Wiser Than Morecambe: Watching 'Live At The Apollo' and then a Johnny Vegas sit-com set in a holiday location in Spain or wherever, it strikes me that these 'new' comedians are great, and they're a really good laugh. Lee Evans is also favourite, and has me in tears when he's cracking jokes about wives, family, and bodily functions; which we can all relate to, yet some of the other stuff barely raises a smile.
Perhaps it's a 'generation' gap situation again, where us older chaps have seen and enjoyed far too many of the 'greats' like Tommy Cooper and Morecambe and Wise; yet they are 'boring old farts' to the youngsters?
Repeats on TV are also going for the older comedy, like 'Steptoe & Son,' 'As Time Goes By,' 'Only Fools and Horses' (for the millionth time), and 'The Royle Family' and suchlike, because those programmes are still really funny. But other than 'Mock The Week' and the numerous other comedy shows there are on 'Dave,' all the other channels seem to be choked up with Crime, glorifying famous murderer's like Fred West and Dr. Shipman; and Police chase videos.
But it's laughter we need in these recessionary times, something to lift our spirits when we cannot afford to do so quite as often when they are a cheerful amber liquid in a glass; and right now it doesn't really matter who's dishing it out; because laughter really is the best medicine for curing our problems.
Morecambe and Wise 'Kitchen' sketch has been voted 'The Funniest Sketch of All Time,' and alongside The Two Ronnies 'Four Candles,' or is it 'Fork Handles,' they are indeed classics. But every time I hear an emergency vehicle chasing deown the road with the sirens blaring, I can't help but chuckle over the very same situation in another Morecambe and Wise sketch where Eric hears the siren and says: "He'll never sell any ice creams going at that speed!"