(Highly unfashionable comedian from our country) is hugely popular in (other country)! How cute of the natives there!

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

You know: Norman Wisdom is a god in Albania, the French love Jerry Lewis, Americans watch nothning but "Are You Being Served?" 24 hours a day... is any of this actually true? 0r is it just "Lookit the crazy foreigns!!!" style urban legendness?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 6 January 2006 15:15 (twenty years ago)

i hear that yakov smirnoff is quite popular in the united states.

― miss michael learned (Jody Beth Rosen), Friday, 6 January 2006 15:16 (twenty years ago)

Andrew Dice Clay was made an Officer of the Queen's Court in Turkmenistan.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 6 January 2006 15:16 (twenty years ago)

If we were to expand this beyond comedy, David Hasselhoff to thread.

― tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Friday, 6 January 2006 15:17 (twenty years ago)

huk is big in japan

― mark p (Mark P), Friday, 6 January 2006 15:17 (twenty years ago)

http://www.comedyorama.com/philsilvers/philsilvers-graphics/bilko-01.jpg

― CLassic or Dadaismus? (Dada), Friday, 6 January 2006 15:18 (twenty years ago)

x-post -- Alright
Big in Japan
Tonight

Americans watch nothning but "Are You Being Served?" 24 hours a day.

Excuse me, you mean Benny Hill.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 6 January 2006 15:19 (twenty years ago)

Jimeoin, who is Irish, is massive in Australia and not really very popular here.

This information may be out of date.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Friday, 6 January 2006 15:19 (twenty years ago)

I'm always hearing about local/regional country artists who can't get played on Cdn radio but chart in the top 40 in Holland. I think they just make that shit up, however.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:03 (twenty years ago)

I do know at least one comedian who got himself on prime time Australian telly by telling them he was very popular in Ireland, then got himself on telly in the UK by telling them he was very popular in Australia.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:06 (twenty years ago)

Jimeoin, who is Irish, is massive in Australia and not really very popular here.

This information may be out of date.

Might be? The peak of Jimeoin's popularity was over ten years ago...

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!! (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:09 (twenty years ago)

http://www.jimeoin.com/images/banner/banner_animation.gif

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:16 (twenty years ago)

"JIMEOOOOOOOOIN'S COOOOOKING SHOW!"

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!! (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:18 (twenty years ago)

If we were to expand this beyond comedy, David Hasselhoff to thread.

Children only really brought him flowers in Germany until like 1991, you know.

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:20 (twenty years ago)

I love it when Americans say "British humour isn't subtle or dry at all! What have they done apart from Benny Hill?!", mostly because no one in the UK has ever watched a whole episode of Benny Hill.

― Wogan Lenin (dog latin), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:25 (twenty years ago)

I heart Benny Hill. :(

― Excelsior Syndrum (noodle vague), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:26 (twenty years ago)

I think they should start showing League of Gentlemen and I'm Alan Partridge on PBS at midnight for the next 10 years instead of Are you being Served?

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:27 (twenty years ago)

HUGE in North Korea:

http://www.muhlenberg.edu/studorgs/MAC/COMpic/winslow.jpg

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:29 (twenty years ago)

mostly because no one in the UK has ever watched a whole episode of Benny Hill.

You mean, most people under a certain age - and that's only because his shows are never shown on TV anymore

― CLassic or Dadaismus? (Dada), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:29 (twenty years ago)

there's a reason for that.

In France they show Benny Hill and the Golden Girls on TV for English learners.

― Wogan Lenin (dog latin), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:32 (twenty years ago)

Little & Large are massively popular in China. They play Wembley Stadium size venues there.

However, Cannon & Ball are more popular in Russia, where they are so popular that they can only play Tungushka Crater sized venues.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:32 (twenty years ago)

Pleez stop dissing Benny Hill before the little bald guy brings the motherfucking fury.

― Excelsior Syndrum (noodle vague), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:33 (twenty years ago)

there's a reason for that.

