Hard to believe it’s 25 years since this film, reserved for times of national crisis, was first shown on The Day Today. Click on the link here to watch, 2 mins or so: The Day Today – Film Reserved For Times of National Crisis As the clock ticks down to 29th March, repeat to yourselfContinue reading “National Crisis: a rousing motivational film for all Britons”
Tag Archives: Comedy
Happy new year from Shore
I’m going to do more on the blog this year, he promises again – but this time he means it. But just to put 2017 behind us, I hereby recycle the Christmas tree of The Onion’s inestimable review of the year. Do yourself a favour and take a gander at the big stories of theContinue reading “Happy new year from Shore”
From the archives: God’s gift to British advertising
Call me old school, but for me George Whitebread is still unrivalled as an all-round ad man. In this masterclass, he shows himself to be both an astute critic and a brilliantly original creative in his own right. Though his Yorkshire accent does slip a little towards the end. I delved back into the HarryContinue reading “From the archives: God’s gift to British advertising”
Scarfolk: beautiful (and very funny) images of a bewitched 70s Middle England dystopia
Occasionally something pops into my view on twitter that’s worth a read and very occasionally I make a real discovery – or rather various illustrious twitterati have. I came across Scarfolk last night via a recommendation from Caitlin Moran‘s twitter feed, started exploring it and, well, it is just a delight: Scarfolk website. The conceitContinue reading “Scarfolk: beautiful (and very funny) images of a bewitched 70s Middle England dystopia”
How We Took Control Over Our Stiff Upper Lips
Ian Hislop’s Stiff Upper Lip – An Emotional History of Britain I never tire of watching Peter Cook‘s WW2 officer announcing to valiant subordinate Jonathan Miller in Beyond The Fringe: Perkins, I want you to lay down your life. We need a futile gesture at this stage … Miller as Perkins accepts his fate withContinue reading “How We Took Control Over Our Stiff Upper Lips”
A Nice Throw-Back: Ads That Are Actually Funny
I had a week in the USA this month and caught this series of ads in between my son’s Lego Ninjago cartoons. There are several in the campaign and nearly all are laugh-out-loud funny. Great job by Grey New York. The acting is spot on. What also makes it is the director having an acuteContinue reading “A Nice Throw-Back: Ads That Are Actually Funny”
How (Not) To Party: the bizarre ending to last night’s Andrew Neil show
If you want to laugh at people who have held some of the highest offices of state, dancing to Underworld’s Born Slippy, read and view on … Picture the scene: you’ve just come home from moderating a discussion group across in Peterborough, you’re a bit tired and you flop down to watch the end ofContinue reading “How (Not) To Party: the bizarre ending to last night’s Andrew Neil show”
Some laughs for my birthday – Mitt Romney, by Bad Lip-Reading
For those who like their comedy Pythonesque and find US politicians generally absurd, this is too good not to share. Mitt Romney on the campaign trail and what it looks like he’s saying … I’ve watched this about eight times and I’m still laughing at lines like “Thanks for the bench”. It’s by the brilliantContinue reading “Some laughs for my birthday – Mitt Romney, by Bad Lip-Reading”
Creating memories: Jonah Lehrer and faux Monty Python
Jonah Lehrer, whose The Decisive Moment – How The Brain Makes Up Its Mind I’m reading at the moment, has written a really interesting piece in Wired magazine about how we don’t just make things up, we can actually change our memories: Jonah Lehrer – How Social Conformity Affects Memory. There is, in particular, unacknowledgedContinue reading “Creating memories: Jonah Lehrer and faux Monty Python”
Stewart Lee’s anti-marketing
Really enjoyed this little snippet – actually a trailer shown before the start of the second series of Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle, but I’ve just seen it. (It’s time-shifted media consumption, you understand, not my being a bit all over the shop). Stewart Lee’s Social Network Marketing. The topical element to this is that theContinue reading “Stewart Lee’s anti-marketing”
Strangers on the Shore 