#john finnemore's double acts
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A guide to John Finnemore (in particular his Double Acts) for the Good Omens S2 lovers, haters, and everyone in between (I promise, there's something for all of you!)
Found this in my drafts recently and honestly, I feel this is evergreen, so here y'all go:
As I mentioned semi-facetiously in my previous post, I don't care whether you loved or hated Good Omens S2- you're probably sleeping on John Finnemore. He's a super talented writer and while he's collaborated with other writers like Mitchell and Webb and Armando Iannucci before, I still think his best stuff is his solo stuff.
But where to start? Behold! I shall now recommend a different Double Act (that is, a different episode of his radio series of excellent half-hour two-hander comedies) for every kind of person who has reacted in literally any kind of way to Good Omens.
If you love stories about two people working on opposite sides in a conflict who over time break down each other's defenses to become valued friends despite the continued conflict between their sides, with some queer undertones: Unquestionably you want S2 E4, Penguin Diplomacy
If you loved Good Omens S2 because it's quiet, gentle, and romantic: S1 E6, Hot Desk
If you like quiet, gentle and romantic in principle but wish there was a bit more plot structure: Still Hot Desk
If you like quiet, gentle and romantic but watched Good Omens S2 and were like "this is quiet, gentle and romantic?!?!": DEFINITELY still Hot Desk
If you hate quiet, gentle and romantic and want something darker and more cynical: S1 E3, Red Handed
If you were meh on S2 but did find yourself enjoying the Job minisode: FREE ROLL! You can choose any Double Act at random and will probably enjoy it.
If you loved Good Omens S2 because you love characters who give off vibes of being dim yet helpful: Well, really you want to meet Arthur in Cabin Pressure, but from Double Acts you'll do great with S2 E5, Here's What We Do, and in a very different way S2 E2, Mercy Dash
If you loved Good Omens S2 because lesbians: S2 E3, The Rebel Alliance
If you like lesbians in theory but wish that Good Omens S2 had maybe sketched out theirs a bit more: Still try Rebel Alliance
If you were annoyed by the minisodes because there wasn't enough old-timey dialogue in the olden-day bits: S1 E4, The Goliath Window
If you like the Victorian minisode because you like the era: check out S2 E1, The Queen's Speech, which literally has Queen Victoria in it
If you think that Crowley making gentle fun of Aziraphale's magic tricks is entertaining: try S2 E6, The Wroxton Box
If you like relationship dynamics where one half is trying/pretending to be cool and the other one has absolutely no interest in it and likes the first half just how they are: try Here's What We Do
If you enjoy the whole corporate-nonsense aspect of Good Omens: give S1 E2, WYSINNWYG a whirl
If you think that one of the main flaws of S2 was that it didn't have Mr Young in it anymore: S1 E1, A Flock of Tigers
If you like Good Omens because you like fandom and fanfic: S1 E5, English for Pony Lovers
And, if you love the idea of a cliffhanger but also want the satisfaction of knowing there's an amazing ending coming: Wait on Double Acts and just listen to Cabin Pressure. And when you get to the end of Yverdon-les-Bains, before you move on to Zurich just take a moment to remember all of us who nearly died for two years waiting for the finale.
Anyway, happy listening!
#john finnemore#john finnemore's double acts#double acts#jfda#cabin pressure#good omens#good omens 2#good omens s2#good omens series 2#if anyone is wondering#my personal favorites are#penguin diplomacy#hot desk#and#goliath window#and i've mentioned many times that i have a soft spot for#here's what we do#both because i think it's super sweet and fun#and because i'm 99% sure that jf got the idea for a central plot point from dorothy sayers's superlative novel gaudy night
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John Finnemore's Double Acts Series 1 Bath Company Lore:
Episode 1: A Flock of Tigers - Willard mentions that his company makes baths, and by the end of the episode has learned about how better to connect with his son.