Perhaps that Benny Hill is about a million times funnier than most British comedy which does get shown on British TV? "Nighty Night"? "Shitey Shite" more like.

― CLassic or Dadaismus? (Dada), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:39 (twenty years ago)

Chubby Brown is very popular in Australia. I know - I was as surprised as you

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Friday, 6 January 2006 17:28 (twenty years ago)

jocelyn OTM but substitute Keeping Up Appearances and As Time Goes By for Are You Being Served.

― tokyo nursery school: afternoon session (rosemary), Friday, 6 January 2006 17:33 (twenty years ago)

Don't those crazy limeys think suck ass programmes like Futurama and Family Guy are really funny?

― DV (dirtyvicar), Friday, 6 January 2006 17:47 (twenty years ago)

jocelyn OTM but substitute Keeping Up Appearances and As Time Goes By for Are You Being Served.

-- tokyo nursery school: afternoon session (rosemarygilber...), January 6th, 2006.

they show all 3 on our pbs affiliate. i'm a fan of Last of the Summer Wine, which an ex who now lives in the uk makes fun of me for cuz it's apparently strictly an old person's show over there.

― andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Friday, 6 January 2006 18:03 (twenty years ago)

However, Cannon & Ball are more popular in Russia, where they are so popular that they can only play Tungushka Crater sized venues.

A pedant would like to point out that the Tunguska Event didn't actually leave a crater :-)

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Friday, 6 January 2006 18:03 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I prefer As Time Goes By, but you might consider why our public television chooses the Britcoms it does - the audience (a very small subset of Americans, I would think) is probably old people and those looking for British-exclamation-point. (Xp)

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Friday, 6 January 2006 18:06 (twenty years ago)

suck ass programmes like Futurama

Oh, dear.

― phil d. (Phil D.), Friday, 6 January 2006 18:17 (twenty years ago)

are you being served and faulty towers are ALWAYS on somewhere in the u.s. forever.

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 6 January 2006 18:19 (twenty years ago)

Curiously enough, WLIW, the main purveyor of Are You Being Served? and As Time Goes By in New York City had a The Office marathon in prime time the other night. Demographics be changin'.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Friday, 6 January 2006 18:23 (twenty years ago)

the French love Jerry Lewis

Jerry demurs that the Belgians and Dutch (I think?) love him more. And he was a gigantic star in America, 1950-65.

My comedy-expert friends would tell you Benny Hill never did an original gag in his entire career.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 6 January 2006 18:26 (twenty years ago)

the vicar of dibley is pretty popular in the u.s., but dawn french isn't that unfashionable in the u.k. yet, is she?

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 6 January 2006 18:26 (twenty years ago)

My comedy-expert friends would tell you Benny Hill never did an original gag in his entire career.

Some experts. He did plenty.

the vicar of dibley is pretty popular in the u.s., but dawn french isn't that unfashionable in the u.k. yet, is she?

She's popular but she's hardly fashionable

― CLassic or Dadaismus? (Dada), Friday, 6 January 2006 18:27 (twenty years ago)

I recently learned of Dinner for One - an extended butler and lady sketch from 1964 that is apparently a staple of New Year's Eve viewing across half of Europe, but which virtually no one in Britain is aware of. Has anyone else here heard of Freddie Frinton?

I was going to download a torrent of it, but then I realised it would probably be dubbed into German.

"Same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie?

"The same procedure as every year, James!"

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 6 January 2006 19:34 (twenty years ago)

Also, perhaps this is the place where we can get to the bottom of the "Is The Phil Silvers Show really not regarded as a TV classic in America?" question.

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 6 January 2006 19:35 (twenty years ago)

I saw Wayne and Shuster (Canadian comedians, popular here - and with Ed Sullivan apparently - in the 60s/70s) on television in Italy. Like, EVERY DAY that I was there, for 2 weeks, a couple of years ago. Scratches head, puzzledly.

