The Office V The IT Crowd and I'm Alan Partridge v The Inbetweeners
Prepare to cast your votes, sitcom lovers! Leeroy and Anderton are here for a sensational showdown in the Sitcom World Cup Round of 16. Imagine the tension as "The Office" goes head-to-head with "The IT Crowd" in a battle for sitcom supremacy. We're dissecting theme tunes, comedic styles, and the cultural footprints these shows have left behind. With "I'm Alan Partridge" and"The Inbetweeners," we laugh over Mini Metro mishaps and cringe at teenage blunders, celebrating the relatable humour that has us quoting these shows in our everyday lives.
Ever wondered how "The Office" became a cultural phenomenon or why "The IT Crowd" has you chuckling at ludicrous IT mishaps? We're breaking it all down, character by quirky character. Revel in the iconic scenes from Tim's knowing glances to Moss's foray into football banter. And we're not just chuckling over past episodes; we're also gearing up for an explosive quarterfinals. The anticipation is palpable as we tease out what's to come, and remember, your laughter and votes are what propel these sitcoms to glory!
As we wrap up this laugh-packed episode, Leeroy's Turkish escapades loom on the horizon, leaving Anderton steering the ship solo. But fear not, upon Leroy's return, we're plunging into the heart of the Sitcom World Cup quarterfinals. Expect dissections of iconic episodes and our tongue-in-cheek suggestions for making these classics even funnier. Your input is crucial, and your votes are the driving force behind this comedic conquest. The next stage promises more giggles and nostalgic charm as we eagerly await which sitcoms will advance. Join us, won't you? Your favorite shows are counting on your votes!
The Office V The IT Crowd and I'm Alan Partridge v The Inbetweeners
Prepare to cast your votes, sitcom lovers! Leeroy and Anderton are here for a sensational showdown in the Sitcom World Cup Round of 16. Imagine the tension as "The Office" goes head-to-head with "The IT Crowd" in a battle for sitcom supremacy. We're dissecting theme tunes, comedic styles, and the cultural footprints these shows have left behind. With "I'm Alan Partridge" and"The Inbetweeners," we laugh over Mini Metro mishaps and cringe at teenage blunders, celebrating the relatable humour that has us quoting these shows in our everyday lives.
Ever wondered how "The Office" became a cultural phenomenon or why "The IT Crowd" has you chuckling at ludicrous IT mishaps? We're breaking it all down, character by quirky character. Revel in the iconic scenes from Tim's knowing glances to Moss's foray into football banter. And we're not just chuckling over past episodes; we're also gearing up for an explosive quarterfinals. The anticipation is palpable as we tease out what's to come, and remember, your laughter and votes are what propel these sitcoms to glory!
As we wrap up this laugh-packed episode, Leeroy's Turkish escapades loom on the horizon, leaving Anderton steering the ship solo. But fear not, upon Leroy's return, we're plunging into the heart of the Sitcom World Cup quarterfinals. Expect dissections of iconic episodes and our tongue-in-cheek suggestions for making these classics even funnier. Your input is crucial, and your votes are the driving force behind this comedic conquest. The next stage promises more giggles and nostalgic charm as we eagerly await which sitcoms will advance. Join us, won't you? Your favorite shows are counting on your votes!
Living with Maydaly. Living with Maydaly. Living with Maydaly. Maydaly. Living with Maydaly.
Speaker 2:Hello and welcome to episode four of the series seven Living With Maydaly podcast. This is our sitcom world cup Sitcoms the last 30 years. I should say I'm one of the hosts, I'm Leroy and Anderton is the other host. How are you?
Speaker 3:Anderton, I am off and ill. If you'd have made that joke in the 90s I could have got some traction, but unfortunately not many people know, darren on his anymore. So, yeah, but I not many people know.
Speaker 2:Darren on his anymore. So, yeah, but I didn't make it deliberately so if anyone does get it, it's a bonus gag, that one. So this is our last episode where we summarised the round of 16, and after this episode, we will release the polls, and you're going to have to help us out now, listeners, we need to know who goes through to the quarter finals, and that will be your decision, not ours. So I'm going away on Monday, but you are going to post the polls on your Monday, I think.
Speaker 3:And when you're back you're going to be greeted by the eight teams, the eight sitcoms still left in the competition. So we're going to put them all out. I should have wrote them down in front of me but I haven't got them. But you know what they are. You've listened to the last three podcasts and then you can vote to see what goes through to the quarterfinals. And this is the last of the round of 16, the last two games.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's certainly one at least I think both, but one of them is very intriguing today. So let's get straight into the match-ups. Here is the first. So let the first matchup is the Office against the IT Crowd. First of all, we're looking at the Office. Do you like that as a theme tune?
Speaker 2:I think that's a pretty poor theme tune, really. Yeah, I'm not particularly pro or anti that theme. I think it's right. I think I think they wanted to catch stevenson, isn't it? I know we mentioned in extras they did play t for the till a minute. I'm not sure if they wanted that for this. Originally. They certainly wanted catch stevens, but this is what they ended up with and it's all right. I think it it works yeah, it's all right.
Speaker 3:I mean, obviously, with the building and stuff, I think it's the start of the office is really depressing. I think you know like just showing those like obviously office blocks and stuff, like in a, but that's, that's what it's supposed to be supposed to be a documentary about real life. You know it's supposed to be like mundane and that's they've cracked it without.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so this is a mockumentary, so apologies for patronizing you, dear listener, if if you know this, but it's obviously done very much in a style of a real documentary but it's. It's a spoof but it but it's not done to be ridiculous, it's done that these could be real people. Um, it was created, written and directed by rick gervais and Stephen Merchant. Two series and two Christmas specials. We covered the Christmas specials actually in the Christmas episode, so if you want to know more depth on those, go back and check that out. Released BBC Two 2001 and 2002. And then, after sort of some DVD success and sort of hit, it got moved back onto BBC One and was shown again in 2003. I think probably that's a special. I think the way it's written looks like it was on. I would imagine actually the specials were actually what was on BBC One.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:It's set in a paper company called Wernham Hogg and it's set in Slough on a trading estate, and it's basically supposed to capture the story, Although there's a lot more going on than this. The basics of the story is we're looking at this guy, David Brent, who has been a really successful manager, but a camera crew has come into his office to film it and it's brought out the part of him that always wanted to be an entertainer, that always wanted to be a comedian more than an office manager, basically. So we're almost watching him unravel. I mean, he immediately unravels, but then he continues to unravel. And I would say for us, as we've said all the way through, we don't want to decide what's go through, so we just get a vote, one vote, like anyone listening does. Even if you don't listen, you do. But I think for both of us we can't deny this would be right up there, wouldn't it?
