Lizzie and Sarah came courtesy of Julia Davis (Nighty Night, Human Remains) and Jessica Hynes (Spaced, The Royle Family). Despite their fantastic pedigree, the ferociously dark comedy pilot was shunted onto a Saturday late-night slot on BBC 2, and not commissioned for a full series.
In the first part of our video interview with Kevin Eldon - who has starred in some of the best British comedies of the past couple of decades - the actor and comedian talked about his pleasure at being in Edinburgh, why it took him so long to do a solo show, and the advice he received from star comic names including Stewart Lee and Sean Lock.
Going on to discuss Lizzie and Sarah, and the possibility of comedy being more likely to emerge online in the future, Eldon told us: “Well, I don’t think there’s going to be much choice really.
“The BBC didn’t like it [Lizzie and Sarah], and that’s why they stuck it out at whatever time they stuck it out at, and I think at the moment there seems to be a climate of inoffensive, quite safe stuff going out, which Lizzie and Sarah wasn’t really, it was a bit bleak here and there - a bit relentless in places! Despairing, but very funny I thought.
“A lot of people did get online and said ‘Well, we would like to see more of this’, but there’s no chance.”
He added: “It’s a sad thing that a lot of things that have teething problems aren’t allowed to grow now, and so they’re smothered at birth really, and it’s a real shame.
“There’s lots of things, good programmes, that never would have carried on and become brilliant if they hadn’t been allowed to blossom and make a few mistakes.
“I think both Lizzie and Sarah, their real names, knew exactly what was wrong with that, and what needed to be done - and it would have been great.”
Eldon went on to explain: “What you’ve got in internet comedy is the antithesis to what television is, which is comedy being overseen by committees basically, and a lot of people putting their oar in.
“I think personally that the best comedy comes from a couple of people doing exactly what they want, with one overseeing, objective eye. But if there’s too many people onboard, it just gets diluted, basically.
“So I hope that as a result of this, the fact that it is becoming a bit more conservative, it will basically result in the punk explosion on the net, comedy wise. I certainly hope so.”
Kevin Eldon is Titting About is on at 2.30pm at The Stand until August 30 (not 16 and 23).
