Drop The Dead Donkey - C/D?

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This thread is inspired by the fact that I recently discovered that Paramount Comedy continue to show this programme, meaning they've been showing it in an endless loop since about 1999.

This was such arse, wasn't it? Two dimensonal characters flailing around to little effect, telegraphing tiresome, contrived and badly shoehorned-in semi-jokes about Princess Di/John Major/BSE/etc. Amazing to think that once this was considered cutting-edge satire - I suppose we all enjoyed it at first, but then in early '94 The Day Today came along and just blew it out of the water. There was no point in carrying on after that, but they went on and on and on for a good 10 years or so.

Chriddof (Chriddof), Friday, 27 June 2003 17:44 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm pretty sure the show only ran from '89 to '94 or thereabouts, tho i could be wrong

it was one of my favourite contemporary sitcoms from '89 to '92. i'm sure i wouldn't find it too funny to watch those early ones now. the later series experienced the same problem that has befallen The Simpsons in that all the main characters became completely unlikeable which was just a cynical drive to get more cheap laughs out of their hideous character flaws and irritating nuances.

of the cast, it seems only Neil Pearson, Stephen Tomkinson and Haydyn Gwynn have made any sort of impact elsewhere (Pearson in 90s BBC cop drama Between The Lines and the film Fever Pitch, Gwynn in Merseybeat i think, and Tomkinson in Ballykissangel and other revoltingly pleasant light hearted TV drama series)

stevem (blueski), Friday, 27 June 2003 17:57 (twenty-two years ago)

According to h2g2 it ran from 1990 to 1998 - so we were both wrong.

Haydyn Gwynn was also in Peak Practice, I think.

Chriddof (Chriddof), Friday, 27 June 2003 18:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I adored Joy, personally. Like an adult, even lovelier version of Darlene out of Roseanne. It was a decent to good sitcom, and I'm not sure anyone ever imagined that it was cutting edge satire.

Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 27 June 2003 19:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Joy also went on to be in Ballykissangel. Gus was in Casualty for a while. George was Lynda Bellingham's "love interest" in Faith in the Future. Stephen Tompkinson was rather good in Brassed Off.

DTDD hasn't dated terribly well, but I did rather like it at the time.

ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 27 June 2003 19:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not sure anyone ever imagined that it was cutting edge satire.

Um, yes, fair point there actually. I don't know why I wrote that.

Chriddof (Chriddof), Friday, 27 June 2003 20:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I just realised that my earlier post makes me look like the queen of cosy-domestic-drama-watching. Hmmm.

ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 27 June 2003 20:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I knew so many people who aspired to be Joy, and rightly so.

Alex in Doncaster (Alex in Doncaster), Friday, 27 June 2003 20:47 (twenty-two years ago)


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