Episode 2&3: WYSINWYG/Red-handed. Concerns the employees of the sales team of the bath company Willard & Son.
Episode 6: Hotdesk. Concerns the receptionist and security guard at Willard & Son, with an off-mike cameo by Adele from episode 2.
#I didn't notice the name Willard in episodes 1&6 until I relistened to all the episodes in the series#very close together#it means Mr Willard and his son set up the business together 🥺 hopefully that means their relationship improved to what it was pre-Tigers#or Mr Willard bullied his son into it crushing his own ambitions#ALSO I have another post about it but we do hear the other mother of the bride's speech#which is in the background of The Rebel Alliance#in a later episode of JFSP#it's the John Finnemore Radiogenic Universe#John Finnemore's Double Acts
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sometimes it feels like i spend half my life trying (unsuccessfully) to convince people to listen to everything John Finnemore has ever written
it only worked with Sch. because he lives with me and had no choice, and even then it worked to an extent: Cabin Pressure - absolutely, Double Acts - just English for Pony-Lovers, Souvenir Programme - a few of "well since you ask me"'s
there was also a friend who got into Cabin Pressure but he has a degree in aviation engineering or something like that so that doesn't really count
i'm failing, John, i'm sorry
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I think my most favourite thing about Double Acts is how each sketch is so wonderful at subverting your expectations for each character: the meekness of Eileen becomes spinelessness when it’s revealed she won’t stand up against her homophobic husband. Edmund’s refusal to play his young son becomes a poignant after-effect of his own father’s unpredictability. Lorna’s attempt to scam Elke is more understandable when you realize she’s only masquerading as an English teacher because she’s a homeless teenager.
And of course, it’s all delightfully absurd too: two teenage boys bringing a huge spiderplant on their chaotic night out because Gavin promised his nan he’d look after it. A burglar managing to convince his victim to help him carry his stolen goods out of the house. A middle-aged woman taking English lessons so she can read her daughters My Little Pony erotica and thus bond with her through anonymous comments. A scammer not only giving his would-be victim encouragement to brave driving on motorways but also providing backup vocals for her car singing.
Each story is so very short but they’re also just incredibly heartwarming and funny in their own right, like comfort food but in radio play format.
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not to harp on about John Finnemore's writing but I want some appreciation for him writing gay people as completely ordinary, where the sketch wouldn't change if they were heterosexual (the train manager/driver, the bassoonist who hides his job from his husband), while others speak deeply about homophobia and acceptance (Gally and Susannah, the entirety of the double act Rebel Alliance) and others, most importantly, are funny (Patsy Straightwoman having a wife, who is also called Patsy Straightwoman).
#penguin diplomacy is a secret fourth thing (yearning)#this is your periodic reminder to listen to john finnemore's souvenir programme (& double acts)#jfsp
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if any of my fellow good omens peeps are like me and need some comfort content right now, I can wholeheartedly recommend the audio duologue comedy Double Acts, which coincidentally is written by John Finnemore who co-wrote Good Omens 2.
especially series 2 episode 5, Penguin Diplomacy. it has unlikely friendships, funny banter, convoluted bureaucracy and gay penguins. it’s also very easy to put on and view it through shipping glasses, if one is so inclined
i love it with my whole heart and it heals my soul
#john finnemore#john finnemore’s double acts#double acts#penguin diplomacy#good omens#good omen season 2#me shoving john finnemore in everyone’s faces so they don’t forget he co-wrote Good Omens 2#I listen to that episode several times a month I can almost quote the entire thing#there are six fanfics and they’re all shippy fandom share one brain cell#six fics is way too few writers do your thing I’m begging#you can get it free with audible free trail#dm me if you want some secret tricks for audible#im scared to talk about them in case audible change how it works but I also want people to know about it lol#shut up jonna#obviously I also recommend Cabin Pressure but more people know about that one already
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In Rotterdam, Douglas says to Carolyn “Maybe you could try it [the MJN Air welcome to the pre-flight film] a little less like Queen Victoria recording an answer phone greeting?” and then in Double Acts, he cast Stephanie Cole as Queen Victoria recording an answer phone greeting. Beautiful.
