Smith and Jones - new series

[geeef]

Whilst checking out the site doing tickets for the Goodies reunion show I saw that they are also doing tickets for a new Smith and Jones series:
"The inimitable duo return for a new series of sketches and also their iconic head-to-heads.

There will also be the chance to see again a few of the classic moments from the original series.

There will only be two recording nights for this show, so apply quickly! "
I'm not all that excited about this, as I think their later series weren't all that great, but it was a surprise at least,as I read a column in the Telegraph by Jones recently that implied that he doesn't have much contact  with Smith now, and it certainly didn't mention any tv reunion being in the pipeline.
Oh, the tickets site is : http://www.sroaudiences.com/

[The Mumbler]

There's a DVD set in the pipeline so they're probably doing some kind of show to remind people.

Will TalkBack-Thames be producing the new show though?  I wonder.

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

I wonder who'll be doing the scripts. Ince, Tetsell, Nice Mum etc?

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

I wonder who'll be doing the scripts. Ince, Tetsell, Nice Mum etc?

I believe the title is Smith & Jones Anyone?

[Clinton Morgan]

I thought it was S&J@bbc snigger snigger snigger

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

It's The Smith & Jones Sketchbook, airing next year - they're linking it with new head-to-head material.

[Jemble Fred]

Yes – better than nothing, but I still think it qualifies as an official Crying Shame.

A new sketch show was what was desperately needed. But perhaps they just couldn't come up with enough crazy characters to do every week.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

I just wish they'd repeat them. Not necessarily the BBC, just someone.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Truth is, I can't get excited about new material - I remember how mediocre their show became in the late 90s.

[Jemble Fred]

Can't agree – if I wanted to see the old episodes, I'd just track them down online and watch them. I wanted new material. The Sketchbook thing will at least have some, but it's still a missed opportunity.

Oh well, at least it's a small 'ahem' to remind the public what a great comedy double act looks like.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Can you get AS&J on UK Nova, by the way? Not that it would be any use to me if you could - I just wondered.

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

Yes, they did the rounds on UKNova (albeit the UKGold edits), along with the specials and that series of one-off plays they did too.

Jemf, my post up there was a slight against hacks.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Aaagh, how cut were the UK Gold edits?

Somebody must have the BBC2 off-airs. I'd only want the Alas years - not the 90s stuff. Just for 'Ah, so that's what that sketch was about' reminiscences.

[Bert Thung]

I've got quite a few Alas's I recorded off air in the eighties.

[The Mumbler]

The last time Alas went out on terrestrial - all of S1 and most of S3, Friday nights, July and August 1993 on BBC2.  In fact, that was the last sighting of S2 & S3 of A Bit of Fry & Laurie too.

[Darrell]

Digital Spy:

Smith and Jones to return to TV
Tuesday, October 25 2005, 18:01 BST -- by Dave West

A new series made by Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones will air on BBC One in 2006.

The Smith & Jones Sketchbook will combine re-made sketches, chat between the two, and classic clips from old Smith and Jones episodes.

Previously, the series ran for an incredible 14 years – from 1984 until 1998.

Both comedians have gone on to further success in the entertainment business, Smith as a director and Jones as an actor and writer.

"They're raring to go," said a spokesman.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

'Re-made'?

[Ray Le Otter]

BBC press release available here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/10_october/25/smith_jones.shtml

Adam Tandy's involved, and also with the forthcoming DVD(s). Mausoleum Club forum pages have a little info:

http://www.the-mausoleum-club.org.uk/xmb/viewthread.php?tid=8958&page=3

[LordSnooty]

S3 & S4 of AS&J on UKN (so much info, so litte time to type it) was original, as I recall. Though yes, the rest were from UKG. There's up to 4 mins missing from S2 eps.

[Alberon]

Sounds much like the Two Ronnies Sketchbook, but with actual new material.

Mind you, when the Two Ronnies Sketchbook was announced I seem to recall it seemed to imply there was new material.

[Feralkid]

Well the burning question is how will this S&J reunion adapt the framing of the head to head shots for the 16 x 9 era?

[Morrisfan82]

By having extra bits at the side, is the answer to that. </Mark Corrigan>

A S&J moment I loved was Mel recounting a suicide attempt on the One Night Stand video. Paraphrased here, he describes the moments after he threw himself off a bridge over a river:

Mel: All I remember after that is... a very bright light... all these figures dressed in white, beckoning towards me... and... this heavenly music...

Griff: ...Well, you know what that is, don't you...

Mel: What?

Griff: You've had one of them, you know, out-of-body experiences, that's what you've had.

Mel: Nah, it turned out I'd landed on Spangles disco boat.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

I went to the recording of shows 1-3 last night.

It's the same set-up as The Two Ronnies Sketchbook, except they link the clips sitting on stools rather than behind desks. The only new material was some 'updated' head-to-heads - eg, they show the old clip of Mel admitting he's a warlock, which mixes through to new footage and Griff saying 'So do you still do that black magic then?'. And yes, they did do a head-to-head about sudoku...

The clip selections were pretty good - rather too much 90s stuff for my liking, but quite a nice mix I suppose. The longer sketches (Chris Serle the heart surgeon, News For The Elderly, Lighthouse Keepers, etc) were generally played in full, while the quickies were edited into little packages. I wasn't so keen on the latter - some of the rhythm seemed to be lost along the way. Also, sometimes they'd splice stuff up into several sections, which I wasn't keen on.

The links were lovely and laid-back, although they were mainly along 'Course, you were a lot fatter then' and 'Some of us have gone on to better things' lines. They spent one of them reminiscing about Chris Langham and the NTNOCN situation, though - very odd, considering what an esoteric story that probably still is.

Jon 'ISIHAC' Naismith was seen skulking about with a clipboard - not sure if he was producing. I can't think why else he'd be there.

And the warm-up was Lucy 'Vote for me, I'm cute' Porter.

It was worth it for the In  At The Deep End sketch about heart surgery, though - one of my all-time favourite sketches. 'Well, I made a bit of a pig's ear of that one!'

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Oh, and no songs. That was strange. Although the 'Do It All' parody was briefly glimpsed in the opening titles.

The titles are nicely edited, actually - they use the later music, but it's intercut with footage from all the different title sequences and various sketch clips.

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

'Well, I made a bit of a pig's ear of that one!'

Dinner, man.

I believe the press release said Naismith was producing. Was it just Griff who wrote the new stuff, d'ya reckon, or was there a Bostock-Smith/Snderson in the mix?

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Bump

Starts next Friday (21st).

[weirdbeard]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/04_april/03/smithjones.shtml

[trotsky assortment]

For anyone who may have forgotten, this is on tonight.

Unusually, I'll be home, so I'll almost certainly be watching.  It may even prompt me to put a video on to record other episodes while I'm out.  That'll be the first time I've done that this year.

For what it's worth, I'm really looking forward to seeing the opera singer sketch again.  I know there were some really great sketches in earlier shows, but my memory of those has become fuzzy.

[Darrell]

Yay, they left all the links nice and loose, and didn't resort to laughter washes or anything either.

As far as I can tell, everything was as per the recording, although a different sketch than Swedish News followed the glasses link. The old-to-new transition on the head-to-heads was a bit shit tonight mind, they did a little crossfade on the mixer at the session and it worked a lot better - I assumed they'd recreate it in editing.

Also - that opening montage of out-of-context clips and chopped-up quickies is no less inpenetrable than it was back in November. God knows who edited those.

[trotsky assortment]

I really didn't like the montage of clips, either.  The new links were fun though.  It was worth watching for 'Shame Orson Welles is dead'.