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Britcomedy Digest Vol 1 no 07
==================================
B R I T C O M E D Y D I G E S T
==================================
V. 1 December 23, 1994
no.7
A monthly electronic newsletter on British comedies.
What's Inside
=============
* Selections from "Books for the Avid Britcomedy Fan"
* BRITCOMEDY DIGEST'S GUIDE TO CHRISTMAS TV SPECIALS
* Editorial: Red Dwarf Smeg Ups
* Opinion: Roy Clarke
* Stand-up to Be Shot Down, by Simon Fanshawe
* Book Review: Robert Llewellyn's _The Man In The Rubber Mask_
* Peter Cook and Dudley Moore: Grand Old Men of Comedy, Part II
* Mini-Bio (emphasis on "mini"): Julia Sawalha
Regular Departments:
Editor's Page
Letters To the Editor
Britcomedy News
Newsquirks
Editorial/Opinion Page
net.comedy
(Quote-'O-the-Month will return in January)
FAQs and Comprehensive Lists
Circulation/Back Issues
Submissions
Staff
=====
Managing Editor..................Melinda 'Bob' Casino
Contributing Editor..............Michelle Street
Assistant Editor.................James Kew
Simba............................Michelle Casino
Contributing writers: Simon Collings, Martin Eade, Simon Fanshawe, James
Kew, Trace Webster.
HTML logo by Nathan Gasser; HTML conversion by James Kew.
Britcomedy Digest (ISSN 1077-6680) <Schopenhauer Publishing Co.>
Copyright (c) 1994 by Melinda Casino. Reproduction for personal and
non-profit use is permitted only if this copyright notice is retained. Any
other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
E D I T O R 'S P A G E
------------------------
In the spirit of the season, we at Britcomedy Digest have compiled a wish
list for 1995...may the Comic Muse deliver them to us.
Britcomedy Digest's Wish List for 1995:
_______________________________________
1) To be hired by Comedy Central and put in charge of acquisitions and
programming. That way, we'd make sure "The Young Ones" and "The Comic
Strip Presents" would be shown all day every day.
2) We know they'd never *do* it, but we'd like to see a "Young Ones"
reunion. Yeah, their bus went off a cliff and burst into flames in the last
episode, but surely these wild-eyed, big-bottomed anarchists would have
survived?
3) To see the BBC repeat "If You See God, Tell Him" (with Richard Briers,
Adrian Edmondson).
4) Export "Knowing Me, Knowing You" to the states. We in the U.S. are dying
to see this show.
5) To see Holly and the Short Rouge One back in season 7 of "Red Dwarf". And
a more plausible explanation of how they got separated from the mining ship
in the first place ("stolen"--yeah, right. This isn't a Porsche we're
talkin' about...).
6) To see Lionheart release in NTSC format: seasons 5 and 6 of "Red Dwarf";
"Bottom"; "The Man From Auntie"; and the rest of "The Young Ones" (three
measley episodes, hrumph!)
7) Ben Elton and Richard Curtis reunited as scriptwriters for a new series.
8) To see Peter Cook get actively involved in comedy projects again. Cook's
talents should be showcased again, instead of seeing him in the
nicotine-stained old-statesman-of-comedy roles he's slipped into.
9) To see Spike Milligan's series "Q5," "Q6", etc., exhumed from the BBC
archives. Thank goodness Milligan recently won the British Comedy Award he
so justly deserved.
10) To attend a Christmas party with any of the above mentioned
people/entities and be able to spike the punch. Okay, so we're more on the
naughty side than the nice...
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
=====================
I have spent months looking for any and all available information about the
pre-Monty Python BBC (or IDE?) series "The Complete and Utter History of
Television (Britain)?". The series is referenced in the U.S. Showtime
special "20 Years of Python" (1990). But other than that, I can't find
thing one about it. Any information you can provide would be GREATLY
appreciated...
Gary St. Lawrence
MICHAEL CLARKSON RESPONDS: "The Complete and Utter History of Britain" was a
six-part historical spoof written by Michael Palin and Terry Jones. It was
first shown on ITV in early 1969. The series traced the history of Britain
from the early Stone Age up to the 17th century. London Weekend Television
(LWT), had given the series to Palin and Jones on the basis of the work
they had done in "The Frost Report." As to the question is the series still
around today, the answer is yes and no. Being only founded for a few months
when "Complete and Utter History" was made, the LWT's administrative side
was very weak. Terry Jones managed to obtain the filmed inserts, but the
studio pieces have never been found. The complete series is lost to the
nation and for that reason it is not available on video.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
What a fab issue...So poor old Alexei Sayle got a vote as most disliked...I
rather like him...I'll never forget this one episode of his series "STUFF"
when this kid dressed as a policeman comes up to him and asks to see his
"fat license"!
"Bottom" sounds brilliant - not yet (or ever, probably) seen on South
African tellies. Aaaarrgh! I looooooove Rik and Ade (especially Rik. God,
Rik I love you and want to have your babies). I liked the bit about Ben
Elton, and this gave the name of my all-time fave series: "Filthy, Rich and
Catflap" (Rik and Ade again).
Leverne Gething - Tygerberg, S.A.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
About "One More Bean Makes a Very Small Casserole" ("Newsquirks", vol.1 no.
6): Without sounding too smug, I would like to point out that this episode
was aired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) quite a while ago
(early 1994, if my rapidly deteriorating memory serves me). In fact the
episode was shown at least twice, once on the English CBC and once on the
French CBC (Radio Canada) with subtitles for when the art teacher is
talking. In addition to the scenes mentioned in your article, there are a
few very funny ones in the art class involving a nude model. As with what
you mentioned in the article, I'll leave it to your imagination.
Simon Brault - Canada
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Ben Elton article ("Ben Elton-A Career in Review," vol.1, no. 7) really
down-played the stand-up comedy aspect of Ben Elton. Stand-up had almost
been abandoned for any radical comedy. All radical comedy had become
sketches, like Python and the Goodies, or sitcoms, like "Hitchhiker's
[Guide to the Galaxy]" and "Fawlty [Towers]". Ben Elton and his
contempories launched a brand-new form of stand-up comedy that [became
known as] "alternative comedy". Left-wing, anti-Tory, reactionary against
centuries of stand-up comedy, Ben Elton has become an icon with phrases
like "little bits of politics there ladies and gentlemen". [He] brought
many topics onto the political agenda, racism, sexism, environmentalism...
his contribution to modern British culture is great and his legacy will
remain.
Rich Johnston - Newcastle, U.K.
EDITOR'S RESPONSE: Elton's contribution to stand-up comedy is unquestionably
important; however, the article was only meant to focus on a few aspects of
Elton's career.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I live in a cultural desert called Los Angeles, and one of my few
entertainment pleasures is watching British comedies on A&E, Comedy
Central, or buying/hiring videotapes of my favourite shows. (Blackadder
I-IV, Fawlty Towers, Are You Being Served?, Morecambe & Wise, Red Dwarf,
Monty Python, AbFab, etc)...I would greatly appreciate any information on
books for any of these shows, and how to get them. The only books I can
find here from the U.K. are the latest scandal-mongering on the Royal
Family!
Vivien Latham - Los Angeles, CA
EDITOR'S RESPONSE: Many readers have requested information on Britcom books.
As a result, I am including selections from the very first version of
"Books for the Avid Britcomedy Fan" in this issue of Britcomedy Digest.
Feedback is appreciated.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ode to Rimmer:
Dear Chris Barrie
I'd like to marrie
you!
On a matter of great importance: I detect from your [usenet] signature a
cunning clue or two that you may be a Chris Barrie addict. Well, that makes
four so far: me, in South Africa, a girl in Australia, another in the
states, and now you--maybe! Honestly, I'm such a sad git over this I even
argue that "Rimmer" [who Barrie plays] is fanciable...well, hey, who
wouldn't have *died* for the devotion he showed in "Thanks for the Memory"?
We've got a thingy: the "Chris Barrie Is A Sex God" thingy. Care to join?
All you have to do is come out of that Chris Barrie closet and confess!
It's extremely amusing and a really good wind-up, 'cos none of the blokes
on-line can understand it.
Name withheld by request
EDITOR'S RESPONSE: Let's put it this way: Barrie can use that "Wormdo" line
on me anytime...the reader can draw her own conclusions.
BRITCOMEDY NEWS...
