NOT LIKE THIS ANY MORE

By

SAMUEL O. OSAGIE

BRITISH SITCOM

5 WILTSHIRE GARDENS, FINSBURY

All right is reversed.@2009
PARK AVENUE, N4 1HG, LONDON,
UNITED KINGDOM.
MOBILE: +447983525355
E-MAIL:
eagledev@googlemail.com

VIDEO
An establishing shot
showing a panoramic view
of Piccadilly circle,
London.TITLE:NOT LIKE THIS
ANY MORE.
ARCHIVAL VIDEO: SOME MOTHERS
DO ’AV ’EM (48 SECONDS)
Excerpts from SOME MOTHERS
DO ’AV ’EM sitcom, episode
1-THE JOB INTERVIEW. The
excerpt video from the
archival video will run
for 20 seconds before the
voice-over will come in.
CUT-IN:
ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE:FAWLTY
TOWERS (52 SECONDS)
Excerpts from FAWLTY
TOWERS sitcom,episode 2-THE
BUILDERS.
There will be a voice-over
with this excerpt video.
1
AUDIO
MUSIC
The Crawler
NARRATOR
(Voice-over)
The glory days of British sitcoms are
gone.The days when British Televisions
are inundated with nerve-breaking
hilarious sitcoms, are over! For
almost two decades now, British sitcom
has been imperiled. We are in a time
when contemporary British sitcoms are
nothing but a laugh stock among teeming
comedy audiences and critics, with a
lot of sitcoms produced ending up as
Pilots -never shown on television.
NARRATOR
(Voice-over)
There are no more fun in British
Television, compared to the golden
age of British sitcom. In those days
sitcoms are used to make us laugh
at our own absurdity; they reflect
the scenarios of everyday British
life; they were seen as the liberating
power of "sadism"; they give audiences
different kind of satisfactions.
British sitcoms are NOT LIKE THIS ANY
MORE. Why? Is British sitcom dead? Does
the absent of real humorous Britcoms
signify the demise of this perennial TV
entertainment genre? What is the true
state of British sitcom?
 2
VIDEO AUDIO

CUT-IN:

CLOSE UP:John sitting on the JOHN BEVERIDGE

sofa and talking. (Interviewee)
CUT-IN:

ARCHIVAL VIDEO:ON THE BUSES

(28 SECONDS)
Excerpt from ON THE BUSES
sitcom,episode 4.
CUT-IN:
CLOSE UP: JOHN BEVERIDGE
(Interviewee)
CUT-IN: JOHN BEVERIDGE (CONTINUE)
(Voice-over)
ARCHIVAL VIDEO:ON THE BUSES
(28 SECONDS)
Excerpt from ON THE BUSES
sitcom, episode 1-THE
EARLY SHIFT, with JOHN’S
Voice-over.
CUT-IN:
ARCHIVAL VIDEO: STEPTOE AND
SON (24 SECONDS)
Excerpt from STEPTOE AND SON
sitcom, episode 2.
CUT-IN:
CLOSE UP: JOHN BEVERIDGE
(Interviewee)
CUT-IN:
ARCHIVAL VIDEO:SOME MOTHERS
DO ’AV ’EM (31 SECONDS)
Excerpt from SOME MOTHERS
DO ’AV ’EM sitcom, episode
6-THE PSYCHIATRIST.
 3
VIDEO AUDIO

CUT-IN:
CLOSE UP:
CUT-IN:
ARCHIVAL VIDEO: DAD’S ARMY
(42 SECONDS)
Excerpt from DAD’S ARMY
sitcom, episode 2 & 5. The
narrator voice-over will come
in after 27 seconds of the
clip.
JOHN BEVERIDGE (CONTINUE)
NARRATOR
(Voice-over)
What makes classic British sitcoms
prodigious? Is it the actors that play
the characters? Or the script? Or the
audiences?

CUT-IN:
CLOSE UP: JOHN BEVERIDGE
(Interviewee)
CUT-IN:
ARCHIVAL VIDEO: FAWLTY TOWERS
(24 SECONDS)
Excerpt from FAWLTY TOWERS
episode 8- THE PSYCHIATRIST.
CUT-IN:
CLOSE UP: JOHN BEVERIDGE
(Interviewee)
CUT-IN:
ARCHIVAL VIDEO: STEPTOE AND
SON (32 SECONDS)
Excerpt from STEPTOE AND
SON episode 55-UPSTAIRS,
DOWNSTAIRS, UPSTAIRS,
DOWNSTAIRS..
CUT-IN: JOHN BEVERIDGE (CONTINUE)
(Voice-over with the video )
ARCHIVAL VIDEO: DAD’S ARMY
(22 SECONDS)
Excerpt from DAD’S ARMY
episode 6.
 4
VIDEO AUDIO

CUT-IN:
CLOSE UP:
CUT-IN:
ARCHIVAL VIDEO: ON THE BUSES
(52 SECONDS) and
Excerpt from ON THE BUSES
episode 10-BON VOYAGE with
narrator’s voice-over after
24 seconds.
JOHN BEVERIDGE (CONTINUE)
(Interviewee)
NARRATOR
(Voice-over)
Since the lamentable upheaval in
British sitcom, there has been various
reactions from both comedy audiences
and TV critics. Some say, British
Sitcom is dead, others say, it is not
dead but has decline. Whether declined
or dead, but one thing is obvious!
Contemporary Britcoms are not like the
classic ones anymore!

