Grumpy Old Men

For anyone who feels particularly annoyed at many of the aspects of modern life, (e.g. Mobile phones, today's fashions, the state of the country) this show is for you- It involves many respected british commedians and other entertainers from the 30-40 age range being, well, themselves, that is to say Grumpy, and moaning about many of the things which really get on their nerves. They involve subjects which you will hear being moaned about from any grumpy old men, and also provides (by the very able Geoffery Palmer) Social commentary on the state of the entire country as a whole. You will probably understand the references best if you are in the same age range, but the commedians are very good at what they do, and you will probably find something which you agree with, as well as good viewing.

Oh how I identify with this series. As an early 40's male who's lived in London, I agree with so much that the grumpies have to say. Some things about living in the UK and particularly London are so frustrating and we all swear under our breaths at yet another tube delay or the gritters coming out three days after the snow's fallen.

I suspect residents of NYC or Sydney or a dozen other cities would have similar complaints about their respective cites but they would lack the spark and bite of Arthur and Will who don't hold back. Wonderful!! The funniest thing about the grumpies is that they would be so bored if everything was perfect.

I have mixed feelings about this. Part of me is glad to see the modern world getting a well-deserved kicking, even if it is from well-paid and over-exposed showbiz figures. Some of the views expressed ( particularly John O'Farrell's ) seem eminently sensible. But another part of me says: "This is patronising in the extreme.". Despite the title, its clearly aimed at the young. One imagines them tuning in and exclaiming: "Ha Ha! The sad old fools don't realise the world has moved on!". Actually, the concept is nothing new. In 1976, the B.B.C. made a series called 'Write On!' in which members of the public were invited to speak their minds on air. Their ideas included the teaching of First Aid in schools ( now why was that never taken up? ), the promotion of fishing as a national sport, complaints about the lack of television programmes aimed at the young ( how times have changed! ) and the use of incidental music in films. It only ran a single season, yet was vastly superior to 'Grumpy Old Men'. Who cares what millionaires think?

The beauty of Grumpy Old Men is the well-articulated acidic wit of the guests. At a certain age u don't need to pretend stuff is cool when it's actually rubbish. They have elevated grumpiness to an art form, drawing on a life time of painful experiences.

Assembling a group of grumpy, world-weary blokes to moan about selected topics might sound boring but the show side-stepped political correctness and tapped a rich vein of sardonic, eloquent and well informed grumpiness that got right to the nub of each issue.

The grumpy old men included, amongst others, Arthur Smith, Will Self, John Peel, Rick Wakeman and Jeremy Clarkson. The subject matter up for discussion ranged from Pop Idol to Tony Blair to mobile phones to Christmas and beyond. Geoffrey Palmer provided a wry, understated narration.

I notice that of the 2 other comments so far written, one said it's aimed at young people to laugh at old people's grumpiness, the other that it's aimed at old grumpy people.

I've also just read the message board on which a number of teenagers say they agree with what the grumpy old men are griping about.

.... so it would seem the programme appeals to all sorts of people! My own view is that the guests are simply speaking the truth, and anyone with an ounce of sense can't help agreeing with them.

This show is basically about grumpy old British men—theatre actors, columnists, radio-reporters and media producers—giving a well-deserved and well-articulated kick up the arse to various issues. In other words, they are grumpy and they whine. About everything. About commercials, technology, art, celebrities and values of all sorts that they are out-of-touch with. I've only seen three episodes of this, but I can't imagine there are many more than that because there isn't an endless list of things to knock... is there?

What I have seen has been consistently brilliant — the comedic skills of these grumpy old men stem from the fact that they aren't comedians, but your average...well, grumpy old man. Although I am a young woman, a lot of things they put forward is highly relatable and therefore also extremely side-splittingly funny. Think George Carlin or a much milder Denis Leary — angry, cynical and sparing no issues from criticism. An issue is presented by the narrator, and then it cuts back to the grumpy old men who comment on it... in absolutely hysterical ways.

The only problem as far as I see it is the persistent "flashback" device in which the narrator of the show (also a grumpy old man) zooms back to the 60's and 70's when the men were young and idealist, I guess to juxtapose this state with their old cynical mentalities. But it's not funny, at all. Maybe this part caters more older generations but I just don't see how constant reminiscing about The Beatles and the sexual revolution is at all a novel idea. It's incongruous the otherwise funny show.

Overall pretty solid entertainment because it's condensed into 30 minutes, featuring brilliantly funny highlights at times but always a lot of fun. 8/10