------------------
ABFAB AND RED DWARF SHARE INTERNATIONAL EMMY
On November 22, in a Manhattan hotel, television producers, writers, and
stars gathered for the 1994 International Emmy Awards. At the end of the
ceremony, the BBC had walked away with five--more than any broadcaster
had won in a single year.
Absolutely Fabulous won for the second year in a row, sharing its
International Emmy in the Popular Arts category with Red Dwarf. The
AbFab episode nominated was "Hospital"; the Red Dwarf espisode was
"Gunmen of the Apocalypse," from season six.
Other winners were David Jason (star of "Only Fools and Horses"), who won
best drama prize for his Screen One BBC film, "The Bullion Boys"; Sir David
Attenborough's "Life In the Freezer" (documentary); and a puppet version of
"Peter and the Wolf" narrated by rock star Sting, which won a performing
arts prize for Britain.
Australia and France were the only two other countries to win
international prizes.
The International Emmys are awarded by the International Council of the
National Academy of TV Arts & Sciences.
"JOKING APART" TO PLAY IN THE STATES, UK
The second series of "Joking Apart" will air in the U.K. January 3rd, 1995.
Amazingly, it will air in the U.S. and Spain before it airs in the U.K.
Those in the states will be able to enjoy this Moffat series if they receive
one of the following PBS stations: KRMA (Denver, CO); KPBS (San Diego, CA);
KUSM (Bozeman, Montana); WNED (Buffalo, NY); KCTS (Setattle, WA); KVIE
(Sacramento, CA); WPBT (Miami, FL); WCBB (MN); WLIW (Plainview, NY); KTEH
(San Jose, CA).
Steven Moffat ("The Press Gang") told Britcomedy Digest that he is writing
an episode of "Murder Most Horrid," has a comedy/drama called "Privates" in
the works, and a sitcom ("Rosie Futures") under serious consideration.
------> Send news items to Michelle Street <mtstreet@firefly.prairienet.org>
1118 Briarcliff, Rantoul, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 61866.
Newsquirks
----------Pixels in the press
SPIKE MILLIGAN TAKES A SHOT AT PRINCE CHARLES
Spike Milligan recently received a British Comedy Award for Lifetime
Achievement. But he made millions of TV viewers remember his caustic tongue
and sharp sense of humor at the awards ceremony when he called the Prince
of Wales a "grovelling little bastard."
Jonathan Ross was reading a letter from the Prince and had only gotten a few
lines out when Spike broke in with his infamous ad-lib. "He's a groveling
little bastard." Ross was startled, but recovered and continued to read
just one more line from the Prince's page-long letter.
The line which provoked this humorous ad-lib from Spike was: "As someone
who has grown up listening to the Goons on steam-driven radio, I must
confess I am a lifelong fan of Spike Milligan."
Later Spike confirmed that it was impromptu and that he was "just
desperate to say something," perhaps out of embarrasment from all the
adulation he was receiving.
After the awards ceremony Spike explained, "He will understand. He's a
lovely man. He has a good sense of humor." When it was pointed out that
viewers had (predictably) complained, Spike reportedly said "fuck 'em".
His wife Sheila commented, "The person who will laugh most at Spike's joke
will be Prince Charles. Spike has never been a sycophant. He's one of the
few people who can get away with it."
E D I T O R I A L / O P I N I O N P A G E
===========================================
RED DWARF'S SMEG UPS -- THE TITLE OF THE TAPE OR A WARNING TO THE BUYER?
by Martin Eade <martine@cougar.multiline.com.au>
Whilst Craig Charles awaits trial the BBC obviously thought it necessary to
remind the public about the existence of "Red Dwarf". Hence, the new "smeg
ups" tape, described on the box as "Red Dwarf as you've never seen it
before - almost an hour of side-splitting outtakes." Sound promising? Well,
the title of this video may be more apt than they realise.
The idea behind this video is simple: it's a collection of bloopers, jokes,
funny bits and the like from the history of Red Dwarf. It features some
genuinely funny moments, from forgotten lines to misbehaving models. Chris
Barrie does several impersonations of Kenneth Williams that are a bit too
accurate for comfort, even down to the flaring of his nostrils. (An
interesting omission is the lack of bloopers from either incarnation of
"Holly".)
We are guided through this collection by "Kryten" (Robert Lewellyn), who
delivers rather frequent, rather painful dialogue. He rarely says anything
of relevance and is there purely to pad out the tape. Even with his
interludes the tape runs only 51 minutes - even Terry Wogan wasn't this
bad.
The definite lowlight is Kryten's "Top ten most asked questions about Red
Dwarf". After the few obligatory "Why did Lister have his appendix out
twice" type of questions comes "Where can I buy Red Dwarf merchandise and
what is available." Oh dear. We find out, unfortunately. (Visa and Access
welcome!) What was the BBC thinking? Surely they realise that if you've
bought this video you're going to know about merchandise?
The video ends with the unshown ending to Series 6 - the one that for some
bizarre reason they didn't transmit the first time around. Another smeg-up,
it seems. The only item to be considered newsworthy is the competition to
appear as an extra in Red Dwarv VII (open to anyone over the age of 18
months and under 106 years). So what are they going to do if Craig goes to
jail?
After the obligatory screenings to friends and family I have now watched
this video three times and that's more than enough. It's definitely worth
seeing once but it doesn't have enough sparkle to permit repeated viewing.
This programme would have better served the BBC as a Christmas special - it
would have rated highly and the merchandising plug would be a bit more
relevant. As it stands this is a rather pathetic release which, hopefully,
even the ardent Dwarfers will boycott. The general public certainly aren't
going to buy it.
Verdict: Do not buy it unless you're desperate - borrow a friend's copy or
let someone else buy it for you.
"Red Dwarf Smeg Ups", BBCV 5406, #10.99.
###
ROY CLARKE, by Simon Collings <scollin@sapphire.win-uk.net>
There has scarcely been a single week on British television without a comedy
by Roy Clarke being shown. Not in living memory (well mine anyway). What is
it about this man's comedy that is so appealing and why have his shows
endured?
Just look at the sitcoms Roy Clarke has created for us: Keeping Up
Appearances (1990-93), Ain't Misbehavin' (1994), Open All Hours (1976-85),
Last Of The Summer Wine (1973-93), First Of The Summer Wine (1988-89),
Don't Tell Father (1992), Potter (1979-84), The Growing Pains Of PC Penrose
(1975), Rosie (1977-81), The Clairvoyant (1986), The Magnificent Evans
(1984), The Misfit (1970-71).
Some are obscure, some lasted for just one series, but there are more
blockbusters here than many writers have managed.
OK, so Roy Clarke is a master at creating comic obsessive characters
(Hyacinth, Arkwright, Foggy Dewhurst), but there is something else there
which singles him out - YORKSHIRE!
In Roy Clarke's world, Yorkshire is a land where all the men are wimps and
the women are hard taskmasters. It is the world of the hovis loaf, black
shag, pidgeon fancying and low horizons. "Last of the Summer Wine" and
"Open All Hours" have endured and endured, yet neither has had a plot in
living memory - just three old men wandering about the coutryside and the
antics of a frustrated shopkeeper.
Decades of the same gentle comedy has become a part of Sunday evening in the
UK. Roy Clarke almost has his own slot in the BBC schedule on Sunday
evening. Other channels have tried to compete and always failed. He is part
of television life here.
But what of the future? Many of the cast of "Last of the Summer Wine" are
getting old and new series are fewer and further between; Ronnie Barker
retired from acting many years; David Jason is too busy and successful at
drama to make comedy anymore. Never fear! Roy Clarke is creating new comedy
all the time. "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Keeping up Appearances" continue the
winning formula. I have a feeling we will be seeing new comedy by Roy
Clarke for a long time to come.
###
Britcomedy Digest welcomes contrasting views. Mail rebuttals and editorials
TO <casino@pobox.upenn.edu> with the subject "EDITORIAL".
--------------------------------------
Review: _The Man in the Rubber Mask_
Robert Llewellyn
--------------------------------------by Trace Webster
Prospective readers of Robert Llewellyn's _The Man in the Rubber Mask_
will be pleased to know that the author *does* talk about things other
than the rubber mask itself!
