Wednesday, February 24, 2010

A telescope with a mouse in it



They're screening The Young Ones here again. I haven't seen it since it was originally on tv in the 80s. I was a teenager then and loved it - so weird and cool - everyone was into it. So my DH and I wondered last night, would we still find it funny now that we're looking down the barrel of 40? The answer is yes and no. It was strange at times - very staged - almost like a play with the actors seemingly very conscious of what I assume was a live audience. So, in that way, it had aged quite badly. And slapstick comedy is definitely for the teenage market only. But the utterly surreal bits were great - I possibly enjoyed them more now than when I was 14 and needed things to be very clear and grounded in reality. And it is a lovely time capsule of the 80s - Rick with his overalls, skinny ties and badges; Neil and Vvyan as cultural refugees from the 70s and Mike...well, I never really understood Mike and that hasn't changed. Anyway, I had to include this clip which I found funny then and still find funny now. Oh, the social angst of parties...though it was never quite this bad!

4 comments:

Diana Kennedy said...

Yes, it is always quite interesting to watch the shows and series we used to love in our youth in order to see if we still find it thrilling or funny. As far as I am concerned, I perceive only a very few with the same eyes as back then.

I didn't know about "The young ones". But as it looks on that video, its the thing that would have made me laugh too, in the 80ties. Ah - and wish our police was also this strict with noisy neighbors, hehe! ;-)

Feronia said...

Actually, I think we need those police with our neighbours too when they start with their stereos at 2 a.m.!

Wurst Semmel said...

Yep, I've been watching this again. Used to love The Young Ones then, especially Rik. Just shows how much more sophisticated some humour has got (I'm not thinking Two and a Half Men or Cougar Town here, ha!) But,as you say, you pick up on different things than watching it all those years ago.

Feronia said...

Two-and-a-half-Men and Cougar Towns are comedies??? ;-)