Category: British
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Heading A Seriously Funny Business
Here’s an interview with Geoffrey Perkins, from The Stage, after he was appointed Head Of BBC Comedy. I wonder how far things got with an Alf Garnett return. He appeared on TV screens once more, in September of 1998, but that was over on ITV. Maybe everyone got cold feet, and ITV picked it up.…
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Richie, ADHD, And Me
Why does Richie from Bottom resonate with me? It can’t just be the brilliant performance of Rik Mayall. Alan B’Stard, Rick, Micky Love, Drop Dead Fred are all brilliant characters, brilliantly realised, and I think about them a lot. But I think about Richie. Every. Single. Day. I’ve thought about Bottom so much over the…
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When Giftbusters Invented NTV
Before his House Party, Noel did a Saturday Roadshow. It introduced a number of segments and items that would later be developed and refined in his Crinkley Bottom. The Gotchas, Wait Till I Get You Home, and the gunge tank all appeared on the Roadshow, and so did Giftbusters. This was clearly where the idea…
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Could These Be Your Neighbours?
It’s hard to overstate the way Sylvania Waters changed the landscape of British television, so I won’t. What’s interesting is how the show was received in Australia compared to how it was received here in the UK. Sylvania Waters exploded on to Australian TV on 21 July 1992. The link to the fictional soap that…
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Bite The Wax
If you imagine the phrase ‘Bite The Wax’ as spoken by Armando Iannucci, then your day will be all the better for it. But before we get to that, let’s talk about No’ The Archie Macpherson Show. It’s Wednesday 6th July 1988, and BBC Radio Scotland is about to debut a new youth oriented show…