Speaker 3:Well, obviously we did our roadshow to, I want to say, king Egbert's Chapel. I don't know where I got King Egbert's from.
Speaker 3:They were dead Chapel I don't know where I got King Edward's from Roadshow's Chapel, st Leonard's and I think one of the questions we posed to each other was what's your favourite sitcom? And I think we both picked this or a sitcom we'd take to a desert island because we were probably the right age to get this as well. Just left school. Our humour, I think mine and yours and probably other people who's watched this, has been so much influenced by this sitcom, yeah, beyond any other sitcom. In this entire thing that we're doing don't mean it's the best, but the jokes and the subtlety and all that sort of stuff I think our humor has been like sort of uh, formed by this sitcom well, we've praised previously Operation Good Guys as an unnarrated sitcom and I think that to me, was the first time I came across this style.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but the Office took it to another level. I mean they made it, I want to say mainstream, but actually it started off not being that, I think, Operation.
Speaker 3:Good Guys were a bit more well. They were more wacky. Yeah, yeah, I know people at the time who's like. I remember watching it with this guy's mum not just me and his mum, by the way, imagine that and she thought it was a real documentary. She goes, I thought this was like real she goes. I just turned it off, thought it was boring, thought it was like a real documentary. I go no, it's a comedy, because it's that well done.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and like you said, I think it's ingrained a certain certain scenes, certain moments that we all quote and we all say to each other as a group of mates I mean, traveling is fantastic. When it comes to office quotes, he's, he's got one for every situation. I would say, but yeah, I mean it's, it's a great cast. We've got obviously, Ricky Gervais Merchant appeared in it, although not as a main character, Martin Freeman as Tim, Mackenzie, Crook as Gareth, Lucy Davis as Dawn. They're, I would say, the main characters. But then also, as we get moving into the second series, we get Patrick Ballardy as Neil Goodwin. Stacey Rocker or Roker comes in as Rachel.
Speaker 2:We have and I didn't go for it as my clip, but if this progresses it might be a scene and it gets mentioned. But obviously Keith, played by the great late Ewan McIntosh, yeah, he has some really good moments in there. It's just brilliant and we're praising all of them. So it's fine for me to kind of gush about this a little bit. I just think it's a perfect sitcom really. It's two series. It doesn't outstay its welcome. Obviously the Brent character kind of goes on to do that a little bit. But I see this, as you know what do we call it non-canon? We kind of class the other stuff. Yeah, I don't class the film as canon to be fair I mean.
Speaker 3:I mean obviously other people will. I don't think it's anything like this. In a way, I would ask you a question actually. Is that when you first started watching this? I remember watching this anywhere. I met brendan, actually, who told me to start watching, so we used to watch the what are called the 11 o'clock show. Is that?
Speaker 3:right, yeah yeah, yeah, and rickie gerv character and that was really funny. Alan G were obviously the big one in that and he said, oh, you should watch his sitcom. Like he's got this sitcom, ricky Gervais, and it took I'm not going to like ruin the scenes, I'm going to play it later but it took me the third episode to realise like hang on, this is genuinely like the best thing I've ever seen as a comedy. It didn't hit me straight away that's interesting.
Speaker 2:I, I, I can't, kind of hand on heart, say I got it straight away, but I don't remember sort of thinking. I'll give it a couple more episodes. I do remember thinking and possibly because, like you say, brendan, maybe other people around me had already prompted me as to how good it was. I think if I just stumbled across it maybe I would have thought what's this? But yeah, no, I just think it's great. I think that again, operation Good Guys did it, but this did it better. The talking head scenes. I think what this got really well as well is the cuts to the mundane bits where the photocopy is just running for five seconds or we're just seeing somebody filing some paper away. And it did feel like, despite the fact that what people were saying is ludicrous, it did feel like this is a real office and also, when I'm saying things are ludicrous, this is a believable office. I don't think there's any office that you could say, oh, come on, that would never happen. I can imagine this being real.
Speaker 3:The guy's mum, who I absolutely wasn't having an affair with I weren't, by the way, I really weren't but I can see why she thought like I can imagine flicking through the channels watching two minutes of it and thinking, yeah, this is a bit off, this is a bit boring, really. This, like there's nothing in there that's wacky enough. Maybe he's dance in the second series. I don't know, I'm not a lot of people, I know few people. For instance, think the second series sort of when not necessarily jumped the shot but went a bit more wackier.
Speaker 2:I could sort of see that that to me, though, is because brent is is the lead in the narrative. He is, he is breaking down into insanity he's losing it he's being put under pressure.
Speaker 2:He's not the top dog anymore. He's not. His jokes aren't hitting with these new people who don't have any history with him, and to me that dance is is so believable as a man who's so desperate. He's tried his gags, he's tried to talk to people, he's tried to take him out for dinner. It's not working, and this is how far he's fallen down to be this chilled out entertainer that he's so desperate to be. Is this just just? I'm sure everybody's seeing it. I actually think it's not quite as funny now because for me it's been seen that many times, but I well the fact, the fact that we quote and everyone oh I know quotes stuff off.
Speaker 3:This means that when you actually see the quotes, when you watch it again, it they don't hit quite as hard, if you know what I mean. Because I'll say to you like that's coming in from a different angle, which is not a big joke in the office, but like it's things I say every day.
Speaker 2:I don't think it's any TV show where he says, oh yeah, his cakes, yeah, neil Bakes, oh a bit dry, innit a bit dry, and he says I think it's really nice, I prefer a flan yeah, I say that a lot like if.
Speaker 3:If you said you're like this well, I prefer a flan. Do you know what I mean? There's so many things that have just become normal For people who have not seen the Office. Must think I'm absolutely and probably the same with you. Must think we're crazy at times.
Speaker 2:I think this, yeah, I mean if the herd, not that long ago, we were out on one seat, if you had me, you and Tra having a chat, me, you and Ben having a chat, I should give him a respect to call him Travelling. But if the Erd is talking, just like throwing back office catchphrases, these three people come out of a mental home just saying office quotes to each other for like 10 minutes. But that's how ingrained this is in you're right in our senses of humour in that age group and yeah, we're only committing so much time to each thing at this point in time. But absolutely brilliant.
Speaker 2:I mean, tim and Gareth's relationship is fantastic. The kind of love-hate relationship they have, almost Gareth's a fantastic character, the kind of advert that they play and this is before I'd ever seen it. It got me into it where they're talking about I know what you're thinking, no, you don't. And there's a bit of dialogue and he says I was thinking I wonder if there'll be a boy born who could swim faster than a shark and even from that quote, I was hooked.
