I’m on something on the internet called Formspring where people can ask you questions on any subject they like. The reason I’m on this (not that I need one) is because I don’t do interviews in the press or on television so this is a place where supporters (and haters, although they don’t really seek me out there) can ask any questions relating to my work. I got a question today which wouldn’t fit on the answer section of the website, so I thought I’d put it here. Oh, and Merry Christmas.
Q: Does it annoy you that Benidorm mostly gets bad reviews from critics? Why do you think the critics dislike the show so much even though it’s extremely popular with the fans?
A: It doesn’t annoy me, it’s just one person’s opinion. My TV show Benidorm is not everyone’s cup of tea, of course I’m fully aware of that. The mother of one of the cast calls it, “that ghastly programme”. Although when I heard that it really made me laugh. The show is influenced heavily by the television shows and films I watched when I was growing up, Are You Being Served, Duty Free, the Carry On films, etc. I guess if you liked them you will probably like my show but then maybe not, the great thing is I don’t have to analyse it; my priority is to write something I am proud of and make a living. I don’t really speak about other comedy programmes I don’t “get”, if they are popular programmes it will probably just come across as sour grapes but I’ll give you a good example: The Inbetweeners. I was very late coming to The Inbetweeners for various reasons, in fact I only watched the first series dvd while in Benidorm this year. Now, it has all the elements that I suppose should appeal to me, crude, lavatorial humour, swearing etc. But it just didn’t make me laugh. I think it made me laugh once during each episode. But I don’t dismiss it as rubbish or bad writining or poor performances. I suppose I just don’t relate to it. I hated school and very rarely attended, I’m not a middle class hetrosexual, most of my friends at school (when I was there) were girls and not boys. Are these the reasons The Inbetweeners doesn’t make me laugh? I have absolutely no idea but unlike critics who gets frustrated and angry about Benidorm’s popularity because they don’t “get it”, I just feel I’m missing out. If a comedy show is hugely popular but it doesn’t make me laugh I genuinely feel deprived, not furious. But in saying that I don’t dwell on it, I move on and watch the programmes that do make me laugh. Of course another answer to your question is the ITV debate. Would I have watched a new half hour situation comedy on ITV1 starring Johnny Vegas (it didn’t actually “star” Johnny Vegas but that’s how a lot of reviewers billed it because they were too lazy to find out/inform their readers who the other actors were)? No, almost definitely not. But I would have tuned in after friends whose judgement I value had reccomended it to me. A boss of a friend of mine says he won’t watch Benidorm because it is on ITV. Not because of the subject matter, not because of the reviews, not because of who is in it but just because he doesn’t watch ITV and never would. I must also add at this point that he is a total and utter cunt (which I admit, may or may not be purely coincidental).
At the end of the day it’s all subjective isn’t it? Or is it objective? I’ve no idea, I have very little education, a subject I’m sure my critics and I could finally agree on.
The Benidorm Christmas Special is on tonight, Boxing Day, 26th December 2010 at 9pm on ITV1.