While _The Man in the Rubber Mask_ is an autobiography, it deals mainly with
Robert Llewellyn's role as Kryten in the British television comedy "Red
Dwarf": the early interviews, casting, and the trials and tribulations of
the wearing of the rubber masks--although he includes some stories about
his life before "Red Dwarf", including one anecdote of <ahem> an earlier,
not so ego-boosting, encounter with plaster of Paris and wax. Llewellyn
maintains his privacy in the book, however, only mentioning friends and
relatives when they're relevant to "Red Dwarf."
Among the tidbits I found in _Rubber Mask_ were:
o How he occupied his thoughts with kinky sex while undergoing mask
fittings;
o How Craig Charles' and Danny John-Jules' nocturnal habits made him
feel like an old man;
o How useless he felt while learning long speeches compared to Chris
Barrie and Craig Charles;
o How hot and uncomfortable it was inside the costume and the mask.
Llewellyn relates a number of anecdotes testifying to his fellow actors'
personalities, although none of them are in any way actionable; that is,
unless Craig Charles chose to sic his lawyer on Llewellyn for mentioning
the dimensions of certain body organs, or Chris Barrie decided to sue for
enough money to buy his third Bentley over the description of his
preferences in night-time activity (retire at ten o'clock with a cup of
cocoa and...well, read the book! :)
While much of the behind-the-scenes gossip is old news to regular readers of
the "Smegazine", it was all new to me as a fairly recent convert, and I was
amused to read about Craig Charles and Danny John-Jules' nightclubbing (or
rather, their departure to and return from nightclubbing), Chris Barrie's
impressions of everyone who stood still for long enough (how could I *ever*
have guessed?) and the general antics on the set.
Also mentioned is the making of the U.S. "Red Dwarf" pilot, and much is made
of the contrast between the backstage atmosphere of the British and
American productions and the different reactions of the American and
Liverpudlian Craigs (Bierko and Charles) to it.
Being Australian, it was interesting to hear that Judy Pascoe, who played
the mechanoid "Camille" and is Llewellyn's girlfriend and the mother of his
child, is also Australian. Llewellyn also describes his trips to Australia
and his meeting with the Northern Territories' biggest "Red Dwarf" fan.
(This was when ABC was showing it on Sunday afternoon, folks.)
There are eight pages of black and white photographs, which include the
author's previous roles and his Edinburgh Festival friends, some glimpses
behind the scenes on the "Red Dwarf" set (including one of Chris Barrie
looking particularly bright and alert), and the obligatory shot of
Llewellyn with an incontinent koala--not that the incontinence showed up on
film, but we're assured that it happened.
As a "Red Dwarf" fan, I found this book to be an entertaining read, and
quite well written. However, I suspect it would be less interesting to
anyone who is not an "Dwarfer", or at least a fan of any of the actors.
_The Man in the Rubber Mask_, copyright 1994 by Robert Llewellyn, is
published by Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-023575-2. The price is #4.99 in the
U.K., $12,95 in Australia, and $5.99 in Canada. It runs about $12.00 in the
U.S. Robert Llewellyn has also written _The Reconstructed Heart_ (1992).
###
The following article originally appeared in BBC Worldwide (July issue, p.
82). Reprinted with the permission of the editor. Copyright 1994 BBC
Worldwide Magazine. Special thanks to Vincent Golden.
"Stand-up to Be Shot Down", by Simon Fanshawe
In America, there are about 15,000 working comedians - a terrifying thought.
Not all of them are funny but they all think they are - an even more
terrifying thought.
In Britain, I reckon there are about 500; more men than women, more in
London than in the rest of the country and more scoring below three out of
ten on the scale of hilarity than above. There are always those who forget
that to make the transition from 'good joke-teller down at the local' to
moving an audience to merriment is talent and not simply a question of
egging on a few drunken mates.
The comedy boom in London started in 1979 at the Comedy Store. Alexei Sayle
launched the first of many tirades against the powers-that-should-not-be
and by doing so gave birth to the Comic Strip (French and Saunders, the
Young Ones, Ben Elton). In 1979 there were at least ten pubs in London in
the upstairs rooms of which you could find a comedy gig at the weekend.
Nowadays the London listings magazine Time Out can devote entire issues to
comedy, previewing the autumn's TV comedy schedules, live tours and listing
some 82 clubs where comedy is now a regular component. Most of them are
one-nighters but about 15 run at least two shows a week.
At the head of the line-up are two clubs who do not just make comedy their
business but make business out of their comedy; the Comedy Store and
Jongleurs, which operates out of three clubs, one south of the Thames in
Battersea, another at trendy Camden Lock to the north and the most recent
at the Filling Station at Shepherds Bush to the west.
These clubs vary tremendously. We no longer throw Christians to the lions
but we do throw comics to the audience at the last show on Friday at the
Comedy Store. The tradition was established long ago with the Gong Show
where, if you had not experienced bullying and rejection at school, you
could become a comic and catch up. If you did not please the audience they
shouted 'gong, gong, gong...', the compere hit the gong and you had to
leave the stage.
Comedy audiences are better trained these days. They are prepared to give
the acts more of a chance. They come less for the sport of shouting them
down than having the most laughs they can for the ticket price.
Early in the week you will find small pub gigs where a wide variety of
comics take the stage, from those who are so inexperienced they have the
look of a 12-year-old forced into the ring without gloves against Chris
Eubank, to some of the established names trying out new material. Not
everyone has their own TV series so most comics make their own TV series so
most comics make their living from working live. While the better money is
to be made out on the Student Union circuit, pay at the London clubs is all
right. There is plenty of quality out there.
It has been an orthodoxy, when writing about so-called 'alternative' comedy,
to argue that in the good old days of revolution at the Comedy Store,
satirists took great militant lunges at an establishment whose destruction
they willed on with their every punchline. The truth was less dramatic.
Although the new generation of comics was inevitably drawn from those who
felt little affinity towards the Thatcher government, there were many
different comic voices emerging.
Ade Edmondson and Rik Mayall, French and Saunders developed their anarchic
views of the world. Ben Elton emerged for some as definitive footstamper of
the era but his humour is far less political than based on the British
comedy staple of potties, botties and, of course, sex.
While some complain about the lack of direct political comment at the
moment, sex and sexual relationships are - and in my view always will be -
the dominant comic currency. The club scene in London reflects this. You
will not be able to spend more than ten minutes of an evening without sex,
some explicit, some coy but all of it funny and most of it wonderfully
truthful.
The two most expensive clubs in the capital are Jongleurs and the Comedy
Store. But for 9 pounds you will get tow hours of the best of young comedy
in London, possibly a smattering of new TV names and even the occasional
appearance of a major celebrity guest (I have been there when Robin
Williams has dropped in). Jongleurs has better food and you will see the
same comics at both clubs; Jongleurs in Camden is purpose-built and as a
result very comfortable.
It is impossible to distinguish between all the one- nighters. Your best bet
is probably to go local. If you are north of the Thames try the Red Rose
Club in Finsbury Park, The King's Head in Crouch End, the Meccano Club in
Islington; if you are south give the Banana Cabaret a try in Balham or
Screaming Blue Murder at Hampton Court, Wimbledon or Carshalton. For bigger
shows, the Hackney Empire has re-invented the variety tradition and mixes
comics with specialty acts and music, always to great effect; even some
West End theatres - especially the Criterion and the Queen's - are doing
more and more one-offs.
Your best guide to all this is undoubtedly a combination of Time Out and
sucking it and seeing. Frankly, take the risk because only you can judge.
If you laughed you liked them; if you did not, they stunk. So get out there
and see. Who knows, you might end up doing an open spot.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simon Fanshawe, who won the Perrier prize for stand-up comedy in 1989,
presents arts magazine programme Meridian. Special thanks to Steve Weinman,
editor of BBC Worldwide, for granting permission to Britcomedy Digest to
reprint the article. BBC Worldwide provides articles and schedules about
various productions for their shortwave and satelite TV broadcasts. You can
subscribe direct from London in sterling (# 30), or for $48 if you live in
the United States. Contact BBC Worldwide, PO Box 76S, Bush House, Strand,
London WC2B 4PH (tel: 71 257 2211; fax: 71 240 4899).
===================================
Selections from...BOOKS FOR THE AVID BRITCOMEDY FAN!
Compiled & maintained by Melinda Casino <casino@pobox.upenn.edu>.
This list can be found in full at alt.comedy.british on Dec. 21, 1994.
