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March 29, 2024, 10:52:52 AM

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The Lighthouse Keeper

Started by Shaky, July 10, 2018, 06:30:07 AM

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Shaky

Happened to have a glance at David Quantick's Guardian obituary for On The Hour/Day Today/NME writer Steven Wells and he makes mention of a sketch show they wrote with Chris Morris called "The Lighthouse Keeper". First I'd ever heard of it and according to Quantick all scripts are now lost so does anyone know what the hell it was?

Thomas

I knew this rang a quiet bell - it's mentioned in Disgusting Bliss. A couple of CaB posts touching on it here (the latter by the author of Bliss) -

Quote from: non capisco on April 22, 2010, 05:41:50 PM
Finished it this morning, a great read and full of tidbits I had no idea about previously (the Viv Stanshall bit, the rejected script he co-wrote about the lighthouse keeper being taunted by birds and fish, his contributions to TVGoHome to name but a handful) and some great anecdotes.

Quote from: Lucian on April 27, 2010, 09:59:21 AM
There was the lighthouse keeper script that he did with Quantick and Wells - I'm certain that he was constantly trying stuff out wherever he happened to be.

I've no detail to hand, and I can't remember any, but it might be worth checking the book if you have a copy.

Shaky

Quote from: Thomas on July 10, 2018, 11:04:40 AM
I knew this rang a quiet bell - it's mentioned in Disgusting Bliss. A couple of CaB posts touching on it here (the latter by the author of Bliss) -

I've no detail to hand, and I can't remember any, but it might be worth checking the book if you have a copy.

Heh, I have read Disgusting Bliss but do not remember that bit at all. Great book so says more about my memory, I think!

AzureSky

"... even Steven Wells, possibly the least involved with comedy in later years, did collaborate on one intriguing curio - never broadcast - with David Quantick and Chris Morris in the form of a radio play about a lighthouse and its crazy keeper. The lost piece, only dimly recalled now by its creators, featured seagulls attacking people in the water and a variety of characters annoying the keeper, who is made fun of everyone, even dolphins - as everything in the piece has a voice. 'Chris tended to specialize in creatures of the sea,' says Quantick. 'He wrote the seagulls and the dolphins.' And he gave the gulls the kind of sarcastic, contemptuous voices their real-life cawing and crying suggest. The BBC turned it down at script stage."

Captain Z

Remember that he was working on a new radio series with Richard Ayoade and Noel Fielding a few years ago? Mary Anne Hobbs was going to play an exclusive clip from it on her show around the time of 'Raw Meat Radio' but for vague reasons I can't remember it never happened.

Edit: Oh, Thomas just mentioned this literally a few days ago in another thread.

Thomas

Perhaps together, Captain Z, we can think it into existence.

Spoon of Ploff


Sexton Brackets Drugbust

Another one who loved Disgusting Bliss, but has no memory of this tidbit. Sounds potentially in a similar vein to the Rothko scenario.

TJ

This was 'known about' at the time but under some pun name which I assume was the real one - not 'The Lifehouse' but something along those lines. Quantick was absolutely adamant that it was never recorded but was of the impression they hadn't finished it and never pitched it, which would tie in with the script now being 'lost'.

On a similar tack, Iannucci/Herring's radio pilot Whatever Became Of...? (with Coogan doing voices) was recorded but never edited and nobody seems to have a copy of any of the material.

Thomas

Quote from: Spoon of Ploff on July 19, 2018, 09:07:58 AM
We already have a radio show featuring a lighthouse keeper: https://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,55864.0.html

Well, I didn't want to say it myself...

I can only suppose that Morris heard it and decided to give up.

Nola Carveth

The Last Lighthouse Keeper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgDQTKJuqwA

May be relevant. Worth a listen regardless due to Alex P, Simon Day ... and maybe Jimmy Cauty (can't remember if he was part of the Transit Kings at this point) ... but it sounds like it with some of the samples used. It's been a while since I read about it and that was only by trawling through the youtube comments on the assortment of other copies on there.

Living in a Giant Candle Winking at God is a rather lush album title.

There's an Orb mix but I'm not feeling up to scrutinising it for differences. It's most likely the same. As far as I know there's only one mix of the track. I haven't looked at the album side of things either, so there may be more info in that direction if you want to look down that route.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUNy3DIIKhw




Shoulders?-Stomach!

Yep that was the last track on Transit Kings album.

It's an excellent performance by Day.