Join the lads in the Sangatte refugee camp near Calais, as they plot and scheme to gain illegal entry to Britain, with hilarious results!
This format would be an unrivalled opportunity for the airing of all our favourite ethnic stereotypes: wily orientals, sturdy east-europeans, devious middle-easteners, and naive west African. Add to this a platoon of bumbling gendarmes, wisecracking train drivers and enraged townspeople, and it's a sure fire winner.
This could be bigger then 'Allo 'Allo-- Mickey the Fish, May 16 2002 Mind Your Language http://www.gplus.co...d%20Your%20LanguageEthnic stereotypes were mined for comedy value in this 1980s British comedy set in an "English as a foreign language" school (and remade for the US market as What a Country). Frighteningly, there are 4 videos of the show on sale at blackstar.co.uk [pottedstu, May 16 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004] I think this could be a good thing if refugees are portrayed in a non stereotypical way. Some education on who these people are, what their lives in their country of origin were like, the courage and determination needed to make it that far and the effect of the seperation from their families, all of this would be a "good" thing. But I don't think thats what you had in mind so it gets a fishbone.-- IvanIdea, May 16 2002 Perhaps they've been doing this already, and we just don't know about it yet? That fire at the detention (I mean 'reception') centre a few months ago might have been the cliffhanger to the last series.-- sappho, May 16 2002 I don't think you could make a TV comedy based on ethnic stereotypes nowadays: not since the 1980s when shows like Allo Allo and Mind Your Language (link) were around.
And on a moral level, at least Allo Allo poked fun at the British, which I don't see this idea doing. There's a difference between a show like Allo Allo which mocks a few West European nations and something like this idea which takes the piss out of some of society's most needy and destitute people. (Note: personally I don't consider Allo Allo to be offensive.)-- pottedstu, May 16 2002 Oo.. I think there's plenty of scope for mocking the British here... after all, isn't Dover peopled entirely by slavering Alf Garnetts and blustering Colonels (retd.)?
And what about the manic customs inspectors (eg Blakey from On The Busses)?-- Mickey the Fish, May 16 2002 Hogan's Heros?-- phoenix, May 16 2002 pottedstu beat me to the MInd Your Language link but I think that I'm going to croissant this idea. Not because it's a good idea but because it's bakeable and bound to be a hit on cable TV (and because I think that Mr the Fish deserves something better than a pile of fishbones after his lengthy absence - I'm gonna slaughter your next idea though Mickey).-- DrBob, May 16 2002 The problem is that refugees (at least the ones that come here at set fire to things) are relatively unlovable.-- Sasha, Jan 15 2003 random, halfbakery