My family is undeserving of its air space

Now I have to be careful here not to name names, but from what I've heard, everyone who works on My Family realises that it is a show which has terminally lost its way. No one really knows what the point of it is, what it's actually trying to say. I believe it was originally meant to be about the difficulties of keeping family relationships going, but if that was the intended vision it's been completely lost in the execution.

This is blamed on it being one of the few UK comedies contracted out to teams of different session writers for each episode rather than being written and cared for by its creators. (I know this model works in the States, but it must be managed better there.)

The success of the show is believed to be due to the popularity of the actors. Apparently (which amazes me) after Kris Marshall left, they dropped 4 million viewers.

Imagination.

Jim

I've just started Christopher Booker's

The Seven Basic Plots

It's about the size of a breeze-block, though very well written. I'll let you know the answer sometime before Easter.

Emma

I think you're confusing stories and drama a bit here - they're different. The Royles wouldn't work as a story (prose) though it does as a drama because there are real people involved in it. You'd have to go through pages of description in a story that you can get with a look in drama - drama eats story and there's so much going on in The Royle Family that comes from brilliant writing that compliments the viewer with the intelligence to fill the spaces/gaps/silences/exchanged glances.
TV drama and short story/ novel writing are as far apart as poetry and plays in the different skills and techniques and demands they make.

I've just started Christopher Booker's The Seven Basic Plots

I'm three chapters in myself. Great read so far.

Z

Isn't it great? It's supposed to be work, and I'm enjoying it hugely, and thinking about it all the time when I'm not reading it. Helps that he writes so well.

Emma

Considering its really an academic work, it's a great read, like reading a story itself, a voyage of discovery or something. It kind of slips its fingers into the human psyche and rubs gently until everything falls into place from a storytellers perspective. And you're right it sits in the mind and triggers stuff, helps sift stuff down. it also fires up ideas and has helped me decide how to position stuff in a story, how just putting a certain component in the right place can be powerful. (yeah, vague I know)

<Added>

Emma I'm going to correct you, only cos it's what seems to be a pretty rare opportunity :) : It's brieze block.

Yes, I wondered if it was brieze, but my dictionary's gone upstairs, and I couldn't be bothered to go and get it, so thank you. It's an odd-looking word, isn't it?

Emma

Kind of a perfect description of the object somehow.

I think you're confusing stories and drama a bit here

Nah. I think we'd just wondered off topic a bit. And surely story is at the heart of drama, in just the same way that drama is at the heart of a story. But of course they require vastly different skills.

Zooter, are you joining this site properly?

Sappholit

I'm using the full free bit to make up my mind.

Z

<Added>

And, just for the sound of it:

'Nor did there want Cornice or frieze with bossy sculpture graven.'

with bossy sculpture graven

I LOVE the idea of bossy sculpture: Venus de Milo shaking her head (well, she couldn't shake her finger at you, could she?) and telling you to clear the breakfast; Balzac glaring at you till you promise to sort out your overdraft...

Emma

<Added>

Do I mean Balzac? Yikes, art history A Level was a long time ago. The very phallic Rodin sculpture of a Famous French Writer in his dressing gown, anyway.

A load of stroppy Giacometti's!

<Added>

A disapproving Henry Moore...

<Added>

Ok this is doing my nut in, I just read over the two lines above and they've come out in a rhythm which I know is straight from some story or stories from my childhood. But which stories???? Or am I losing not so much the plot as the whole narrative arc?

Z

I know what you mean, Zooter. It's bugging me now, too.