Rev. is a 6 part unfunny comedy series available on BBC iplayer. I watched them out of interest in how they attempt to make Xtianity sound reasonable (Big FAIL of course). Episode 1 has a pathetic pop at "the God Delusion" at the end, episode 2 has a weird interpretiaion of evangelical US style Xtianity, episode 3 is about how muslims and christians get along just fine and mentions that the "hero" reverend is frustrated he can't talk about people going to hell in his sermons. I'm watching episode 4 now.

The reverend's wife has been in some pretty funny comedy so it's strange to see her in this. I'm enjoying watching it though because its interesting to see how the BBC portray/conduct brainwashig xtianity in popular culture with the licence money. Defo an attempt to credibalise anglican xtianity I suppose (big fail IMO).



:edit to change thread title:

What did he say about TGD?

Personally, I'm not interested in watching it because I think the BBC has pumped out turgid shit in comedy since The Office ended. I get pissed off when the BBC pushes something because it is usually awful. Case in point: Outnumbered. It was being hyped in everything, magazines, TV, I couldn't turn on the bloody radio without hearing something about it. And it is just terrible. Channel 4 and E4 are the places to go for comedy now.

Matt H wrote:What did he say about TGD?

Reverend: Hello Colin

Colin (homeless person): Hello Vicarage

R: :lights cigarette:

C: I’ll tell you who’s made me very angry this afternoon.

R: Who’s that, Colin?

C: That professor, and his book about god being all deluded.

R: Oh, Richard Dawkins?

D: He’s a twat isn’t he? If I met him I’d kick him in the bollocks.

R: :smirks:

D: I mean, he thinks that people who believe in god are irrational nutters, but I believe in god. I don’t know why you gave that book out to people.

R: Well, I think its such a deeply flawed book, Colin, and you shouldn’t let it worry you. Professor Dawkins only believes in things if they can be scientifically proven but there’s still so much about god’s world we don’t understand.

R: :smokes cigarette in thoughtful pause:

R :picks up snail: Look, why is a snails shell a perfect mathematical golden spiral? Beautiful isn’t it? And it doesn’t need to be.

C: yeah.

R: And he’s baffled by the idea of forgiveness.

C: Yeah? Well good, because I’m not gonna forgive him for his shit book.

Matt H wrote:Personally, I'm not interested in watching it because I think the BBC has pumped out turgid shit in comedy since The Office ended. I get pissed off when the BBC pushes something because it is usually awful. Case in point: Outnumbered. It was being hyped in everything, magazines, TV, I couldn't turn on the bloody radio without hearing something about it. And it is just terrible. Channel 4 and E4 are the places to go for comedy now.

Yeah most BBC comedy is crap. Have I got news for you, the office and Alan Partridge are some exceptions mind.

I've only seen one episode and some scraps but my impression is a totally different one.

It isn't sidesplittingly funny but I wouldn't describe it as turgid shit and it certainly didn't strike me as an attempt to make Christianity seem reasonable. In fact the series constantly shows what dire straits the good old English parish is actually in. The church building is surrounded by a noisy urban jungle in which it looks totally out of place and the congregation is made up of old people and bums who only come there for the charity (hence Colin constantly plying the vicar with 'observations' he comes up with out of nowhere and thinks will get him in the vicar's good books). In the episode I watched in full the attempts by the church to modernize its image are lampooned as the vicar throws his lot in with a new age spiritual preacher in an attempt to boost attendances.

The humor is kind of wistful. I guess you don't see that much anymore.

And don't knock the Beeb, you Brits. As I've said many times before and will doubtless say many times more : you don't know how blessed you are. You wouldn't believe the dross that's on show day in day out just across the channel.

Tea volution wrote:

Matt H wrote:Personally, I'm not interested in watching it because I think the BBC has pumped out turgid shit in comedy since The Office ended. I get pissed off when the BBC pushes something because it is usually awful. Case in point: Outnumbered. It was being hyped in everything, magazines, TV, I couldn't turn on the bloody radio without hearing something about it. And it is just terrible. Channel 4 and E4 are the places to go for comedy now.

