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Worldwide Picks: - USA - Aus/NZ - Canada - France - Germany - Spain - Italy - Norway - Sweden - Denmark - Brazil - Asia
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Worldwide Picks: - USA - Aus/NZ - Canada - France - Germany - Spain - Italy - Norway - Sweden - Denmark - Brazil - Asia
We've had fun discovering those sites that make Yahoo! UK & Ireland one of the best places to find UK or Irish sites on the Internet, and we enjoy sharing a few of them with you. Feel free to send us a note about any sites you think we should consider for a future issue or any general thoughts and comments about Picks of the Week. Click here if you only want to view the list of sites.
That box that sits in the corner of your living room is still alive and thriving. The arrival of the Internet, far from stealing the limelight from television, has meant more and more sites out there complementing our daily TV shows. Better still, you can catch up on information on programmes you've missed, or re-live your favourite moments. More essentially, nothing makes us laugh more than a good TV show, and this week we're taking a look at some of the best TV comedy web sites out there.
Kicking things off... a comedy genius. Nope, not Joe Pasquale or Bobby Davro but Chris Morris. Writer, producer and star of such shows as 'The Day Today' and 'Brass Eye', Morris swipes the wasp from the pure apple of truth, attracting controversy wherever he goes, and proving that great comedy sometimes needs that injection of scandal to make it even more effective. Glebe's Thrift Funnel may be an unusual name for a site, but it contains a wealth of information on the man Morris, tracking his career both on TV, radio and in the media. Find out why this brilliant, dangerous and innovative comedian is held in such high esteem - he may not be a household name, but his biting satire, hoax interviews and fake newspaper articles have always managed to reveal the mortality and foolishness behind people in the media.
Kind of like a protegé of Chris Morris is Ali G, best known for his appearances on the 11 O'Clock Show, broadcast earlier this year on Channel 4. Ali G follows in the footsteps of both Chris Morris and Dennis Pennis, specialising in asking his guests - politicians, scientists - inane questions and watching them squirm. Ali G is the 'voice of youth', a wind-up merchant, The Observer described him as a character "clearly based on the kind of rap-fixated suburban white kids who really wish they were American, and preferably black, too." Ali G's Real Audio Ghetto is dedicated to this comic creation, and gives you the chance to listen to some of Ali G's very funny interviews as well as read some background on the man and a magazine article too. Wicked. Nuff Respec. Keepin it real. We like this.
Moving on to something a little more mainstream, if phrases like "Suits you, Sir!", "Where's me washboard?" or "Cheezy Peas!" mean anything to you, then The Fast Show Sound Shop is well worth a visit. It's choc full of sound files of your favourite Fast Show characters, a show that has produced more catchphrases and 'quotable' moments than any other this decade. From 'Jazz Club' to Ted & Ralph via Channel 9 (scorchio!) there should be something here to please even the most die hard Fast Show fan. Which is nice.
Travelling stateside for a moment, and brilliant US comedy The Larry Sanders Show from broadcasting giants HBO may be no more (the final series is currently showing on British television), but its web site is a prime example of how well the medium can be used. Based on the idea of a company intranet, each character has their own section in which to show off, including the marvellous Hank Kingsley Fan Club... Hey now... What makes the site so clever is that each member of the cast has their own unique style, just like in the show, from Artie's sardonic office memorandums to Brian's photo album. So the site is great fun, particularly if you're a big fan of the show.
Last, but by no means least this week, if these choices are not to your liking, then why not use a web directory to find out about every conceivable British comedy series that has ever existed (practically)? The British TV Comedy Resources web site is an exhaustive collection listing details of over 350 comedy programmes. Its simplicity and functionality make it a breeze to browse through, and from it we ascertained that they made 65 episodes of 'Terry & June', ITV broadcast 'Man About the House' between 1973 and 1976 and that 'Sorry' was crap.
That's yer lot this week, and don't forget that if it's happening on TV we'll have it on Yahoo! News.