#John finnemore I love u#cabin pressure#double acts#John finnemore#Stephanie cole#carolyn knapp shappey
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For the fic recs meme: 7 and 10?
A fic that makes you think #writergoals
Series rather than a discrete fic, but: kissing is what lovers do (and we're not lovers) by @onlylostphysics
A vaguely canon-compliant friends-with-benefits scenario where they've been having sex since episode five but still don't kiss until episode nine, because they're both idiots who don't talk it through as a crew.
A fic that isn’t prose (poetry, text fic, etc.)
Pub Quiz by half_a_glass
The characters in Hot Desk go to a pub quiz, or rather they message each other before and after the pub quiz.
This is extremely niche, fic of a John Finnemore half-hour radio play, but it is so perfect.
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MAT BAYNTON RESOURCES.
(this post is being regularly updated as i aquire more and more content. any specific requests, please let me know.)
tv and film
spy s01 gdrive
spy s02* gdrive
you me and the apocalypse s01 (the swearing editions) gdrive
the wrong mans (s01 + s02) gdrive
murder is easy mega
we have been watching gdrive
hitmen gdrive
1234 (2008)* mega (mkv) / gdrive (mp4)
you instead (2011) gdrive
audiobooks
the truth [discworld] (terry pratchett) gdrive
a stroke of the pen (terry pratchett) gdrive
consent (leo benedictus) mega
last chance to see (douglas adams & mark carwardine) mega
52 times britain was a bellend (james felton) mega
born to be mild (rob temple) mega
the wonderful adventure of nils holgersson (selma lagerlöf) mega
radio
the importance of being earnest (oscar wilde) gdrive
she stoops to conquer (barunka o’shaughnessy) gdrive
reluctant persuaders (the complete series) mega (you can listen without downloading the file) / gdrive
john finnemore's double acts: six bbc radio 4 comedy dramas mega (mat's is the final one)
*i ripped these from my dvds and haven't watched the rips all the way through, so if there are any issues let me know, as i can rerip/reupload if needed.
bonuses (other idiots content)
(ben) the thick of it (s4, specials, deleted scenes, production stills) gdrive
(ben) a kind of spark (s1) gdrive
(ben) loki mega / loki 2 mega
#mat baynton#mathew baynton#themthere#them there#six idiots#the six idiots#resources#*resources#pinned
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Just saying, anyone who loved the Job minisode of Good Omens S2 and hasn't yet started listening to John Finnemore's Double Acts is doing it wrong.
(And of course it's never too late to do it right! It's on Audible, and the episodes are standalone two-hander half-hour plays. Each is standalone and all the episodes have their own themes and tones, so you can start with any of them. They're all great, but I'd recommend starting with Penguin Diplomacy if you want something that will give you Good Omens vibes while being very much its own extremely clever and sweet thing.)
#good omens#good omens 2#good omens season 2#job minisode#a companion to owls#john finnemore#john finnemore's double acts#jfda
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GOOD OMENS 2 SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!! spewed out right after binging last night and then added to today. I'm mostly gonna ramble about structure rather than content, but the last few bits get quite spoilery
before that, though, one other thought: I DO hope the power of fandom now will mean that we'll get an influx of people listening to Cabin Pressure and JFSP and Double Acts and all that good stuff!!! John Finnemore is such an incredible writer and comedian, and I know the "following fandom brain into a rabbithole of someone's previous work" is a lot more common for actors than writers, but. one can dream!!!!!!! knowing Finnemore was a co-writer was what reassured me that the new season wasn't going to be an unnecessary sequel, he's so fucking good, and in conclusion ---
okay onto the s2 thoughts
obviously I'm, like. insane now. like I'm gonna shatter into a million pieces and also be sick. I have LOST my MIND. and it WAS good!!!
