Exam Practice B322 Q.4 (b)

"Compare the audience pleasures offered by two comedy programmes. Give examples from the programmes."

     The two comedy programmes The Inbetweeners (2008~2010, E4) and QI (2003~ , BBC2) provide the audience with different types of pleasures due to the differences in their audience and ethos. When compared, QI is considered more mainstream because of its wider range of audience although highly concentrated over the 30 age mark. It can easily appeal to more people and is therefore broadcast on BBC as well as having reruns on other channels as well.

     The audience pleasures that QI provides is directly linked to the PSB values of BBC: to inform, entertain, and educate. Although QI's main objective is to entertain the audience through portraying Alan Davies as a lesser being, it also educates the audience through obscure information and unexpected answers. This creates a passageway to another audience pleasure that The Inbetweeners lacks, active communication. QI stars a number of participants who are looking to find the correct answer to the question that Stephen Fry asks, which can then be indirectly engaged by the audience at home. By getting certain answers correct, the audience is more likely to be attracted to the show's momentum and get involved. Although this is true, the audience as well as anyone on the show rarely get answers correct and are bound to feel a lack of knowledge. Because of this, the audience pleasure cannot be successfully achieved without Stephen Fry's welcoming attitude, and taking a softer approach to people's futility.  

     The Inbetweeners on the other hand provide pleasure to its audience in a completely different manner. To start with, it is a comedy that focuses on a niche-audience of older teenagers and young adults. It is also mainly targeting the male population as the storyline is based around typical teenagers in a school life. This age group is uncommonly interfered by any other because the show contains language which is very disturbing. This has been done so that the show seems as realistic as possible for the audience. The main audience pleasure gained from The Inbetweeners is relations with the characters. People watching the show are often entertained by situations which they can relate to from their school life and laugh at the characters because they know how it feels to be in their shoes.