― pauls00, Friday, 6 January 2006 19:47 (twenty years ago)

I'm trying to think of the standard Benny Hill archetypes(chase sequence, etc): Some chick in garters, Benny himself, the old bald man, a bobby, maybe a nurse

who else?

― kingfish pibb Xtra (kingfish 2.0), Friday, 6 January 2006 19:58 (twenty years ago)

"Is The Phil Silvers Show really not regarded as a TV classic in America?"

Only among cognoscenti; there's only room in the post-'50s consciousness for one sitcom that old, and The Honeymooners squeezed out I Love Lucy quite awhile ago.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 6 January 2006 20:01 (twenty years ago)

I guess it's getting that way in the UK too, maybe cause it doesn't get shown much anymore, and also cause it's maybe a generation too far for today's kids. But when I was growing up in the 80s, it was still a big thing, as repeats went. We never really got The Honeymooners or I Love Lucy. I guess they were shown at some point, but I don't think they were a big thing.

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 6 January 2006 20:04 (twenty years ago)

Jackie Gleason means about as much in the UK as Billy Dainty means in the USA. "I Love Lucy" was on in Britian and was popular.

― CLassic or Dadaismus? (Dada), Friday, 6 January 2006 20:05 (twenty years ago)

You never saw Dainty on Letterman? He killed, man. He mowed the fuckers down.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Friday, 6 January 2006 20:24 (twenty years ago)

When was I Love Lucy popular? I confuse my own outlook with that of the population at large sometimes. It's a failing.

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 6 January 2006 20:56 (twenty years ago)

I was going to download a torrent of it, but then I realised it would probably be dubbed into German.

There isn't a dubbed version. The annual TV broadcast isn't even subtitled!

― Yawn (Wintermute), Friday, 6 January 2006 20:59 (twenty years ago)

And what's more, you can watch it on Google Video!

― Rhodia (Rhodia), Friday, 6 January 2006 21:36 (twenty years ago)

In Norway, it is bizarrely shown on the night before Christmas Eve. It's a good one for confusing Brits with, yes.

― The Vintner's Lipogram (OleM), Friday, 6 January 2006 21:42 (twenty years ago)

"Yrr one of the NISHEST little wimmMEN!! *hic*"

― The Vintner's Lipogram (OleM), Friday, 6 January 2006 21:53 (twenty years ago)

The Honeymooners is a tiny little RABBIT TOD compared to Bilko. What the Fuck Where You Thinking>

― Excelsior Syndrum (noodle vague), Friday, 6 January 2006 22:22 (twenty years ago)

?????????

― Excelsior Syndrum (noodle vague), Friday, 6 January 2006 22:24 (twenty years ago)

WLIW shows much better UK TV than WNET.

― tokyo nursery school: afternoon session (rosemary), Saturday, 7 January 2006 03:48 (twenty years ago)

I was going to download a torrent of it, but then I realised it would probably be dubbed into German.

They show it on NYE in Australia too.

And it's in English - even in Germany.

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!! (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Saturday, 7 January 2006 04:18 (twenty years ago)

I think they should start showing League of Gentlemen and I'm Alan Partridge on PBS at midnight for the next 10 years

i think they should start alternating 'shameless' and 'kath & kim' on ukoz flights in both directions for the next 100 years.

nb i have only seen 2 episodes of kath & kim. it is not nearly as good as shameless and a great deal more cruel, but i do love the idea of thousands of poms/aussies clinging to their seats/clambering over each other to get away from the other.

― emsk ( emsk), Saturday, 7 January 2006 04:25 (twenty years ago)

Curiously enough, WLIW, the main purveyor of Are You Being Served? and As Time Goes By in New York City had a The Office marathon in prime time the other night. Demographics be changin'.

haha, I've never seen The Office, but my grandmother is a big fan. she assures me that the US version isn't as good.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Saturday, 7 January 2006 04:31 (twenty years ago)

here is something i always wanted to ask: on those original episodes of the u.k. edition of who's line is it anyway, were any of the american comics on it known in the u.k. at the time? like ryan whatshisface from the drew carey show and that really big guy. just wondering. cuz i had never seen them until i saw that show in the early 90's.

