I’ve stopped writing comedy at the moment, mainly because there’s too much else going on in my life and the funny lines aren’t flowing.
A few years ago I would have tried to struggle on and become increasingly frustrated, but I now see it as a chance to switch from output to input; that is, to absorb other people’s work and use the time to gain experiences that can be drawn upon until the switch flicks back again and I can start using the material I’ve stored.
I like to immerse myself in as much comedy as possible during these breaks, which includes revisiting old classics as well as discovering new gems (or gems that are new to me, at least).
At the moment, I’m enjoying Fawlty Towers all over again. Never mind that I know them virtually back to front – although, unbelievably, there’s always something new I discover. (This time, it’s a reaction from the two resident old ladies – Miss Gatsby and Miss Tibbs – in the dining room, that I’d never noticed before as I was always focused on Basil. Watch them both when Basil discovers Mr Walt, the outboard motor salesman, sitting at Bernard Cribbins’ table in ‘The Hotel Inspectors’. You can view it here – 2 mins into the clip.)
What I love about Fawlty Towers is the brilliantly-crafted plots that gradually build up momentum throughout each episode until poor Basil is running around frantically trying to hold everything together (and failing miserably of course). The same intricate plotting is present in One Foot in the Grave (no surprise from writer David Renwick who wrote the complex plots of Jonathan Creek) and the best episodes of Frasier, such as The Ski Lodge.
All of these fall into the farce genre, which unfortunately is becoming a forgotten art these days, especially in television sitcom. Recent successful sitcoms have lacked the element of farce that older shows had – shows like ‘Keeping Up Appearances’, for example, which – although sometimes not perfectly written – was always great fun to watch.
I was looking through a guide to Fawlty Towers in Waterstone’s last week, and read that John Cleese had taken a lot of inspiration from the farces of master French playwright Georges Feydeau. I’d never read or seen any of his work, so I bought a paperback collection of his plays (thank you Abebooks) and am now working my way through. I love them.
Feydeau lived from 1862 to 1921, and set most of his plays in the 1890s. I found it quite shocking that the scripts mainly revolve around adultery, and feature sexual themes such as impotence and prostitution. You don’t imagine that audiences of that time would have been so accepting of such topics – but it seems that the farce genre allowed Feydeau much more freedom than he would have had if he’d been writing serious drama.
So, I reckon it’s about time farce made a comeback on British television. The country needs some good, old-fashioned laughs right now, and farce is a genre that never disappoints in that area. The right script, coupled with a physical comic actor with impeccable timing and bags of energy would have the nation in stitches once again.
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Just for fun, here are my top 5 Fawlty Towers episodes:
1. The Germans
The Fire Drill sequence (and here)-4 mins into the 1st clip) is the best thing in any sitcom, period. “WE’RE HAVING IT!” – Hilarious.
2. Communication Problems
Basil at his frantic best. Watch out for the Major getting soaked with a cup of tea (most of which is meant for Basil). Plus one of the funniest lines: ‘Is this a piece of your brain?’ (2 mins in)
3. The Hotel Inspectors
Bernard Cribbins plays his part superbly, and I love it when Basil mentions the hotel guide to Mr Walt. (6 mins in)
4. The Psychiatrist
Would probably have been higher on the list, but it starts a little slower than the rest. But the whole ‘checking the walls’ business is great, and I always, always laugh when Basil bursts out of the cupboard: “Right the game’s up!” (2 mins in)
5. Basil the Rat
‘He put Basil in the ratatouille? Aaaarghhhhhh!!!’ Also, the Major is on form in this episode: “Ah, so you’re the rat inspector! Sorry – starling inspector!” (7 mins 40 in)
