Books Monthly
October 2024
October 2024
Book of the month: Red Dwarf - Discovering the TV Series Volume 1: 1988-1993
I have mentioned in the pages of Books Monthly many times before how modern so-called comedy simply isn't funny. The only genuinely funny sitcom for me in the last twenty-odd years is Lee Mack's NOT GOING OUt - and sometimes the subject matter of a particular episode is simply not funny. It's inconsistent, occasionally brilliant, most times great fun, sometimes not funny at all. The other contemporary sitcoms fall into just one category: not funny at all. The worst sitcom ever, a programme that should never have been made, and one that represents a total waste of BBC licence payers' money, is MRS BROWN'S BOYS. This is something so dire, so crass, so totally unfunny, you have to wonder who, at the BBC, commissioned it, and to question their qualifications in commissioning something that millions of people are expected to watch. Apart from NOT GOING OUT, and more recently, GHOSTS, there hasn't been a funny BBC sitcom for over twenty years, and that's a sad indictment of the corporation that brought us such classics as DAD's ARMY, ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE , THE VICAR OF DIBLEY and ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES. There are more brilliant sitcoms from that era, including, let us not forget, BLACKADDER and RED DWARF. I have to confess that Blackadder remains, for me, the funniest ever comedy series on TV, with RED DWARF following closely on its heels. Books about TV sitcoms are rare; there may be some on Blackadder, maybe one on The Vicar of Dibley, but they're few and far between which is why it's such a joy to welcome Tom's book about Red Dwarf. For me Red Dwarf was great right from the off, a million times funnier than the dismal Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which was as unfunny as a dose of the 'flu. But for me, Red Dwarf really came into its own as a comtemporaneous cult classic when Kryten joined the cast and the crew. From that point, it took off and became something to look forward to, like Blackadder, with memorable lines, scintillating characters and stupendous plots, all of which is celebrated in Tom's most excellent book. As I write this, I have just watched the second episode of LUDWIG, with fantastically funny-man David Mitchell in the lead role(s). This is not a sitcom as such, rather a comedy drama, but in terms of what the BBC deems to be funny, it's a brilliant turning point and is also something to look forward to. Red Dwarf is available on iPlayer and, of course, on DVD, as is Blackadder. I can't recommend Tom's book highly enough - it will remind you of all those joyous moments from a genuinely hilarious TV sitcom.
Heads Up! Next month we start looking for books as Christmas gifts, and I already have three to kick start your search including two brilliant new editions of Agatha Christie classics... See you in November! In the meantime, Happy Reading!
The small print: Books Monthly is published by Paul Norman. 2024 is the 26th year of publication. You can contact me at paulenorman1@gmail.com