School of Comedy

I really wasn't interested in this when it first appeared. But after having first watched the 'behind the scenes' episodes I fell in love with the characters.

Much of the humour is actually amazingly subtle for such young comedians. Some scenes did just miss the mark. But either was it is definitely the kind of show that has to grow on you.

In the end it also produced some moments of comedic poignancy that have only been matched by some of the greats (Only Fools and Horses, The Fast Show). It's a shame C4 didn't give it more support for a further series.

Have you ever sat there and watched hours of something so terrible, so bizarrely bad you feel retarded? Well I have, for I watched every episode, both series of this over the last 2 days. I don't know why, I laughed once and I have to admit I laughed at a rather damn good sketch, in the very last episode (a "woman" narrating everything at a dinner party where the predictable punch line is everyone can actually hear her slagging them off) it wasn't clever or special or unique but it tickled me.

Other than that I enjoy the South Africans, possibly because I find the accent pretty. It tries to marry the juvenile and the mature with no luck and at times you feel feel genuinely bad for the cast. By far the most painful of the recurring sketches have to be the cab driver, the art gallery chubby chaser and the white van men. Basicaly they use material that would be good for one sketch, if that, and then do it over and over and over again. Don't get me started on the impromptu lip syncing.

Although it has endeared me to Will Poulter, whose hideous way of speaking in Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader made me hate him for a long time. Yes I know Eustace Scrubb is meant to be an unlikable, repugnant character but still, there is no excuse for that mannerism.

And while they seem to have turned the canned laughter slider down in between Series', they still use it too much. And some of the better recurring sketches from the first series were thrown out and not replaced in the second. The misanthropic bar maid from the first series was brilliant in a cringe worthy way.

That sums the whole show up really, car crash television. Some morbid fascination with misery and pain keeps you watching when you know it's wrong. And a lot of it is so bad it swings back around to good, in a cringe worthy pitiful kind of way. However I do think some of the actor's are pretty talented, some of the girl's play perfectly believable adults (one of which would do better if she didn't have braces).

Well there you go, my long winded confused sh-peel.

I almost didn't watch it when I saw the first sketch, I thought it was just going to be a one gimmick show but......These kids are amazing!!!!!! I hope the material stays strong enough to highlight their brilliant talents.

The second show fell off a bit but I hope it recoups some of the absolute brilliance of the 1st show in the series. I really like the lesbian jokes. I like that the kids are NOT asked to be sexual in these bits, but just edgy and witty.

And wow, they can really run rings around any actor (kid or adult) with some of the dialogue requirements ,such as, the character "Steve" in the "Pitch-Bitch" skit.

Lots of range on these kids. Let hope they get good material to show it off.

I was dubious about the idea behind this show, and at times am still uncomfortable about gaining laughs from children swearing, whether they are behaving as adults or not. Of course they know all of the words but that doesn't mean using them is right. Fortunately the best sketches so far are the ones without any swearing - with the sole exception of the farmer sketch for episode 1 which depended on it for the punchline.

I agree however that some of the sketches just aren't funny, and yet it has little to do with the performances of the child actors. Will is very good and I'm looking forward to seeing him as Eustace in the next Narnia film.

When the writing is good it is very good. The Job Interview sketch from episode 2 with the names confusion was classic two-handed comedy. But too many fail to deliver clear comedic content and should have been rejected. Better to have made a shorter series with premium content instead of thinning out the laughs with weaker material. Perhaps those with recurring characters will become funnier as they develop over time, but so far the Pub Landlady has failed to impress.

I will continue to watch in the hope that it delivers on the potential that I believe is in the show.

I can imagine the craziness the youngsters unleashed on the set of the new series, School of Comedy, and how they simply must have driven all adults on set to distraction. I can't imagine how frustrated the director must have been, trying to handle a cast of dozens of talkative, unfocused, buzzing children. However, the attempts certainly, somehow, paid off.

The performances these kids gave, particularly Son of Rambow's Will Poulter, was nothing short of perfection. Being part of the shows target audience, I smiled. And I laughed. It's not just an adult sketch show, it's charming, witty, and the timing these children hold is superb. I believe in some of these young talents we are looking at the next Armstrong and Mitchell and Miller and Webbs of the sketch genre. And it's great to see such great talent emerging in the UK.

Previous reviewer mentioned how the writing let down the show. And I'm afraid I have to agree with him, he makes a good point. I nearly turned over at the adverts because the laughs were not coming fast enough, and that's down to the awkward situational writing. There's a certain creative spark but unfortunately, it's only flickering.

I didn't change channels and I'm glad. School of Comedy is a feel good sketch show performed by a highly talented new cast with buzzing energy, wit and charm.