People Like Us

I caught this show on late-night PBS one time and I have made a point to watch several episodes since then. John Morton is a comedic genius! The comedy sort of reminds me of "Spinal Tap" with maybe a hint of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" - sort of subtle, and the more you watch it the funnier it gets.

Part of what makes it funny is the main character give a clinic on how NOT to make a documentary: he narrates at inappropriate times, gets too involved in the lives of his subjects when he should be just an observer, does a lot of bad editing, etc. Also, his subjects are so pathetic it's almost painful to watch. Beyond that, I can't really describe what's so funny about it - just watch one episode if you get the chance and you'll understand.

To give an example of the texture of People Like Us, here are the only two lines the actress playing a shoe-shop assistant in episode 5 has. All the other characters speak like this as well, only more so.

"You'll find that over time your feet will start to give with wear."

"Most people have at least one foot that's bigger than the other."

In the same episode, the announcer at a train station can be heard in the background droning po-facedly something like "This train stops at Berksley only, Hemperdon only, Staffordsly only, and Blackpool only."

From an episode set in a school; "Mr. Hensley's Problem-Solving club meets at lunchtime on the third floor, but you're not allowed to use the stairs."

These are only short examples from memory. The body of it, Roy Mallard's narration, relies on him going on so long like that that he forgets how he started the sentence.

You can buy some episodes of the radio series if you want a clearer example. Or look at the entry on radiohaha. That summarises it better than I can. Recommended for fans of On The Hour / The Day Today, although you probably know about it already.

What appears to be a serious documentary about 'a day in the life' of some member of a profession (policeman, priest, bank manager etc.) is actually a very clever spoof of a documentary. If you listen carefully you realize that most of what the commentator is saying is gibberish – and very funny. The commentator (Roy Mallard) is mostly off camera (except for the occasional hand when requested) and is a fine example of how not to do an interview. Some examples of his commentary –'X is 2 hours from London both by rail and train', 'It's 4pm and everybody has left school except for those who have stayed behind', 'It's 2 p.m. and already the Japanese are on time' and 'the world of financial money'. That's not all. The people whom he interviews are also prone to mangling the English language with many misstatements and misunderstandings. This is not the brash, crude humour that many Americans enjoy but more subtle and laid back. American humour tends overdo the one-liners in order to make sure the audience 'gets it'. This is the type of humour that has to be experienced more than once as it is very easy to miss the subtleties the first time around. Overall, an acquired taste, but much to my liking.

The other comments have covered this series very well but I just had to post my comments.

There has been a new wave of comedy recently, the office, people like us and to a lesser extent Unnovations. They are all packed with jokes but its always left to the viewer to pick up on them.

People like us seems to have an amazing number of jokes in every episode. Roy's commentary is inspired and many times you have to think carefull about what he has said until you realise that it's total gibberish. My example is "he has worked in such diverse places as Yeovil".

Chris Langham has perfect timing, I've never laughed so much as someone just saying "oh" before. Each episode Roy manages to put in foot in every possible cowpat in sight. In fact, in the entire series, Roy is the only normal person. Everyone he interviews misunderstands his questions in an amazingly stupid way. They all tend to be tragic characters who put on a brave face.

The sad thing is that many of the jokes are just thrown away and pass the viewer by.

"she worked on an oil rig just off Norway, then, after servere weather, just off Denmark"

I don't think there will be another series and to be honest I hope there isn't. This series is perfect as it is, any more and the jokes will run thin or they will use the same jokes again. 12 episodes is impressive enough.

Chris Langham has been around for quite a while, he was in Life of Brian and I'm pleased his talent has found a platform at last.

I LOVED this series. Watched once and then went back to stream again and again. Inventive, clever and laugh out loud quality. Wish US audience could enjoy season two. Highly recommend...