Posted in: Movies, TV | Tagged: bbc 3, comedy, Comics, tv

Eight BBC3 Comedy Shows That Aren't On BBC3 – And How I Want More Cariad Lloyd Right Now, Please

Today, while blogging away, I've watched eight new comedy pilots from BBC3 from young creators that have been made available on the iPlayer only under the Comedy Feeds line.

All a bit Netflixy.

So… what did I reckon?

• Bamboo – Two posh idiots try and set up their own nightclub. Starring Totally Tom. Written by Harry and Jack Williams. Produced by Roughcut.

This is interesting. A sitcom featuring morons, it feels like two of the Inbetweeners if they'd tried to become Nathan Barleys, with trust funds to their name to spend. Filthy, funny, with the highlight definitely being a discussion of the ground rules of the two leads giving each other oral sex if they were forced to. Which they might. These people grow up to be the government. you know. Starring the Totally Tom double act, I remember seeing them perform in a club… somewhere in London and they've kept the posh people out of their league schtick going wonderfully. Also, one of them really reminds me of Peter Serafinowicz.

• Kerry – Multi-character sketch show written by and starring Kerry Howard. Produced by Objective.

This is probably the most traditional, a sketch show along the lines of Little Britain and The Fast Show with characters pushed by catch phrase and repetition. The same jokes, with slight variance that ends up fulfilling expectations more than tickling funny bones. But the details of the elderly manager trying to turn every situation into a sexual swinging opportunity, the Google Maps navigator who always ends up in the middle of a distant field rather that the tube station which was in front of them, and Sandra's friend who insists everyone stop what they are doing and leave because "They've been rude to Sandra" ends up destroying one of the most important events in human history, and it well worth the journey getting there. If the catchphrases catch, this could well fill the sketch show gap only being filled by CBBC right now. But not really "fresh, experimental" as the tagline has it.

• Fuzzbox – A puppet show featuring the voices of real young people. Produced by My Pockets.

A cross between The Inbetweeners and Shameless with puppets. Scumkids in their hoodies and tracksuits, sex, drugs, violence and all of them them made of felt, and all of them expelled from their respective schools. The dialogue feels improvised by kids and then set to puppetry, giving it a Creature Comforts feel., just with more conversation about catching crabs. I feel too old for watching this.

• C Bomb – C Bomb is the godfather of the South Yorkshire dubstep scene. Since 'Rektal Dysfunction' he's been living on former glories. All that is set to change. Starring YouTube's Rob Madin and written by Rob, Jason Cook and Daniel Peake. From BBC In-House comedy.

Is Jimmy Savile was starting up now. But not being a sexual predator. Or at least, not being a successful one. There's a very strong young John Shuttleworth/Alan Bennett feel of a young man with dreams of musical stardom that are let down by other's lack of expectations and his own lack of talent. But that's then flipped on its head by his fully produced videos in his head that transform the mundane into the spectacular. "I'm not Jesus. Jesus died for our sins. I just give our sins a soundtrack." Really sweet.

• The Cariad Show – A multi-character sketch show from comedian, writer and improviser Cariad Lloyd. From BBC In-House comedy.

Self referential and up its own arse in places, this is more intelligent, experimental and surprising… and also much funnier than Kerry. And is probably my favourite of these shows. It had me smiling throughout. It both rejects and exposes stereotypes, refuses the comedy of repetition, snubs catchphrases and just decides to be funny, again and again. And both the perfect-girlfriend-for-sad-geeks, the proper violent sexist old Cockney, and the ex-Eastenders-actress turned superhero, Super Pam, had me grinning ear to ear by just being, well, damn clever and well made. Actually, so did everything in this. Most sketch shows have a reputation of being a curate's egg, good in parts, but every single sketch in this was a belter. If you watch one of these pilots, this is the one. I've seen Cariad in Cardinal Burns and FIT but this is so much better than either. Right now I don't want to watch anything else.

• Nick Helm's Heavy Entertainment – Raucous, studio-based comedy show from the star of BBC Three's Live At The Electric, Nick Helm. From BBC In-House comedy.

Very much an anti-comedy rant that deconstructs jokes as it simultaneously paints a picture of an untalented megalomaniac who has been given a television show for no apparent reason,. Rude, abrasive and bullying, but in the end the joke is turned around entirely on Nick Helm, mocked as a fat hairy twat, unaware that he is not a sex god or comedy god. The danger of over confidence here played wonderfully for laughs.

• The Committee Meeting – starring Welsh comics Elis James and Chris Corcoran. We enter the committee meeting of a Welsh social club. Produced by Tiger Aspect. BBC Commissioning Executive is Kristian Smith.

First (and only) ex-Doctor Who, Colin Baker, makes an appearance in this live audience sitcom, that treats the audience as the rest of the committee, and is more of an interactive stage show or pantomime than sitcom. But as part of the narrative includes flashbacks and cutaways. It has a feel of The Kumars At No 42 or a more organised Vic Reeves Big Night Out,  just with more Welsh and more audience awareness. Some of the cast have CBeebies experience, Corcoran was superb on Doodle Do, and he's carried this attitude over to an adult audience. Nice, silly and low budget, so you forgive it loads.

• Going Native – mock documentary staring Mona Yousefi who plays three different foreign women – a Russian gold digger, a Japanese internet sensation and a Middle Eastern entrepreneur – who have recently moved to the UK to start a new life. Produced by Hat Trick. BBC Commissioning Executive is Sean Hancock.

Here is your new Borat, a young woman who is happy to dress in the clothes and styles of other cultures and races and suddenly finds people lacking common sense or asking the right questions of who is in front of them, especially obvious as the Japanese YouTube star being interviewed by local BBC radio station by Andy Potter, oblivious to the obvious fact that she is simply not Japanese. It's that mix between parodying funny foreigners and their funny foreign ways, and mocking British people who seem to play along with these people, out of politeness and a fear of offense rather than calling the characters out for the shams they are.

You can watch these all free, right now on BBC iPlayer if you live in the UK. If you don't, find a VPN that says you do!

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