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[Misc] The Lenny Henry Show
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That's the problem with looking at the past through the filter of the beliefs and values of the present time - it can make people look incredibly intolerant.
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It’s not just that GT, it just wasn’t funny. I can still laugh at comedy that isn’t PC but most of it made me cringe…. He should have come second on Mew Faces and we would have been spared….. He does do a lot for charities though I guess.
I had the misfortune to see him live at The Dome once. I guessed the weak punchlines before he'd had a chance to utter them. He actually sang to a backing track of a 70's rock song by 'free'. I think it was 'Little bit of love'. He's no Paul Rodgers ! It really was a crap evening.
Pickles
Well-known member
- May 5, 2014
- 1,320
The truth is that he wasn't funny then, he isn't funny now, and he never will be.
We all know why he was found to be absolutely hilarious and has become a national treasure, even though the vast majority find him a dreadful performer and would rather stick a marmalade sandwich up their own backside rather than watch him do his crap and oft repeated act of the last 40 years, but to say so would be deemed to be racist.
We all know why he was found to be absolutely hilarious and has become a national treasure, even though the vast majority find him a dreadful performer and would rather stick a marmalade sandwich up their own backside rather than watch him do his crap and oft repeated act of the last 40 years, but to say so would be deemed to be racist.
Baldseagull
Well-known member
I used to like him, he was never side splitting, but did raise a smile. Comparable to Russ Abbot.
I think the issue is that Lenny Henry is about as funny as herpes, or even Mrs Brown's Boys. Even back in the day, being black and shouting wasn't great comedy.
Look at him now though; he has morphed into an absolutely outstanding serious actor. Shakespeare plays and quality drama - he is usually excellent. Why oh why wasn't he acting back then instead of doing his shit "comedy"?
Fair enough in that case. Comedy is always going to fall flat on its face sometimes (and not in a funny slapstick way). Did love Tiswas though - but that was largey due to a strong animal attraction to Sally James!
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Greg Bobkin
Silver Seagull
- May 22, 2012
- 16,040
I liked/like him 
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- #11
I think the issue is that Lenny Henry is about as funny as herpes, or even Mrs Brown's Boys. Even back in the day, being black and shouting wasn't great comedy.
I’ve never seen him play it straight though.
I think herpes used to be funny…. Like AIDS. I joked about it back in the day.
I’ve never seen him play it straight though.
Tyrone Biggums
Well-known member
I liked Chef!
Stato
Well-known member
- Dec 21, 2011
- 7,367
Nothing wrong with Len as a performer. He has natural warmth, was great in Tiswas, was always dangerously fun on live TV and has been funny when in good stuff (and sometimes had the charisma to carry stuff that wasn't so good). He wasn't blessed with the best writers for his sketch shows. Most who wrote that series were mainstream light entertainment writers who ended up doing stuff like 'My Family'.
He was decent when he picked up on the influence of his alternative peers, moved away from the punchline driven and tried to make things more personal to his own life and background, but he was already prime time when he tried to make this move and was always being pulled back to the family entertainment stuff. He was on telly at 16, he grew up in public and didn't get to learn his craft as a writer out of the limelight.
He was decent when he picked up on the influence of his alternative peers, moved away from the punchline driven and tried to make things more personal to his own life and background, but he was already prime time when he tried to make this move and was always being pulled back to the family entertainment stuff. He was on telly at 16, he grew up in public and didn't get to learn his craft as a writer out of the limelight.
BadFish
Huge Member
- Oct 19, 2003
- 18,201
I never found him particularly funny but I gather he’s rather a good stage actor these days. Although I haven’t seen him in anything so who knows?
It’s more what he stood for isn’t it? A black man on Prime Time telly. While some people were still rolling in the aisles to racist morons like Davidson and Manning.
And it wasn’t just the times. Nobody I knew found racist humour funny in the 70’s and 80’s.
It’s more what he stood for isn’t it? A black man on Prime Time telly. While some people were still rolling in the aisles to racist morons like Davidson and Manning.
And it wasn’t just the times. Nobody I knew found racist humour funny in the 70’s and 80’s.
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- Oct 17, 2008
- 14,526
I saw his Othello and was deeply unimpressed, even for a Northern Broadsides production. His diction was shocking, regardless of the exaggerated native accent. (Broadsides productions are non-traditional in style, which is fine if done well, and actors use their natural accents). I also thought he was appalling in The Rings of Power, with his strange Irish accent and, again, scenery chewing performance.
He’s a big ham when he acts - which is fine - but I’ve not actually seen him act well in any straight drama personally. I seem to remember liking “Chef” and Comic Relief when I was young though.
I certainly wouldn’t call him an “absolutely outstanding serious actor”. That calls to mind the likes of Derek Jacobi, Daniel Day-Lewis, Kevin Spacey, Jack Nicholson and actors of their status and phenomenal catalogue of acting credits behind them.
He isn’t offensively bad at acting, but he’s the worst Othello I’ve seen, and was the worst thing in the The Rings of Power - neither of which had any extraordinarily strong acting to compete against.
BadFish
Huge Member
- Oct 19, 2003
- 18,201
I always wonder about the 70s and 80s thing. I was always much more into the 'alternative' comedy thing. My age also meant that this was in full swing before I really had much concept of what they were the alternative to. I also came from good lefty guardian reading woke stock so wouldn't have been exposed to much of it.
It seems to me that most young people had moved on from the racism etc for most of the 80s.
One mate of mine is always banging on about the unpc good old days when you could tell proper jokes. Usually with a nod to Rik Mayall who was absolutely rallying against the punching down racism of the comedians they were the alternatives to. Watching a old do about the alternates recently made me wonder if they were the first PC/Woke comedians. If history saw this differently, perhaps they would be the god father's of woke.
Another aspect of the doco was a discussion a out how much harder alternative comedy was than the mother in law merchants. Well until every other joke was about Margret Thatcher
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- Jan 3, 2012
- 17,354
But he was good on Tiswas too!
Nicks
Well-known member
He was at his peak on TISWAS.
Absolutely crap since then.
Absolutely crap since then.