Après Broadchurch - Vicious!

[Guest]

ITV does appear to be on a considerable roll, what with the runaway success of 'Mr Selfridge' and 'Broadchurch'. What on earth were they thinking of, risking all on 'Vicious' a sit-com centred around the lives of two more-than-middle-aged gay men who have been in relationship for 48 years living in the same flat?

I think they've been remarkably astute. Never has the public presence and general stock of gay men and lesbians been higher in the public consciousness, and with equal marriage still high on the controversial agenda, now is a perfect time to look not at more 'coming-out' stories, sweet and emboldening though they can be, but at the lives of a certain sort of gay men of more mature years.

I laughed, I shouted, and frankly I recognised myself and a lot of my friends, gay and straight. It wasn't perfect and it won't bring about World Peace or split the atom but it lit up my Tuesday morning (it's broadcast on Monday evenings) and has really cheered me up ;biggrin:

https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/vicious/series-1/episode-1

[Thropplenoggin]

ITV does appear to be on a considerable roll, what with the runaway success of 'Mr Selfridge' and 'Broadchurch'. What on earth were they thinking of, risking all on 'Vicious' a sit-com centred around the lives of two more-than-middle-aged gay men who have been in relationship for 48 years living in the same flat?

I think they've been remarkably astute. Never has the public presence and general stock of gay men and lesbians been higher in the public consciousness, and with equal marriage still high on the controversial agenda, now is a perfect time to look not at more 'coming-out' stories, sweet and emboldening though they can be, but at the lives of a certain sort of gay men of more mature years.

I laughed, I shouted, and frankly I recognised myself and a lot of my friends, gay and straight. It wasn't perfect and it won't bring about World Peace or split the atom but it lit up my Tuesday morning (it's broadcast on Monday evenings) and has really cheered me up ;biggrin:

https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/viciou...es-1/episode-1

Where would Mandryka have started with any of the above?! I expect he'd have gone for something subtle and unintentionally droll, a vituperative complaint about this egregious moral outrage being "rammed down our throats".

[Nick Armstrong]

I laughed, I shouted

Oh dear... I wish I had.

I'm afraid I found it embarrassingly lame. The static setting demanded high quality banter and verbal humour... but the script seemed to me to be almost entirely devoid of good lines. (The only moment that made me smile was Sirs Ian and Derek's vampiric reaction to the opening of the curtains and letting in of the wrinkle-revealing light... )

A massive waste of an amazing opportunity, I felt. (The hilarity and applause of the 'laughter track' at the most banal exchange almost a parody of itself, too).

Glad you enjoyed it though, Ams One man's meat... u.s.w....

[amateur51]

Oh dear... I wish I had.

I'm afraid I found it embarrassingly lame. The static setting demanded high quality banter and verbal humour... but the script seemed to me to be almost entirely devoid of good lines. (The only moment that made me smile was Sirs Ian and Derek's vampiric reaction to the opening of the curtains and letting in of the wrinkle-revealing light... )

A massive waste of an amazing opportunity, I felt. (The hilarity and applause of the 'laughter track' at the most banal exchange almost a parody of itself, too).

Glad you enjoyed it though, Ams One man's meat... u.s.w....

Very sorry to hear about your disappointment, Caliban. No laughter track was necessary - it was a very large 'live' audience and two friends who were there told me that the reaction was very positive.

[Nick Armstrong]

it was a very large 'live' audience and two friends who were there told me that the reaction was very positive.

Blimey!

Can't believe a live audience liked Frances de la Tour's 'rape' gags that much

[amateur51]

Blimey!

Can't believe a live audience liked Frances de la Tour's 'rape' gags that much

I anticipated a less than favourable reaction, I agree. It's simply amazing that anyone can still joke about it, but they do.

[Mr Pee]

Blimey!

Can't believe a live audience liked Frances de la Tour's 'rape' gags that much

I agree. I watched this with high hopes, but I am afraid it was a terrible waste of three very fine actors. Whether the laughter was live as we heard it - which I find hard to believe- or boosted in post-production, it was distracting and over the top. I also found the rape gag distasteful- as I found the idea of an old gay man being so openly lecherous towards somebody young enough to be his grandson- or even great grandson. I don't know how that projects a positive image of gay men.