Yeah most BBC comedy is crap. Have I got news for you, the office and Alan Partridge are some exceptions mind.

What about Extras? That was pretty funny! There was also Hyperdrive, which had its moments, and I am sure one or two others. But in general, yes - the BBC sucks at comedy. Their nature documentaries, however, are often second to none.

Sgt Kelly wrote:I've only seen one episode and some scraps but my impression is a totally different one.

It isn't sidesplittingly funny but I wouldn't describe it as turgid shit and it certainly didn't strike me as an attempt to make Christianity seem reasonable. In fact the series constantly shows what dire straits the good old English parish is actually in. The church building is surrounded by a noisy urban jungle in which it looks totally out of place and the congregation is made up of old people and bums who only come there for the charity (hence Colin constantly plying the vicar with 'observations' he comes up with out of nowhere and thinks will get him in the vicar's good books). In the episode I watched in full the attempts by the church to modernize its image are lampooned as the vicar throws his lot in with a new age spiritual preacher in an attempt to boost attendances.

The humor is kind of wistful. I guess you don't see that much anymore.

And don't knock the Beeb, you Brits. As I've said many times before and will doubtless say many times more : you don't know how blessed you are. You wouldn't believe the dross that's on show day in day out just across the channel.

I quite like this show. It's certainly not Father Ted, but then it's not trying to be.

It had me smirking most of the way through it.

Rev is fairly entertaining comedy wise I suppose but never lol. I suppose what decent comedy there is to be found in the episodes is spoiled for me by the overiding message that Xtianity is a good thing existing in a crazy mixed up world. After they took a swipe at TGD in episode 1 it got my back up TBH.

oops double post

MacIver wrote:I quite like this show. It's certainly not Father Ted, but then it's not trying to be.

It had me smirking most of the way through it.

+1

The humour gets darker with each episode until, in the final show...

I'll not spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet.

redwhine wrote:

MacIver wrote:I quite like this show. It's certainly not Father Ted, but then it's not trying to be.

It had me smirking most of the way through it.

+1

The humour gets darker with each episode until, in the final show...

I'll not spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet.

Must admit I found the one episode I watched quite dark. Tarts and Vicars party in the church hall.... a very pissed, chain smoking Rev, then he was comforting an old dude who's wife had just passed away.

Can't say I was blown away by it though my TV watching is odd, I'm watching at least 3 channels at once, flicking over at advert breaks, dull bits, bits I've seen before or anything remotely gory. Drives my husband nuts.

I've only caught a couple of episodes, but I found it to be quite a dark, withdrawn comedy. Interestingly I found it to be neither anti nor pro xtianity, more a kind of schadenfreude where we reject people like Rev and the system he represents, and yet we feel sorry for him in the face of this overwhelming apathy that we have created. I thought it highlighted the disparity between the sort of golden ideal in the minds of the upper echelons of religious heirachy and the stark reality of apathetic/atheistic Britain. The Rev finds himself smack in the middle and completely out of his depth, not least because he is essentially an atheist himself in the face of this apathetic world he finds himself drowning in. The bits I saw I considered quite clever and insightful, but sadly (for ratings at least) lacking in guffaws.

My tup'th FWIW.

hmmm, confusing. It is more agnostic I suppose, but pointed out some fairly difficult arguments in favour of theism (ie confusing methodological naturalism with ontological naturalism when talking about Dawkins, and comforting somebody with thoughts of heaven on their deathbed).

I disagree that the Rev is portrayed as an atheist - he has a “crisis of faith” and his missus says "this happens every couple of years" like it is purely a conquerable stumbling block. Before that he prays to god in every episode, and in the final episode he seems to decide his job is, on balance, correct and worthwhile.

There's only episodes 1-3 available on iPlayer now but episode 6 is available through the Rev website here. Mixed messages - which sometimes seem the worst kind from an antitheist perspective.

Aren't the cathedrals pretty though?

I liked Rev.