Now here you are with your faith and your Peter Pan advice

[venta]

Oh that explains it. I've been struggling for some time to work out why I'd heard of Benedict Cumberbatch (surely the most unwieldy name in showbiz) prior to his playing Sherlock. IMDB didn't really offer any clues. Anyway, it turns out he played the rather inept Captain Martin Crief in Cabin Pressure

Cabin Pressure is a II. When I was regularly commuting to work by car my commute often involved being in the car during the thirty minutes between 1830 and 1900, so I often caught the half six comedy slot.

Grade I programmes in the comedy slot include The News Quiz, The Now Show, Old Harry's Game, or anything featuring either Mark Steel or Jeremy Hardy. They're the shows where you make sure you leave work on time so you'll definitely hear them.

Grade II programmes are the sort you listen to if you happen to be in the car. This covers a wide range of things - basically everything not I or III - and typically includes The Museum of Everything, Chain Reaction, The Party Party or anything featuring either Giles Wemmbley-Hogg or Shappi Khorsandi.

Grade III programmes are the ones where the instant they are announced you have to lunge for the off button. Severe cases require the operation of said off button to take precedence over driving safely. Grade IIIs include Count Arthur Strong, Rudy's Rare Records and various other sitcoms too dreary to recall.

Special cases of Grade III are The Archers and anything featuring Chris Moyles, though they feature in a different timeslot and on a different station, respectively.

Comments

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

Which category would you put Bleak Expectations into? Because Benedict Cumberbatch sounds like exactly the kind of person that you'd expect to find accompanying the evil villain of the piece, Mr Gently Benevolent.

With you entirely on your grading of Count Arthur Strong, though. Do Armando Ianucci vehicles end up in I or II?

[venta.livejournal.com]

Oh, I rather enjoyed Bleak Expectations (though it's now bugging me that I can't remember Mr Parsimonious' forename), I'll give it a I. Armando Ianucci is quite variable, actually - some episodes of his Charm Offensive would definitely have made it into I, but others have been a bit bland.

When he was involved in election coverage earlier this year, it totally threw me because he doesn't look at all the way he sounds like (in particular, he was a lot older than I expected). See also Milton Jones, who sounds much taller, thinner and besuited than he actually is.

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

I've never been that impressed by Milton Jones, I must admit.

Hut 33 was another I, though.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Blimey, Hut 33 was firmly Grade II for me.

I do like a nice bit of Milton Jones, though. Not too often, admittedly, but now and again.

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

Ah, the joy of difference. Milton Jones was more a II, tending somewhat to III for me at times.

Then again, Just a Minute is a III for me, as well (at least, since the demise of Clement Freud).

[venta.livejournal.com]

A couple of weeks ago, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue had a particularly fabulous parody of Just a Minute. Jack Dee (still surprisingly good as the new Humph) in particular was great.

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

Bah. Damnit, I think I missed that one.

[uitlander]

I was at the recording for that. It was jaw droppingly brilliant.

[venta.livejournal.com]

it's now bugging me that I can't remember Mr Parsimonious' forename

I eventually looked it up to avoid wasting more work time thinking about it - Mr Skinflint Parsimonious. Hmm. Weird. Doesn't actually sound all that familiar, really.

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

I don't think his forename got mentioned as often as Mr Benevolent's, though.