FAQ
No-one’s really asked me any questions yet, to be honest. But if they do, my God, I’m ready for them. Get your retaliation in first, I say. Take a look through the site, then, if your curiosity in still dissatisfied, ask away.
To avoid confusion:
This site = web of pub.Owner/creator/webmaster of web of pub = Steve Day.
The TV programme = World of Pub = WoP = Pub.
Performer in WoP = Pubbite.
Visitor to this web site = punter.
Address of web of pub = http://www.worldofpub.co.uk/ [Lawyers take note: this is not AFAIK a registered trademark of the BBC, nor is it a mark to which goodwill attaches for a passing off action. In any case, this page is not provided in the course of trade. Nor is it causing the BBC any loss. But, I hear you cry, could “World of Pub” be a copyright work? Arguably, although Exxon v Exxon suggests otherwise. But see Francis Day and Hunter where © in the title of a song (cont. http://www.94.com/)].
OK, hastily and gushingly cobbled together late at night whilst very tired owing to spending too much time researching which widescreen television to buy to enjoy Pub in its full glory (Sony 32 FQ 75 U, as it happens, well, it’s got DRC, you see) and also trying to decorate a room and getting stuck on the ceiling washing phase, here is a list of questions that have been, are being or may be asked in the past, present or future both by either current or prospective fans and website visitors or those either interested or curious or both. [Takes off People like Us hat.]
What is World of Pub?
Ah, the hard ones first. See an episode or 6, and tell us how you’d describe it. Or read the Introduction page for a brief outline. Basically, it’s a sitcom, but better. Arguably the most surreal sitcom since The Young Ones. Arguably not a sitcom at all (viz. inter alia Spaced, League of Gentlemen).
I like World of Pub. What else could I like?
I’ll do a separate page for this one soon. Basically, anything which WoP people appeared/worked in is fairly likely to appeal. Off the top of my head, some of these things are:
Hipper: Spaced (generation-defining “sitcom”, which Peter Serafinowicz is in). See the DVD and Video.More intellectual: People like Us (fantastic R4/BBC2 “linguistic” comedy, the next step forwards from Airplane etc., written by John Morton (who worked with Tony Roche on Sunday Format, infra) and starring many of the cast members of WoP (OK, Kim Wall and Simon Greenall). See the cassettes (1 and 2) (no CDs yet).
Faster paced and polythene-wrapped for freshness: Sunday Format (non-stop satire of crappy British journalism and crappy British society, partly written by Tony Roche and starring some Pubbites such as Mel Hudson and Vicki Pepperdine).
All over the place: Comedy Nation (fantastic sketch show with everyone from BBC Light Entertainment, namely, for our purposes, Hudson and Pepperdine, Kim Wall, Simon Greenall (was he in this), Peter Serafinowicz, series 1 was much better though. Favourite quote: Brown is the new black. You wanker!).
More biting: Brass Eye (directed by WoP’s director Michael Cumming, Chris Morris rips the piss out of the great and good, and Bernard Manning. Check cookdandbombd for all the Chris Morris stuff. Remember: Cake is a made-up drug).
More media-savvy: Grievous Bodily Radio (fast-moving show led by Peter Serafinowicz, written by Jon “11OCS” Holmes and Andy Hirst. Brilliant).
Also, check out my Stella Street You May Also Enjoy page (only 3 clicks away…) for some wonderful things (WoP is different to Stella Street, though, so most of those things aren’t directly relevant).
But I thought the BBC was a stuffy national broadcaster who churned out crap programmes that weren’t worth the DVT/DAT they were recorded on?
Generally yes, but there has been some brilliant stuff in the last few years. In fact, try listening to Radio 4. Just turn it on and listen for 20 minutes. There’s everything you need to know, from dealing with disruptive pupils by means of corporal punishment, to coming out, to the miners’ strike, not to mention fantastic comedy, often simultaneously! All life is contained on Radio 4, believe me. And Radio 3’s pretty good. And don’t forget Radio 1, where Chris Morris did Blue Jam.
BBC TV’s comedy output has been fairly weak of late, and it’s lost ground to Channel 4 recently (thanks to Spaced, Frazier being good, Jam, Black Books, Father Ted, and, conversely, Coupling, Two Pints of Lager, They Think It’s All Over, the dumbing down for the last but one series of HIGNFY (now, mercifully, recovered to its former glory*)). That said, there are still gems that crop up (Bruiser, People like Us, Room 101 (occasionally), I’m Alan Partridge, Gimme Gimme Gimme (the line, “You see a tone and you’ve just got to lower it!” is classic), but these seem few and far between at the moment. And come on BBC2, bring back If I Ruled the World.
Erm, Attention Scum: inspired or insipid? You decide. At least it was different (albeit not to the League Against Tedium’s previous act…)
Serious niggles BBC: not nearly enough stuff comes to DVD or CD. Do you have any idea how much money you’d make if you put Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy on DVD? Or Blue Jam/On the Hour on CD complete? What about a series-by-series reissue of I’m Sorry, I’ll Read That Again (you know, like you’re doing for Hancock’s Half Hour). And don’t forget The Goodies (oh, I see that you have)!
* Come on, admit it: why do you have to bleep “fuck”?
Erm… I seem to be ranting a bit here and flitting about through the last 6 years or so of UK media history with alacrity (but someone may be interested, who knows). If you’d like to email me about any of my reviews, opinions or even World of Pub, please do.
Is this an official site?
No. I’d like it to have been, but Auntie had to go and build their own, which is “quite qood”, and indeed, written by Tony Roche. :( So this site will attempt to refresh the parts that an official site can’t reach. And it’s OK to complain if you don’t like something: appreciation is as much about saying what’s below standard as what’s above it! And we’ll try to bring down the BBC (erm…).
Web of Pub
A World of Pub page.
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» Peter Serafinowicz
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» Have You Noticed?
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the Page
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This site was last tampered with on 2007-04-07 with a little DVD news, although nothing's official yet.
