Armando Iannucci Show (BBC7)

[markpaterson]

GOD DAMMIT i missed this, and the saturday repeat too...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-perl/whatson/prog_parse.cgi?FILENAME=20050617/20050617_2300_18112_55558_60&tmp=bbc7/whatson/programme.tmpl

Does anyone have an MP3 from a digital broadcast?  i.e - not a Listen Again rip.

Thanks

[Pinball]

You need to ask? Of course it was DAB-encoded! ;-)  I'll upload it...

[Mr. Analytical]

Pinball, how much hard disk space do you actually have? :-)

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Brilliant hearing this again - especially the crap prank phone calls (Nerdy voice: 'Hello, this is the Inland Revenue - I'm afraid you owe us ten thousand pounds...' / 'Yeah, who is this?').

Can anyone isolate why the Top Jew/Top Christian/Top Muslim sketches are both hilarious and lovely, in a way that most naturalistic/improvised comedy seldom is? I'm cconvinced it all to do with certain comedy mindsets happening to gel at that particular time.

How have BBC7 cut it together? I don't have the original tape to hand, but I remember there was a long cut-up/parody of news jingle music which preceded the real Newsbeat bulletin. This doesn't appear to be in the show, and I can't work out where the join is.

I wonder how the show was archived. Was it actually broadcast live, or just recorded as live (keeping in the fluffs, etc)? Would the master copy be an off-air recording?

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Hmm - the running time of the BBC7 broadcast is 53'47. The Newsbeat bulletin would only account for a couple of minutes, so I don't know what's happened there.

What came before and after the news on the original?

[Pinball]

"Armando Iannucci Show BBC7 170605.mp3" (50695 KB):

http://s14.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2527NGAXPFIB52SH0GOSSNP4SZ

[The Mumbler]

I listened to it last night,and really enjoyed it, but there are actually several items missing.  Here's the running order, with cut items in square brackets:

ARMANDO IANNUCCI
BBC Radio 1
TX: 07/03/94 (Monday, 21:00)
60 mins

[Original transmission featured Steve Lamacq's intro: "Warning: This programme contains material which some people may find offensive.  You have been warned.*]

Armando Hello
DOOP/Doop (with intros)
Greetings Card: Scientology
NINE INCH NAILS: Mr. Self Destruct
Funny Phone Calls: Is Katrina There Please? (two calls)
Gerald Lee: Groundhog Day
Gaining Entry to the Prince of Wales
Greatly Reduced England Squad
Sinatra Deflates
[Photocopy of Diana's Arse]
John Selwyn Gummer Vs. Anglican Fights
Religious Living Soap #1: Rooms
U2: Sunday Bloody Sunday
Philip Dawsons The Commercial Skater
[1FM Schedule: "Jo Whiley/Quentin Crisp, The Evening Session, 7 till 9"]
Greetings Card 2: You've Left Your Car Lights On
BBC Radio Berkshire: Warren Christopher Pledges Support for Newbury Market
[Mary with the Texture of Walnuts]
Philip Dawsons: Torvill & Dean's Illegal Move
Snuffing It: Kurt Cobain/River Phoenix etc.
Religious Living Soap #2: Breakfast/Shopping List
[1FM Schedule 2: "Hannah Gordon, 9 till 12, Ted Bundy, 12 till 2, Sister Marietta Benson/Wee Jimmy Krankie, The Evening Session, 7 till 9"]
Gerald Lee: Eric Idle's Splitting Heirs
[Lead-up to News at 9.30/Radio Berkshire music]
[News at 9.30]
DEACON BLUE/Your Town
Funny Phone Call: Inland Revenue
Take Part in Shout Wrestling or Five-A-Side Fax Football
Religious Living Soap #3: TV/Bomb In Bathroom
BBC Radio Berkshire #2: Rotting Rubbish
Greetings Card 3: Sagging 60 Year Old Face
Homosexuals' Vile Affections: Recording of Radio 4 Listener
Tramp Karaoke: BRYAN ADAMS, STING & A TRAMP/All For Love
21st Van Olympics
Homosexuality Explained in Schools By John Inman
Fight of My Life: Fighting on Deck
R.E.M./Everybody Hurts
Religious Living Soap #4: Tolerance
Gerald Lee's Pick of the Week: Absolutely Fabulous/Ben Elton
Anthony Dugdale's Megamix
2 UNLIMITED/Let The Beat Control Your Body (Anthony Dugdale Megamix)
[Iannucci shouts "It's ten o'clock"]

*"Offensive"?  Were R1 covering their backs about the Religious Soap?  They never used an on-air warning for the other shows.