Speaker 3:Tim's reaction to that is amazing. Obviously now it's almost like a cliche. People know what we're about with the office, that sort of looking at the camera, like with your eyes wide open, but at the time were unbelievable.
Speaker 2:From how many times did I mean certainly us, but I would imagine a certain group of people. When something is going on around you that you think what's going on, you turn to your mates or your family, really sort of big, deliberately wide-eyed, like that tim.
Speaker 3:Look, I would call it yeah, I remember being once in a class, uh, or doing like a journalism thing, and this girl was speaking like you're reading out, um, something that she'd wrote like this was about four years after this had come out to be fair, and it was terrible to be fair like she was like and I think that it were awful. And this guy I've never met just turned to me with like big tim eyes. I could not stop laughing and I talked to him after and he and I said like and he goes. Oh yeah, I've, I've seen Office. He didn't know what else to do. It's that awkward. The Tim look is like. It's like. That's ingrained again in my psychology.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, again, if it gets through. We don't know Genuinely tonight's both matchups, I'm not certain, but obviously, if it gets through, you're going to hear a lot more about this, some good matchups. So genuinely don't know if it will, but we're just going to play our clips that we would use to hopefully get somebody to watch this, but mine. I don't know if it's a bit obscure or not, but I've seen so much of it so many times. This clip still always makes me laugh. This is so so done. The receptionist is really upset and David Brent has taken her into his office to try and console her. He's sat with his guitar and he's not assistant manager. Assistant to the manager.
Speaker 5:Gareth is sat behind him on the table. The roles you never used, your thorns, the ones you loved, abandoned you. Your angel face made hearts so warm. You helped the sick, but who helped you Then, rushing through the Paris?
Speaker 1:night they hounded you. You lost control.
Speaker 5:We prayed that you would be alright the news came through your body cold.
Speaker 1:Good night, my sweet princess. What's that? Originally about Princess Diana.
Speaker 5:Originally, but fits perfectly, doesn't it?
Speaker 1:Not the car crash bit.
Speaker 4:Your relationship with Lee is a bit like a car crash In Paris City of love. You're right, it fits perfectly. Thank you.
Speaker 3:Every breath you take, every move you make Unbelievable that, because obviously you can't see this on a clip but Gareth nodding along with his eyes closed in the background.
Speaker 2:I love as well the bit and again it doesn't play very well for audio but where she says what's in Paris and Brent sort of turns behind him to look at Gareth and points at his thumb and Gareth goes and Brent just nods really slowly and then Is the car crashed Because your relationship will you take.
Speaker 3:Is the car crash because your relationship will be a bit like a car crash. He just yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm not.
Speaker 3:Unbelievable.
Speaker 1:Every breath you take.
Speaker 3:My clip is I think this is the best one episode of any comedy ever and it's the training episode, where a guy comes in to try and train the office staff and it's just one of those sort of shit things that you get in big corporations where this is how you treat your customer, all this sort of stuff, but Brent can't have him playing the lead role. This trainer's coming, but Brent has to still be in charge of him and this is just like a scenario that the guy who's coming to train the staff has brought up and this is how brent deals with it.
Speaker 5:I'd like to make a complaint, please don't care well um, I am staying in the hotel, I don't care it's not my shift. Well, you're an ambassador for the hotel. I don't care. I think you'll care when I tell you what the complaint is.
Speaker 4:I think there's been a rape up there.
Speaker 5:I got his attention, get their attention.
Speaker 2:Amazing Because, like you say, the lengths he's willing to go to to sort of be in charge or be in control or be the lead actor almost. And actually I thought about a few clips from this episode, but I want to stay away from that.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I mean even a bit after it where he plays. The guy on reception is funny. I love the bit where they're talking about stamps and he's like, well, I did actually have to accept that because it's legal tender. And uh, tim says yeah, you can think about that while you're walking home, is it something like that?
Speaker 3:but yeah, I like the bit as well where he's looking at that guy, like there's a guy on the wall, like a picture of a guy on the wall with a bald head and glasses, like some sort of professor or whatever, because imagine him in a band and he realizes the guy speaking to he's got a bald head because it's the glasses.
Speaker 2:Glasses won't work, glasses won't work yeah, you're right, it's a great episode that and, yeah, there's as we said, it moves on to the. Some people think it I don't know it wasn't the right ending in the christmas one. I think the christmas one polishes off the two series brilliant. So, yeah, that is the office. So let's move on to this. It's well, what would you call it? I can't think of the right word to say it well, rival, opponent. Yeah, it's not even trying to be your own word whatever.
Speaker 3:This is the it crowd, Well it.
Speaker 1:Rival Opponent. Yeah, it's not even trying to be your own word.
Speaker 3:Whatever, this is the IT crowd. I don't think that's a great theme tune, to be honest. It's a bit too modern for me. But it sort of sums up the show in that it's not trying to be clever at all.
Speaker 2:Yeah, again cars on the table. It's not. I'm not trying to sway the vote. I only get one vote. I can only speak for this too. I'd be intrigued to, to listen and what sorry to watch more of of this. I didn't even know the theme tune that well, so you just played it. It seems to work for what they're doing. But a lot of people have told me you've got to give IT a go, and I have watched a few episodes of it and I do find it funny. But I think you're right. To me the theme kind of sums it up it's decent, it's just not elite for me.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so people have not seen it. It's three people who are working in the IT department at Reynolds Industries. Originally broadcast by Channel 4, written and directed by Graham Linehan. Produced by Ash Atala Is that his name? Who did the Office as well?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was going to say same producer of the Office actually.
Speaker 3:Yeah, starring Chris O'Dowd, richie Iode, catherine Parkinson, chris Morris, matt Berry. He ran for four series in a special. So the three characters, the main characters in it are Roy, who's a characters? The main characters in it roy, it was a lazy guy, terrible social skills. Moss, it was the geek terrible social skills again, they're referred to as standard nerds by the people throughout this show. And jen, he was the manager of the it department but knows nothing about it. And the other two big characters are dead on, dead on renal. Uh, played by chris morris, and his son douglas, who takes over um in series two, played by matt beret, and his son Douglas, who takes over in Series 2, played by Matt Berry. Those two, for me, are the best characters, by the way, the two bosses in it.
Speaker 2:I don't know if it's because I've not given it enough time or because I've not watched it enough. I think Katherine Parkinson is brilliant in this. To me she represents the viewer. She's the sane one in the whole show. She isn't, though. Yeah. Yeah, maybe I've not seen enough of it, I don't know, but I find the other two guys, despite some absolutely brilliant scenes, quite irritating, and I suppose they're written to be that, but I yeah, I've not. I've not watched enough of this to have the affection for those characters. I see them being funny. Enough of this to have the affection for those characters.