Thereafter, it will be posted monthly. Additionally you can ftp to:
ftp://cathouse.org/pub/cathouse/humor/british.humour/britcom.book.list
ftp://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/public/media/tv/collections/tardis/uk/comedy/Booklist
Books are categorized by both the author's last name when the author is
well-known, and by the show's title. Alphabetization of categories ignores
"a" and "the". For example, _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ can be
found under "Douglas Adams" and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
Title Author
| |
_The Illustrated Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ (by Douglas Adams)
[BRIEF DESCRIPTION]
(US: Harmony Books 1994, $42.95 0-517-59924-4 hardcover;...)
| | | | |
Publisher Year Pub. Price ISBN# Paperback and/or hardcover
ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS:
_Absolutely Fabulous_ (by Jennifer Saunders)
The scripts to season 1 of this t.v. Britcom.
(BBC Books 1993, #7.99 0-563-36976-0)
_Absolutely Fabulous 2_ (by Jennifer Saunders)
The scripts to season 2.
(BBC Books 1994, #9.99 0-563-37086-6 hardcover)
DOUGLAS ADAMS:
_The Illustrated Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ (by Douglas Adams)
Creatively illustrated with actors cast as the various characters (_not_
from the t.v. series). Large book with a silver cover. For die-hard fans.
(US: Harmony Books 1994, $42.95 0-517-59924-4 hardcover; George Weidenfeld
and Nicolson Ltd., ISBN?)
ROWAN ATKINSON:
_Mr. Bean's Diary 1993_ (by Rowan Atkinson and Robin Driscoll)
Drawings and photos from the life of Mr. Bean.
(Boxtree 1992, 1-8528-3768-3 hardcover; 1993, $9.95 1-8528-3349-1
paperback)
_Mr. Bean's Pocket Diary_ (by Rowan Atkinson and Robin Driscoll)
(Boxtree 1994, 0-7522-0994-9 paperback)
BEYOND THE FRINGE: SEE COOK AND MOORE.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER:
_Dorien's Diary_ (by Lawrence Marks and Maurice Gran)
Spoof diary.
(Pavilion 1994, #4.99 1-85793-286-2 paperback)
BOTTOM:
_Bottom: The Scripts_ (by Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall)
Season 1 scripts (6) of the t.v. show.
(BBC Books, #8.99 0-536-36484-X hardcover; #4.99 0-14-023497-7 paperback)
_More Bottom: The Scripts_ (by Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall)
Season 2 scripts (6).
(BBC Books, #8.99 0-563-37032-7 hardcover [No paperback available yet])
JO BRAND:
_A Load of Old Balls_ (by Jo Brand)
Satirical look at the contribution of the male species to the civilized
world.
(Simon & Schuster 1994, #9.99 0-671-71385-X hardcover)
THE BRITTAS EMPIRE:
_Gordon Brittas -- Sharing The Dream_ (by Jonathan Rice)
"Gordon Brittas" version of a motivational management book.
(Boxtree 1994, #6.99 0-7622-0896-9 paperback)
JOHN CLEESE:
_The Complete Fawlty Towers_ (by John Cleese and Connie Booth)
All twelve scripts from the TV series, including photographic stills from
the episodes and the original airdates.
(Methuen London Ltd. #8.99 1988, 0-413-18390-4 hardcover; Mandarin 1989,
0-749-30159-7 paperback; US: Pantheon 1989, 0-679-72127-4 paperback)
_Families and How to Survive Them_ (by John Cleese and Robin Skynner)
(Methuen 1983, 0-4135-2640-2 hardcover; 0-1952-0466-2 paperback)
(Mandarin 1990, 0-7493-0254-2 paperback)
(Mandarin 1990, 0-7493-1410-9 paperback)
(US: Oxford University Press 1983, 0-4135-6520-3 paperback)
_Golden Skits of Wing Commander Muriel Volestranger_ (by John Cleese
under an assumed name)
Sketch book.
(Methuen 1984, 0-4134-1560-0 paperback)
_Life And How to Survive It_ (by John Cleese and Robin Skynner)
(Methuen 1993, 0-413-66030-3 hardcover)
THE COMIC STRIP:
_The Comic Strip Presents..._ (Adrian Edmondson, et. al.)
(Methuen 1983, #4.95 0-4135-33780-3 paperback) OUT OF PRINT
BILLY CONNOLLY:
_Big Yin; Biography of Billy Connolly_ (by Jonathan Margolis)
(Chapmans Publishers 1994, #16.99 1-855-92826-4)
_Gullible's Travels_ (by Billy Connolly with illustrations by Steve Bell)
(Pavilion 1982, ISBN?; Arrow Books 1983, #3.50 0-0993-2310-9) OUT OF PRINT
PETER COOK AND DUDLEY MOORE:
_The Complete Beyond The Fringe_ (by Bennett/Cook/Miller/Moore)
(Methuen 1987, #5.99 0-413-14670-7 paperback)
_Beyond the Fringe...and Beyond: A Critical Biography of Alan
Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, and Dudley Moore_ (by Ronald Bergan)
(W.H. Allen 1989, 1-852-27175-2)
_The Dagenham Dialogues_ (by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore)
12 Dud and Pete scripts from "Not Only...But Also...".
(Mandarin 1991, #5.99 0-7493-1036-7 paperback)
RICHARD CURTIS:
_Four Weddings and a Funeral_ (by Richard Curtis)
Screenplay, with many photos and 10 extra scenes.
(Corgi 1994, #7.99 0-522-14329-4 paperback)
ANGUS DEAYTON:
_Have I Got News For You_ (by Angus Deayton, Ian Hislop, Paul Merton, Colin
Swash, Harry Thompson)
Based on the t.v. quiz show.
(BBC Books 1994, #6.99 0-563-37111-0 paperback)
DROP THE DEAD DONKEY:
_Drop The Dead Donkey 2000_ (by Andy Hamilton and Alistair Beaton)
This book from the t.v. series is set in 1999.
(Little Brown and Company 1994, #9.99 0-316-91236-0 hardcover)
BEN ELTON:
_Gasping_ (by Ben Elton)
Script to a stage play.
(Sphere 1990, 0-7474-0889-0 paperback)
_Silly Cow_ (by Ben Elton)
Script to a stage play.
(Warner, #5.99 0-7515-0190-5 paperback)
THE FALL AND RISE OF REGINALD PERRIN:
_The Better World of Reginald Perrin_ (by David Nobbs)
(First published by Victor Gollancz 1978; Mandarin Paperbacks 1990,
0-7493-0468-5)
FAWLTY TOWERS: SEE JOHN CLEESE.
FRENCH AND SAUNDERS:
_A Feast of French and Saunders_ (by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders)
From the t.v. show.
(Mandarin, 0-7493-1124-X; Heinemann 1991, 0-434-27287-6 hardcover)
STEPHEN FRY:
_The Hippopatamus_ (by Stephen Fry)
A novel.
(Hutchinson 1994, #14.99 0-091-78412-3 hardcover; US: Random House 1995,
0-679-43879-3)
_Paperweight_ (by Stephen Fry)
A collection of Stephen Fry's radio writing/broadcasts, magazine and
newspaper writing.
(Mandarin Paperbacks 1992, #5.99 0-7493-1397-8)
FRY AND LAURIE:
_3 Bits of Fry and Laurie_ (by Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie)
Scripts from the first, second, and third t.v. series..
(Mandarin 1992, 0-7493-1701-9; Heinemann 1992, #8.99, 0-434-27193-4
hardcover)
TERRY GILLIAM:
_Time Bandits_
Screenplay.
(Hutchison-ISBN?; US: Doubleday 1981, 0-3851-7732-1 paperback)
_Adventures of Baron Munchausen_
Film's novel.
(Methuen 1989, 0-7493-0017-5 paperback)
THE GOODIES:
_Making of the Goodies' Disaster Movie_ (by "The Goodies")
(Sphere 1978, #2.25 0-7221-1880-5 paperback) OUT OF PRINT
_The Goodies File_ (by "The Goodies")
(Sphere 1975, #4.25 0-7221-1886-4 paperback) OUT OF PRINT
THE GOONS: SEE SPIKE MILLIGAN.
HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU:
_Have I Got News For You_ (by Angus Deayton, Ian Hislop, Paul Merton, Colin
Swash, Harry Thompson)
(BBC Books 1994, #6.99 0-563-37111-0 paperback)
HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY: SEE DOUGLAS ADAMS.