So, in short, cuts for news [not as big a cut as I thought, actually], Texture of Walnuts, two doctored 1FM trails (which is a silly edit, you don't have to know who was doing the daytime schedule in 1994 to find the replacements beautifully daft), and the Photocopying Diana's Arse quickie.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Oh for fuck's sake.

Are you still signed up to the BBC7 board? If so, you should ask them about this. (I can't sign in myself, for reasons I don't fully understand.)

Are people *still* cutting Diana references then?

Would the 1FM trails really have been cut for 'it's confusing on BBC7' reasons? There are loads of references to Radio 1 elsewhere in the show aren't there?

And what the buggering hell was the problem with the walnuts sketch? Was it just that it made editing the two items before and after easier?

Jesus, imagine how many cuts they'd make to the Chris Morris shows if they got their hands on them.

[The Mumbler]

Just posted this on the BBC7 board:

"Lovely as it was to hear this again, I was disappointed to find that a few items had been cut from the original transmission. Obviously, there was a news bulletin halfway through the original, but there were a few other cuts too: "Mary with the Texture of Walnuts" (Rebecca Front in the style of a travel bulletin), two doctored 1FM trails ["Jo Whiley"/"Quentin Crisp", The Evening Session, 7 till 9"], and a quickie about Princess Diana photocopying her backside.

Now, I can understand the removal of the latter (although I don't agree, and besides, surely we've now reached a point where this sort of thing can be reinstated, it's not 1997 anymore). But the other edits - are they really necessary? Is it actually because they use 1FM trail and background music, and that's why they've been removed? Hope someone at BBC7 can explain. Thanks."

it might be that the cut material uses actual 1FM music, and maybe there were copyright problems with it (although, for God's sake, if U2 and REM's publishers are happy, then why would it be an issue?  It's still the BBC).  This does seem to be what connects everything that got removed - although the Diana thing just seems lily-livered.  

One thing's for sure - we can expect Rhys Phillips to present his "stop complaining" posting within a few hours.

[Lt Plonker]

You can download them at http://www.fistoffun.net/ , can't you? That's where I got mine. I know for sure that Texture of Walnuts is in the copy I got.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Mumbler, do you know what the copyright situation is with radio jingles and music beds? I always assumed they were public domain, although I don't know what made me think that.

Have R1 jingles been broadcast OK on other BBC7 repeats? The two 1993 Iannucci shows, for example - they had loads of jingles didn't they?

Theory No. 346: I did wonder whether this shorter edit had perhaps been made (and then rejected) for R1's Oneclick Retro last year - a lot of those shows were edited, and you can imagine them being awkward about the fake listings.

[The Mumbler]

Rhys Phillips is pretending to know what's happened on the 7 forum with his usual flannelling, but he just has digit diarrhoea.  A more helpful soul on there wonders if they were cut for transmission on BFBS, which is a possibility.

If they have cut all Radio 1 references, then sadly, that means an early bath for Bruno Brookes' staggering "Jane Austen/Toasted and Frostin'/on 1FM" jingle.

I wouldn't have thought the music beds would be a problem, but maybe the copyright ran out on them.  Didn't they have a ragga-lite Chaka Demus & Pliers-type jingle with "1FM" at the end?  That got used in all the fake billing items.

[Banana Woofwoof]

Do you think maybe they just cut the 1FM jingles because people mightn't understand? 1FM is Radio 1 right now and a lot of the presenters mentioned no longer work there.

Don't understand cutting the Diana stuff- it's eight years on for chrissakes.

[The Mumbler]

Well, I suppose there will be people who don't know who Emma Freud is (lucky them...), but the daytime schedule at the time (March 1994) otherwise comprised Steve Wright, Simon Mayo, Nicky Campbell, Mark Goodier, Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley with the Evening Session.  All of them still work for the BBC, and Lamacq and Whiley are still at Radio 1.  Also, it's blatantly obvious that it's "someone else" saying "Ted Bundy" or "Hannah Gordon" or whatever.

I'm really glad the John Inman homosexuality class stayed in though.  The burst of giggles that follows Iannucci's "Marmaduke Hussey?" is a joy to behold.

[TJ]

Rhys Phillips is pretending to know what's happened on the 7 forum with his usual flannelling, but he just has digit diarrhoea.  A more helpful soul on there wonders if they were cut for transmission on BFBS, which is a possibility.

Fuck's sake, is he still dribbling on over there?

My guess is that they were over-cautiously removed for fear of causing listener confusion; it's nothing new really - I've been told (but never had it confirmed, sadly) that the 1979 repeats of Keith Moon's Radio 1 shows had a couple of gags relating to the oncoming week's schedules removed.

ELW10 might well have something with the Oneclick:Retro theory, though. If an edit of an Armando show was prepared but not transmitted, it wouldn't have been the only one...

