Tracey Ullman [UK] - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run.

[Kromm]

Episode 2: The makeup on the show's version of Camilla was even better than the Judi Densch (from Ep 1 and this one both).  I recognized her as Camilla even before Tracy opened her mouth. Then there was the male makeup. If it wasn't for her voice I wouldn't have known it was Tracy under that. In closeups you COULD tell it was prosthetics, but not necessarily that it was a woman.

[tenativelyyours]

For me most of her Maggie Smith is just a little off.  But the first time I saw this most recent incarnation of Judi Dench and I had to pause it to make sure it wasn't actually Dench.  She does a great job.  Her Camilla answering the phone is spot on.  I once shook hands with the woman and she did the same rough raspy cutting wood with a rusty saw "hwdudu"  I thought she was speaking Welsh and not simply saying How do you do'.

 

My favorite though is her Angela Merkel.  I love all the political digs she gets in that here the states probably make little sense since reporting on European affairs only happens when terror strikes, sports or the markets take a supremely drastic turn.  Even the song in the one episode had some great little zingers.  I love she plays her as sexed up.  The scene with the two women sharing raptures over the lingering scent of Obama had me howling.

[Kromm]

For me most of her Maggie Smith is just a little off.  But the first time I saw this most recent incarnation of Judi Dench and I had to pause it to make sure it wasn't actually Dench.  She does a great job.  Her Camilla answering the phone is spot on.  I once shook hands with the woman and she did the same rough raspy cutting wood with a rusty saw "hwdudu"  I thought she was speaking Welsh and not simply saying How do you do'.

 

My favorite though is her Angela Merkel.  I love all the political digs she gets in that here the states probably make little sense since reporting on European affairs only happens when terror strikes, sports or the markets take a supremely drastic turn.  Even the song in the one episode had some great little zingers.  I love she plays her as sexed up.  The scene with the two women sharing raptures over the lingering scent of Obama had me howling.

The viscous reviews the UK press (and comments from a lot of people on UK boards I've been on) for the show are so puzzling to me. I honestly have to think that Ullman's years in America perhaps changed her humo(u)r in a way that it no longer syncs up with the UKs, because I've loved most of what I've seen of this show.

 

Either that or they just resent her leaving the UK market in the first place.

[tenativelyyours]

My UK family watches it and loves it.  If it was not for them, I would never have known it even existed until I saw on another thread someone posted clips from her show.   But I knew it existed I just waited until I could catch it live over there and then catch the rest as I could here.

 

It's too bad it is not getting a good reception in the UK since I'm not sure how well overall it would translate if it aired on BBCA.  On one hand I would think it would, but there are also enough very British elements in some of her sketches that might fall flat here.  though even those I think have a universal element that can be figured out. And enjoyed.

 

My tastes in UK television tend to be the stuff that the people in the UK dislike more than like though lately.  London Spy was my favorite show of last year running neck and neck with Mr.Robot and I was almost shaken to how much it was disliked over there.  I felt what little I thought I understood pretty much was thrown out the window. 

[attica]

The show is coproduced by BBC and HBO; the latter has begun airing it in the US this past weekend. 

I can't get over how good her Judi Dench impression is. And I loved the Merkel bit where they sigh over the scent of Obama.

[tenativelyyours]

I was so upset.  I saw this listed on an upcoming premiere list and had hopes it was a second season that HBO was picking up.  I'm glad the initial run is getting air time here in the US.  But I was so hoping to see Tracey as Merkel tackle Brexit.  And Drumpf. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

I was beyond thrilled to see that Tracey is back on television, even if it's HBO! I've loved her for years and she didn't disappoint when I saw the first episode!

I didn't know from the promo that her Dame Judi Dench was her! At first I really thought it was Dench doing a guest stint!

[attica]

I'm loving the Maggie Smith Audition Tapes.

[iMonrey]

I love the idea of Judi Dench going around being "naughty" just because she can get away with it. And her impression of Maggie Smith is spot-on. Also, Maggie Smith as 007? I would so totally watch the shit out of that.

The second episode with Duchess of Cornwall letting Prince George drive a tractor was even more hilarious. I can't get over how talented Tracey is. She has such a great ear and unique gift for mimicry.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I'm so glad this show aired last night after Real Time. I really needed to laugh this week, and Tracey didn't disappoint.

More of Dame Judi Dench and I freakin' laughed out loud. Especially at her fist pump when the movie usher told her she was better than Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep. And how she repeated that she's "A Natural Treasure."

