First, this is one of the funniest shows I’ve seen, probably ever. I’ve been re-watching the dvds continuously for the last month. Anyway, I’m a yank, and I have a few questions about some minor things which I don’t quite get.
Explain Slough. It seems a rather dreary, crappy place. Much like, say Newark, NJ in the states.
In a few scenes, some people applaud by slapping one hand against their leg. I’ve never seen that in the states. Just a weird observation.
What is that “comic relief day”? Is that a popular yearly thing? It seems kind of halloweenish to me, and looks like a lot of fun. Is it common to dress up in costume, have sponsors, etc, to raise money for charity one day a year?
I did not get the “black man’s unit” joke.
Each series contained just 6 half-hour episodes. Is this common for british television? American seasons typically have 20+ (altho the number seems to shrink yearly) episodes per year.
I could have put this in general questions, I guess, but I didn’t feel comfortable asking #4 there hehe.
Slough is more or less exactly how you describe it. The epitome of a boring commuter town near London.
Comic Relief or Red Nose Day was one of the offshoots of Band Aid and Live Aid. It started in the late 1980s and is held every two years around March. It is common for people to hold sponsored events at their workplace, and the money raised goes to international development projects.
The six episode thing is common for UK TV comedy series, yes.
Yep. It’s too close to London to be pleasant, and too far from London to be interesting. It’s also on the flightpath to Heathrow. It was also immortalised by Betjeman:
“Come, friendly bombs, and fall on Slough
It isn’t fit for humans now,
There isn’t grass to graze a cow
Swarm over, Death!”
Not a particularly common thing, but nobody would think you were odd (maybe it comes from us always having a cup of tea in our hand )
Once every couple of years. It’s basically a BBC telethon-type thing, originally started by various comedians (hence the focus on comedy).
I can’t remember what the joke was - go on, remind us!
Yes, most programmes of this type are done in series of 6-10 episodes.
I think it’s just the kind of clapping you do if you feel obliged to clap, but either aren’t too enthusiastic, or don’t want to be seen to be. It means you don’t have to actually raise your hands. Americans, of course, feel obliged to cheer and hoot according to national stereo-type.
Yes, you have it exactly. And it’s taken as an excuse by some to be the insufferable, unfunny prats they’re prevented from being the rest of the year. Because, you know, it’s for chariteee!
Don’t remember it. Safe to say that if it was a Brent joke it was probably totally inappropriate for the circumstances. And he probably screwed up the punchline as well.
Yes. Sitcoms in the UK is usually written by only one or two writers. They do not churn them out with teams of writers like the US.
I’m still avoiding posting the black man’s unit joke… mostly as I’d likely screw it up.
I remembered one more question. Gareth would often mention being in the army, and quickly be reminded that he was in the “territorial army”. Is that like the US National Guard? i.e. he very rarely would be shipped off to fight a real war, as he’s busy defeding the homeland, which stands no real chance of being invaded or facing combat?
Black man’s unit joke–I won’t repeat it, but here are the points of humor in it:
-A duchess (I think) considers a black man’s penis a legitimate object for a game of 20 questions. ha, ha, ha!
-When asked, she describes it as bigger than a breadbox and something you put in your mouth. That slutty duchess! Those well-endowed black men!
-Based solely on those clues, the queen figures out what it is. That slutty queen!
Slough: New town on the outskirts of London - prosperous but dull. The sort of place where bored teenagers hang around the Arnedale Centre smoking raffles. Not somewhere I would want to live - the sort of place that a medium sized companty would have it’s head office.
One hand clapping: The implication is that it is not exactly heartfelt - ie you can’t even be bothered to put your tea down.
Comic relief day: The horror! The Horror! You know the sort of Wotsit eating IT twats who wear cartoon character ties and have the theme from the simpsons (or the mupets) as their ringtone? This is their day. This is what they live for all year. A day for the terminally unfunny to inflict themselves on the rest of humanity. Who are powerless to resist as “it’s all for the kids innit?” This is why David and Gareth are in their element.
The joke about the black man’s cock (stop being coy!) is that the supposedly straight laced queen gets the joke far too quickly.
And british shows are usually made in sixes or thirteens - the reason that the runs are shorter is that they tend to be written by individual writers (two in the Office’s case) rather than large teams who can provide more material.
That’s not entirely fair - true, the TA are basically ordinary guys who run around with guns at the weekend. But they do have to fight in real wars - thousands of them are or have been in Iraq in the past 18 months.
I also really dug “The Office.” It’s kind of reassuring to know that awful bosses and crappy offices span the globe. Maybe Brits can speak to the two things in the show that floored me:
Would folks actually bring sex toys to the office? (Tim gets an inflatable penis for his birthday; one of the Swindon folks gets a vibrator; etc.) That seemed beyond the pale to me.
You guys get to drink at mid-day work parties? Sweet. I’ve never been to an office party in the with wine and beer. We just get nasty, storebought cake and cheap coffee. (Or maybe I’ve just worked in the wrong offices.)
Part of the joke there is that it happens in the office. In any decent office, such behaviour would be frowned upon - it would all take place in the pub after work. It’s yet another example of the place not quite being run properly, but not quite enough that anyone complains.
Absolutely - but only on important occassions (ie not just because it happens to be somebody’s birthday). Of course, it will be shockingly bad wine
Yep. We’re a very tolerant, broad-minded people. I doubt there are many UK offices now where this would be regarded as anything more than slightly naughty humour. Not exactly encouraged by the management, but not a cause for any serious complaints either. Anyone making any serious kind of objection would most likely be regarded as a religious freak or an uptight closet facist who needs to get a sense of humour, get a life and stop trying to spoil other people’s fun.
Most definitely. If you ever tried to arrange such an event that featured no alcohol whatsoever, first of all you’d be permanently regarded as some sort of weirdo throwback from the Temperance Society, and secondly you’d fail (people would smuggle booze in there somehow.) Merkins and Brits have completely different attitudes to alcohol. We’re not all drunks, and most of us know about drinking responsibly, but there is an overwhelming expectation that any occasion that’s meant to be sociable or fun will mean alcohol is available. Not compulsory, mind you, but available.
I’d just like to point out (and/or brag) that my office (in NY) serves alcohol at all of our parties, and we celebrate almost anything.
We even had a post-election night party to celebrate getting through the election-night party (I kid you not) Mimosas and chocolate cake at our (much like “The Office”) daily morning staff meeting.
No, I don’t have anything useful to add, thanks for asking…
Bringing an inflatable schlong to work doesn’t strike me as offensive, so much as juvenile and unprofessional. And, y’know, my co-workers are fine people, but I never want to think about their sex lives. Ever. But, hey, vive la difference! If it works for you, no skin off my nose.
I do envy the drinking at work, though. T’would make many any office function far more tolerable.
Working in a government facility in the U.S., I would say that if someone brought to work a sex toy of some kind and someone complained about it, that the supervisors would take a very dim view of it. Mainly because it would leave the organization open to a sexual harassment claim and those are not appreciated much.
That said, I just bought both seasons on DVD as I find that each episode gets funnier with repeated viewings especially.
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