Speaker 3:I, I see them being funny, but I also seen them being irritating. I think the reason you think that about it being the same one is because those two are fairly larger than life. Certainly moss is like a larger than life sort of character, really over top. This for a british comedy. It's not I'm not saying surreal, but it's just acted over the top uh, purpose like it's ridiculous. It's a pure comedy. It don't try and be deep. You won't be thinking like, oh, what are these characters up to now? And the way you might do with the office, you know the office. You might think what tim and dawn are up to now. Whatever, this is just a series of well-written episodes. They don't tie into each other. You could put any episode on.
Speaker 3:There's no like, oh, I need to start episode one is that true, then, so you could watch them in any order right happens, yeah, but I think the fact that it's just trying to be funny means they can take it to more wackier avenues, if you know what I mean. It just tries to be.
Speaker 2:I would say, by the way there is. You know I might have sounded a bit down on it, but yeah, I've watched a few episodes and some of it's really, really funny Like it is laugh out loud funny despite me not really spending the time to get into it. So I mean that that is certainly a a major tick in a box for it, if it's a decent comedy, that I've, in a very disjointed way, watched a few episodes and actually found myself laughing out loud at it it's just as funny as it can be.
Speaker 3:That's. That's, I think, the aim. I could be wrong. Obviously linen wrote it, but I think the aim is I'm going to try and make this episode as funny as I can.
Speaker 2:Surely every sitcom writer would say imagine saying what was your goal? I want this one to be shit. I'd try and write it to be mediumly funny.
Speaker 3:I want this one to be absolutely fucking boring. No, but what I mean is like they don't develop the characters like you get in the Office. It doesn't live in its own world, like something like Darkplace. It's not as tragic as Peep Show, so something like Dark Place it's not as tragic as Peep Show.
Speaker 2:So it's kind of like the Simpsons then, where you could just pick any order. The world never changes, you can just watch them in any order.
Speaker 3:I think it's just meant for you to laugh for 25 minutes or whatever it's on. I don't think it's meaning you to like. I don't think it's aiming for you to get invested in the characters. I think it is yeah and is.
Speaker 2:I think yeah and okay that puts an interesting spin on it, because I like that. I sort of thought I've never been bothered to go and watch through them all, but if you can just sort of dip in and out and pick up episodes.
Speaker 3:No, I do like that if it's non-sequential what's good about it as well is that they changed the managers halfway. There is a massive like change because Denham morris he leaves in the first series and then he's a massive character in it and you think how they're going to replace him. And they replace him with someone who's completely different but just as funny but just as ridiculous. In the same way, in a way that obviously the simpsons don't like, replace characters as such. But you can put so already character in any simpsons episode and change it but still make it funny. And that's what's happened with this, I think. I think, like I say, it's just purely there to make you laugh as much as it can. In those 25 minutes there's no character development, there's no really clever story. There's clever storylines in terms of how jokes come back and things, but there's no sort of hidden meanings or anything like that or that's a satirical thing about that. Realistically, it's just purely I want to make you laugh for 25 minutes.
Speaker 2:I mean to be fair, though the few that I've seen as well do do that thing quite cleverly, where they'll mention something early in the episode which, yeah, brilliant you know he's going to come back several times and it's like a voice activated phone or whatever it is, but there's a, there's a mention of something that will then become a device to drive the comedy later and, yeah, it does that very well and, yeah, I really like this and I probably haven't given it the time I should, and that's the one thing I'll say is, if it gets through, I will watch more of it.
Speaker 3:I watched every episode of this when it were out, not just for this. Yeah, well, I've seen everything Because I really really like this. If you, I remember in the pub earlier on, uh, today with my dad, actually, I'm talking, like what we're talking about today, about the sitcom world cup. This is his favorite sitcom, like out of all the ones that we've got for the last 30 years, and I can see why, because it's just a pure laugh, it's not?
Speaker 2:to be fair, anything that can take time away from your dad watching Everyone Loves Raymond has got to be a great sitcom, hasn't it?
Speaker 3:Absolutely loves. Everyone Loves Raymond I don't know why.
Speaker 2:It is good, though. Everyone Loves Raymond. I mean, obviously this can't be true, but I imagine that pretty much every time I've gone through it to your living room, your dad is watching Everyone Loves Raymond. Well yeah, literally. I know that can't be true, but it seems like it.
Speaker 3:On holidays and things, I'm in a caravan or whatever. Wherever I go away with him, I'll say, oh, you're right, dad, he's watching Everyone Loves Raymond, don't mind where, I don't know if it's just when I'm there, I don't know if it's just when I'm there, I don't know. He's always watching everyone else, raymond. But yeah, this really is good. Like I say, it's not trying to be anything other than fun. The scene I've picked for it is Denham, who leaves after the first series. As I said, he's declared war on stress. He's the manager and he says he's going to sack anyone who gets stressed at work. And here he is testing how stressed Jen is. Last chance.
Speaker 5:If the needle goes beyond here, you will be fired. Does that make you feel stressed, Jen? Does it?
Speaker 4:No, are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure? Are you sure?
Speaker 5:I'm going to burst it, but I'm not going to tell you when.
Speaker 1:Do you feel stressed? Jen Jen Jen, Look at that.
Speaker 5:That's your peace of mind. It's going to go bang. Do you feel stressed? Now? Jen Jen jen, jen jen jen, do you evidently not?
Speaker 1:well done, jen. You're not being fired by me at this precise moment I mean that is brilliant, I think it's.
Speaker 2:I mean this and this is great casting. It's made more brilliant by the fact it's chris morris I. I don't think every actor could necessarily pull off just saying that over and over again, but he is fantastic in that, yeah yeah um, and, like I say, chris morris, obviously fantastic in this.
Speaker 3:Uh, the the acting in this is absolutely fantastic, um, but your scene is probably, I reckon, the most famous. Obviously, we've sent each other the scenes we're going to use. I think this might be the most famous scene in a way in it, or maybe just with football fans.
Speaker 2:Yeah, let's hear it here, you go Moss Right.
Speaker 4:Harry, did you see that ludicrous display last night? What was?
Speaker 4:I thinking sending Walker on early. The thing about Arsenal is they're always trying to walk in. That is true. See you later, mum. Bye, there you go. What was that what you were saying? Football things in a football voice. How do you know about football things? I was listening to you. On your site. It basically sends you a list of football phrases that you can use in normal conversation, updated daily. It's great. I only use it so I can say something to the postman. It's got a pronunciation guide, or pronunciation guide. Did you see that ludicrous display last night? You can get it sent to your phone so that even when I'm away from my desk, I can still sound like I'm just a big, normal man.