I'll probably give it another go next week in the hope that it improves- but if it weren't for the fine cast I wouldn't bother.

So far, I think it is a missed opportunity by ITV.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/tv-review-vicious-itv-starring-sirs-ian-mckellen-and-derek-jacobi--the-only-laughter-it-provokes-is-canned-8595474.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10026311/Vicious-ITV-the-least-funny-new-comedy-in-recent-memory-review.html

[Serial_Apologist]

Very old-fashioned hammy acting; I'm afraid I was very much in two minds. I would have loved this kind of thing as lampooning straight people's social protocols for "coping" with the presence of gays in their midst, in the 60s; but that would have required an un-outed but very camp gay man ineluctably trapped in a heterosexual relationship to have been seen as in any way acceptable to mainstream audiences let alone funny, but that would of course meant humour targeted at gays and gayness - such being the consensus of acceptability back then, unfortunately.

[vinteuil]

... altho' I couldn't stick beyond ten minutes, I am happy to declare this was the worst bit of telly I've seen in a very long time.

The clunkiness of the script. The goddawful acting of the two hams (and even of the saintly F de la T!). The crass guffaw-at-anything of the hyped-up studio audience.

Compare it with the razor-sharp script, brilliant comic timing, and sheer wit of an American production visiting similar stereotypes - 'Will & Grace' - this one made me ashamed of British television.

[Anna]

Despite the trailers I had hopes of Vicious being good because it was by the writer of Will & Grace. Alas, I thought it was pretty awful. There was one line that caused me to smile, something about Graham Norton appearing positively straight, then it occurred to me that if I was watching it on stage, in a theatre, then the hamming it up wouldn't have been quite so OTT. Frances de la Tour's rape lines positively made me wince. I thought the brief performance of the absent minded guest was very good.
ITV evidently think it'll be a smash as the Christmas Special has already been recorded. As for me, I'll watch the next episode (which is set outside the flat) to see if it improves but I don't hold out hope.

[amateur51]

Contrariwise ...

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/04/30...ongly-for-itv/

How amusing that Mr Pee of all people should find an older man's sexual fantasies about a younger person unacceptable after some of the images of young women he's posted on here

[Nick Armstrong]

Compare it with the razor-sharp script, brilliant comic timing, and sheer wit of an American production visiting similar stereotypes - 'Will & Grace' - this one made me ashamed of British television.

... indeed, 'Will & Grace' was full of zinger one-liners and genuine wit, brilliant stuff... which makes it a surprise to learn that one Gary Janetti who produced (and seems to have written some episodes) of 'Will & Grace' is credited as co-creator and writer of the first episode of 'Vicious'.

There's a phrase in that Independent review which echoes exactly my feeling about the script: "lines that have the cadence of comedy but often prove to be devoid of wit"

[Anna]

There's a phrase in that Independent review which echoes exactly my feeling about the script: "lines that have the cadence of comedy but often prove to be devoid of wit"

Or, as the discussion on the R4 Today programme concluded "Julian and Sandy were far more interesting characters!"
As I said above, I'll give it the benefit and see how it pans out.

[Mr Pee]

Contrariwise ...

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/04/30...ongly-for-itv/

How amusing that Mr Pee of all people should find an older man's sexual fantasies about a younger person unacceptable after some of the images of young women he's posted on here

Without getting into the ins and outs of one's sexual fantasies, what I found crass was the manner in which the attraction was portrayed- ridiculously OTT, to such an extent that I am reasonably sure that the young would be lodger would have high-tailed it out of there as fast as he could and found himself another flat to rent, probably after filing a case of sexual harrassment.

[amateur51]

Without getting into the ins and outs of one's sexual fantasies, what I found crass was the manner in which the attraction was portrayed- ridiculously OTT, to such an extent that I am reasonably sure that the young would be lodger would have high-tailed it out of there as fast as he could and found himself another flat to rent, probably after filing a case of sexual harrassment.

From this I gather that Mr Pee doesn't know many gay men of the generation portrayed (and if he wheels out that tired old line "but I work in the thee-a-ter!" I may make mock :biggrin).

The other changed aspect of life that the episode pointed up was the attitude of younger people generally to gay men - they really couldn't care less except that they're much more accepting than my generation was and certainly wouldn't be adopting the course of action that Mr Pee suggests.