laurie on QI again, unless perhaps they have some major-milestone special in honor of Fry or something. Of course, I’d be happy to be wrong about that!
Alan Davies: Really shouldn’t be in the poll, but you can’t really have the show without him.
Dara O’Brian: Great panel person. I guess Mock the Week keeps him on his toes.
David Mitchell: Wind him up and watch him go.
Rob Brydon: Good interplay with other panelists and also good at winding Stephen up without being as obvious about it as Phil Jupitus. He was the catalyst for,“They say of the Acropolis where the Parthenon is…”
If Alan Davies is removed, I’d have to chose between Rich Hall (who does a great Cloud Cukoolander) and Bill Bailey.
By the way, for a slightly different approach to a quiz show but a lot of similar hilarity from a lot of the same people (plus a number of other people, some of whom I found myself liking just as much), check out the two-hour annual episodes of “The Big Fat Quiz of the Year” hosted every holiday season by Jimmy Carr.
The quiz part itself won’t be that enjoyable if you’re not up on (mostly) British current events and celebrity trivia, which I’m not, but the participants are plenty of fun even if I have no clue what they’re talking about.
The second one is my favourite. Just because of how early you know *exactly *what the punchline is going to be, yet because of the timing and delivery it’s still hilarious.
I’ve gone for Alan Davies, obviously, David Mitchell and Dara, for the same reason that they’re both very entertaining and get the whole format, plus they’re also quite knowledgeable. I was quite concerned when Ross Noble first turned up on it, since I didn’t think his humour would really work, but he was pretty great. Also he has experience from doing a few Australian panel shows.
Speaking of Ross Noble, how intelligible was he for you non-British watchers?
Have you seen his panels on 10 O’Clock Live, C4’s attempt to do a British The Daily Show? The first series was a little unpolished, made worse by it being live, but I think with a little experience he could be a devastating interviewer / moderator.