[Jemble Fred]

You can download them at http://www.fistoffun.net/ , can't you? That's where I got mine. I know for sure that Texture of Walnuts is in the copy I got.

Ah, I was trying to remember why I wasn't dribbling with excitement at these repeats. Knew I'd got the shows from somewhere...

[The Mumbler]

Jesus, the treatment for show 2 was even worse.  Some of this is embarrassing.  Once again, cut material in square brackets:

ARMANDO IANNUCCI
Show 2
Original TX: Monday 14 March 1994, 9-10pm, BBC Radio 1
BBC7 TX: Friday 24 June 2005, 2300-2400
BBC7 timing 52'45"

Cast: Armando Iannucci, with Peter Baynham, Rebecca Front, Richard Herring, David Schneider
Featuring: Stewart Lee
Producer: Sarah Smith

DOOP: Doop Remix
The Police Don't Leak
Good News with Martyn Lewis #1: Chancellor
THE LEMONHEADS: Style
Wind-Up Phone Calls: Answering Machine: Zebra Escape
Gladiator Posse
Gerald Lee: Manchester United
Philip Dawsons: Which Is Best?
Bill Clinton Shreds His Wife
The IRA Said They Were Out
The Army Resigns
Cleaner Hands In Dust From Prince Charles's House
[Good News #2: Stephen Milligan/BT & Mercury]
Waldegrave Lies
Brief History Of Time: Last Chapters Are Rubbish
Phone Lie: Tsar Of Russia
MORRISSEY: The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get
Morrissey The Stalker
Greetings Card: Bypass Operation
Wind-Up Phone Calls: Dairy
Lies: Studio Discussion
Supermodels #1: Kate, Naomi and Cindy
[Mary with the Sound Of Cracks]*
Which Is Best?: Double Sided Cassette Deck
Women Priests: George Carey From The Mixed Changing Rooms
Women Priests: Studio Opinions**
EASTERHOUSE: Whistling In The Dark
Radio 1 Converts To Roman Catholicism
Supermodels #2
[1FM Line-Up #3: A Decidedly Catholic Schedule]***
[NEWS AT 9.30]
ANNIE LENNOX: Love Song For A Vampire
[Mortar Attack Delayed]
Lennox's Pet Eagle Hoppity
Peel: Armando Iannucci: Do as he says and there'll be no unpleasantness.
[Good News #3: Earthquake Misses LA/Exploding Gases/Queen Doesn't Break Her Arm]****
Which Is Best: High Knee Action Or Low Knee Action
Lies: Another Iannucci
Sophie Rhys Jones in the Studio
Update at Heathrow (backg: ATLANTIC OCEAN: Waterfall)
Homework Answers With David Schneider
Video Nation: Send In Tape Recordings Of Domestic Arguments
Unfinished Business: I'm Not Attending The Court Summons
Can Steve Bendelack Give Me A Ring?
Fight Of My Life: Centre Court At Wimbledon
PJ HARVEY: Rid Of Me (4-Track Demo)
PJ's Songs for Europe
Peel: The only man...*****
Sophie Rhys Jones #2
I Am The Father Of Richard Herring And Stewart Lee
Male Surrogate Mother
Tramp Karaoke: STOMPY MAKEPEACE & ELTON JOHN: Don't Go Breaking My Heart
Fred West Finding Brookside So True To Life
Good News #4: Pizzas For Everyone/Chocolate Machine Guns/Security Blanket
A Pub On The Line
Gerald Lee: Talking Telephone Numbers
Stewart Lee Live From De Montfort University: A Man's Face
Gerald Lee: The Remains Of The Day
Which Is Best: Glue Or Sand
The Ugliest Piece Of Music Ever Written: Upstairs And Downstairs******

*Despite this edit, Iannucci's thank-you to Mary is left in, which makes no sense whatsoever.
**Rebecca Front lists several attractive women who are Christians: Joan Bakewell, Sally Magnusson, Jill Dando and Dana...".  Have a guess which name has been cut, despite the line being a 100% benign one.
***Another Radio 1 schedule - this time dominated by leading Catholic clergy.
****Six O'Clock News sig tune intro and outro is played, but there's no content!  Not just unnecessary but incompetent.
*****"The only man on Radio 1" - for some reason the "on Radio 1" half of Peel's jingle has disappeared.
******Iannucci's hurried goodbye is lost as the edit fades out because he mentions that it's "ten o'clock".

[The Mumbler]

From the BBC7 messageboard, someone who isn't Rhys The Flannelling Cocksucking Cunt has thankfully responded:

Hi There
The producer who worked on these programmes is away this week. However I know that Radio 1 jingles, time checks and competition phone numbers which are no longer relevant have been cut from the programme. The programme was originally recorded to allow for a live news update half way through. All this makes for some very tricky editing given the use of music throughout the programme.

