Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Phoneshop: Soldier, Swinger, Shelley, Shelley

The britcom Phoneshop has been uneven, or perhaps just so off-beat that it's an acquired taste. But episode six is brilliant. I particularly loved Janine (Emma Fryer)'s dance at the start. I think it's the best word-less solo comedy I've seen since Niles' ironing scene in Frasier. (Janine has been made manager for a day, a position she clearly relishes.)

Amazingly, you can apparently watch the entire episode free. (Update: there are region restrictions, durn it. Anybody know a quick and simple workaround?)

Update:
Alex said:
So, how does this rate against imported britcoms like say Vicar of Dibley, Hyperdrive, Hamish Macbeth, or cult classics like "The Came Frome Somewhere Else", "Nightingales", "Comic Strip Presents".
Heck, I don't even know what a Chav is, so would I understand half the dialogue?

Heck if you, a native, is having issues with the dialogue, no wonder I am! I think the trick is to sort of "skate over it". And I think a lot of it is made up.

Compared to stuff like Vicar of Dibley (which I like a lot), this is much more edgy. Both in format and in content. It's not for kiddies for sure.

8 comments:

TC [Girl] said...

Eolake said...
"Amazingly, you can apparently watch the entire episode free."

Or not (on this side of the pond, anyway): "This video contains content from Channel 4, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds." (and then I did a search on uboob and NOTHING came up.) :-(

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Curses, foiled again!!

TC [Girl] said...

I know. No way to tell. It would be good to find some sort of test system, online.

Alex said...

So, how does this rate against imported britcoms like say Vicar of Dibley, Hyperdrive, Hamish Macbeth, or cult classics like "The Came Frome Somewhere Else", "Nightingales", "Comic Strip Presents".

Heck, I don't even know what a Chav is, so would I understand half the dialogue?

Alex said...

Wait a minute. There are days when I connect to work via VPN, and all Google thinks I'm in Japan.

Maybe if I connect to Manchester instead of San Jose for my VPN, it will lose the fact that I am in the US, and not UK.

I'll try that at the weekend.

TC [Girl] said...

Eolake said...
"I think it's the best word-less solo comedy I've seen since Niles' ironing scene in Frasier."

Darn it! Can't find that clip on uboob, neither, it seems! Was trying to look for something to "entertain" while Alex is (hopefully) working out the bugs on the other. (no pressure! ;-)

(I don't know why I didn't watch Frasier through the years. The few bits of it that I've seen have been a scream!)

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

(post updated)

Alex said...

Dang, my UK coworkers have to VPN through a VPN concentrator in continental Europe. I tried that VPN, when I went to Google it put me at www.ggogle.nl, and would not let me get to this video. I guess I can only see stuff from the Nederlands.