Category: Sketch Shows

  • Bite The Wax
    Bite The Wax

    If you imagine the phrase ‘Bite The Wax’ as spoken by Armando Iannucci, then your day will be all the better for it. But before we get to that, let’s talk about No’ The Archie Macpherson Show. It’s Wednesday 6th July 1988, and BBC Radio Scotland is about to debut a new youth oriented show…

  • the dum show
    the dum show

    Yesterday, I came across a short listing in The Stage from 13th August 1992. Here it is: That’s quite the line-up, even as early as 1992. They performed the dum show at The Pleasance. It looks like they did at least one preview at the beginning of the month too (I’m sure they did more).…

  • The Actor Kevin Eldon
    The Actor Kevin Eldon

    I’ve been a fan of The Actor Kevin Eldon for a a long time. I can’t remember where I first saw him, but it was either on Fist of Fun, or more likely on Packing Them In. His presence in a show usually meant the show was good. He worked on the pilot of Smack…

  • Alexei Sayle’s Stuff Is Listing
    Alexei Sayle’s Stuff Is Listing

    Some comedy programmes, back in the day, were allowed to get away with writing stupid listings for The Radio Times. Here, in all their glory, are the ones for Alexei Sayle’s Stuff … For the very first episode Fun With Magnets: Dear Radio Times, Hooray for Alexei Sayle! The funniest TV show since The Good Life! What…

  • The Pitter Patter Of Tiny Feet
    The Pitter Patter Of Tiny Feet

    There’s a sketch in A Bit Of Fry & Laurie that bears a little more of a closer look. It’s the one where Hugh tries to engage a class in a discussion about Romeo And Juliet. It begins with this shot: We’ll come back to this in a moment. But then Hugh enters. The staging…

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  • Proctology: A Bottom Examination
    Proctology: A Bottom Examination

    For a long time now I’ve been wanting to write an old-fashioned programme guide. One you can hold in your hand and thumb through, make notes on, spill coffee on. So I did. Proctology: A Bottom Examination is my deep dive into Bottom, the hit BBC Two sitcom starring Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson. That’s…

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  • Re-Casting Keanu
    Re-Casting Keanu

    Keanu Reeves is 56. That makes him eight years older than Clive Dunn was when he was first cast in Dad’s Army. But don’t panic, Clive Dunn was always playing much older characters than his own age. Keanu Reeves is 56. That makes him seven years older than Stephanie Cole was when she was first…

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