Speaker 3:So obviously what's happening here is Moss is, like I said, a complete geek and he's gone on a website out to talk to normal people. And it's brilliant because obviously after this scene, the other character, roy, tries to do exactly the same with someone else in a pub and he just says exactly the same line, line like you see that ludicrous display last night, and it's the same reaction, like what was Fenger thinking bringing Walker on that early? The thing about Arsenal is they always try and walk it in. Yeah, that's right, man, they buy a pint and they come break with me. It's just on back of that. It's brilliant.
Speaker 2:I mean, yeah, and it's very well observed as well, because I mean I watch football regularly with my dad and we just go through a list of I mean particularly my dad, but I probably do it as well but say anybody plays a pass that doesn't come off, my dad will always turn and look me straight in the eye and say, well, I could see what he was trying to do, but he didn't get it right.
Speaker 3:See what he's trying to do.
Speaker 2:by the way, McCoy's yeah but yeah, there's loads of those sort of things in it. Yeah, I think it's so well observed that I mean I'm trying to think off the top of my head of another one of like a. I can't now I'll cut that out brilliant, that's funny, that actually.
Speaker 2:I'll leave it in. Then I'm trying to think like there's loads, when he says to me yeah, I think, yeah, you just said that I'll tell you another one. So on a corner, for some reason, it always does hit the first man, hasn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It'll always turn to me and say, oh God, can't even beat the first man. And I'll always say, regardless of what player it is, at what level, 50 grand a week and he can't beat the first man.
Speaker 3:Yeah, my dad always says this and he nods, yeah my dad will always say like how much are they on? They can't even beat first man off a corner. Sometimes when we United are playing and he's outraged, if United are playing, he'll look at me like we like outraged eyes, like we're a corner. I'm like I can't speak.
Speaker 2:It's that bad, it furious but anyway, there's loads of them in there. I just thought of another one, but yeah, there's hundreds of them.
Speaker 3:Send us in your own kind of repeat conversations you have during football maybe, and that is the IT crowd versus the office so the first team in the second match of today's episode is, in my opinion, a big hitter.
Speaker 2:Might not be for you, the listener or the voter, but this is. I'm Alan Partridge, and here's the theme.
Speaker 2:The string back just gives you a bit of extra purchase. That is a good theme. Yeah, it's brilliant. Again, it's another one. I'm not trying to influence the vote because I don't want you to vote for what I like. We're just summarising each episode in our own opinions, but by no means should the fact that I like Alan Parsons mean you vote for it. But this is possibly my favourite sitcom of all time. We talked about the office shape in our humour. This is the first sitcom that I remember going into school and quoting lines and there was sort of a group of us who'd remembered it all from the 94 and could reel them off. And yeah, it wasn't my first. So I'd seen I'm. Well, it's not, I'm Alan Partridge. I'd seen Alan Partridge doing the interviews. I might mention this before.
Speaker 2:Knowing you, yeah, and I thought it was a serious interviewer just doing it badly and I'd watched about 30 seconds of it and turned off and thought this is ridiculous. So I didn't know anything about this. But but this is where I put the first episode of first series on at night and my mom coming up to check on me if I was okay because I was laughing that much. She thought I was crying. I was just sat on my own in my room just just in tears of laughter.
Speaker 3:Do you remember him on Day Today?
Speaker 2:No, I don't. I mean I've gone back to these things, but no, I don't actually. No, I don't.
Speaker 3:I've watched him since I've got Day Today on DVD and whatever, but I don't remember him at all. But I do remember him on Day Today, just that clip, that go.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've seen that and Furness had played me that He'd got on his PC like some audio clips and there was one about oh my God, look how hard he's hit that Twat or something like that.
Speaker 1:Thriker.
Speaker 2:That's my favourite bit of that.
Speaker 3:It often goes under looked is when someone scores it's a goal, then, like the defender, boots it and they're angry he goes and another.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I'd heard audio clips, but I think I'd thought they were genuine commentary when I heard them, and that's why I'd laughed at them.
Speaker 1:What's what?
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, because it was just an audio clip, like I thought.
Speaker 3:I don't know what that is but then way, people think, liam's, you know a bit of a, you know a backwards child.
Speaker 2:We were about 14 then to be fair, so I can understand why you thought. You thought that, yeah, yeah, you might be benefited out. We might be a little bit older than that, because this was so 1997 was the first time it, so we were 15. So, yeah, you're probably right, actually probably worth 13, 14. When that was on um, created by peter baynham, ste Steve Coogan and Armando Iannucci, and what a fantastic trio that is. So this was where Alan Partridge split with his wife and he's living in a travel tavern or a sordid little grief hole as somebody calls it Chris Morris' character.
Speaker 3:Actually isn't he. When he plays the farmer, he's a.
Speaker 2:DJ on Radio Norwich. He's been pushed onto the. I can't remember if they call it the graveyard shift.
Speaker 3:I think he's on 3am till 5am it's brilliant because the first scene of Alan Partridge is when he goes on that massive rant about Joni Mitchell and he goes. You know, pedestrianisation in Norwich City, something Joni's clearly failed to mention in a blinkered view of the world. Norwich City Centre Something Joni's clearly failed to mention in her blinkered view of the world. Anyway, it's 4am.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and he said something about parking and what she's failed to say is that would alleviate traffic on the edge of town. But apparently part of the trivia that I've seen for this is that a lot of the parts of Norwich City Centre that have been pedestrianised it was dead against have now been pedestrianised. Not all of them, but some of them have now been pedestrianised, which is actually the first two points of trivia on IMD trivia the same point twice. Really, I think it is literally the same point.
Speaker 3:This is like a fucking Partridge radio show no hang on. This is actually the same thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean mean in terms of cast, so I've got. I've got the cast up here, or I did. Yeah, steve Coogan, felicity Montague, simon Grinnell, phil Cornwell, barbara Durkin, sally Phillips, amelia Bulmore, james Lance. James Lance was in a clip I think you were going to play. Actually, which is the the Best of the Beatles?
Speaker 3:Yeah, what's your favourite Beatles album? This, out of all the ones that we've had of like sort of what clip you're going to play some of them are quite odd to get clips that sort of sum up the show, this is the. It's the easiest, in the sense that I could have played genuinely 25 clips that.
Speaker 2:And not that any of the others aren't. They're all really well written, but this is just written and it lends itself really well. So he's doing his DJ set. We get a 40 to 50 second clip of him doing some dialogue. Then he's in his car. We get a minute clip of that. Then he's with somebody else. It lends itself very well to clips and we did say we could have had 30 each. From this. Only two series, no specials, no follow ups to the series. I'm on Partridge, but obviously it's driven the Norfolk Knights. It's driven the podcast he's done. It's driven the audio books that he's done. I Partridge the one I listened to recently about Lighthouse can't remember the name of it is it this week as well?
