Episodes
Episode six of Britcom Goes to the Movies marks the halfway point of the series and this week we’re going all the back to 1970. Having said that the themes and satire from The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer are all too prescient in 2023. Guy and Rob are joined to talk all things Peter Cook, David Frost and of course The Rise & Rise of Michael Rimmer by writer, producer and host of the Best Pick Podcast Tom Salinsky. Tom’s insights and political context for this episode were invaluable...
Published 11/15/23
Episode 5 of Britcom Goes to the Movies. Rob and Guy are on a Busman's Holiday (not On the Buses yet thank God) as they research the writing team of Steve Coogan and Henry Normal. A chance to fanboy the shit out of things as this episode is on 2001's The Parole Officer. Although memories of the movie aren't completely favorable, both Rob and Guy are huge Coogan and Normal fans. The Parole Officer's genesis seems to lie in Coogan's Run and Paul and Pauline Calf, so expect some deep dives into...
Published 11/08/23
Episode four already?! Guy and Rob are building up a head of steam and are joined for the first time by a guest. TV Writer Steve Dunne chips in with his thoughts on the 2001 football fan favourite Mike Bassett: England Manager.   Ricky Tomlinson, at the height of his Jim Royle fame, starred as the ever-optimistic lower league football manager turned England’s savior at a time when the real England team was looking to the continent in Sven Goran Eriksson and playing some of the most memorable...
Published 11/01/23
Episode 3 of Britcom Goes to the Movies sees Guy and Rob tackle their first direct TV Sitcom Spin-off. Man About the House from 1974 was one of a glut of Hammer produced big screen versions of beloved TV sitcoms and the show, which debuted in 1973 spawned not only this film, but two other spin-off series, a US remake, and two US spin-offs. You could say it’s a bit of a big hitter.   However, the 1970s sensibilities and style of humour filled at least one of us with dread. Find out if those...
Published 10/25/23
Episode 2: Getting in the Swing. The only way is up (we hope) after Lesbian Vampire Killers. Next on our agenda was to take a closer look at the Martin Clunes 1994 vehicle Staggered. A film that at the time seemed ubiquitous because of an aggressive marketing campaign, but not one that’s widely remembered in 2023.In fact not even by Guy and Rob it would seem. Both huge Men Behaving Badly fans, one had seen Staggered but couldn’t remember it, while the other couldn’t remember if he had seen...
Published 10/18/23
Series one episode one of Britcom Goes to the Movies. After a low-brow discussion in a high-end Leeds boozer, Guy Walker and Rob Heath decided to set on a quest to definitively rank as many British comedy small to big/screen transfers as they could before they or more importantly their audience got bored of it. Building the long list of movies that contained some kind of programme, sketch, or talent crossover was the fun bit, then the real work began.   It was decided that Britcom Goes to the...
Published 10/11/23