BBC Sitcom From 1986 Dissed By Clive James

[Mr. Bleaney]

I've been reading a book of Clive James essays. In it there's an address he gave to the IBA in 1986, in which he says:-
"Recently the BBC had a new prime-time alternative comedy series, a parody sitcom, which was so dirty my children would not let me watch it, but I snuck upstairs, turned on another set, and checked it out. It had no chance of being funny. They had no subject matter except television itself, everyone in the show fancied himself a writer and they were all saying the first thing that came into their heads. Half the team were ex-Footlights pretending to be alternative comedians."
I've been wracking my brains trying to work out which show he meant. Any ideas?

[Catalogue Trousers]

Although there aren't many Footlights types involved (Helen Lederer seems the only likely candidate), might he have been talking about Naked Video? Fits with the broadcast date, and did get pretty fruity at times...

Heh. All this coming from the guy who seemed to spend every free moment of the early 80s drooling over Pamela Stephenson's tits. Now, I generally love James's TV criticism work, but he couldn't half be a two-faced git sometimes...

[Gamma Ray]

Blackadder II?

It must be one of these anyhow.

Are the essays any good? Thinking back all I remember of Clive James is that he always looked constipated.

Not a bad list, that - A Bit Of Fry and Laurie, Blackadder II, Naked Video, Yes, Prime Minister ...

[sick as a pike]

Happy Families (1985)?

Edit: No, doesn't work with "They had no subject matter except television itself"

[Gamma Ray]

I've never heard of that, but according to this description you might just be right ...

I withdraw Blackadder II. I watched it the other day and it didn't have any television in it.

That television thing is a bugger.

[benthalo]

Probably Hello Mum, the live TV transfer of Radio 4's In One Ear which starred Helen Lederer, Clive Mantle and Nick Wilton. Mind you, it went out in Spring 1987 which doesn't quite fit. And nor does the Footlights link, although that just sounds like a general put down.

[Mr. Bleaney]

I don't think it can be Hello Mum or Naked Video - he calls it a 'Parody Sitcom' (although later in the same speech he seems to think there was a woman in the Sex Pisols, so he's a bit confused.)

It's doubtful he means Happy Families - he goes on to Praise The Young Ones.

[benthalo]

I don't think it can be Hello Mum or Naked Video - he calls it a 'Parody Sitcom'

Hello Mum was sitcom, if you ignored the sketches, topical quickies and interruptions from Arnold Brown or the band. Very post-modern, but a sitcom all the same. It's hit and miss but there are two or three really good half hours in that series. I remember Peter Cook slating it too.

The only show of that year which really went hell for leather with TV parodies was Now - Something Else and that was scarcely a sitcom.

[Catalogue Trousers]

I was thinking that maybe he somehow got the idea (possibly just from the title, who can say for sure (apart from Clive) how his mind works?) that Naked Video was meant to be about a group of people trying to make television programmes, and rather foolishly missed the obvious point that it was a sketch show.

[Mr. Bleaney]

Earlier on he says he enjoyed "last night's rerun of The Bullshitters on Channel 4." Does that help narrow it down?

[benthalo]

Possibly, although I'm useless on repeat dates for the Channel 4 Strips. There were repeats in early 1986, although I'm only sure of Slags appearing in that run.

[Mr. Bleaney]

Bugger - this is going to drive me mad.
The essays are okay by the way - a tad dry and literary. Not as much fun as his collected Observer TV columns.

[benthalo]

Is there any chance that the year's wrong? It often happens with essay collections. To be honest, I would place a hefty bet on it being Hello Mum. It got endless bad reviews.

[benthalo]

although later in the same speech he seems to think there was a woman in the Sex Pisols, so he's a bit confused.)