Speaker 3:that came out a couple of years ago. It did. Scissor Isle as well, which is absolutely fantastic if you've not seen that, that's brilliant, that that's absolutely fantastic. If you've not seen that A lot of this stuff, because a lot of them like Sky Atlantic and stuff like that. I didn't see him initially because I've not got it All worth seeing. All worth seeing. It's probably out of all the sitcom characters ever. People might say Del Boy, this has lasted so well, I think, in the test of time.
Speaker 2:It's brilliant. I thought interesting. By the way, in the first series of this he's 43. I always thought about him as a young man. I mean we're 41 now, yeah.
Speaker 3:I know.
Speaker 2:We're quite close. I'm a partridge age, yeah, I mean, I thought the first series was the perfect sitcom series. I think people like yourself and Tom preferred series two. Series two is where he's. No, I think series one.
Speaker 3:I thought when series two came out it got a lot of rammer, if you remember. I remember like I think it was FHM or one of the load of one of those magazines and he said like the 50 most disappointing things of all time and second series of Alan Portridge were in it which I don't know again. It's a bit like we were talking about Max and Paddy, where maybe the test of time is like sort of you know, being kinder to it. But I think that both series are fantastic but I do think series one is best.
Speaker 2:I like how by the way we got a message from someone, a friend of the show, who made a fair point to be honest about potentially our audience would sort of go in between us as the winner because it could be a bit laddish and we've sort of said we're not like that. I've asked people to send in the favourite sort of football quotes they have with the dad.
Speaker 3:And then you've just mentioned Loder and FHM. So yeah, yeah, yeah, lads, lads meet drinker lads.
Speaker 2:I mean, I don't think this is particularly laddish and I think am I right in saying so. Did Alan Partridge beat the inbetweeners in the previous group?
Speaker 3:no, sorry, the office, beat the inbetweeners, the office by 1%. Alan Partridge pissed that group. Alan Partridge ran away with his group, but I think this time they were a tough group, though they were up against Spaced and something else that got locked. I can't remember off the top of my head, but decent competition and it absolutely pissed it. And well, we're going to do the in-betweeners next. I hope that this is not too old for people who, Because this is probably the oldest sitcom, I think it must be the oldest sitcom on the list.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it shows it. And we've said before, because this has come from you doing Bladespod, and that's where the initial listeners came from. It was obviously very sort of laddish and football based. The age range has changed a little bit and they're all much more sort of female listeners now from the stats we can see and that's really good and yeah, that's on a bit of a tangent anyway, but I'm alan partridge. To me this is, this is right up there, and that again doesn't mean you should vote for it, but I think it's great. I'm going to play my clip now. There's hundreds I could have. Don't actually know, if you've not seen it, whether you'd find this great, but to me, when I was flicking back through old clips of it, this one really made me laugh. So here's what gone with yeah.
Speaker 5:I think you're splitting hairs a little bit there, alan, sorry. Splitting, yes, splitting, you know Sorry. So it's difficult to understand you when you say splitting, because I know in real life you say splitting. It's an interesting way you substitute a D for a T when you're broadcasting. If you ask me, it's the behaviour of a dosser. A dosser, yes, a Dossa and a Dwad.
Speaker 1:Alan.
Speaker 5:Partridge. There, there's Did Head and there's Dallandless Shid, and the films are to be believed. You're back on the bottle. This is Einstein, or?
Speaker 3:Go-Go. Brilliant that, because it's obviously up against. I love any sitcom that someone's got a nemesis. Obviously, office has got you know Brent and Neil. There's low. I can't think of Phoenix Knights. Obviously Dan Perry and this is his nemesis.
Speaker 2:Dave Clifton, played by Phil.
Speaker 1:Cornwell yeah, and they have a few.
Speaker 2:There's another one I thought about playing, which is brilliant, where Alan Partridge has been caught on camera stealing a traffic cone. So he says to him Dave Clifton, he's trying to drop cone into everything to talk to him, to take the piss out of him. And he says something like what's the matter, alan Cone, you take a joke. And he says, oh, fuck off, I love it. But then and again, this is not the clip. And I'm almost trying to squeeze another clip in by saying it myself. But then he says, oh, that's a bit low. Alan's swearing on live radio. Well, technically, dave, it's one minute past seven. This is your show. I'm a guest. You failed to control me. You should read the contract.
Speaker 3:Uh, read a small print in your contract which I think is such a great line that so good, so good. My clip from it is uh again, I'm gonna play this clip and to be sort of disappointed, like thinking I should have gone for that one. I should have gone for that one. But this is Lynn, who's Alan Patch's PA, telling him that he has to downsize.
Speaker 5:Now, Alan, you're going to have to trade down your Ruther 800 for a smaller car. Go on. I picked up these brochures for the new Metro. It's a lovely car. I'm not driving a mini Metro, but you do have to make substantial savings. I'm not driving a mini Metro. But if you do, you can keep Pantry Productions going with a skeleton staff of two.
Speaker 5:There's no point finishing the sentence, then, because I'm not driving a mini Metro, I'll just speak over you. Go on, try and finish the sentence and see what I do. Go on. No, no, no, it's different. It's called a rover metro. Now I've re-badged it you fool.
Speaker 2:I mean that again, that's one of those real iconic moments. I'm not sure if that's from episode one, but that's the only thing that I'll say and we've. We said this earlier. We're not really doing negatives at this stage, but I can't help but mention that. The canned laughter and it's not canned laughter, I don't think I think it's studio laughter, but shown the video of it, at times it's too loud.
Speaker 3:I mean it's great, but it it kills the next line sometimes yeah, yeah, I agree completely, but there's loads, of loads we could have from this. Um, obviously the uh, I said the best of the beatles, one where um wings are the only are only the band the beatles could have been. And he said I love the beatles, so do I. What's your favorite album? I think I'd have to say the best of the beatles. There's the irish one we're going to play just to uh, have a go at you, but he's so long when he's on about. Was it simpleton leprechauns?
Speaker 2:there's mortar island, dan dis yeah, and then we talked to him. He says you know, I've been uh horses running through a council estate. I can't remember how he sums it up.
Speaker 3:Then he said about Sunday and he said that U2 song. It really encapsulates what it's like, because you've got to read the papers, you've got to mess about with it and you think Sunday, bloody Sunday, bloody Sunday, yeah.
Speaker 2:But he said about?
Speaker 3:well, it's actually about the famine. And he said well, you know, if you are a fussy eater, you will pay the price.
