The Day Today at 20

[Neil]

Today marks the 20th anniversary of The Day Today beginning its run.

I've just started rewatching it, after finishing my Brass Eye rewatch. Anyway else any it? Perhaps you could give us some of your thoughts about the show, how you reacted to it the first time you saw it and such. 

[Glebe]

Wow. It's actually 2O years ago today that I was first really exposed to Chris Morris - I think I saw an ad for it, and maybe the first mini-news thing. But watching that first show was like seeing Python for the first time... a mate, my brother and his friend, and possibly my sister were watching it... maybe some people were a bit bemused by it, but myself and my friend were in kinks - the Chopper of Doom was the real moment of true love though, I don't know if it was literally tears of laughter but we certainly howled. From that day forward I was a Chris Morris fan. Keith Hunt said it best: Magic.

[BlodwynPig]

Can't remember if I came upon it by accident, or had seen a trailer or what, but once the opening few seconds had passed, that was me devoted for life. Perhaps it was a natural progression from Brittas Empire to The All New Alexei Sayle Show to The Day Today?

[up_the_hampipe]

Just pulled the DVD out. I love that the "7.00 Hanging From Studio B12 (1953)" still is under the first disc.

[Hymenoptera]

Gosh, The Day Today is two years older than me... I first watched it when I was doing an English project in high school. I elected to write about satire, but the only satirist I was aware of was Charlie Brooker, and I needed another one to compare his work to. Chris Morris' name came up after an internet search for 'British Satirists', and that was it. Watched the whole of TDT over the next couple of days, wrote a bullshit essay about satire chock full of as many risky Brass Eye quotes as I could find, and signed up to CaB. The Day Today was just the funniest, sharpest, coolest thing little 15 year old me had ever seen.

[Thomas]

I've got these DVDs on an almost constant rotation, but it deserves a watch tonight. I can't remember how I came to know about The Day Today,[nb]likely working backwards from Brass Eye.[/nb] but I'm gladder than a Gladys that it happened.

[up_the_hampipe]

Sylvester Stewart's weather is so soothing. Makes me feel like it's all going to be OK.

[Thomas]

I like Chris' smirk at the end of the jam festival interview. He does it a lot, and in interviews too. The Chris Morris smirk.

[Old Nehamkin]

I first saw TDT in 2006 (I think) when I would've been about 13/ 14. I was watching some vhs that someone had taped over at the end with the final third of TDT episode 2, starting at the Coogan "Is this cool?" sketch. And you know what? It was cool. That was followed by the bit about the police force complaining that their new uniforms were "just too small", which is still probably my favourite joke in the whole series.

Anyway, that was my first exposure to Morris/ Iannucci and led me on to Brass Eye, TAIS and so forth. And of course this website, which I spend a genuinely alarming portion of my life looking at and feeling like I should be doing something more productive.

[up_the_hampipe]

"Take her off the monitor, I don't want to see her face!"

[biggytitbo]

I saw it when it first went out and obviously loved it. I was right into Woody Allen and especially his early comedy writing at the same time so this hit with me straight away as it's so similar in style.

[Old Nehamkin]

I saw it when it first went out and obviously loved it. I was right into Woody Allen and especially his early comedy writing at the same time so this hit with me straight away as it's so similar in style.

Yeah, I remember thinking similarly when I first saw Take the Money and Run. The bit where the experimental vaccine causes Allen's character to temporarily turn into a Rabbi would fit right into TDT.

[Thomas]

Just full o' details, isn't it, ones might've gone totally overlooked before home release.[nb]VHS in 2000, was it?[/nb] The fact that the settee in Them Next Door is positioned in front of the lounge door, for example. I only noticed that after it was pointed out on here.

[Neil]

I like Chris' smirk at the end of the jam festival interview. He does it a lot, and in interviews too. The Chris Morris smirk.

Yes, one of the many things that stood out for me last week was how delighted the Brass Eye characters could be at their own reprehensible actions. David Cann's smirk after he's sent a kid off to prostitute herself to a teacher for drugs was a great one.

Or the infamous CM corpse after throwing to Moss Staples.

[HappyTree]

I've used TDT in classes for years and nobody has ever not liked it. Even the "po-faced" extra is interesting and they love the bomb dogs. The "highly directional blast" bit gets a laugh every time, I sit there waiting for it.

My personal all-time favourite bit is Fur Q. I don't think I've ever laughed so intensely and painfully as the first time I saw the video with the swearwords bleeped out by synth hits. Still makes me laugh just to think of it.

[Thomas]

It's emphasised in the sheepdog-helicopter bit that the original victims are featured in the reconstruction, an idea returned to in one of the Blue Jam monologues. Thought I'd point that out.

[Neil]

My personal all-time favourite bit is Fur Q. I don't think I've ever laughed so intensely and painfully as the first time I saw the video with the swearwords bleeped out by synth hits. Still makes me laugh just to think of it.

I think I recall this generating a lot of complaints as people thought it was "cunt, bitch", rather than "cop, bitch", as the people on the BBC duty log would then point out.

[Neil]

It's emphasised in the sheepdog-helicopter bit that the original victims are featured in the reconstruction, an idea returned to in one of the Blue Jam monologues. Thought I'd point that out.

