h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There's a long history of British comedy being based around a camp character or two - from "Are you being served" to the "Carry on" films...but now that people like Julian Clarey have taken this to its extreme, is there any room for the original camp character (as Dale Winton and the like do), or is camp no longer funny?

I don't think Dale Winton is camp or funny he's just a bit 'creepy'. The best camp act ever was Julian and Sandy from the BBC's 'Round The Horne'.

I like Dale Winton there is something nice about him. It is funny how our taste changes I can remember falling around at carry on films and now I wonder what I laughed at. I like Gimme Gimme and that has a gay person but the girl is good too.I cant remember the last time I had a good laugh at the telly though youve been framed is a laugh.

You've been framed is crap.
I'm guessing you've never watched Python then.

But what *is* it about Carry On films, exactly???

Round the Horne is still funny because the dialog is clever.Like python the slightly surreal situations and clever writing works.

I suppose good camp humour is funny just as any good humour is funny.
Jullian and Sandy are still hillarious because the dialogue is so sharp. I'm probably getting old but I've never found Dale Winton funny and Julian Clary seems to be getting a bit tired and repeating the same material.

(For what ts worth I thought the Thin Blue Line was better than
Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie)

Political correctness is a funny business - somehow its OK for Julian Clary to make 'camp jokes' but it would be a bit off if someone like Jim Davidson told the same gags. Perhaps good camp humour has to come from experience and sympathy for your subject.

Graham Norton. Very good.

You've Been Framed. Awful.

Baby falls over and cracks its head. What's funny about that? Then they finally get rid of the Beadle abomination and replace him with Mandy Riley!!!

Years ago when python was on my husband used to fall about laughing and I never could see what he was laughing at perhaps if I saw it now I might think it was funny? I think Jullian Clary is really great. I never watched thin blue line so cannot comment. I like youve been framed but not when someone has been hurt. When my son was young he used to say to me why do you laugh when I fall over? and I used to say it is like Laurel and Hardie it is just funny!!!!!!!!! I do not like Mandy Rilley as I also did not like Jeremy Beadle. So many things make us laugh I find sometimes someone just has to say a swear word and people fall about which I do not think is funny at all.

The funniest MPFC sketch I can remember was the camp drill square sketch. Probably because I was in the armed forces myself at that time!!
Hilarious!!!!

Do not remember thet one.

It's worth borrowing the video.
The Pythons were also excellent at the pantomime dame effect of dressing as middle-aged women. The Women's Institute dramatic society was priceless

I find Python very embarrassing to watch these days, and when I think what we went through to be able to watch it back then, sending our parents to bed and God knows what.

Camp has only just caught on in Germany, so I'm seeing all that stuff all over again. Sorry, but have never heard of any of the other programmes or comedians you mention otherwise. Have I missed much? Can someone send me videos? (Yes we do have TV in Germany and it is PAL and we do have VHS)

Has anyone actually belted Beadle one yet?

Not that I know of, but if anyone knows where he lives I'll be quite willing to give him a right good kickin'

Mandy Riley?! I think you'll find that her screen character is Mandy Dingle and her real name is Lisa Riley - not that I care or that I'm a fan or anything, in fact I hate 'Emmerdale Farm' and 'You've Been Framed' and would like to attack the person responsible for scripting Lisa's 'quirky' comments between YBF clips (however if she scripts it herself forget it - she's far too big for me to pick on!)
ANYWAY.... What I want to know is where did camp come from? You meet gay guys that are camp and you think 'where did they learn this!? Have they always spoken and acted this way or is there this icon that they all follow?'

Camp is quite definately still funny - when it's done right. Camp isn't the sole preserve of the British either - I mean did anyone see Sleepy Hollow? It was hysterical. Even Christopher Walken managed to come across as camp and he didn't even have a head during most of the film. So funny. Oh, oh, and the X-Men - that was camp. A lot of people assume that camp=gay but there is a lot of subtle campness (if that's a word) going on all over the place It's a kind of tongue- in- cheek, knowingness. Camp of the Dale Winton veriaty just bores me to tears. Graham Norton, however, I do find funny but that's because he has ideas. He's not just relying on camp to get him laughs.

If you're getting picky it's 'Emmerdale' (without the 'Farm') and has been for a good few years so as to allow for more varied storylines.

As far as the 'camp thang' goes, I have two male friends who have very camp humour but are not at all homosexual. However, I, like you, have no idea where they learnt it from...

Is it possible for females to be camp? Or are they just female? I'm conducting an experiment at the moment to see if I can cut it as 'camp'.

Caroline Dahling, of course we girlie can be camp!

Have you never seen a good old fashioned 'girls night out' marauding down the street, all Clare's Accessories glitter and dodgy stilletoes? Smart, intelligent women trying to be silly girls. If that's not camp I don't know what is!

How, do tell, is your campness manefested? And can we varder your eeck sometimes?

oh- and do mince over to mine sometime won't you

Mwah
Pinks

(Camp enough for you?)

Oh - and in answer to the original question, YES camp is still v. funny if done right, and dismal if done wrong.

Good Camp - Graham Norton, James Drefus (he of Gimme Gimme Gimme, and Thin Blue Line) Ant & Dec, and (contraversially) Jonathan Ross and Mark Lamar.
Jarvis Cocker, David Bowie, Neil Hanon - all excelently camp musical types.

I also think that French & Saunders are v. camp, both separatly and together, as is Lisa Tarbuck.

So I guess that brings us back to the previous point. Women can be.

Bad Camp - Carry on Columbus, Dale Winton, Bobby Davro, Bob Downe, Lennie Beige, the list goes on and on...

Slight 80s tangent here, but has anyone else noticed that Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon is becoming increasingly camp as the years go by? I mean, I know he wore rediculous OTT outfits during the bands heyday, but he never actually came across as being quite so camp as he is today.