Speaker 2:Well, it was only the potatoes that were affected, wasn't it? So if you are a fussy eater, you will pay the price. Brilliant, absolutely Fantastic. And you know what? If you're a younger listener and you never watched Partridge first time round and it's passed you by, you're in for an absolute treat. Go back and watch that.
Speaker 3:But something you will be aware of is its rival, its uh opponent in this particular round, so we're going to move on to the in-betweeners. Right, the Inbetweeners. What can you say about the Inbetweeners? It's one of the most successful comedies of all time. This blew my mind this late when I was doing research from it. Actually, there were only three series and 18 episodes. They were only actually aired from 2008 to 2010.
Speaker 2:They were only on two years, yeah it does seem like it's spanned a lot longer than that. Yeah, that blows my mind a little bit. Actually I thought there on two years. Yeah, it does seem like it spanned a lot longer than that. Yeah, that blows my mind a little bit. Actually, I thought it was six or seven series maybe. I suppose it kind of had to, because it played him sort of around that sixth form age didn't it.
Speaker 3:It weren't necessarily the series. Three series seems about right. I'd have probably said four or five or whatever, but two years. But like you said, you had to cram him in while they logged in. I'm pretty sure Will were about 30 when he played it. Anyway, originally on E4 and then Channel 4, but despite its short run it was that popular. Obviously it went into two films. Have you seen the films?
Speaker 2:I've certainly seen the first one. I'm not sure about the second one. I think I've seen both, but I can only picture scenes from the first one in my head. The first one is the iconic scene where they're dancing to a group.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ian Morris, hang on a minute. I've seen Curtis. Sorry, cut that out. I'll say that again. Written by Damon Beasley and Ian Morris. The series follows the Say the same thing again no, no, no, no, no. But I said Ian Curtis.
Speaker 2:No, you didn't.
Speaker 3:You said Ian Morris, and then I said Ian Curtis yeah, I know, yeah fucked up. I thought I got it wrong, but I've got joy division man mixed up. Anyway, let me just say it again. Written by david beasley and neil morris uh, the series follows the school lives of william mckenzie. He was like the geek simon cooper it was the most normal one, but prone to emotional outbursts neil sutherland, who's basically the idiot, and jay cartwright, who's the biggest bullshitter in tv history. It's full of phrases that have become, I think, synonymous in British culture, genuinely, I think if you've never seen the Inbetweeners, you will have heard something like bus wanker or bumder or briefcase wanker. Ooh, friend football friend.
Speaker 2:Yeah, friend definitely.
Speaker 3:I'd be amazed if anyone below the age of 30 has not heard at least a phrase or a quote from the inbetweeners yeah, it captured a, captured a moment.
Speaker 2:It captured that sort of piss-taking group laughing at each other. But we're really good mates, I I think this is absolutely brilliant. I think the thing that stands out for me, though, is not the sort of almost lead characters, was the rise of Greg Davis. It's the first time I came across him and thought he's absolutely brilliant, I think. Mr Gilbert, yeah, he steals most scenes that he's in, to be fair, but yeah, it's a good mix that they're all likeable and unlikable, sort of in equal measure, which I think makes them quite accurate. Well-rounded, real-life people.
Speaker 3:Yeah, To be honest, when this first came out, I saw the trailer and I thought this looks horrendous because I thought it was going to be like so many other comedies or shows that are meant to show teen life and what it's really like, and I thought it was going to be really unrealistic. But you know, a show about kids basically it's so hard to like, get it right and not be, I mean, I think, like, for instance, skins. It's like I think I mentioned this before everyone's so cool in Skins that you can't relate to them.
Speaker 2:And everyone sort of has a drug overdose and then they're fine a couple of weeks later.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and it's just like you can't, they gangsters.
Speaker 2:but then they managed to sort of I don't know it's dealt with in a couple of weeks because they've been on someone that, yeah, this did feel like I mean, the moments are massively exaggerated, what happens to them, but it does capture that awkwardness of growing up where you're sort of trying to which episode was it?
Speaker 2:I was trying to establish myself on campus, um oh yeah, we're talking about yeah, you favorite, so sorry, guilty pleasure songs guilty pleasures, yes, but this does feel like a group of people that they're sort of trying to find their place and be quite cool in the world and and that's why it's called in between us, which is a great title because yeah yeah, and they're not gay.
Speaker 3:So another another thing that you could do with like an easy win almost be like a, a teen show or sitcom or whatever he's like. Make everyone geeks and like misfits. They're not. This is absolutely the the world that I grew up with. Like all the characters are totally normal.
Speaker 2:They're not cool, they're not losers, they're in between us, like as the title I always took it as in between us, as they're not kids anymore, but they're not adults yet. It might be that it might be that.
Speaker 3:It might be that, to be fair, I've not looked into why it's called in between us, to be honest, but that's what I got from it.
Speaker 2:They're like in the middle of the the pecking order yeah, they're at that awkward stage in life where you kind of expected to start growing up. You don't quite know what that means. And, yeah, it's really well written. I mean, there's some awkward, cringeworthy scenes in this that are almost painful to watch, to the point where, like when you've seen it once before and you know what's coming, you're almost like, oh God, I don't know if I can watch this. There are some absolutely like, really hard-to-watch moments in it.
Speaker 3:Originally, the series was going to be set in the 80s.
Speaker 2:I don't know, if you knew that was genetic.
Speaker 3:Originally, this series was going to be set in the 80s. I don't know if you knew that.
Speaker 1:We're going to be called Baggy.
Speaker 3:Trousers. Yeah, we're going to be called Baggy Trousers. It's a very small clip, do you remember?
Speaker 2:Do you remember Baggy Trousers? Do you remember who remembers Baggy?
Speaker 3:Trousers, Like you say, though for comedic purposes. Yeah, yeah, they're really real.
Speaker 2:This could be your friendship group.
Speaker 1:You're not looking at any of them thinking no, that's ridiculous.
Speaker 2:There might be exaggerated versions, but we all know these sort of people.
Speaker 3:yeah, and it's puerile. But that's the point, isn't it? Teenage boys are puerile, you know what I mean. They are, you know, really fucking horrendously out.
Speaker 2:I like as well that. What it shows is that, despite you know them kind of getting themselves in scrape, they are kind of a good set of lads really, aren't they? They're not. What I love about it is no beds, are they?
