Made by B.B.C. Scotland, 'Sin On Saturday' was the creation of Shaun Hardie, one of the 'Not The Nine O'Clock News' producers. It must have looked a surefire winner on paper - a late-night Saturday talk-show devoted to each of the seven deadly sins, hosted by the late and respected television journalist Bernard Falk. Up-and-coming comedians Robbie Coltrane and Elaine Loudon provided funny interludes. Ideal post-pub material.
The first edition was, unsurprisingly, 'Lust'. It was more like a debate on pornography, with guest Linda Lovelace ( in her second incarnation as tireless anti-pornography campaigner ) on one side and hellraising movie star Oliver Reed on the other. It got rowdier as it progressed and finally reached the point where nobody could make themselves heard. A letter-writer to 'Points Of View' suggested that the show be retitled 'Din On Saturday'!
Reed was initially reluctant to go on it, but when he started talking proved impossible to shut up. He got up the noses of the feminists present by endorsing porno films. Some of the men in the audience agreed, one was even heard to shout "where's the crumpet?". Another thanked Linda personally for having made 'Deep Throat'. Streaker Erica Roe was there too, claiming that her decision to run topless onto a rugby pitch was 'an expression of freedom'. I see, nothing to do with getting your face ( and other bits ) in the papers and on television then.
Poor Falk looked relieved when the end credits rolled. I realise that this sounds like nothing unique, you can see stuff like this every morning now on I.T.V. But back in 1982 nothing like it had ever been broadcast in Britain before.
Critics ripped it to pieces. 'Bummer of the season' was one such damning verdict. Some viewers felt the show had been unfair because the pro-pornography section of the audience - mostly men - were able to easily drown out the protests of the anti-porn section.
The following week, the sin under the spotlight was 'Covetousness' and featured ex-Labour M.P. John Stonehouse, who did a real-life 'Reggie Perrin' act by faking his death. It was a more sedate affair, as was the edition after that: 'Envy', which contained interesting contributions from pools winner Viv Nicholson and Allan Williams a.k.a. 'The Man Who Gave Away The Beatles'. These last two programmes were everything the first had not been. Of course answers to the issues raised were never going to be found, but the level of debate was fascinating.
Amazingly, critics panned these shows too, appearing not to notice the improvement in quality. The topic of the fourth edition was going to be 'Gluttony' and would have boasted, among other people, Fanny Cradock, making her first television appearance since her disastrous appearance on 'The Big Time' in 1977.
But it never went out. The B.B.C., acting like a nervous vicar in a sex shop, pulled the series in mid-run. The last time anything like that happened was when Peter Cook's infamous chat-show disaster 'Where Do I Sit?' was yanked off B.B.C.-2 a decade earlier.
Falk rarely appeared on television again. He later gave an interview to 'The News Of The World' expressing his disappointment at the B.B.C.'s decision.
In 1991, 'Sin On Saturday' featured on 'T.V. Hell', the B.B.C.'s celebration of bad programmes. Certainly the first edition belonged there, but I do not think the other two were bad at all. Compared to 'The Jeremy Kyle Show' and 'Jerry Springer', they were almost 'Newsnight' standard.
The British public were simply not ready for shouting matches posing as debate, movie stars belittling women, or streakers making fatuous claims about personal freedoms. But they soon would be. In that respect, the show was ahead of its time.
The first edition was, unsurprisingly, 'Lust'. It was more like a debate on pornography, with guest Linda Lovelace ( in her second incarnation as tireless anti-pornography campaigner ) on one side and hellraising movie star Oliver Reed on the other. It got rowdier as it progressed and finally reached the point where nobody could make themselves heard. A letter-writer to 'Points Of View' suggested that the show be retitled 'Din On Saturday'!
Reed was initially reluctant to go on it, but when he started talking proved impossible to shut up. He got up the noses of the feminists present by endorsing porno films. Some of the men in the audience agreed, one was even heard to shout "where's the crumpet?". Another thanked Linda personally for having made 'Deep Throat'. Streaker Erica Roe was there too, claiming that her decision to run topless onto a rugby pitch was 'an expression of freedom'. I see, nothing to do with getting your face ( and other bits ) in the papers and on television then.
Poor Falk looked relieved when the end credits rolled. I realise that this sounds like nothing unique, you can see stuff like this every morning now on I.T.V. But back in 1982 nothing like it had ever been broadcast in Britain before.
Critics ripped it to pieces. 'Bummer of the season' was one such damning verdict. Some viewers felt the show had been unfair because the pro-pornography section of the audience - mostly men - were able to easily drown out the protests of the anti-porn section.
The following week, the sin under the spotlight was 'Covetousness' and featured ex-Labour M.P. John Stonehouse, who did a real-life 'Reggie Perrin' act by faking his death. It was a more sedate affair, as was the edition after that: 'Envy', which contained interesting contributions from pools winner Viv Nicholson and Allan Williams a.k.a. 'The Man Who Gave Away The Beatles'. These last two programmes were everything the first had not been. Of course answers to the issues raised were never going to be found, but the level of debate was fascinating.
Amazingly, critics panned these shows too, appearing not to notice the improvement in quality. The topic of the fourth edition was going to be 'Gluttony' and would have boasted, among other people, Fanny Cradock, making her first television appearance since her disastrous appearance on 'The Big Time' in 1977.
But it never went out. The B.B.C., acting like a nervous vicar in a sex shop, pulled the series in mid-run. The last time anything like that happened was when Peter Cook's infamous chat-show disaster 'Where Do I Sit?' was yanked off B.B.C.-2 a decade earlier.
Falk rarely appeared on television again. He later gave an interview to 'The News Of The World' expressing his disappointment at the B.B.C.'s decision.
In 1991, 'Sin On Saturday' featured on 'T.V. Hell', the B.B.C.'s celebration of bad programmes. Certainly the first edition belonged there, but I do not think the other two were bad at all. Compared to 'The Jeremy Kyle Show' and 'Jerry Springer', they were almost 'Newsnight' standard.
The British public were simply not ready for shouting matches posing as debate, movie stars belittling women, or streakers making fatuous claims about personal freedoms. But they soon would be. In that respect, the show was ahead of its time.