but also
I thought the pacing wasn't nearly as good as s1? obvs s1 had the ticking clock element, which is hard to recreate without just having another ticking clock, but especially some of the flashbacks tended to linger a smidge too long, and you could tell some of them were written by other writers - the "minisodes" thing I think didn't HELP. obviously I don't think this was a MAJOR problem, and I'll want a rewatch when i feel less Fully Insane to judge properly, but even ending aside, I feel like it didn't have quite the same structural/pacing qualities that made s1 so watchable
I thought the extension of the preexisting 1941 flashback felt... a bit hack-y? (it also went on too long tbh.) the reason those worked so well in s1 was because they were these little snippets, extending it (again, especially to the length that they did) was a little... hm. not, like, a cardinal sin, and it might just be a taste thing, but. again, the "minisodes written by other writers" thing didn't help.
and I'm REALLY sad it was released all at once!! with all the mystery elements, I would've loved a week to week format - even two episodes a week - to really digest all the clues, to sit and speculate and process each reveal/development! I just read that Neil Gaiman wanted that too, so it's extra hurtful. it would've been such a satisfying way to consume the show, but alas, Binge Culture must prevail, I guess :\
finally... I might be genuinely disappointed by the ending? I mean, the religious trauma is Strong With This One, and it'll depend on what they do with s3 (I'm not even going to humour the idea of no s3), but just... okay, real spoilers from here
it felt like Aziraphale really backslided?? like, wasn't the whole point of s1 the learning of "heaven and hell are both a bit shit and we're on our own side"? I understand why the final choice was compelling, both to him and the audience, but even across the season - and especially taking both seasons' flashbacks into account - he really sort of pinged back and forth between learning the lesson and going right back into denial about it, in a way that started to feel less like a character flaw and more like a cheat to keep the drama going. obvs his final choice was DEVASTATING, but also I couldn't stop thinking that Aziraphale... knows better??? not just "he should know better, how heartbreaking", but haven't we SEEN that he KNOWS BETTER?? it felt... inconsistent? again, as a writing choice rather than a character thing
like, I've slept on this thought now and calmed down a little about it, obviously I'm a bit biased by how also extremely painful that whole last scene was to watch, but - thing it, it's not even the decision itself that sits so formally wrong with me! the "I could fix things if I were in power" self-delusion is a very believable and narratively compelling (READ: HEARTBREAKING) move, as is him believing "if Crowley were an angel and I fixed everything then we could be safe and together and everything would be fine"!
but specifically the "but heaven are the good guys" - that gets me! like, after everything?? you really still believe that?? I thought it was obvious you learnt your lesson?? something something, "how can someone so smart be SO stupid?" - except we already did that bit in s1!! ahhh I dunno, it just rings a bit too much of the kind of undoing character development and recycling drama that I reeaaaally don't like :\
like, just. the pure disbelief in crowley's face - "tell me you said no" - like, yeah. and not just in a character sympathy way, but - come on, Aziraphale!! we've been through this so many times now!!!
again, this will also all rest on how it's handled in s3. and I have some faith! s2 actually bringing up crowley's "I was there when you tried to destroy Aziraphale, I saw your face when you told him to shut up and die" was revelatory, I loved that they actually made reference to it. and the writers are good! this isn't going to be a wwdits situation, I think we're safe in that. but s2 definitely had a few more plotty/pacing flaws, and that's just SUCH a huge betrayal - that whole ending was so massive - I have a lot of gay fear about how it'll all be resolved.
or, I dunno. maybe I'm just still too sad to think straight.
#Good Omens#Good Omens season 2 spoilers#spoilers#Good Omens spoilers#GoodOmenss2spoilers#GO2#GO2 spoilers#pointless post is pointless#okay i think i'm done#just needed to throw some thoughts into the void
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Tagged by @gritkitty. Rules: pick any 10 of your fics, scroll somewhere to the mid point, pick a line (or three), and share it! then tag 10 people.
