Talk:Timewasters

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Did you know nomination

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The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Theleekycauldron (talk) 22:39, 28 September 2021 (UTC)[reply]

DYK toolbox

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  • ... that racially themed time-travel comedy Timewasters was developed under the working title Black to the Future? Source: Royal Television Society: "Timewasters blends jokes, jazz and time travel to tackle big themes such as racism" ... “I came up with a title, Black to the Future.” ... "the theme of blackness is so embedded in the show".

Moved to mainspace by Reidgreg (talk) and Zanimum (talk). Nominated by Reidgreg (talk) at 04:33, 31 August 2021 (UTC).[reply]

  • This article is new enough, long enough, reasonably well written and sourced. Earwigs suggests no copyvio. The hook is interesting and is mentioned in the article. A QPQ has been provided. However, Reidgreg, I'm not seeing that it was developed with Black to the Future as a working title, just that at one point the creator had come up with that name-- the source gives no timeline for Universal's intervention. Is there something I'm missing? Eddie891 Talk Work 18:52, 31 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]
    • Good point! I'm not sure exactly when the title changed. It was Black to the Future during development. It probably came to Universal's attention either when they were shopping the spec script around to studios or when they tried to register the name. There are a few different sources (not all cited) that mention it being called Black to the Future, I'll try to look through them and add a more definitive statement to the article. Will ping you here when done. – Reidgreg (talk) 19:48, 31 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]
    • @Eddie891: I found three existing references in the article which give better support for the statement. None of them specifically call it a "working title" but I think it fits the definition. I put them all at the end of the sentence (where one of them was already present). Since it's a surprising DYK fact, I hope that's okay and it doesn't look like overcitation. For convenience of review, here are the supporting statements: (2) "CarsonRenaissance" [inews interview with Taylor:] "It was originally called 'Black to the Future', I thought, 'that's a show I can sell'" (Universal Studios didn't: they threatened to sue, so he was forced changed it). (9) "BCGInterview" [British Comedy Guide] The show started life at the script stage with the title Black To The Future, however a certain movie studio didn't approve of that title, so it was changed to Blackwards, before everyone settled on the title Timewasters. (10) "KhaleeliSubverted" [The Guardian:] In the ITV2 series a south London jazz quartet find themselves stranded in the 1920s after getting into a lift in a rundown block of flats – a set-up that writer Daniel Lawrence Taylor says originally inspired the cheeky title Black to the Future, before Universal ruled it out. – Reidgreg (talk) 23:24, 31 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]
To T:DYK/P6

20-minute assessment

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@Reidgreg: Hi! Here's a 20-minute assessment of this article, as requested:

• No copyvio issues. The assessment picks up some proper nouns and attributed quotes, but this is not a problem. Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• The free-use image justification seems appropriate. Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Youtube and Soundcloud should be used with care, since they can't really be archived. If you can find the information from these sources elsewhere, I would recommend it (but it's probably fine if it's not available elsewhere). Spookyaki (talk) 14:38, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Because it is self-published, Geek Girl Authority is considered an unreliable search per the New pages patrol source guide. It's fine for the attributed claim from McCune, but I don't think it's a sufficient source for the song.
• Oxford commas should probably be omitted, per MOS:TIES and to keep the use of British English consistent throughout the article. Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• The recurring cast and guests need to be cited. Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• In general, I think the plot summaries are a bit hard to follow and could use some copyediting. Check out the essays How to write a plot summary and Writing better articles for tips. You can also request a copyediting pass at WikiProject Guild of Copy Editors/Requests.
• Taylor was learning to play the trumpet, and this interest led him to write about a black jazz band in the 1920s. Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Taylor then worked with Barunka O'Shaughnessy, and through a series of drafts, they improved the humour and pacing of his stories for the first series. Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• The programme was shot in Liverpool, taking advantage of the Georgian architecture in the city and period buildings, including the Liverpool Athenaeum and Martins Bank Building. Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Generally, if you can, I would avoid one-sentence paragraphs, which can disrupt flow. See MOS:PARA. Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• The cast took lessons to act like they could play their instruments, but do not play any music in the series. Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Taylor stated in an interview that "racism is ridiculous" and enjoyed mining it for humour. Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Cheryl Eddy of Gizmodo described the series as a sharply satirical comedy that expertly draws humour from racism. Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• She particularly praised Taylor's performance, and encouraged parents to discuss with their children the racial issues raised and how it can be "empowering to make jokes about serious topics". Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• ...using "hypervisible" outsider underdog characters who eschew expectations as their endeavours backfire, while broadly mocking the white characters who believe themselves special. Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Agathe Devionot of Just Focus felt that the series was a perfect fusion of comedy with the modernity of the main characters encountering cultural shock in the time-travel scenario.—Unclear what this means, consider rephrasing. Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• ...Ed Gove noted the rarity of an all-black central cast on British TV, and summed up the programme's attitude toward race with a joke from the pilot... Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Matthew Bell compared Timewasters to Derry Girls and Home, for finding humour in dark subject matter. Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• However, a lack of press releases or reportage after August 2021 suggests that it did not go into production.—This claim needs to be cited. Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for your hard work! This is an interesting and well-researched article. Overall, I think it could use a copyediting pass, either from yourself or the Guild of Copy Editors (one general suggestion I have for the prose: limit passive voice). If you can punch up the prose a bit and address some of the sourcing issues, I don't think this article will have any issues getting GA. Good luck, and I hope this helps! Spookyaki (talk) 14:35, 1 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]