There seems to be a rash of advertising annoyingly unfunny shows to overkill levels, just so you submit and agree with them. First it was Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (the only sitcom relegated from BBC2 to BBC3 to my knoweledge), and now it's The Green Wing.

Go on, put My Name Is Earl on in a good slot (not bumping it around for The Games and, yes, Green Wing) and axe the shite. That goes for Will & Grace and Everybody Loves Raymond in particular.

I find it funny somebody might be tempted to apply for this job. You don't even get paid!!!

Christ, that's scraping the bottom of the barrel. It would be worth it if you got to shoot Jade at the end though...

And in reply to your ancient post just above that I hadn't noticed before... you don't like Green Wing?! It's the epitome of the British comedic style! (and is a welcome breath of fresh air alongside fetid, "safe" American sitcoms like W&G and Raymond)

Earl is alright, but Jason Lee isn't that funny in it... the supporting cast completely carries the show. The Office (US) with Steve Carell is way better.

I recently bagged Series 3 of Black Books, Tamsin Greig is great in that, but is wasted in The Green Wing - as is Mark Heap - by badly written scripts that don't carry for ther 45 minutes it's on (who's ego said it should be an hour show anyway?) and an over-reliance on visual gimmicks.

I did mention Black Books earlier, didn't I?

Hmm I don't know, I've never seen Black Books so I can't use it as a point of reference (although I have heard only good things). I just know that GW tickles me in a way that no other show does with its bizarre, twisted humour. Tamsin Grieg's character is also so cutely neurotic that it absolutely screams "Scrubs" (Elliott Reid) at me, which is my absolute fave programme ever, so I'm afraid I'm a goner in this debate.

Also, seeing Sarah Alexander in anything is always a plus point, though whether she'll ever top Coupling I don't know (I don't rate GW that highly). She starred in a failed American adaptation of C4's Teachers this year, but the show was so dire that I should think the writers of the original will have dissociated themselves from it in every way possible.

Tamsin Greig was also pretty good in Love Soup on BBC1 earlier this year, more of a bittersweet comedy than all-out sitcom - although most people only caught the last couple of episodes, so it'll probably get the chop as a result (word of mouth, eh?). The lady obviously has talent.

My dad's hidden the Goodies DVDs I got him for Fathers Day. Git...

I'm not a fan of either Green Wing or Scrubs - too contrived in their quirkiness for my taste, though I'll take them over the crassness of 2 Pints/Little Britain any day.
If Stereoplasmic hasn't instantly dismissed my comedy views for not liking those, can I point you in the direction of Joking Apart, the first and best sitcom by Coupling/Press Gang creator Steven Moffat?
It lasted 2 series on BBC2 in about '92 and has finally slipped out on DVD via a website a JA fan set up specifically to get the show released on DVD! It's at www.replaydvd.co.uk and is one of my Top 10 sitcoms; some of the episodes are honestly up there with Fawlty Towers for precisely-plotted farce.
I'm with Tyler on My Name Is Earl, I only finally saw the last episode at the weekend last night. Hopefully it'll be coming back.
The Goodies? Like The Young Ones, it's not aged too well, but has enough ideas to compensate. I interviewed Graeme Garden in my tabloid days, one of the wittiest, most intelligent people I've ever met. His son is keyboard player in Scissor Sisters! (2nd keyboardist JJ Garden, not the main Babydaddy one.)
As much as I liked Love Soup, I think it worked best as a one-series "Is your perfect partner out there?" idea. As it was better than 90% of 8pm family entertainment schlock, I'd be happy for it to come back, mind.

One I read in the news last week: "Teenagers sexual health worries."

The reason? The part where it says some of them take off their condoms too early. How the hell do you manage that?!? There's a certain finality to it, shall we say.

No dismissals here (I waste far too much time myself on trash sitcoms that I still somehow "enjoy", Two Pints included), although I'd have to say GW far outdoes Two Pints in the crass stakes ... but the story in the former ultimately pulls it through (thus far).

Had a quick read of the Wiki article on JA (tried to avoid spoilers), hafta say it does look right up my street. And what a great release story! An inspiration for anyone looking to bring back those 'brilliant-but-cancelled' classics. If I have a winning day at the races on Sunday I'll have to toss a coin between that and the third season of Arrested Development, methinks

As for My Name Is Earl, the second season starts in about a month in America, so hopefully C/E4 will air it with the same 6ish-week delay that they did this year.

I've noticed a pattern - if trailers for a new comedy on BBC3 are relentlessly stuck on BBC1 between newsreaders taking an intake of air, they're shite.

Examples: Little Britain, Two Pints of Lager, Three Non Blondes, Titty Bang Bang...saves you watching Little Miss Jocelyn, doesn't it? Well, unless you want to use the "If a white person portrayed blacks this way..." argument, of course.

Yeah, I've lost faith in BBC3 now to the extent that I don't try any of their new programmes these days. I suppose this means that their next one will become a cult classic, but I've wasted enough hours waiting for one now. Better wasting it on classic Have I Got News For You/QI on the other channels (or music videos!)

Although I didn't get anywhere with Trading Standards when shopping Total Film (how can you call it the comedy issue with Will Ferrell on the cover?!?), I better get my 50 Cent story out of the way:

Walking up La Croisette in Cannes, I passed the Canal+ stage that was parked opposite the Martinez hotel (£30k per night), and a cra drove out of their forecourt, crossed the street, and parked at the stage - a la Buster Keaton in The Navigator, all the way back in 1924.

Anyway, who should step out but a HUGE black guy - and five others, before I looked down a bit and saw 50 Cent climb out and walk the three yards from the kerb to the stage. On his way, some French gangsta wannabe touched Fiddy's hand...and reacted like a little scholgirl, running away holding his hand, squealing in delight, forgetting he was by this point annihilating any street cred he had by the milisecond.

Just remember this image when you hear the phrase "keepin' it real"

Just got round to watching That Mitchell & Webb Look from Thursday. Brilliant. As Chris Langham won't be able to make any more Help for a while, it's unlikely to be beaten for funniest show of the year.

Damn it, the first new BBC comedy that I decided to pass on and it turns out to be great (allegedly)! I do love those guys in Peep Show though, which I suppose won't be seeing a new series this winter now that they've jumped ship.

Don't know about a new Peep Show series, but the writers have done a pilot for C4 called Modern Men that's coming on soonish I believe.