BBC axes the Mash Report

Genuinely curious, does anyone legit find this guy funny?

I'm right wing but I'm a big comedy fan and love left wing comics like Peter Cook (rip) and Stewart Lee.

Reply 43

Original post by Starship Trooper

Genuinely curious, does anyone legit find this guy funny?

I'm right wing but I'm a big comedy fan and love left wing comics like Peter Cook (rip) and Stewart Lee.

Everyone has a different idea of what consists as funny and or not; personally yes I prefer Stewart Lee but there's no inherent rule to what is or is not funny. This is a fact. You cannot argue against it. Besides the argument is not over that this is about the right being as predicted total hypocrites when it comes to: 'cancel culture.'

Reply 44

My point is the BBC is subsidising a mediocre talent that not even the left finds funny.

@Fullofsurprises got any rating for the show?

Reply 45

Original post by Starship Trooper

My point is the BBC is subsidising a mediocre talent that not even the left finds funny.

@Fullofsurprises got any rating for the show?

What you and or not consider: 'mediocre' regarding a show that mostly received top ratings by the people who watched it is 100% irrelevant my friend. Once again we've different subjective normative tastes, lilkes and dislikes etc etc. It's not as simple as one person deontologically hating something from gut-feeling then having that be what everyone else ought to think. Same goes for the other way around. If you want to talk mediocre let's have a chinwag about Nigel Farage and how he's completely abandoned the fishing industry after Brexit proved no benefit to them? Personally I don't find him funny nor entertaining; fact I view him as a traitor to the voters he swindled in bad faith.

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 46

04MR17

Volunteer Section Leader

22

Original post by Fullofsurprises

Surely the point is that a state broadcaster like the BBC should represent and field people from a broad spectrum of opinions in the country. Given how much airtime they've given to comedians like Nigel Farage over the years, it doesn't seem to much to ask that they also permit a show that is blatantly left wing.

Platforms and framing. Mr Garage might seem hilarious to you but his platform is via non-comedic news-related broadcasting like news interviews and Question Time.

You may see Nish Kumar occasionally on QT, but The Mash Report is deliberately framed as "political comedy". When I think of other examples of that genre I see two long-running panel shows which have a solid history of welcoming comedians with left wing views but equally are able to provide a critique of the left when appropriate. I don't recall the Mash Report doing that. I think you can see the difference between HIGNY and MTW, compared with Mash Report and understand why one has been discontinued and the others have been going for 15/30 years respectively.

That's not me saying I don't believe the Mash Report could have stayed at the beeb. It could. But something would have needed to change in my view for the BBC to have achieved greater balance in the political comedy genre.

Reply 47

It doesn't matter if MASH got five star reviews from its audience if only 200 people watched it

Reply 48

Original post by 04MR17

Platforms and framing. Mr Garage might seem hilarious to you but his platform is via non-comedic news-related broadcasting like news interviews and Question Time.

You may see Nish Kumar occasionally on QT, but The Mash Report is deliberately framed as "political comedy". When I think of other examples of that genre I see two long-running panel shows which have a solid history of welcoming comedians with left wing views but equally are able to provide a critique of the left when appropriate. I don't recall the Mash Report doing that. I think you can see the difference between HIGNY and MTW, compared with Mash Report and understand why one has been discontinued and the others have been going for 15/30 years respectively.

That's not me saying I don't believe the Mash Report could have stayed at the beeb. It could. But something would have needed to change in my view for the BBC to have achieved greater balance in the political comedy genre.

I think this is a perfectly valid balanced point here although I think we should watch future potential developments cautiously. If they begin firing anyone more for simply even remotely criticising the government a tad then we should be worried.

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 49

Original post by Starship Trooper

It doesn't matter if MASH got five star reviews from its audience if only 200 people watched it

Where's the statistics that it was only watched by 200 or are you yet again appealing to hyperbole cause you cannot actually come up with some decent points of contention?

Reply 50

It's not hyperbole to out the flaw in your logic.

Reply 51

Original post by Starship Trooper

It's not hyperbole to out the flaw in your logic.

I'm not the one pulling numbers out of their arse.

Reply 52

04MR17

Volunteer Section Leader

22

Original post by Wanttobreakfree

I think this is a perfectly valid point here although I think we should watch the developments cautiously. If they begin firing anyone even remotely criticising the government a tad then we should be worried.

Agreed. And I think the BBC should consider where the talent on the Mash Report could be repositioned within its comedy portfolio. I think the BBC could have continued with Mash Report if either:
- It was "toned down" on the anti-go rhethoric
- It included more criticism of the opposition
- Another show was brought in which served criticism at the left.

I couldn't see the final option working and I'm unsure that the production company behind the mash report would have agreed to either of the first two. Leaving the results inevitable.

Reply 53

Original post by 04MR17

Agreed. And I think the BBC should consider where the talent on the Mash Report could be repositioned within its comedy portfolio. I think the BBC could have continued with Mash Report if either:
- It was "toned down" on the anti-go rhethoric
- It included more criticism of the opposition
- Another show was brought in which served criticism at the left.

I couldn't see the final option working and I'm unsure that the production company behind the mash report would have agreed to either of the first two. Leaving the results inevitable.

We also need centrists that'll call out other centrists for doing little other than capitulating to the government and hoping taking voters for granted by refusing to name policy will win then an election. Other than that as a leftist myself this is a reasonable compromise.

Reply 54

Original post by 04MR17

Agreed. And I think the BBC should consider where the talent on the Mash Report could be repositioned within its comedy portfolio. I think the BBC could have continued with Mash Report if either:
- It was "toned down" on the anti-go rhethoric
- It included more criticism of the opposition
- Another show was brought in which served criticism at the left.

I couldn't see the final option working and I'm unsure that the production company behind the mash report would have agreed to either of the first two. Leaving the results inevitable.

Or just privatise it and let them do whatever dumb show they want

Reply 55

04MR17

Volunteer Section Leader

22

Original post by Starship Trooper

It doesn't matter if MASH got five star reviews from its audience if only 200 people watched it

It would be helpful if we made clear when statistics are used whether they are intended to be accurate or whether they are intended to be purely figurative. :yes:

Reply 56

Original post by Starship Trooper

Or just privatise it and let them do whatever dumb show they want

Then who's going to hold the Tories to account? If private entities mostly vote in favour of tax cuts for themselves and the further securement of tax-havens in addition to deregulation of standards both worker as well as environmental then who would hold them account if said media's owners align with the interest of the state? Already have Tories paying for sponsored ads in papers. They control a large part of media and press already.

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 57

nulli tertius

21

Original post by Wanttobreakfree

Then who's going to hold the Tories to account? If they're voting in favour of tax cuts for themselves and the further securement of tax-havens in addition to deregulation of standards both worker as well as environmental then who would hold them account if said media's owners align with the interest of the state?

The job of a comedy show is not to hold anyone to account. That is the job of the Today Programme, The job of a comedy show is to make fun of them.

Reply 58

Original post by 04MR17

It would be helpful if we made clear when statistics are used whether they are intended to be accurate or whether they are intended to be purely figurative. :yes:

I thought it would have been obviously not s statistic lol.

I looked it up apparently its latest series got over s million views* so fair enough

*(Not accounting for taste clearly)

Reply 59