2. What are the similarities & differences between
Mrs Brown’s Boys and Peep Show?
Similarities Differences
3. What are the similarities & differences between
Mrs Brown’s Boys and Peep Show?
Similarities Differences
• Both SITCOMS
• Direct address (speaking to audience –
breaking the 4th wall)
• Post watershed (adult humour)
• Familiar characters
• MBB – live audience
• PS – more taboo (borderline offensive)
• The filming (POV shots)
• Characters are very different
4. Lesson objectives
• To know what 4b will look like.
• To understand exactly what it is asking you to do.
• To be able to: Identify the pleasures offered by Mrs Brown’s Boys and
Peep Show and provide examples from the episodes we have
watched.
5. Why do audiences watch
comedies?
What pleasure do they get from
different comedies?
6. Question 4b (audiences – exam questions)
• Discuss how two different programmes offer audience pleasures. Give
at least one example from each programme.
OR
• Discuss in detail how one programme provides audience pleasures.
Give examples from the programme.
7. Question 4b (audiences) – Common Errors
• List different types of comedy.
• Not providing specific examples from the episodes watched.
• Telling too much of the story.
• Listing too many pleasures but then not giving specific examples from
the episodes watched.
• Not identifying more than one pleasure.
8. Question 4b – how to get full marks.
• Identify 3 or 4 different pleasures.
• Back each pleasure up with a specific example from the episode we
have watched.
• If it’s a comparison question then normally 2 pleasures from each is
plenty.
• More likely to get 1 but be prepared for 2
9. 4B refresher and audience
pleasures
L/O: to take notes on the audience pleasures for MBB and PS
11. 4b Refresher
COMMON ERRORS IN 4B? LEVEL 4 ANSWER
• Retelling story
• No specific examples from episode
• Listing pleasures with no examples
• Not identifying more than 1 pleasure
• SPECIFIC examples from episode
If 1 episodes If 2 episodes
3-4 pleasures 2 pleasures each
14. THE PLEASURES – copy and complete chart
MBB PS
F
I
N
D
I
S
I
T
WORD BANK:
Intertextuality Newness Nostalgia Inside jokes Familiarity (of character/settings)
Taboo humour Satire Identification Dimuendo Farce
Different types of comedy Slapstick Imagery Schadenfreude / Superiority
15.
16. Audience Pleasures – Mrs Brown’s Boys
Pleasure Specific Example in ‘Mammy’s Spell’ Why is this pleasurable?
Familiar characters and settings
-starts in the pub
-only 3 locations throughout (kitchen/lounge/pub)
-same characters every ep (family)
-
-familiar, not challenging,
easy to dip in and out ,
know what you’re gonna
get
Identification – audiences can
identify with the characters and
the situations they are in.
-mark struggling to find work – relatable issues
-relate to family occasions
Identify and relate to
them (same to their life
but light hearted)
Nostalgic – looks back at the past
warmly
-live and work locally, children pop in and out
-granddad lives in family home
-very traditional to 70’s, matriarch is head of house,
warmly house, chintzy, ‘blast from the past’, they
know their neighbours (community)
Romanticised version of
the past, traditional value
of the ‘old family unit’
Different types of comedy –
visual/verbal/physical and lots of
jokes.
-scripted verbal gag “I want to think out of the box”
– visual gag (dressed as Barbie in a box)
-physical comedy – agnus and winnie acting like a
dog and stripper and a chicken
Entertaining, high
frequency of jokes (don’t
have to wait a long)
17.
18. Audience Pleasures – Peep Show
Pleasure Specific Example in ‘Jeremy Therapised’ Why is this pleasurable?
Identification –
audiences can identify
with the characters and
the situations they are
in.
-mark is trying to find job
-get gf to move in with him
-pain in the ass best friend
-dealing with wife met another man (handing
baby over to other man)
-dealing with death
-dark take on similar
situations/relatable
Schadenfreude /
Superiority – the
audience feel superior to
Mark and Jeremy and
laugh at their
misfortune.
-messing up interview “hi im Robert Greyson”
-moral high ground with curry (laughing at
Jeremy because he’s been busted!)
-we laugh at Jeremy’s stupidity when at the
therapist (‘wanking’/ ‘glass of water?’)
-
-makes you feel better about
own life!
Intertextual references
to other texts from
popular culture.
-“50 shades of grey” -fritzl
-apprentice “lets watch it”
-clash “should I stay or should I go”
Superior – rewarding cultural
capital (you feel smart for
knowing the references)
Taboo humour -Gerrard’s death/funeral parlour
-irreverence -male genitalia jokes
-wake cake
Unusual/dark topics - because
it’s taboo it’s makes it quite risky
(light hearted about serious)