My takeaway from this exercise is that I write a fuckton of h/c and a fuckton of dialogue, but it’s fun to write bantery h/c, dammit!
Tagging @angryonabus @chocolatepot @cinnaluminum @clarasteam @glassmirrormask @leupagus @likerealpeopledo-on-ao3 @missgeevious @newnewyorker93 @whetherwoman and anyone else who wants to play!
Cabin Pressure, “Contents May Have Shifted”
There was a very squashed moment or two of silence.
"Arthur," Martin said. "Why have you stuffed me into the locker?"
Doctor Who, “Afterburn”
Jack laughed. "Hello yourself," he managed, and then he couldn't help it, he ran at the Doctor and swept him up in a violent, crushing hug, his Doctor after all this time, all this time, all this time.
Generation Kill, “Feel Like I’m Fixin to Die”
“Hey, I’ve had plenty of visions that don’t involve my own dick,” Ray says. “I’m having one right now about Sixta’s dick, plowing you hard up the ass, and you are loving it, too.” He throws a leg over Espera’s and starts humping him. “Comply with this grooming standard, bitch.”
John Finnemore’s Double Acts, “A Friend in Need”
“Oh, no,” said Bunning, shocked into sincerity. “My dear fellow. You mustn’t think I minded that. I’m a poor enough nursemaid, but even so. Glad to help out. Really I am.” He’d felt, in fact, an aching tenderness toward Søndergaard in his vulnerability—he felt it still, a knot of swelling tension in his chest that didn’t seem to belong anywhere but that he didn’t know how to put down. It would wear off, he supposed, in time.
Life on Mars, “Shot”
He couldn't unsee it, try as he might: the way Sam's face at rest had looked almost pretty, the smoothness of his skin laid out over hard muscle and bone. How could you see something like that and not want to touch it? He'd wanted to curl himself around the damaged body of Sam Tyler, like a hard shell over something soft.
Love and Rockets, “Hopeless”
Every now and then, though, not always, there’s a way Maggie has of making her feel all liquidy and achy-tender at the core. There’s no telling what might set it off: the sound of her laugh, or the way she sticks her tongue out a little when she’s working with her hands, fixing something, or the stupid open trusting expression on her face when she looks up at Hopey all of a sudden. It makes Hopey want to grab her hand and just run somewhere with her, anywhere, everywhere.
Our Flag Means Death, “Happily Ever After”
“Black Beard,” said Stede, thoughtfully. “No, I’ve not heard of him. Fierce fellow?”
“Really desperate character, yeah,” said Lucius. “Such an asshole. Throw you overboard soon as look at you, for no reason whatsoever.”
“And he’ll never quit paying for it, will he,” Ed muttered. “God help the poor soul.”
Schitt’s Creek, “Strange Brew”
“But you’re really hot,” David said, surprised. “You wouldn’t want to fuck yourself? I’d totally fuck me if I weren’t me.”
“Uh huh,” Patrick said, in an and there you go tone of voice.
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, “Fetish” [NB the tentacles in question are NOT KATSU’S I would never]
It felt like being gently and cleverly rearranged at the circuit level, as if he were one of Mori’s creations, responding helplessly to the watchmaker’s intimate manipulations. The tentacles pulsed, thickened and thinned, curled and twisted and delved; there were so many of them now, so relentless, so deep— Thaniel sobbed out a cry of wordless ecstasy, and shook, and shook, and shook.
What We Do in the Shadows (2014), “Thirst Aid”
Not that he wanted a relationship with a werewolf. Not even a very kind and funny one with freckled eyelids and warm, strong arms and the most enticing little dimple when he smiled. Yuck. Disgusting.
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Thanks for being the only place on the whole dang internet I could find John Finnemore's Double Acts! Much appreciated!
O7
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Discovered John Finnemore's Double Acts and now I'm in awe all over again at this guy's talents 😲
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