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 7 January 2006 04:39 (twenty years ago)

certainly, i had never heard of ryan stiles, colin mockery (sp?), greg proops, mike mcshane etc until they showed up on "whose line" uk - but josie lawrence, tony slattery, clive anderson and the other brits were all already fairly well-known from stage, chat shows, sitcoms and so forth.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Saturday, 7 January 2006 10:08 (twenty years ago)

yeh, first time i heard of any of that lot - even fucking proops - was on WLIIA.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Saturday, 7 January 2006 10:16 (twenty years ago)

Ahahaha, that's improvisation for you. Nobody knows you until you do something scripted (well, except for them).

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!! (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Saturday, 7 January 2006 10:19 (twenty years ago)

josie, mcshane, slattery, & mockrie was always my fave line-up

― kingfish pibb Xtra (kingfish 2.0), Saturday, 7 January 2006 10:27 (twenty years ago)

We never really got The Honeymooners or I Love Lucy. I guess they were shown at some point, but I don't think they were a big thing.

I love lucy used to be an early morning C4 favorite in the 80s I recall. Phil Silvers is so much better though.

i think they should start alternating 'shameless' and 'kath & kim' on ukoz flights in both directions for the next 100 years.

Quantas has almost a full channel of Kath and Kim.

― Ed (dali), Saturday, 7 January 2006 10:27 (twenty years ago)

xpost also Ryan Stiles

― kingfish pibb Xtra (kingfish 2.0), Saturday, 7 January 2006 10:28 (twenty years ago)

josie lawrence, tony slattery, clive anderson and the other brits were all already fairly well-known from stage, chat shows, sitcoms and so forth.

I'd never heard of or seen Josie Lawrence or Clive Anderson before WLIIA. Had they been on TV before or just stage?

― Alba (Alba), Saturday, 7 January 2006 11:48 (twenty years ago)

CLive Anderson was definately on Radio 4 before WLIIA, I don't know whether his C4 talkshow started before or after it though.

― Ed (dali), Saturday, 7 January 2006 11:51 (twenty years ago)

Definitely after. I forgot about radio.

― Alba (Alba), Saturday, 7 January 2006 11:52 (twenty years ago)

Greg Proops is like Rich Hall insofar as he's an American comedian that really only works in the UK, right? You could probably add Ruby Wax to that list as well.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 7 January 2006 11:55 (twenty years ago)

CLive Anderson was definately on Radio 4 before WLIIA

Didn't WLIIA start on radio itself?

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Saturday, 7 January 2006 12:12 (twenty years ago)

When was I Love Lucy popular? I confuse my own outlook with that of the population at large sometimes. It's a failing.

It was on telly in the 60s and 70s

― Dadaismus (Dada), Saturday, 7 January 2006 12:14 (twenty years ago)

... along with "The Dick Van Dyke Show". I don't know if "The Honeymooners" was ever on British TV, doubt it.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Saturday, 7 January 2006 12:15 (twenty years ago)

Chubby Brown is very popular in Australia.

Are you sure?

― kit brash (kit brash), Saturday, 7 January 2006 12:51 (twenty years ago)

I think it's funny that the "Germans love David Hasselhoff" meme has lasted almost two decades. They certainly didn't love him when I visited Germany a few years ago.

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Saturday, 7 January 2006 15:37 (twenty years ago)

I was going to download a torrent of it, but then I realised it would probably be dubbed into German.

As others said, nup, it's in english - I doubt it would have any sort of cult standing if it wasn't!

Lack of "Dinner For One" is the one thing that sucks about spending New Year's Eve in Portugal instead of Germany. :( It's really a perfect New Year's tradition - being as it is entirely about booze and mortality.