Then, I scrolled my movies on Demand, and though I loathe what'shisface, dude that took over after Pierce Brosnan as 007, I found Casino Royale, and just fast fowarded to watch scenes of Dench.

What?

And OMGEEE, Ullman's make up artists are so FUCKING GOOD. If I didn't know, I would swear Tracey's Dench IS DENCH.

Now I'm wishing this show was an hour long.

[glowlights]

This show is fantastic!!! I had to rewatch the first skit of the first ep because I was convinced it was Dench. Took me a while to clue in to the makeup but my god the voice was perfect mimicry. So bang-on. The Angela Merkel bits had me and my husband in stitches. I swear I will take my bra off and wear it over my ears if anyone starts talking politics tomorrow.

And I was excited to see that Ullman is using her singing and dancing skills in this series, too! I adore her singing voice. In case we have any youngsters here, this was Ullman in the 80s:

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, glowlights said:

This show is fantastic!!! I had to rewatch the first skit of the first ep because I was convinced it was Dench. Took me a while to clue in to the makeup but my god the voice was perfect mimicry. So bang-on. The Angela Merkel bits had me and my husband in stitches. I swear I will take my bra off and wear it over my ears if anyone starts talking politics tomorrow.

And I was excited to see that Ullman is using her singing and dancing skills in this series, too! I adore her singing voice. In case we have any youngsters here, this was Ullman in the 80s:

I LOVED that song as a tween!!! And she got Sir Paul McCartney!!!! And now this song will be in my head!

[iMonrey]

Wow she's really aged well.

OK, confession time - I have no idea who she was playing in that bit where she had red hair and all the villagers were chasing her with pitchforks. British magazine editor, something to with Roger Ailles? Went over my head.

I've never understood the appeal of her Kay character, either. She's just so sad and pathetic.

I liked the American tourists though and I will never get tired of her Dame Judi Dench. "Surely you're not accusing me of doing such a thing just because I could get away with it."

[attica]

16 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I have no idea who she was playing in that bit where she had red hair and all the villagers were chasing her with pitchforks. British magazine editor, something to with Roger Ailles? Went over my head.

Rebekah Brooks. One of the Murdoch-papers' hacker-authorizers, who got cleared of criminal charges in court.

[iMonrey]

Thanks attica. I figured it was something British. ;-) I'm guessing that's why HBO has this show squirreled away on a Friday night at 11:00 pm. They must have figured it was "too British" for a more prime spot like Sunday night.

I also wondered if that lady running the modeling agency was supposed to be a real person too. She was hysterical. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

I can't help it-every time I see the real Angela Merkel, I keep thinking of Tracey's Merkel.

[attica]

You know, I sincerely hope there is actually a robust geezer sex-worker population. But something tells me old dudes still want sweet young things to do the job.

[paigow]

On 11/19/2016 at 0:34 PM, attica said:

You know, I sincerely hope there is actually a robust geezer sex-worker population. 

Working with a Gen-X dispatcher so they keep on schedule....

[iMonrey]

I had to go and look  up  whether Sally Preston - the topless MP - was a real person, like Judi Dench or Maggie Smith. The way she mixes real life celebrity impressions with her own fictional characters sometimes makes it confusing because it's a UK show and we Yanks can't be sure whether some of these people might be real.

I'm loving all the Angela Merkel skits and also loved this recent one with Carole Middleton. I think it's safe to say Tracey is never going to be appointed as a Dame by the royal family.

Edited November 28, 2016 by iMonrey

[GHScorpiosRule]

19 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I had to go and look  up  whether Sally Preston - the topless MP - was a real person, like Judi Dench or Maggie Smith. The way she mixes real life celebrity impressions with her own fictional characters sometimes makes it confusing because it's a UK show and we Yanks can't be sure whether some of these people might be real.

Don't leave me hanging! Is Preston real?

I  could watch Tracey do Dame Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Angela Markel in a nonstop continual loop!

I laughed at how her Maggie Smith came up with different words that could replace "furious," just to avoid saying that word, as if she'd be violating some copyright law or something if she said "furious."??

[iMonrey]

Nope - Sally Preston the topless MP is not a real person.

[GHScorpiosRule]

12 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Nope - Sally Preston the topless MP is not a real person.