FRANKIE HOWERD:
_Star Turns: the Life and Times of Benny Hill and Frankie Howerd_ (by Barry
Took)
(Weidenfield & Nicolson 1992, #12.99 0-297-81297-1)
I'M SORRY I'LL READ THAT AGAIN:
_I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again: The Classic Scripts_ (by Graeme Garden
and Bill Oddie)
Scripts from the radio program.
(Javelin Books 1985, #1.95 0-7137-1759-9 paperback) OUT OF PRINT
_I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again_ (Scripts from show)
(Hodder and Stoughton 1984, 0-713-71759-9 paperback)
TERRY JONES:
_Complete Ripping Yarns_ (by Terry Jones and Michael Palin)
(Methuen 1990, 0-4136-3820-0 hardcover, 0-4136-3980-0 paperback; Mandarin
1991, 0-7493-1222-X paperback)
HUGH LAURIE: SEE FRY AND LAURIE.
ROBERT LLEWELLYN: SEE RED DWARF.
RIK MAYALL: SEE THE NEW STATESMAN.
PAUL MERTON:
_Paul Merton's History Of The Twentieth Century_ (by Paul Merton)
(Boxtree 1993, #6.99 1-85283-570-2 paperback)
_Have I Got News For You_ (by Angus Deayton, Ian Hislop, Paul Merton, Colin
Swash, Harry Thompson)
(BBC Books 1994, #6.99 0-563-37111-0 paperback)
SPIKE MILLIGAN: Note that this is only a selection.
_Goon Show Companion_ (by Roger Wilmut)
(Robson Books, #6.99 0-860-51836-1)
_More Goon Show Scripts_ (by Spike Milligan, with drawings by Peter
Sellers, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan)
(The Woburn Press 1973, ISBN unavailable; US: St. Martin's Press 1974,
74-78491)
_Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons_ (by Bill
Watterson)
(Warner/Tiptree Bk. Service 1993, #5.99 0-7515-0933-7 paperback)
_Goon for Lunch_ (by Harry Secombe)
(US: St. Martin's Press 1976, ISBN?)
_Wuthering Heights according to Spike Milligan_ (by Spike Milligan)
(Michael Joseph 1994, #9.99 0-7181-3787-6 hardcover)
_Lady Chatterleys Lover according to Spike Milligan_ (by Spike Milligan)
(Michael Joseph 1994, #9.99 0-7181-3812-0 hardcover)
_The Spike Milligan Letters_ (Edited by Norma Farnes)
Norma Farnes did not collect just the humorous letters of Milligan. These
letters show a more rounded Spike whether complaining, fighting for his
beliefs, and being philosophical.
(M. and J. Hobbs 1977, 0-718-11637-2)
_Dear Robert, Dear Spike: the Graves-Milligan correspondence_ (Edited by
Pauline Scudamore)
A collection of letters exchanged between the novelist and poet, Robert
Graves and Spike Milligan.
(Alan Sutton 1991, 0-862-99648-1)
STEVEN MOFFAT: SEE PRESS GANG.
MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS:
_The Brand New Monty Python Papperbok_ (by Michael Palin, Graham Chapman,
John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam)
(Methuen 1974/Warner Books 1973, 1976, 0-446-87078-1)
NOTE: Spelling of title is correct as written, authors are listed in the
order above--not the usual MPFC alphabetical.
_Monty Python`s The Life of Brian/MontyPythonScrapBook_
(Methuen 1979, 0-4418-568-6; Ace 0-4414-98240-6)
_Life of Python_ (by George Perry)
(Little Brown, 0-316-70015-0)
_The First 20 Years of Monty Python_ (by Kim "Howard" Johnson)
(St. Martin's Press 1989, 0-312-03309-5)
_And Now For Something Completely Trivial: The Monty Python Trivia and
Quiz Book_ (by Kim "Howard" Johnson)
(St. Martin's Press 1991, 0-312-06289-3)
DUDLEY MOORE: SEE COOK AND MOORE.
MR. BEAN: SEE ROWAN ATKINSON.
GRANT NAYLOR: SEE RED DWARF.
THE NEW STATESMAN:
_The New Statesman_ (by Anna Morgan)
Six stories based on the first series of "The New Statesman".
(Javelin 1987, #2.95 0-713-72022-0 paperback)
_The B'Stard File_ (by Laurence Marks, Maurice Gran, et. al.)
A spoof dossier on B'Stard's life and dodgy dealings.
(David & Charles 1988, #4.95/A$12.95 0-7153-0305-7 paperback)
NOT ONLY...BUT ALSO...: SEE COOK AND MOORE.
ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE:
_One Foot In the Grave_ (by David Renwick)
9 stories (in narrative style, not the scripts)
(Penguin #9.99 0-563-36428-9 hardcover; #4.99 0-14-023498-5 paperback)
MICHAEL PALIN:
_Limericks_ (by Michael Palin)
(Hutchison 1986, 0-0994-7680-0 paperback)
_Around The World In 80 Days_ (by Michael Palin)
Tie-in to the t.v. series.
(BBC Books, 0-563-36213-8)
PRESS GANG:
_First Edition_ (by Bill Moffat)
Based on the episodes "Page One," "Photo Finish" and "One Easy Lesson"
(Hippo Books/Scholastic Pub. Ltd. 1989, 0-590-761625)
_Public Exposure_ (by Bill Moffat)
Based on "Interface," "How to Make a Killing" 1 & 2
(Hippo Books/Scholastic Pub. Ltd. 1989, 0-590-76163-3)
RED DWARF:
_The Official Red Dwarf Companion_ (by Bruce Dessau)
A reference book for fans of this sci-fi comedy t.v. show.
(Titan 1992, 1-85286-456-7)
_The Red Dwarf Quiz Book_ (by Nicky Hooks and Sharon Burnett)
Quizzes on the t.v. series and biographies of the actors.
(Penguin Books, 0-14-023662-7; UK #4.99, Aus. $9.95, CA $6.99)
_Red Dwarf Programme Guide_ (by Chris Howarth and Steve Lyons)
(Virgin 1993, 0-86-369682-1)
_Red Dwarf Omnibus: Red Dwarf and Better Than Life_ (by Grant Naylor)
(Penguin, #7.99 0-14-017886-4)
_The Man in the Rubber Mask_ (by Robert Llewellyn)
Autobiography that focuses on Llewellyn's involvement with "Red Dwarf."
(Penguin 1994, #4.99 0-14-023575-2; about $12.00 in the U.S.)
RIPPING YARNS: SEE TERRY JONES.
JENNIFER SAUNDERS: SEE ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, AND FRENCH AND SAUNDERS.
ALEXEI SAYLE:
_Geoffrey the Tube Train and the Fat Comedian_ (by Alexei Sayle and Oscar
Zarate)
Graphic novel.
(Methuen 1987, #4.95 0-413-59950-7 paperback)
HARRY SECOMBE:
_Twice Brightly_ (by Harry Secombe)
Harry Secombe's first novel about a comedian just starting out on the
circuit in Britain.
(Robson Books 1974, 0-903-89523-4)
_Arias & Raspberries: the Autobiography of Harry Secombe_
(Robson, 0-860-51624-5)
SUE TOWNSEND:
_The Adrian Mole Diaries_ (by Sue Townsend)
_The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole_ and _The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole_.
(US: Grove 1986, $7.95 0-413-59560-9)
WAITING FOR GOD:
_Waiting For God_ (by Paul Ableman)
Novel based on the t.v. series by the same writer.
(BBC Books, #9.99 0-563-37086-6 hardcover)
YES, [PRIME] MINISTER:
_The Complete Yes Minster: The Diaries of a Cabinet Minister, by the Right
Hon. James Hacker MP_ (edited by Jonathan Lynn and Anthony Jay)
The book covers everything prior to "Yes, Prime Minister," about 21 episodes
or so.
(US: Salem House Publishers, Topsfield, MA, 0-88162-272-9)
_The Complete Yes, Prime Minister_ (by Jonathan Lynn and Anthony Jay)
(BBC Books 1989, #6.99 0-563-20773-6)
THE YOUNG ONES:
_Bachelor Boys: The Young Ones Book_ (by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall, and Lise
Meyer)
Tie-in to the t.v. show. Pictures and jokes by the characters.