In an NME interview with CM that went out when the show started, they reprinted the story that he "once apparently tried to apply make-up to victims of an accident on a TV news report", which I think comes straight from the press release. There's a few photos of it on the cookdandbombd tumblr, I'll get it all typed up. Big thanks to DCT for that, it's lovely.

[Neil]

So many fucking good puns in the Chapman Baxter bit. Marber's brilliant, as is Coogan as Alvin Holler.

"...maybe are you Lonesome Tonight, always moves me that song."

[Consignia]

It's really bizarre to read reactions from people born after the show, let alone those who watched sometime after the fact. Despite it's then-contemporary references, I think it's rather timeless which shows as these youths above enjoyed it. In contrast I feel Brasseye has feels dated and a product of it's time despite being less reliant on current events.

[Neil]

"St Bonnifaces Bone" - hahaha. ( http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Boniface ) then a crown of thorns sitting there.

God, it's just so fully-formed from the first second, isn't it? Stunning programme, absolutely incredible. The language is original and twisted without being jarring, the performances are all incredible, and the whole thing is just brimming with ideas and details.

[Thomas]

Holding up well alongside your Brass Eye rewatch, then?

[weirdbeard]

Quite simply, the greatest thing Morris has been involved in.  I caught some of it on it's original run, then some more on a repeat run. I guess it ultimately led me here.  I look at the DVD fondly in anticipation for another showing this week. Thanks Neil, I didn't realise it was 20 years ago.

[Consignia]

Doesn't the DVD have those over cooked menus that seem quite clever at first but make it ball ache to actually use? Lots of swhoosing around before you can get at your actual content? Or am I thinking of Brasseye?

I've got this nagging feeling it's going to an arse to rewatch.

[Neil]

Holding up well alongside your Brass Eye rewatch, then?

Oh hell yes. I prefer Brass Eye because it's so audacious and funnier, and CM performs all the different characters wonderfully - plus I kind of prefer when it feels like more of an auteur thing rather than a collaboration, but TDT is always remarkable, and never seems to lose any of it's impact. (Don't think the original BE series does either.)

[Neil]

"Portillo's Wife Defends Crack Habit" is another CM dig about him being in the closet at that point...right? Got to be. Morris loved playing about with that given Portillo stood against gay rights.

[Artemis]

The Day Today was my first introduction to Morris, and to this day is still the funniest British comedy thing I've ever seen.

It was actually my dad who first put me onto it, having spotted the first mini-news and suggesting my brother and I watch it. We loved it, and the first episode, and became enthralled by the show. We watched it on a little 14" black and white television in the kitchen while our parents busied themselves in the living room, suspending play of our SNES machine to relish each moment. I remember the excitement at watching a show that didn't just serve you comedy, but invited you to discover it as well, in the split-second smirks, mannerisms and captions. We'd not want to laugh for fear of missing anything, but frequently erupted into pure joy as Morris would look up at the screen in slow-motion, or we'd catch him running his hands down a musical keyboard as he'd play the theme tune. "DID YOU SEE THAT? DID YOU SEE THAT?!!" we'd shout, in hysterics, impersonating our favourite moments after the show had finished.

Sometime later, I bought half the series on VHS, but couldn't afford the first half as well. That tape was almost worn out over the years, until eventually the DVD was released and was everything I hoped for.

There's almost nothing wrong with The Day Today. From the writing to the cast, from the innovation to the multi-layered combination of satire and fun, it's fucking brilliant.

"Only because you landed in somebody else's stomach".

[Harpo Speaks]

I don't think I'd seen any of it until the DVD release, as it was actually Brass Eye that I saw first by chance while channel hopping - and I was absolutely blown away by it. That then led me to investigate further, and the rest is history.

God it's incredible though, lovingly crafted, and consistently hilarious. It seems to be a good entry point to really get into Morris' work as well I think, I personally prefer Brass Eye, but the celebrity interviews do date the show to someone coming to it fresh-eyed. It's funny that Happytree mentions the Bomb Dogs segment as well, as I recall sending it to a friend of mine who was particularly down last year, and she absolutely loved it. She'd had no previous exposure to Morris at all, so naturally I was soon bombarding her with clips. Think I sent her 'It's Your Blood' as well, maybe she just likes canine peril.

BE and TDT do make me wish he'd do more stuff in front of the camera though, he's a brilliant comedic performer.

[HappyTree]

I think I recall this generating a lot of complaints as people thought it was "cunt, bitch", rather than "cop, bitch", as the people on the BBC duty log would then point out.

Ah, it's "cop". I've always thought he was saying "tough".

[Thomas]

BE and TDT do make me wish he'd do more stuff in front of the camera though, he's a brilliant comedic performer.

And performer overall, I'd say. Despite them all sharing the same face, his characters are worlds apart. One thing that I always enjoy is Bernard Lerring's inhalation at 0:55 in this clip -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNmBAUyy7Go

And then take this from Jam -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEacGiMO3K0

The stage lost a fine actor, even as science lost an acute reasoner, when Chris Morris became a specialist in crime. Get in front of the camera again. All the way in front of it. Right in front of the camera.