I seem to remember Time Trumpet being coolly received when it was broadcast in 2006. The show was created by Armando Iannucci, Roger Drew, and Will Smith, and was set in 2031, as an excuse to look back on contemporary events. It follows a similar format to Iannucci’s earlier shows Clinton: His Struggle With Dirt, and 2004: The Stupid Version.
I enjoyed it, and am enjoying re-watching it now on DVD.
In 2011, Iannucci was working on a US version of Time Trumpet, for Comedy Central, but it came to naught.
One spin off that did go somewhere though, rather unexpectedly, was Soupy Norman. It’s based on this moment from episode four of Time Trumpet.
It’s footage from a real Polish show, properly credited on screen, called Pierwsza miłość (created by Okil Khamidov), which means First Love.
The sketch was written by Barry Murphy and Mark Doherty, and a year later, they wrote a series of eight ten-minute shows for RTE.
Here’s the opening of the first episode.
I have no idea why it’s called Soupy Norman.
