We Are Klang interview with the one who isn’t the skinny Matt Lucas or the fat Rik Mayall
Having never seen the sketch trio in action, but having heard great things about them, I watched the first two episodes of We Are Klang genuinely excited. I was under the impression that with the (albeit delayed) commission of Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle the BBC finally seemed to have learned that decent comedy from established acts deserves a place in its schedule.
After then watching a few YouTube’d clips of their live show, from the interview I conducted via email with Steve Hall from the group, I think my question about making compromises for the TV show is probably the most pertinent. Many of We Are Klang‘s live reviews cite their unbridled passion for going too far; for being deliberately offensive and having fun with it. Perhaps that’s what makes the ‘Edited for TV’ version a bit of a let down. There are a few moments of inspiration, like the Jew song, that translate for TV relatively complete from its stage incarnation, but by-and-large it comes across as a CBeebies version of Bottom.
This is just my own viewpoint, and certainly the press had great things to say about the debut episode in the listings sections. Chortle seem to have ignored it, the British Comedy Guide have mixed reactions and Cook’d & Bomb’d hate it (probably because Chris Morris isn’t in it). Perhaps I’m in a minority, but I’m not really sure who to place the blame on, and I don’t know who it’ll appeal to: it’s pretty tame juvenile humour for an adult show, but still a little too sweary for a child audience. I imagine longtime Klang fans are going to watch it, but ultimately be disappointed in the toned-down nature of the show.
It’s like picking up your dog from the vets after a check-up. You’re happy to see him back, he’s overjoyed to see you but as he runs to greet you, tail wagging, he’s developed a bit of a limp and you notice he’s been castrated. You’re angry and confused. You ask the vet why he performed the unnecessary operation and the vet replies, “Well, he wanted to get on primetime BBC Three.”
You kick the vet in the face. You kick your dog in the face.