================================== 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) 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 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 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 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 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 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 . 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 ==================================================== (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: help 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 . - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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 . 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 for details. ========================================================================== We hope you've enjoyed this special Christmas issue of Britcomedy Digest. BEST WISHES OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON TO OUR READERS!