Drop the Celebrities from the Dandy Facebook Group

[Digifiend]

True, Ginger. The celeb name puns can be lost on some readers too. If people aren't into rap music, they may not spot that Tiny's Temper is a pun on Tinie Tempah. Same goes for Bear Thrills, whose name is a pun on Scout leader Bear Grylls. Some of the celebs featured in Harry Hill's strip - such as Nigella Lawson and Jo Frost - may also be unfamiliar to some readers. Anyone not watching Big Brother on Channel 5 might have failed to realise that "Little Big Brother" was supposed to be it's new presenter Brian Dowling.

[skyromie]

True, Ginger. The celeb name puns can be lost on some readers too. If people aren't into rap music, they may not spot that Tiny's Temper is a pun on Tinie Tempah. Same goes for Bear Thrills, whose name is a pun on Scout leader Bear Grylls. Some of the celebs featured in Harry Hill's strip - such as Nigella Lawson and Jo Frost - may also be unfamiliar to some readers. Anyone not watching Big Brother on Channel 5 might have failed to realise that "Little Big Brother" was supposed to be it's new presenter Brian Dowling.

Further to that, with Big Brother showing at 9pm, is there any point in the Dandy doing a turn on it? Isn't kids of Beano and Dandy reading age supposed to be in bed by then?

[Digifiend]

It has daytime repeats the next day. So yes, kids could watch it.

[skyromie]

It has daytime repeats the next day. So yes, kids could watch it.

Really? I didn't realise that. It must be re-edited for the earlier timeslot then. Some of what those 'celebs' get up to is bad enough never mind shown again during the day. Unless they show more of the Jedward, kids favourite.

Actually, wouldn't Jedward be more what kids would respond to than Harry Hill?

[-MikeD-]

Anyone not watching Big Brother on Channel 5 might have failed to realise that "Little Big Brother" was supposed to be it's new presenter Brian Dowling.

Thanks for clearing that up, Digi...I hadn't a clue who he was supposed to be! Now, if I knew who Brian Dowling was...

[Tin Can Tommy]

True, Ginger. The celeb name puns can be lost on some readers too. If people aren't into rap music, they may not spot that Tiny's Temper is a pun on Tinie Tempah. Same goes for Bear Thrills, whose name is a pun on Scout leader Bear Grylls. Some of the celebs featured in Harry Hill's strip - such as Nigella Lawson and Jo Frost - may also be unfamiliar to some readers. Anyone not watching Big Brother on Channel 5 might have failed to realise that "Little Big Brother" was supposed to be it's new presenter Brian Dowling.

They did have the little britain people in beanomax and thats definitely not for kids!

[NP]

Anyone not watching Big Brother on Channel 5 might have failed to realise that "Little Big Brother" was supposed to be it's new presenter Brian Dowling.

It wasn't supposed to be Brian Dowling.

[NP]

How come no-one is indignant about The Beano featuring Barack Obama over several issues this summer? How many children know him?
The content of the Harry Hill strip is down to me- I write it and draw it, and I've designed it so you can enjoy it as a strip without knowing who the celebs are. If you do know who they are, it's an ADDED gag.
Comics have ALWAYS featured celebrities: From Dan Leno's Journal in 1901, to Film Fun, TV Fun, Cor!!, Krazy. . . even The Beano.

[Digifiend]

You write it yourself? I thought it was done by Harry Hill's TV Burp writers - after all, Harry gets credited every issue and so does someone else sometimes.

Anyone not watching Big Brother on Channel 5 might have failed to realise that "Little Big Brother" was supposed to be it's new presenter Brian Dowling.

It wasn't supposed to be Brian Dowling.

He had the right look to be him - black side parting hair. If it wasn't Brian, who was it?

[NP]

I thought it was done by Harry Hill's TV Burp writers - after all, Harry gets credited every issue and so does someone else sometimes.

Well it's a long story. I did ask several of Harry's TV writers (and another three or four very big names in comedy writing, you'll have heard of them) and so far, one year on, only one has written anything, and great though it was, and much as I appreciated it, it needed a lot of work to turn it into a usable script. Sean Baldwin and recently Duncan Scott HAVE produced workable scripts which are great, funny and professional and require very little further input. Harry gets credited every issue for two very obvious reasons, which I'm sure I don't need to explain.
But the plot, story, dialogue, the factories and the big trousers, the choice of celebs, is down to me, usually, and written on the Monday before the Dandy goes to press. Sometimes the Tuesday.

If it's not Brian Dowling who is it?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4556695.stm
Although I admit, nobody knows who he is. But the Little stories (Little Bruce Forsyth and Little Harry Hill aside), I DON'T write.

[Ginger]

Comics have ALWAYS featured celebrities: From Dan Leno's Journal in 1901, to Film Fun, TV Fun, Cor!!, Krazy. . . even The Beano.

I've come across this argument before, but I do think there's a difference between say, Film Fun using the silent comedy stars of the day, who lent themselves perfectly to cartoon form, and the current celebrity worship going on in the Dandy.

A Harry Hill strip would be a natural 21st century equivalent to say, a Charlie Chaplin strip, and I would have no problem with it, if it wasn't for the constant celeb-worship which goes on in it; and indeed the rest of the (celeb-based part of the) comic.

It seems to me the Dandy is brainwashing our children into the facile, banal, empty celeb-worshipping modern culture, and I really think our children deserve better than that.

I expect the counter argument to this is that the Dandy is 'satirising' the whole celebrity culture, but I'm afraid that just doesn't come across. To some extent it is, perhaps, but it's a very gentle sort of satire which reads more like a fond and rather insipid buying into the whole thing.

[Tin Can Tommy]

Even if its satire (or a parody of our celeb-obssessed culture) i doubt the kids read it as such.

[swirlythingy]

Even if its satire (or a parody of our celeb-obssessed culture) i doubt the kids read it as such.

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Poe's_Law

If the Dandy's celebrity obsession is indeed a 'gentle send-up' of modern society, it's too convincing. Less, please.

[Tin Can Tommy]

Even if its satire (or a parody of our celeb-obssessed culture) i doubt the kids read it as such.

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Poe's_Law

If the Dandy's celebrity obsession is indeed a 'gentle send-up' of modern society, it's too convincing. Less, please.

i was thinking of linking to an article on Poe's law as well (but the one on TVTropes) but i decided against it for a reason i can no longer remember.

[Peter Gray]

I love Harry Hill Tv Burp on tv so love Nigel's strip..it should be more than two pages it has loads of jokes in the story...great breaking the fourth wall and quite surreal at times..the best strip in The Dandy..

Little Celebs is also good..its a unique strip where it different every week..

The rest of The Dandy has lots of different comic styles to cater for every taste...
I like the way new characters are tried out..and if good feedback come back..

Pre-skool Prime minister is back next week and can't wait..so The Dandy actually doesn't have loads of celebs only stories..

I suppose we are older and can't relate to the young peoples celebs that maybe a reason..

as a kid I enjoyed seeing Roy Castle pop up in Lord Snooty..or Mike Read in Biffo and Dennis the Menace