'Not The Nine O'Clock News' set the ball rolling for alternative comedians when it first arrived in 1979. As was the case with 'The Young Ones' after it, the impact 'Not The Nine O'Clock News' had on viewers was unbelievable. Nothing like it had been seen before on British television, not at least since the arrival of 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' a decade earlier.
It was a satirical show, and by that I mean much of the humour concerned topical issues of the day. The first episode kicked off with John Cleese as Basil Fawlty from 'Fawlty Towers' introducing the show as a 'tatty revue'. In the cast for the first series were Rowan Atkinson, Pamela Stephenson ( wife of Scots comedian Billy Connolly ), Mel Smith and Chris Langham. The first series was patchy at best though it went down well enough to be awarded a second series a year later, with Griff Rhys Jones replacing Chris Langham.
One of my favourite sketches featured a hilarious spoof of 'That's Life' entitled 'That's Lies!' which featured Stephenson as Esther Rantzen ( ''this has got nothing to do with us!'' ). Another item saw Mel Smith on a woman's doorstep claiming to be collecting for charity on behalf of deaf karate experts. ''We don't give to charity!'' says the woman before closing the door on him, to which he kicks the door down and then enquires: ''Pardon!''. The best of all featured Mel Smith as a professor being interviewed on behalf of his experiences on living with a gorilla called Gerald ( which was Rowan Atkinson in costume ).
PROFESSOR: When I caught Gerald in the jungle in 1968, he was completely wild!
GERALD: Wild? I was absolutely bloody livid!
'Not The Nine O'Clock News' was not in my view a classic show but it certainly had its fine moments and its influence on later shows such as 'Naked Video' and 'Spitting Image' cannot be ignored. Pamela Stephenson, apart from appearances on 'Saturday Live', did not do another comedy show though Rowan Atkinson moved into sitcom with 'Blackadder' while Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones stuck together for the long running 'Alas Smith & Jones'.
It was a satirical show, and by that I mean much of the humour concerned topical issues of the day. The first episode kicked off with John Cleese as Basil Fawlty from 'Fawlty Towers' introducing the show as a 'tatty revue'. In the cast for the first series were Rowan Atkinson, Pamela Stephenson ( wife of Scots comedian Billy Connolly ), Mel Smith and Chris Langham. The first series was patchy at best though it went down well enough to be awarded a second series a year later, with Griff Rhys Jones replacing Chris Langham.
One of my favourite sketches featured a hilarious spoof of 'That's Life' entitled 'That's Lies!' which featured Stephenson as Esther Rantzen ( ''this has got nothing to do with us!'' ). Another item saw Mel Smith on a woman's doorstep claiming to be collecting for charity on behalf of deaf karate experts. ''We don't give to charity!'' says the woman before closing the door on him, to which he kicks the door down and then enquires: ''Pardon!''. The best of all featured Mel Smith as a professor being interviewed on behalf of his experiences on living with a gorilla called Gerald ( which was Rowan Atkinson in costume ).
PROFESSOR: When I caught Gerald in the jungle in 1968, he was completely wild!
GERALD: Wild? I was absolutely bloody livid!
'Not The Nine O'Clock News' was not in my view a classic show but it certainly had its fine moments and its influence on later shows such as 'Naked Video' and 'Spitting Image' cannot be ignored. Pamela Stephenson, apart from appearances on 'Saturday Live', did not do another comedy show though Rowan Atkinson moved into sitcom with 'Blackadder' while Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones stuck together for the long running 'Alas Smith & Jones'.