Theory: he appeared in the studio on the same edition of So It Goes which saw the TV debut of The Sex Pistols. Jordan was their cheerleader that night so I expect that's who he had in mind.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

Here's the full text - it''s dated February 1986.

http://www.clivejames.com/Text/Prose/About%20Television/Speeches%20About%20Television/The%20Words%20Count/

I looked at that BBC Comedy List for 1985 and couldn't see any likely candidates.  So possibly 1983-84 or even a repeat of something earlier,

[Catalogue Trousers]

If it was '84, and if Clive got his BBC and his C4 mixed up, it sounds like it might have been Little Armadillos:

Another outlet for the early-1980s so-called 'alternative comedy' set, Little Armadillos was a sketch show within which lived a recurring sitcom-style premise, wherein Wayne and Donny Armadillo, a pair of sibling psychopaths - referred to as identical twins, but clearly not - own and run a decaying niterie, the Seal Club, in the Docklands area of London. All of the action took place within the club, the TV set behind the bar being used as a device for cutting away to sketches.


The hands of Pete Richens (involved in the writing of many of the Comic Strip Presents... productions), Bob Spiers (who had directed the Strip's early films and later worked extensively with French and Saunders), and the presence of Stephen Frost, Mark Arden, Helen Lederer et al, coloured Little Armadillos' shade of comedy darker than the norm, and while as many ideas missed as they did hit, the show was always worth watching.


Cast
Jim Sweeney - Donny
Steve Steen - Wayne
Mark Arden - Lars
Helen Lederer - Amanda
Peter Wear
Phil Nice
The Flatlets
Rosamund Best
Stephen Frost
Alison Gunn
Daniel Peacock
Pat Senior
Suzanne Walsingham

Crew
Pete Richens - Writer (7)
Colin Gibson - Writer (7)
Dick Fiddy - Writer (3)
Mark Wallington - Writer (3)
Dick Fiddy - Additional Material (4)
Mark Wallington - Additional Material (4)
Andrea Solomons - Additional Material (1)
Bob Sinfield - Additional Material (1)
Bob Spiers - Director / Producer
Tony McLaren - Executive Producer

Or, of course, something entirely else.

[The Mumbler]

Could it have been Laugh?  I Nearly Paid My Licence Fee!

This has been nagging me for hours now.  I'm really glad it wasn't Hello Mum, as the show got quite enough flak as it was, and it really didn't deserve the opprobrium.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

It had no chance of being funny. They had no subject matter except television itself, everyone in the show fancied himself a writer and they were all saying the first thing that came into their heads. Half the team were ex-Footlights pretending to be alternative comedians.

I reckon he was watching himself.

[Brutus Beefcake]

BURN!

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

A cheap shot, sorry. I love the man really.

[benthalo]

On the Clive James theme, does anyone know why ITV3's Best Of Talk has been pulled, seemingly for good? The first of the series - focusing on David Frost's chat shows - went out last week and was actually really good, but the Clive James edition, due this week, was pulled. The slot's now taken over with a three parter about Churchill.

Was Little Armadillos ever repeated? Because it just so happens to predate the first showing of The Bullshitters, let alone a repeat. Otherwise it seems to fit the bill.

[TJ]

On the Clive James theme, does anyone know why ITV3's Best Of Talk has been pulled, seemingly for good? The first of the series - focusing on David Frost's chat shows - went out last week and was actually really good, but the Clive James edition, due this week, was pulled. The slot's now taken over with a three parter about Churchill.

Was Little Armadillos ever repeated? Because it just so happens to predate the first showing of The Bullshitters, let alone a repeat. Otherwise it seems to fit the bill.

If it's any help, I always thought there were two series until the Lewishohn book came out, which possibly hints at a repeat run.

What was the name of that early C4 thing written by Ruby Wax that was actually set in a TV station of sorts?

[Tom Pynchon's Photo]

I'd say he is referring to Alfresco, which had Fry, Laurie, thompson and Ben Elton amongst many.

From one of the few bits of it I can remember, it had a sketch where a documentary crew were making a documentary about - ahem - a documentary crew making a documentary.

I also remember a Ben Elton sketch where he played someone who was a brilliant footballer but all he wanted in life was to sell cosmetics. How very observant of that young firebrand comedian. Wonder what happened to him.

EDIT - Bollox, just remembered that Alfresco was ITV.

[Bert Thung]

From one of the few bits of it I can remember, it had a sketch where a documentary crew where making a documentary about - ahem - a documentary crew making a documentary.

Noble & Silver did a sketch like that too.

[Sadness]

Happy Families (1985)?

Edit: No, doesn't work with "They had no subject matter except television itself"

Is it "Telly Addicts"?