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Saturday, 7 January 2006 16:25 (twenty years ago)

six years pass...

Same procedure as last year, ILX?

― Albee Thousand (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 1 January 2013 00:36 (thirteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEVYsmpcbvk

― totaler Quatsch (Eisbaer), Tuesday, 1 January 2013 00:39 (thirteen years ago)

Skål!

My neighbours are Albanian. Everything I know about Albania comes from the book where Tony Hawks (not the skater) drags Norman Wisdom there in search of a hit record for some stupid bet. (I have read some bad charity shop books on planes in my time so it doesn't matter if I leave them behind. Of course I've dutifully collected every bad charity shop book after the flight and the only book I've left on a plane was a) not terrible b) not mine c) out of print.)

I have not attempted to use this as an icebreaker. After 3 years it might be a bit late to go "so, Albania, that's where people really like Norman Wisdom, right?"

― a panda, Malmö (a passing spacecadet), Tuesday, 1 January 2013 01:12 (thirteen years ago)

all i know about Norman Wisdom is (a) he was British; (b) he looked vaguely like a younger Hugh Laurie; and (c) Albanianishes love him.

who would the American equivalent of Norman Wisdom be?!?

― totaler Quatsch (Eisbaer), Tuesday, 1 January 2013 01:22 (thirteen years ago)

Perhaps that Benny Hill is about a million times funnier than most British comedy which does get shown on British TV? "Nighty Night"? "Shitey Shite" more like.

― CLassic or Dadaismus? (Dada), Friday, January 6, 2006 9:39 AM (6 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol

― buzza, Tuesday, 1 January 2013 01:24 (thirteen years ago)

Russell Peters, though Canadian, fits this to a T.

― your damn bass clarinet (Eazy), Tuesday, 1 January 2013 01:25 (thirteen years ago)

Russell Peters appears to be playing 20,000 capacity venues in the UK now. I guess his routines have fewer Mexican jokes when performed over here.

― Tullamorte Tullamore (ShariVari), Tuesday, 1 January 2013 09:19 (thirteen years ago)

Peters is the biggest stand-up in the entire world iirc, don't think he super-fits this thread

― ( ͡° ͜ʖ͡°) (sic), Tuesday, 1 January 2013 09:42 (thirteen years ago)

No, he's huge in Canada, not unfashionable at all afaict.

― EveningStar (Sund4r), Tuesday, 1 January 2013 10:17 (thirteen years ago)

don't know if i can ever forgive england for russell brand. jesus christ, so much to answer for...

― scott seward, Tuesday, 1 January 2013 13:20 (thirteen years ago)

i mean i'll take posh and beckham anyday over that guy...

― scott seward, Tuesday, 1 January 2013 13:21 (thirteen years ago)

he totally ruins david lynch's wonderful night of stars and meditation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ralXpMsoG-k

― scott seward, Tuesday, 1 January 2013 13:23 (thirteen years ago)

skot otm

― some dude, Tuesday, 1 January 2013 13:55 (thirteen years ago)

britishes unleashed Russell Brand onto the world to punish it. God only knows what we did to deserve it.

― totaler Quatsch (Eisbaer), Tuesday, 1 January 2013 18:29 (thirteen years ago)

we gotta send carrot top over there in retaliation.

― scott seward, Tuesday, 1 January 2013 18:45 (thirteen years ago)

sad we can't dump Russell Howard on you too

― soma dude (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 1 January 2013 20:15 (thirteen years ago)

we gotta send carrot top over there in retaliation.

and/or Larry the Cable Guy!

― totaler Quatsch (Eisbaer), Tuesday, 1 January 2013 20:21 (thirteen years ago)

ten years pass...

Same procedure etc.

― A Kestrel for a Neve (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 1 January 2023 15:57 (three years ago)

Really I should customize it as
JR: Same procedure as last year, The Blecchs?
tB: Same procedure as every year, James Redd.

― A Kestrel for a Neve (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 1 January 2023 15:58 (three years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.