*****

Losing timechecks - well, I'd rather they didn't (I've said so).  But losing Rebecca's spoof travel bulletins is really silly.  And that means Bruno Brookes' Toasted and Frostin' jingle is almost certainly a goner from show 3.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

From the BBC7 messageboard, someone who isn't Rhys The Flannelling Cocksucking Cunt.

But how do you know that for sure??????!!!!!LOL. :)

[The Mumbler]

If he acts like that in the real world, he'd get punched daily.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

There's no excuse for splicing out any continuity, time-checks, jingles etc. For this reason: EVERYONE LISTENING TO BBC7 KNOWS IT'S AN OLD SHOW. Rhys aside, they're not stupid. It's just a case of BBC7 producers trying to find things to do. Why can't they spend their time researching the tx dates instead?

Aw God, what's going to happen to the bit where they play Radiohead's Creep? 'I thought I was special, so [ARMANDO: One FM!] special...'

[TJ]

The programme was originally recorded to allow for a live news update half way through.

Cor. Thanks for telling us that. I had no idea how radio works.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Shall we start a campaign for them *not* to broadcast the Morris shows?

[TJ]

Shall we start a campaign for them *not* to broadcast the Morris shows?

"This *is*... news of the death of Michael Heseltine, we'll let you know".

[Pinball]

Apart from the editing, which is absolutely unjustified and destroys these precious recordings as they are now incomplete, some of the continuity announcers on BBC7 are shite. I know they all like to try to be egotistical Chris Evans types "with a personality", creaming to the sounds of their own voices, but sometimes they talk some drivel then play the programme without any introduction whatsoever! Seldom do we get full information i.e. series and episode numbers, and date of transmission (as a minimum).

I am also increasingly pissed off by the fact that BBC7 is broadcast in mono (on DAB), and even R4 is increasing the number of programmes not broadcast in stereo (e.g. most 6.30pm comedy shows are mono now). WHat the hell is the point of a "better quality" digital radio format, if they revert to the 1950s and use mono? Dick-heads. If they're short of DAB bandwidth then they should pull some of their appallingly shite "music" stations, or play some of them in mono. I doubt many of the pothead dicks listening in would notice.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Trouble is, some CUNT at Sony gave BBC7 a 'Station Sound' award in 2003, congratulating them on their inventive continuity (ie, the only stuff on the station which they can call their own). So they've used this to justify their 'Heh heh, me again, and if it's comedy you're after' style of presentation ever since. Complain about this on the message board and it's all you'll get.

As ever, people want to be creatives rather than curators. Even though curating is the best job in the world.

[Pinball]

heh good point. I'm concerned that the 5-7 minutes of spiel these "celebrity" announcers give every half hour is adding to the pressure to edit the actual radio programmes. The number of hours of them reading out fucking emails I've had to put up with before getting to the content, which is all that matters anyway FFS!!

Oh, and the adverts for LoG movie etc. Non-commercial my butt.

[The Mumbler]

There's no excuse for splicing out any continuity, time-checks, jingles etc. For this reason: EVERYONE LISTENING TO BBC7 KNOWS IT'S AN OLD SHOW. Rhys aside, they're not stupid. It's just a case of BBC7 producers trying to find things to do. Why can't they spend their time researching the tx dates instead?

Aw God, what's going to happen to the bit where they play Radiohead's Creep? 'I thought I was special, so [ARMANDO: One FM!] special...'

Maybe they'll cut out "1FM" so that we can hear Thom Yorke singing "fucking" in its unexpurgated glory.  There's a censoring time-check gag in the final verse, though, so expect an early fade-out for that.

It's not even that they've removed every 1FM reference, though.  Some remain - I think they've edited them out where they can.  Didn't some twat do the same with the first BBC7 broadcasts of On The Hour? Whenever Radio 4 got mentioned in the openings, they were replaced with...nothing.

[Purple Tentacle]

www.fistoffun.net has them all uncut and lovely.

edit: Oops, sorry Lt Plonker!

[Gypsum Fantastic]

Re: The Chris Morris Music Shows

Hi there Christopher

we are still trying to get the rights to this.  You are not alone in making a request for this show.  When we are get the go-ahead, this will be scheduled, as the programmes are all available, it's just the matter of rights.

best wishes

BBC7

In my original message I had asked if there was a chance of digging up the 1990 Christmas Special as well (not that I really care about the '94 shows - mine are nice and complete, thank you very much), but I'm 90% sure they just ignored that bit. I hope they didn't and were referring to it as well, as it really would be nice to hear it.