(Sphere Books, Ltd., 0-7221-5765-7)
_Neil's Book of the Dead_ (by Nigel Planer and Terence Blacker)
By "Neil" from the t.v. cult series "The Young Ones."
(Harmony Books, 0-517-55964-1)
COMPILATIONS/HISTORY/MISC.
_The Guiness Book of Classic British Television_ (by Paul Cornell, Martin
Day, Keith Topping)
Contains articles on numerous British comedies.
(Guinness 1993, #14.99 0-85112-543-3)
_Footlights: A Hundred Years of Cambridge Comedy_ (by Robert Hewison)
Introduction by Eric Idle.
(Methuen London Ltd., 0-413-560503)
_From Fringe to Flying Circus: Celebrating a Unique Generation of
Comedy 1960-1980_ (by Roger Wilmut)
An examination of Beyond The Fringe, That Was The Week That Was, Not
Only...But Also..., I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, The Frost Report, The
Goodies, Monty Python, Ripping Yarns, and Fawlty Towers, among others.
(Methuen London Ltd., 413-507770-X)
_Funny Business_ (by David Housham and John Frank-Keyes; introduction by
Rowan Atkinson)
Companion book to the BBC "Funny Business" series of documentaries. "A
collection of brief accounts of the lives and work of some of the best
comics this century." Covers US as well as UK comics.
(Boxtree 1992, #9.99 1-85283-792-6 paperback)
_Didn't You Kill My Mother-In-Law?_ (by Roger Wilmut and Peter Rosengard)
"The story of alternative comedy in Britain from The Comedy Store to
Saturday Live." From around 1979 to mid 1980's. Includes Alexei Sayle, Ben
Elton, The Young Ones, The Comic Strip, and French and Saunders. Highly
recommended.
(Methuen 1989, #7.99 0-413-17390-9)
_Penguin Book of Comedy Sketches_ (ed. Frank Muir and Simon Brett)
Finest moments in British comedy, from early music-hall through "A Bit of
Fry And Laurie."
(Penguin 1992, #8.99 0-1401-5732-8 paperback)
_Ha Bloody Ha_ (by William Cook)
Interviews with up-and-coming comedians, among them Jo Brand, Julian
Clary and Steve Coogan.
(Publisher? 1994, 1-85702-180-0)
_A-Z of Comedy_ (by numerous comedians)
A full color guide to comedy clubs, comedians, and their lifestyles.
(Publisher?, #4.95 ISBN?)
_Amassed Hysteria_
Compliation of sketches from the "Hysteria" AIDS benefits. Features Fry and
Laurie, Ben Elton, French and Saunders, and Ruby Wax.
(Penquin, 0-140-16599-1)
_Comedy Greats: a Celebration of Comic Genius Past and Present_ (by Barry
Took)
(Wellingborough: Equation 1989, #12.95 1-853-36039-2; US: Sterling Pub.,
$19.95)
_Laughter in the Air: An Informal History of British Radio Comedy_ (by
Barry Took)
(Robson Books: British Broadcasting Corp. 1981, #3.95 0-860-51149-9)
Acknowledgements
I'd like to thank the people who helped contribute and verify information.
Among those people are: Michelle Casino, Dave Chapman, Michael Clarkson,
Chris Dunford, Leslie Elman, Martin Eade, Dave Ford, Darla Pruitt, Paul
Rhodes, John Senn, Michael Shephard, Larry Solomon, Dan Staines, and
Michelle T. Street. Many thanks to Vincent Golden and Tammy Whalen for
their extensive research and support. Special thanks to James Kew for his
guidance, feedback, and seemingly endless patience.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
BRITCOMEDY DIGEST'S GUIDE TO CHRISTMAS TV SPECIALS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
A quick guide to t.v. specials in the U.K.
December 22
-----------
A Night on Mount Edna (Channel 4, 2200-2305) R
Housewife and superstar Dame Edna Everage plays host in her Swiss
chalet, with guests including Julio Eglesias, Gina Lollobrigida,
Charlton Heston and Mel Gibson. First shown on ITV in December 1990.
December 23
-----------
Creature Comforts (C4, 1850-1900) R
Nick Park's Oscar-winning animation short.
Jo Brand Through The Christmas Cakehole (C4, 2130-2215)
Following her sell-out tour, Jo Brand presents a festive special of
stand-up comedy and sketches.
Have I Got News For You (BBC2, 2200-2230)
An end-of-year special in the last show of the current series. Host
Angus Deayton grills Paul Merton and Ian Hislop on the news of the
week, with guests ex-Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie and comedian Alexei
Sayle.
Christmas Eve
-------------
Have I Got News For You (BBC2, 2025-2055) R
Repeat of yesterday's programme.
Birds of a Feather (BBC1, 2055-2145)
'Christmas in Dreamland': Sharon, full of the Christmas spirit, nods
off during the Queen's Speech and enters a strange dreamworld where she
and Chris are pop stars, Tracey's a drudge and Dorien's a staid
spinster! With special guests Michael Winner and David Emanuel.
Steptoe and Son (BBC2, 2145-2235) R
A classic Christmas special from 1973. Albert's looking forward to a
family Christmas, while Harold fancies a holiday in Majorca without
his father ruining things for him as usual...
The Jack Dee Show (C4, 2200-2305) R
A repeat of the dead-pan comic's 1992 Christmas special, with guests
including Tom Jones.
Dame Edna's Hollywood (ITV, 2220-2320)
Dame Edna, radiant in stars and stripes, welcomes visitors to her
Hollywood home. Her guests include Burt Reynolds, Sean Young and Barry
Manilow.
Christmas Day
-------------
The Wrong Trousers (BBC1, 1655-1725) R
A repeat showing of Nick Park's Oscar-winning animation. A villainous
penguin disturbs the comfortable home-life of amiable inventor Wallace
and his long-suffering dog Gromit.
Keeping Up Appearances (BBC1, 1725-1815)
A special extended episode. Hyacinth is planning a new kitchen, but
she's disturbed to discover that there's someone strange in father's
bed... and then Richard goes down with a fungal infection. Whatever
will the neighbours think?
One Foot in the Grave (BBC1, 2100-2140)
'The Man Who Blew Away': The Meldrews set off on a routine visit to
the garden centre...but as usual, everything goes unbelievably wrong
for Victor.
Victoria Wood: Live In Your Own Home (BBC1, 2140-2230)
Victoria Wood presents her one-woman show of sketches, anecdotes and
songs performed in her own inimitable style.
Morecambe And Wise Christmas Show (BBC1, 2240-2325) R
A nostalgic repeat of Eric and Ernie's 1971 special, featuring special
guests Shirley Bassey, Glenda Jackson and Andre Previn. Also appearing
are Frank Bough, Robert Dougall, Dick Emery, Cliff Michelmore, Patrick
Moore, Michael Parkinson and Eddie Waring.
Boxing Day
----------
The Two Ronnies Christmas Special (BBC1, 1400-1455) R
A classic Christmas edition of sketches, jokes and songs with Ronnies
Barker and Corbett.
Merry Christmas, Mr Bean (ITV, 1900-1930) R
A repeat of the 1992 Christmas episode. Mr Bean prepares the Christmas
lunch...and has a little trouble with the turkey. With Matilda Zeigler.
2 Point 4 Children (BBC1, 2040-2110)
'Relax-ay-Voo': Ben fancies spending Christmas in France, while Bill's
determined to stay at home, where surely nothing disastrous can
happen...can it?
Dave Allen (ITV, 2230-2315)
Dave Allen, perched on his trademark tall chair and holding his usual
glass, gives his views on the festive season.
December 27
-----------
The Brittas Empire (BBC1, 1820-1850)
'In The Beginning': It's the year 2019, and ex-staff of the Whitbury
Leisure Centre--including three millionaires and a Government
minister--gather to pay tribute to their mentor, Sir Gordon Brittas.
Flanders and Swann (BBC, 1850-1930)
In the year of Donald Swann's death, John Amis presents an affectionate
look backs at the songwriting and performing partnership of Michael
Flanders and Donald Swann, whose witty and eccentric songs and gentle
mockery of English and American foibles delighted audiences in the
1950s. The programme includes excerpts from recently discovered archive
recordings of performances given on Broadway.