CUT-IN:
ARCHIVAL VIDEO: DAD’S ARMY
(32 SECONDS)
Excerpt from DAD’S ARMY
episode 6 with narrator’s
voice-over.
NARRATOR (CONTINUE)
(Voice-over)
Factors such as: decline in sitcom’s
audiences; Americanization of
British society; reality TV shows;
profitability ratio of sitcom to TV
executives; film and cinema; and lack
of good script writers for sitcom,
are said to be responsible for the
demise or decline in British sitcoms.
Could these really be responsible
for the detestable state of British
sitcoms today? If not! Then what is
responsible?

CUT-IN:
CLOSE UP: JOHN BEVERIDGE
(Interviewee)
CUT-IN:
 5
VIDEO AUDIO

ARCHIVAL VIDEO: SOME MOTHERS

DO ’AV ’EM (27 SECONDS)
Excerpt from SOME MOTHERS DO
’AV ’EM episode 2-GEORGE’S
HOUSE.
CUT-IN:
ARCHIVAL VIDEO: FAWLTY TOWERS
(26 SECONDS)
Excerpt from FAWLTY TOWERS
episode 6.
CUT-IN:
CLOSE UP:
CUT-IN:
ARCHIVAL VIDEO: STEPTOE AND
SON (52 SECONDS) and
Excerpt from STEPTOE AND
SON episode 55- UPSTAIRS,
DOWNSTAIRS, UPSTAIRS,
DOWNSTAIRS. with narrator’s
voice-over after 24 seconds.
JOHN BEVERIDGE (CONTINUE)
(Voice-over with the video )
JOHN BEVERIDGE (CONTINUE)
(Interviewee)
NARRATOR
(Voice-over)
The hope that British sitcom will be
rejuvenated is very bleak. Rather
the only effort will see today is to
preserve the great works of the GOLDEN
AGE OF BRITISH SITCOM. We’ve seen
several documentaries on bought BBC and
ITV eulogizing and celebrating great
Classic British sitcoms, with no effort
toward enhancing contemporary sitcoms.
These are mere nostalgic noise. As no
one wants to take the onus of reviving
British Sitcom.

Continue STEPTOE AND

SON episode 55- UPSTAIRS,
DOWNSTAIRS, UPSTAIRS,
DOWNSTAIRS (28 SECONDS).
CUT-IN:
CLOSE UP: JOHN BEVERIDGE
(Interviewee)
 6
VIDEO AUDIO

CUT-IN:
ARCHIVAL VIDEO: ON THE BUSES
(22 SECONDS)

Excerpt from ON THE

BUSES episode 36-THE L BUS.

CUT-IN: JOHN BEVERIDGE (CONTINUE)

ARCHIVAL VIDEO: STEPTOE AND
SON (24 SECONDS)
Excerpt from STEPTOE AND
SON episode 55- UPSTAIRS,
DOWNSTAIRS, UPSTAIRS,
DOWNSTAIRS.
CUT-IN:
CLOSE UP:
CUT-IN:
ARCHIVAL VIDEO: SOME MOTHERS
DO ’AV ’EM (42 SECONDS)
Excerpt from episode
15-WENDY HOUSE with
narrator’s voice-over after
24 seconds.
(Voice-over with the video )
JOHN BEVERIDGE (CONTINUE)
(Interviewee)
NARRATOR
(Voice-over)
I believe is possible to bring back
the renaissance of British sitcom like
those of the GOLDEN AGE OF BRITISH
SITCOMS. If there are still script
writers like Ray Galton and Alan
Simpsons,like Jimmy Perry and David
Croft. If there are still sitcom
characters like Frank Spencer in SOME
MOTHERS DO ’AV ’EM , Albert Steptoe and
Son in STEPTOE AND SON, Basil Fawlty
and Manuel in FAWLTY TOWERS, Stan
Butler in ON THE BUSES.

CUT-IN:
STILL VIDEO FRAME: SOME
MOTHERS DO ’AV ’EM (1
SECONDS); FAWLTY TOWERS (1
SECOND);and ON THE BUSES (1
SECONDS)
 7
VIDEO AUDIO

(Show characters as the

narrator mention their name).

CUT-IN:
CLOSE UP: JOHN BEVERIDGE
(Interviewee)
CUT-IN:
ARCHIVAL VIDEO: ON THE BUSES
(28 SECONDS)

Excerpt from ON THE

BUSES episode 29-SAFETY
FIRST.
CUT-IN: JOHN BEVERIDGE (CONTINUE)
(Voice-over with the video )
CUT-IN:
ARCHIVAL VIDEO: SOME MOTHERS
DO ’AV ’EM (29 SECONDS)
Excerpt from SOME MOTHERS
DO ’AV ’EM episode 10-THE
PUBLIC RELATION COURSE.
CLOSE UP: JOHN BEVERIDGE (CONTINUE)
(Interviewee)
CUT-IN:

ARCHIVAL VIDEO: STEPTOE AND

SON (42 SECONDS)
Excerpt from STEPTOE AND SON
episode 52-AND SO TO BED.
FADE OUT:
THE END