That's odd. I Googled and learned it is based on someone but with Tracey's own twist on the character-like there isn't an MP who actually bares her breasts, but more like the person is based on her politics. I'll link the interview when I get to my ? later.

It's not like her impersonations of Dench, Smith, or Merkel. Or any of the real people we know and are aware of.

Edited November 29, 2016 by GHScorpiosRule

[Kromm]

Just started in the UK. Snuck a view through the Internets of the first eppy. Very funny... she's still on point. It looks like it was filmed post-Brexit, pre-Trump-Dictatorship, so it will have some relevance to current events, but not as much as we'd wish. Still... it's Tracey, so it will be funny.

In Episode 1, Dame Judi Dench returns and wreaks havoc, as she usually does on Tracey's Show, until... well... saying more would ruin it.

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 2/6/2017 at 3:15 AM, Kromm said:

Just started in the UK. Snuck a view through the Internets of the first eppy. Very funny... she's still on point. It looks like it was filmed post-Brexit, pre-Trump-Dictatorship, so it will have some relevance to current events, but not as much as we'd wish. Still... it's Tracey, so it will be funny.

In Episode 1, Dame Judi Dench returns and wreaks havoc, as she usually does on Tracey's Show, until... well... saying more would ruin it.

I don't know if the clip I saw was episode 1, but I was ???????because of the face-to-face between Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith!

Man, I wish it would premiere here in the States SOONER!!!

[GHScorpiosRule]

New season premieres on HBO on Friday, October 20th!!??????

[iMonrey]

OMG, they finally caught Dame Judi! 

The show is very British. I'm afraid some of the political humor about Brexit and Nicola Sturgeon is over my head.

I listened to Tracy Ullman on Marc Maron's podcast and she talked about the character of Kay, which she's been doing since her first TV show on Fox. It's the only carry-over from her previous shows, and it made me aware that Kay and "mother" used to live in America during the earlier shows and now they're back in England without explanation.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I HOWLED when Dame Maggie looked over her shoulder and informed Dame Judi Dench that she (Dame Maggie) was "A National Treasure." and waltzed off.

I hope this isn't the last we see of them!

She was also on Colbert's show a couple weeks ago, to remind everyone the new season was starting.

I frickin' LOVE her.

[iMonrey]

So that's it for Season 2 - six episodes. The show has been hit or miss for me. I just don't follow international politics enough to really get the stuff with Nicola Sturgeon - and since I had no idea who Andy Murray was, the entire bit went over my head. I don't get a lot of the stuff with Angela Merkel either. Yeah, she and Birgit have amusing dialogue, but the humor comes mostly from her impression of her. (And UGH I hate 99 Luftballoons with the fire of 1,000 suns.) Same with Maggie Smith - I'm not sure what the point of it is, except maybe to show how out of touch Maggie Smith is with everyday people. 

Of course, all the stuff with Judi Dench is hilarious, and I loved the stuff with Camilla too. I like the lady working in British intelligence using her spy organization for personal use but I didn't think the thing with the bitter artist was particularly funny. The Murdoch family isn't very funny, nor is the woman on her deathbed. Didn't get Bernice (the woman at the restaurant) at all and she sounded exactly like Fern Rosenthall from Tracy Takes On. Germaine Greer went over my head too.

I liked the Indiscreet Therapist though, and I really like all the little "this week on the BBC" clips that start every episode, especially "Another Mumbly Drama."

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

And UGH I hate 99 Luftballoons with the fire of 1,000 suns.)

Aww. I LOVE that song, and laughed when they broke into song with that.  Other than that, I agree with pretty much everything else. Though at least for the finale, they mocked the Great British Bake Off or whatever.

I want Tracey to do Helen Mirren!

[GenerationX]

This is the funniest show on TV right now.  Even though you know it is Tracey playing these characters, the make-up, her voice, and her mannerisms all combine to make you question yourself (that can't still be her, can it?). 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Series/Season 3 finally premiered last night!

Merkel’s assistant impersonation of 45 and Ivanka had me ??????????? 

And it looked like the guy who played him in The President Show on Comedy Central reprised his role in the Theresa May sketch.

I was hoping to see Dame Maggie Smith, But the few seconds of Dame Judy was funny.

So glad this show is back!

Edited October 3, 2018 by GHScorpiosRule

[GenerationX]

The Alexis commercials were both inspired and hilarious.  I haven't laughed that hard at a TV show in a long time.

[Hiyo]

National treasure meets national treasure...