Fry and Laurie Host a Christmas Night with the Stars (BBC2, 2100-2215)
A revival of the the classic Christmas variety show. Stephen Fry and
Hugh Laurie are joined by guests including Reeves and Mortimer, Alan
Partridge, Rab C. Nesbitt, Alexei Sayle, Ronnie Corbett and singer
Sandie Shaw.
Carrott-U-Like (BBC1, 2200-2250)
Jasper Carrott in his first all-new stand-up comedy show in two years,
which promises sketches, spoof ads and plenty of laughs.
December 28
-----------
The Lenny Henry Christmas Show (BBC1, 2115-2155)
Festive fun with Lenny Henry and his menagerie of characters, with
guests Salt'n'Pepa, Dina Carroll and Peter Wyngarde.
December 29
-----------
Rab C. Nesbitt (BBC2, 2100-2150)
'More': Rab's Christmas special promises a gun, a toyboy, some
hellraising, ferocious sexual jealousy, a wedding, and--a horse.
Three Fights, Two Weddings and a Funeral (BBC2, 2150-2225)
'The Pauline Calf Wedding Video'. Sex, sleaze and violence at the
wedding of the year. Starring Steve Coogan as Pauline Calf.
Newman and Baddiel Live and In Pieces (BBC2, 0020-0120)
The cult comedians, recorded live at last December's sell-out Wembley
Arena show. Stand-up and sketches, including debauched aristocrat
Jarvis and the warring professors of 'History Today'.
December 30
-----------
Only Fools and Horses (BBC1, 2000-2030) R
'Thicker than Water': Christmas is a time for family and friends. Well,
you can choose your friends...but you're stuck with your family!
(From the 1983 Christmas special.)
French and Saunders Christmas Special (BBC1, 2130-2210)
Festive comedy with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. Amongst their
targets are Charles Dickens and the Oscar-winning film 'The Piano'.
A B'Stard Exposed (BBC1, 2210-2240)
Tory maverick Alan B'Stard (Rik Mayall), fresh from a recent
by-election victory, reveals his personal manifesto for the 21st
century to veteran political interviewer Brian Walden.
Rory Bremner's Christmas Turkey (C4, 2200-2305)
Rory Bremner, John Fortune, John Bird and a guest or two take a
satirical look at the events of the past year.
The Paul Calf Video Diary (BBC2, 2250-2325) R
Paul Calf (Steve Coogan) presents his video diary of the New Year's
festivities--two days of drinking, fighting and failed sex.
###
Special thanks to Michael Clarkson, "D.J. Ford", Les Matthew, and Andrew
Raffle for their input. Compiled by James Kew.
====================================================
Peter Cook and Dudley Moore: Grand Old Men Of Comedy
by James Kew <j.kew@ic.ac.uk>
====================================================
(Part two of a three part article)
NOT ONLY...BUT ALSO...
On his return from the American run of "Beyond The Fringe", Peter Cook
was invited to appear in Bernard Braden's series, "On The Braden Beat",
where he performed twenty or some monologues, further developing the
character he had introduced in "Beyond The Fringe", and giving him a
name: E. L. Wisty. The pieces were usually improvised to tape the day
before filming; Cook would then read them from autocue, staring straight
at the audience, eyes glazed and unsmiling, seemingly impervious to the
audience's laughter. Wisty would hold forth in his droning monotone on
the subject of the week, rambling aimlessly, filling in the yawning gaps
in his knowledge with totally spurious "facts".
Cook: I've always wanted to be an expert on tadpoles. I've always
fancied being a tadpole expert. It's a wonderful life if you
become an expertii tadpolius, as they're known in the trade. You
get invited out to all the smart parties and social gatherings.
When smart people are making out their lists for the dinner
parties they say, "Now who can we have to make up the ten? A
tadpole expert would be very nice, he can sit next to Lady Sonia."
And at all the smart functions people come up to you and say, "I
hear you're a tadpole expert. Tell me, what are tadpoles really
like?" And lovely ladies invite you back to their flat and say,
"You know, I'm longing to hear about your tadpoles. Hang on a
minute while I slip into a gossamer trenchcoat."
The BBC asked Dudley Moore to do in a one-off television show, "Offbeat". He
invited Cook to join him, and Cook wrote two sketches, one featuring two
cloth-capped buffoons discussing their imaginary liaisons with various film
stars (Dud and Pete), and one about an upper-class twit (Sir Arthur
Streeb-Greebling) who has spent the last forty years attempting to teach
ravens to fly underwater.
Moore: How do you manage to breathe underwater?
Cook: Oh, that's completely impossible, nobody can breathe underwater.
That's what makes it so difficult. I have to keep bobbing to the
surface every thirty seconds. Makes it impossible to conduct a
sustained training programme on the ravens. And they're no
better, they can't even be taught to hold their beaks. Horrible
little animals. There they are, sitting on me wrist, I say, "Fly,
fly, you devils!" and they inhale a faceful of water and, er...
Moore: I suppose they drown, don't they?
Cook: It's curtains, yes. They drown, and, er, topple off me wrist.
Little black feathery figure topples off me wrist, spirals very
slowly down to a watery grave. We're knee-deep in feathers off
that part of the coast.
The BBC were very pleased with the result, and Cook and Moore were
offered their own programme, "Not Only...But Also...", which ran for
three series in 1965, 66 and 70--the last series being made in colour.
Much of the archive material has been lost or destroyed by the BBC, but
sufficient footage was found and restored to make up 6 compilation
episodes, which were transmitted in 1990.
"Not Only...But Also..." featured Cook and Moore's most enduring
characters: the fumbling cloth-capped idiots Dud and Pete. Cook: "Pete
is the informed idiot, and Dud is the uninformed idiot. They're both
idiots, but Pete is always slightly superior. In fact, he knows nothing
either." They appeared in numerous sketches, ruminating about life in
general. The sketches were surprisingly long for the period, often
running to eight or ten minutes, and have an improvised feel. Peter
Cook: "We didn't have scripts as such, we had a lot of headings--we'd
rehearsed a lot, and we knew roughly what we were going to say, but not
word-for-word." In one sketch, Dud and Pete meet in an art gallery:
Dud: Here, have a sandwich. My feet are killing me.
Pete: What's that got to do with the sandwich?
Dud: Nothing, I just said it afterwards, that's all.
Pete: Well, you shouldn't say things like that together, it could
confuse a stupid person.
They go on to discuss famous duck paintings:
Pete: If you look at his ducks, you see the eyes follow you around the
room.
Dud: You noticed that?
Pete: Yer, when you see sixteen of his ducks, you see thirty-two little
eyes follow you round the room.
Dud: No, you only see sixteen because they're flying sideways and you
can't see the other eye on the other side. He never does a frontal
duck.
Pete: No, but you get the impression, Dud, that the other eye is craning
round the beak to look at you, don't you. That's a sign of a good
painting, Dud.
This leads to an examination of Cezanne's "Les Grandes Baigneuses":
Pete: The sign of a good painting when its people's backs towards you is
if the bottoms follow you around the room.
Dud: If it's a good painting the bottoms will follow you around the
room?
Pete: Right.
Dud: Shall I test it then?
Pete: They won't bloody budge, I'll tell you that much.
Dud: I can't look directly at the painting or else they'll know I'm
looking and get all cagey.
Pete: Are they moving, Dud?
Dud: I think they're following me, Pete.
Pete: I don't think they are, Dud.
Dud: I reckon they are, Pete.
Pete: No, those bottoms aren't following you around the room, your eyes
are following the bottoms around the room.
Dud: The same thing, isn't it?
Pete: Course it isn't. There's a world of difference between being
followed by a bottom and you following a bottom.
Other memorable sketches include "SuperThunderStingCar", a viciously
well-observed spoof of Gerry Anderson's puppet series, "Thunderbirds";
"The Glid Of Glood", an odd fairy-tale told entirely in rhyming verse;
and "Bargo", a documentary on the reclusive Finnish star Emma Bargo,
played by a surprisingly convincing Peter Cook.
The shows had a musical interlude, provided by the Dudley Moore Trio,
Moore's jazz band, with a special guest each week. The show ended with
Cook and Moore singing "Goodbye-ee" in a very affected twenties fashion,
which became their signature tune and was a minor hit when released as a
single.
A series of three hour-long programmes, "Goodbye Again", was produced
for ITV in 1968. They were intended for the American market, and
featured a guest American comedian each episode; however, they failed to
live up to the quality of "Not Only... But Also...", due in part to
dissatisfaction with the hour-long format and a personality clash with
the director.
