Nevermind the Buzzcocks

[Vamp]

Well that was absolute shite.

[ZJ Penn]

I thought it was better than the first episode, possibly the second.

Bob Mortimer was good as I hoped, Kelly Rowland was unexpectedly funny and up-for-it too. Surprised to see her on it though.

[Cactus Drags]

I pray that this is the last season, and they'll jsut re-run the original series from now on.

[ZJ Penn]

Do we need another version of Dave?

[Cactus Drags]

I don't care, we just need less of the current Simon Amstell rambles on taking the piss for 20 minutes of a half hour show. I know it's only loosely a quiz show at the best of times, but taking 12 minutes out of a half hour just to get to the second question of the first round is ridiculous.

I wouldn't mind so much if he was actually being funny, rather than trying to be daring and getting a rise out of the guests.

[ZJ Penn]

One of the worst things is that now they rarely get guests like Donny Tourette who they can take the piss out of properly. Now it's either funny or successful people (albeit rarely) or just boring people we've never heard of (Can't even remember the guests other than Kelly Rowland). So Amstell has to dig around for anything he can use to try and get a laugh.

The funniest bit was when Jack Osbourne tried a joke and it just fell flat on its face but no-one had the nerve to say anything.

Edited October 16, 2008 by Zombie Jesus

[Downward Spiral]

I don't care, we just need less of the current Simon Amstell rambles on taking the piss for 20 minutes of a half hour show. I know it's only loosely a quiz show at the best of times, but taking 12 minutes out of a half hour just to get to the second question of the first round is ridiculous.

I wouldn't mind so much if he was actually being funny, rather than trying to be daring and getting a rise out of the guests.

I have to completely disagree with you on that one. Amstell rambling on is by far and away my favourite part of the show. I've just watched the most recent one and I nearly pissed myself laughing during the Nick Grimshaw celebrity bit.

I thought it was a great show. I'd be very surprised if this turns out to be the last series. IMO Amstell is a fantastic host and has made what once was a tired format extremely funny and rejuvenated.

[IAceI]

It must be hard for the show to get guests when the host just alienates the whole thing from possibly getting a reputable guest on the show. It wasn't bad when he first took over because they could still get a few alright guests on to use, but now it seems like no one wants to go on the show.

I like Simon Amstell but if you just want to mock anything and everything for a quick laugh, then your not going to be left with a quiz show very soon. Plus I remembered he claimed every Jamiroquai song sounded the same, so I lost a bit of liking for him right there.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

The problem stems from the fact that Mark Lamarr was smart in his slagging off, launched abusive bile and rhetoric around for a couple of minutes every episode (which was hilarious) and then was smart enough to feed his guests lines in order for them to get a laugh out of the audience.

Amstell therefore is shown for what he is. Ininspired and a weak replacement. He tried to do the same but he's not comedically smart or unselfish enough to feed the guests to put THEM over (as well as himself) and he just slags off whoever he can and leaves the guests with slim pickings to fight over...If they can be bothered. Which is why only the actual comedians (who know how to get a laugh out of an arid nothingness) can actually perform well on the show.

Lamarr managed to put over a wide variety of musical guests and make them seem extremely funny. He also worked better with Bill Bailey who was being starved horribly by Amstell's lack of comic intuitiveness.

[Cactus Drags]

I don't care, we just need less of the current Simon Amstell rambles on taking the piss for 20 minutes of a half hour show. I know it's only loosely a quiz show at the best of times, but taking 12 minutes out of a half hour just to get to the second question of the first round is ridiculous.

I wouldn't mind so much if he was actually being funny, rather than trying to be daring and getting a rise out of the guests.

I have to completely disagree with you on that one. Amstell rambling on is by far and away my favourite part of the show. I've just watched the most recent one and I nearly pissed myself laughing during the Nick Grimshaw celebrity bit.

I thought it was a great show. I'd be very surprised if this turns out to be the last series. IMO Amstell is a fantastic host and has made what once was a tired format extremely funny and rejuvenated.

Fine, I have to completely disagree on the ridiculous size of your sig image.

Hammy's bang on, Amstell wants all the glory and just ends up ruining it, and in parts this week it actually seemed like Phil was giving up on the show.

Also, if Bob Mortimer, a bloody good comedian and a veteran of the comedy quiz format can't get a decent laugh, there's something up.

[IAceI]

To be fair, his old partner in crime is currently dressing up as a woman for a bingo advert - so maybe its not as great as it used to be

[ZJ Penn]

Just to sneak it in if anyones interested and doesn't already know, Shooting Stars is back for a Christmas special and a compilation clip show with some new stuff this year.

[Hobo]

To be fair, his old partner in crime is currently dressing up as a woman for a bingo advert - so maybe its not as great as it used to be

Vic Reeves is also the totally awesome one so we can forgive him

[New Damage]

I've noticed over the last few episodes and probably most of last series too, Amstall seems to do a lot more shilling for the guests. Granted I realise they're always on there to promote somethign, but it seems to be in excess lately. He must've asked the guests about 3 times each this week about whatever they were doing.

That indie-style presenter guy (on Phil's team) annoys the fuck out of me, but he at least had a point about the Ting Tings girl, as did Phil's song. Did Phil look even FATTER than usual?

I'm holding out on Jack Dee though soon. I can imagine it now, Amstall's trying to take the piss out of Jack and his not knowing of popular music right now, then after a few moments of silence, he'll tell him to 'fuck off'. In those words. I love that angry, grizzled, sarcastic comedy like Dee and Lemarr.

Edited October 18, 2008 by TheModernWay

[-A-]

It doesn't even feel like a humorous quiz show any more, it's like a chat show. A scripted chat show, with crap writing.

[IAceI]

I have to say, I'm watching now and have been laughing a bit. But not in like a comedy format sort of way, a lot of the stuff I've been laughing at is just like.. random jokes that you would make with all your friends at the pub or something - not anything amazingly hilarious.

[fourstarfizzle]

I did some reminicsing before, I watched the episode with Fearne Cotton, Steve Frost, some boy band guy and Pete Tong. Probably one of my episodes ever. And there's hardly any ripping into celebrities, and when there is, it's all fun and jokey.

I miss Lemarr and Bailey.

[-A-]

Yeah, I actually enjoyed this episode a lot as well, but it doesn't really change the fact that it's not as consistently funny as it was in the past. What makes something like Have I Got News For You so funny is that they're constantly getting comedic inspiration from stuff that's topical, they have good fodder for jokes. Buzzcocks has totally abandoned any kind of quiz format, it's just a group of people sitting around, trying to be funny. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

At least this week they did have some guests I'd heard of. Kelly Rowland's far bigger a name than they usually have on the show and Jack Osbourne's pretty well-known as well.

[Vamp]

I suppose this weeks was at least decent, possibly good. I'm not a fan of Johnny Vegas anyway, although he wasn't too bad here, the whole ratings thing was a bit boring and seemed to get in the way sometimes. Although I was fine with the ending. I still think the Bill Bailey thing is an issue, but I can't see them deciding on a replacement for a while, if ever. I suppose the guest host thing works sometimes on HIGNFY, the only problem is you've often gotta take the shit with the smooth.

[therockbox]

The guest host works on HIGNFY because Hislop and Merton can be funny regardless of whose hosting, even if it's someone completely terrible like Ann Widdicombe or whatshisface from Richard & Judy. Simon Amstell and Phil Jupitus just aren't that funny, and then most of the guests they get on have no personality and are only there for the publicity.