Speaker 3:no, there's none of those cringe scenes of like hey, you've had a bad time today, mate. Um, you know, yeah, they just call each other wankers, like mates do, and I think that's the reason for the popularity, because it's something that 90 of us can relate to. I don't know many people who were the artists in their school or the coolest in their school, and I don't know how many people were like the social outcasts in the school as well, and I think, unlike most other teen dramas or sitcoms, that that's unusual in a way that they've just got a normal set of people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly yeah, it's brilliant. I'm sure most people are aware of the in-betweeners, because it has been a massive hit. I mean, I was surprised actually it took the officers close as it did, but maybe that means it's because it got within 1%, didn't it?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's right yeah.
Speaker 2:So actually, maybe this is one that's going to go quite far in a tournament, I don't know. And actually, do you know what? When you actually stop and think about it, I can see why it's absolutely brilliant. It's something that probably caters to a lot of age groups, because I think the people who were that age at that time probably got it. But you can be older than that and still look back to these moments and think, god, they got it really accurate, I think, even for our age group. Who was what 10-15 years down the line after this? Yeah, you know, I haven't really got any criticism to this.
Speaker 2:I think it's quite hard to pick any faults with it. I think all the characters were well cast. I think some of the side characters worked really well and yeah, it's, some of the side characters worked really well and yeah, it's one of them where it gets that mix right of. There's regular gags, so you're laughing every few minutes, but when they do hit you with one of the bigger ones, it is absolutely brilliant. It is like really laughing out loud sort of tears in your eyes. They do get the big moments spot on.
Speaker 3:There are loads of physical scenes in this, like big events like Neil punching a fish to death or Simon being sick on a kid.
Speaker 2:Even you saying that is ridiculous.
Speaker 3:Or Jay obviously gets caught wanking in an old people's home. But I'm going to pick this scene because for me the dialogue is the thing that makes it great. For me the one-liners are up there with anything in comedy history. I think they're almost like punchlines to jokes, but somehow still feel real. They don't feel like forced. So this is my clip and this is Will shit himself at school and he's brought his shitty-stained trousers to the pub in a bag. And here we see Simon and Jay discussing what Will has done.
Speaker 4:He's going to get drunk. I reckon being dressed like that is weird enough, but that bag's got his shitty clothes in it.
Speaker 1:No one brings a bag of shit to a pub. Your dad does, does he? Yeah, your mum, brilliant.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know it's not the longest clip we've played, but no, no, no, there are people outraged.
Speaker 3:I've not chosen like bigger scenes there, but I love that side to it, that sort of your mum that is so like fucking unbelievably immature but unbelievably fun, aye.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I think. Am I right in thinking that's after the exam scene where he shits himself in exams.
Speaker 3:He's had that much Red Bull, yeah, and stuff, yeah, and he has to shout Gilbert, then he goes Phil.
Speaker 2:Phil, Gilbert, then he goes Phil and he says oh my god, come on something like. I thought it was a. I thought it was safe yeah, but brilliant my clip.
Speaker 2:It's a little bit self indulgent. This because I'm not sure it's the best clip. I could have played as a radio clip, but it's a bit that makes me. It makes me laugh every single time. There's so much of jay telling lies and telling all sorts of stories I could have played as a clip. But this is him trying to prove how funny he is and I absolutely love it hey, jay, listen.
Speaker 3:If you really want to laugh, you come and chat with me.
Speaker 4:I'm about 50 times funnier than him see for real progressively. Yes, I'm totally for real.
Speaker 3:everyone knows I'm funniernier. Even you say so, wouldn't you Will Er well, no, not really.
Speaker 4:Alright, then funny boy, make me laugh Without undressing.
Speaker 1:Crazy Frog Okay.
Speaker 4:If Will ever stops being funny, I'll let you know. Come on you, oh God.
Speaker 5:Okay, if Will ever stops being funny, I'll let you know.
Speaker 2:Come on, you, oh god it's not even at the time. It felt so dated and I loved that yeah, yeah, it did put someone on the spot of like, well, go on, then, be funny. And I know, like I've heard, like Frank Skinner say, when you're a comedian and you go somewhere and say, well, go on, then make us laugh. Like but yeah, he's put himself out there as I'm way funnier than him. Well, go on, then, make me laugh. And that's what he's come up with. It's brilliant.
Speaker 3:That's where his brain's gone to and he goes on for ages, like you say, and they're all just like looking at him. So that is the biggest tie for me in the entire round of 16. That's how I'm Alan Partridge versus the in-betweeners. That is a fucking. That's a heavy. That's like Brazil Argentina coming up against his second round.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's one of them where if you're going to win it, you're gonna have to knock out all the other. You're gonna, you're gonna have to be the best in the tournament. So if, if one of those is serious of. I think it's clear from my summary that I love Almanac Partridge, but I can't deny the magnitude of the in-betweeners. It's fantastic. It's captured multiple generations.
Speaker 3:Brilliant, right. So what's going to happen now? We're going to wrap up here and we are as this sitcom goes out. We're going to happen now we're going to wrap up here and we are as this sitcom goes out we're going to put out the votes of the round of 16. You're going to have a week to vote. When we come back, when Liam comes back from holiday, you're going to Turkey, aren't you the Turkish? The Turks? Yep, the Turks Then is it Africa, Turkey? What's the class? Europe Is it Africa, Turkey? What's the class?
Speaker 2:Europe. No well, it's sort of border of Europe and Middle East. I think it's in the EU, not Africa, is it? It's not Africa now, definitely not.
Speaker 3:Africa, is it? Anyway, you're going there. That's irrelevant. When you come back? You're coming back on the Sunday, I think, or the Monday, whatever, we will have the quarterfinalists in place, and what we're going to do for the next round is go through a memorable episode of each sitcom that gets through. So if you want to hear more about these sitcoms, vote for your favourite.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So yeah, we're not just going to play an episode, we're going to discuss our favourite episode and give you a bit more detail about why we like it. And actually I think we said from the semis we might actually start to critique. Yeah, we might offer some of our kind of expert advice on where it could have been better.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're going to critique when we get to the semifinals, we're going to say, like the things that we don't, things that we might think, like I'm not sure if that works, but yeah. But for the next one, we're going to go through an episode step by step, fucking scene by scene, and then we'll get to the semifinals after that. But for now, liam, thank you very much.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm really intrigued. By the way, do you know? When I'm on holiday I'm going to be checking the votes just to see what's winning, because there's some brilliant matchups. So if you do have a preference, make sure you vote, make sure you tell anyone around you to vote for their favourites. And let's make sure the Listening With Maidly Living With Maidly, I fucking know. Let's make sure the Living With Maidly fans vote through the best sitcom. Let's get the best sitcom to win the World Cup.
Speaker 3:That's it. That is it. That's what it's all about. Thank you, liam. Yeah, cheers, fair play.
Speaker 2:If anyone wants to get in touch with us, send us anything. Find us on twitter.