Peter Cook returned to television in 1971, when the BBC asked him to
front a chat show, "Where Do I Sit?" It was, by all accounts, an
unmitigated disaster. Cook, unsure of his ability to handle such a show,
asked for a pilot, but the BBC pressed ahead with a series of thirteen.
They were slightly worried by his insistence on making the shows live;
Cook says, looking back: "I said people will enjoy disasters if they
happen. And sure enough, disasters did happen. I found out on that first
programme that I was no good at talking to people on television." The
shows got good viewing figures, but disastrous reviews in the papers,
and the BBC cancelled the series after three shows.
In the summer of 1971 Cook and Moore went to Australia to make two TV
shows for the Australian Broadcasting Commission, shown in Britain as
"Pete And Dud Down Under". They also compiled a new stage show, "Behind
The Fridge", which ran successfully in Australia before opening in
London in October 1972. The show went to America under the title "Good
Evening", running on Broadway for a year and subsequently touring.
NEXT ISSUE, PART III: Films, Derek and Clive, and the late years.
###
MINI-BIO: JULIA SAWALHA
-----------------------
"I worked with Julia on 43 Press Gangs over a period of 5 years and found
her not only to be an immensely talented actress, but one of the most
professional people I have ever met in any line of work." -- Steve Moffat,
creator and writer of "The Press Gang", to Britcomedy Digest.
Like many actors and actresses, Ms. Sawalha prefers to maintain her privacy.
I could only confirm the following work-related information:
SHORTS: "Bottom" TV: "Absolutely Fabulous" (2 series)
"Her Play" "Press Gang" (5 series)
"Short and Curlies" "Second Thoughts" (4 series)
RADIO: "Second Thoughts"
RECENTLY SEEN: TV adaptation of Charles Dickens' "Martin Chuzzlewit" (BBC).
LOOK FOR HER IN: "Pride and Prejudice" (BBC).
==========
net.comedy
==========
It happens at least once a week on my favourite newsgroups: someone without
access to FTP posts a request asking someone else to mail them a file.
Well, help is at hand: there are a number of handy services on the net
that offer ftp-by-email. It's convenient and easy--just send a request
to a mail server and wait for it to send you back the file. You can even
tell the server to split the document into chunks, if your email software
or service provider imposes a size limit on messages. Here's how.
Say you want to fetch the last issue of Britcomedy Digest. Well, as this
issue tells you, one of the places to find back-issues is
ftp://cathouse.org/pub/cathouse/humor/british.humour/britcomedy.digest/
This URL means "ftp to the site cathouse.org and look in the directory
/pub/cathouse/humor/british.humour/britcomedy.digest". So, let's have a
look. Pick one of these ftp-by-mail servers to work with:
[Germany] ftpmail@ftp.uni-stuttgart.de
[France] ftpmail@grasp.insa-lyon.fr
[UK] ftpmail@doc.ic.ac.uk
[USA] ftpmail@sunsite.unc.edu
They all work the same way; choose one that's either close to you or close
to the site you want to access. To get a listing of this directory, send
an email message to the server with the following lines in the body of the
message:
open cathouse.org
cd pub/cathouse/humor/british.humour/britcomedy.digest
dir
quit
The server will reply acknowledging your request and will tell you how many
jobs are queued ahead of yours. This number may be large; for the busiest
servers, it's not uncommon to have several hundred jobs in the queue.
Don't worry, most jobs are small and quick and even with hundreds of jobs
ahead of you, your jobs should get processed within a few hours. Once you
reach the front of the queue the server processes your commands and sends
back a completion notice and, in separate messages, the results of the
commands--in this case, the directory listing:
total 276
-rw-r--r-- 1 jrh other 684 Dec 15 15:41 .cache
-rw-r--r-- 1 jrh other 1608 Dec 14 22:06 .cache+
-rw-r--r-- 1 jrh other 20352 Jul 13 16:21 britcomedy.digest.1-1
-rw-r--r-- 1 jrh other 40085 Jul 25 18:40 britcomedy.digest.1-2
-rw-r--r-- 1 jrh other 46063 Aug 18 20:36 britcomedy.digest.1-3
-rw-r--r-- 1 jrh other 48931 Sep 19 16:22 britcomedy.digest.1-4
-rw-r--r-- 1 jrh other 67184 Nov 4 20:14 britcomedy.digest.1-5
-rw-r--r-- 1 jrh other 54694 Nov 29 14:19 britcomedy.digest.1-6
Okay, there's last month's issue, "britcomedy.digest.1-6". Now to fetch it.
Send these commands:
open cathouse.org
cd pub/cathouse/humor/british.humour/britcomedy.digest
get britcomedy.digest.1-6
quit
As before, you'll receive an acknowledgement and, in due course, the server
will mail you the file. If you're email is limited in the size of file you
can receive, include a line before the "get" command telling the server
when to split files into sections: "size 20K" sets the maximum message size
to 20K. There are other instructions you can give the server, such as
telling it to compress files before sending them, or instructing it how to
encode binary files. To find out more, send the server this message:
h
elp
quit
A number of other servers also offer ftp-by-mail services. These use a
different set of instructions to the ones listed above. To find out how to
use a server, send it email with the line "help" in the body of the
message.
[USA] ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com
[Australia] ftpmail@cs.uow.edu.au
[Ireland] ftpmail@ieunet.ie
Finally, remember that like the ftp sites themselves, these ftp-by-mail
services are provided by institutions out of the kindness of their hearts
as a service to the net community--have fun, but try not to overload them
with frivolous or duplicate requests.
---> Mail news and views on "net.comedy" to James Kew <j.kew@ic.ac.uk>.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
FAQs & COMPREHENSIVE LISTS, ETC.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Matthew Sharp <917316@edna.cc.swin.edu.au> has written THE BRITTAS EMPIRE
EPISODE GUIDE! We at Britcomedy Digest applaud his efforts with an
extra-long drawn out: "EXXXCEELLENT!" Email him for a copy.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dave Chapman's Marmite FAQ is available from the Tardis archive as the
file misc/Marmite-FAQ. You can get it by email by sending the following
two line message to ftpmail@doc.ic.ac.uk:
open
get /media/tv/collections/tardis/misc/Marmite-FAQ
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
There's a new BOTTOM EPISODE GUIDE up at Tardis, written by James Kew and
Melinda 'Bob' Casino. The URLs:
ftp://ftp.doc.ic.ac.uk/media/tv/collections/tardis/uk/comedy/Bottom/Bottom
http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~dave/guides/Bottom/
CIRCULATION/SUBSCRIPTION INFO.
==============================
Britcomedy Digest (ISSN 1077-6680) is a free electronic newsletter posted
monthly to: alt.tv.red-dwarf, alt.comedy.british.blackadder,
alt.comedy.british, rec.arts.tv.uk, alt.fan.monty-python,
alt.fan.douglas-adams.
DELPHI: In the "UK-American Connexion" forum, cf171.
GENIE: In the "Showbiz" roundtable, page 185.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: To join the emailing list, send your account address to
<casino@pobox.upenn.edu>.
BACK ISSUES
===========
GOPHER:
There are several different sites. Note the non-standard port at
the cathouse.org site:
gopher://fir.cic.net:70/11/Zines/BritComedy
gopher://locust.cic.net:70/11/Zines/BritComedy
gopher://cathouse.org:6969/11/humor/british.humour/britcomedy.digest
FTP:
Login as "anonymous" and give your email address as the password.
ftp://cathouse.org/pub/cathouse/humor/british.humour/britcomedy.digest/
ftp://fir.cic.net/pub/Zines/BritComedy/
WWW:
There is a new link for Britcomedy Digest:
[UK] http://www.pavilion.co.uk/QuantumPortal/InternetResources/Magazines/
[US] http://cathouse.org:8000/BritishComedy/
[UK] http://http2.brunel.ac.uk:8080/Britcom/
[US] http://satelnet.org/~mentat/Britcom/
SUBMISSIONS
===========
Britcomedy Digest is always looking for knowledgeable fans with vigorous
writing skills to contribute articles. Contact the editor
<casino@pobox.upenn.edu> for details.
==========================================================================
We hope you've enjoyed this special Christmas issue of Britcomedy Digest.
BEST WISHES OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON TO OUR READERS!
