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Kick Up The Eighties, A

AUNTIE’S FIRST tryst with alternative comedy, very much a first-date-down-the-park affair with dependable chaperone RICHARD STILGOE initially on hand to becalm bemused Home Counties viewers. In fact, what with ROGER SLOMAN and MIRIAM MARGOYLES also in attendance, it was really only the presence of RIK MAYALL as Brummie investigative reporter Kevin Turvey to mark proceedings down as in any way “alternative” (TRACEY ULLMAN dressing up doesn’t count). Second series found Stilgoe substituted for ROBBIE COLTRANE as demented Scots Orangeman Mason Boyne (doing a rendition of Deck Of Cards: “The Eight of clubs reminds me of the bacon and eggs I eight for breakfast!”), equally mad Master of Dundreich (“Let me help you out of those wet things, my dear.” “But they’re not wet.” “Bucket!” [SPLOSH!] “Let me help you out of those wet things, my dear”). Just over a million people wrote the script. Just under a million tuned in. Bequeathed LAUGH??? I NEARLY PAID MY LICENCE FEE.

5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. Tom Ronson

    March 30, 2022 at 1:34 am

    A few episodes have found their way onto YouTube over the years, and there’s a reason the only bits anyone actually remembers are Rik Mayall’s Kevin Turvey monologues. The rest of it was pretty dreadful. Looking back, there is a kind of grim fascination to be had from the glut of eighties comedies that seemed to exist solely to use up all the material left over from Not the Nine O’Clock News – Naked Video, Who Dares Wins, Coming Next, Pushing Up Daisies and so on. Only Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones (and later Alexei Sayle’s Stuff) ever managed to get it RIGHT.

  2. Glenn Aylett

    October 15, 2022 at 1:07 pm

    An early outing for Robbie Coltrane RIP and the start of a new wave of comedy shows on the BBC that while variable in their quality, often had a couple of great sketches and characters. Many of these BBC 2 shows seemed to be made by BBC Scotland for some reason.

  3. Richardpd

    October 15, 2022 at 2:43 pm

    The 1981 Rock & Roll Years features a clip of Richard Stilgoe delivering a monologue about minority pursuits, one being work, & it being a reminder not to vote Conservative.

    Helens Atkinson-Wood & Lederer seemed to feature in quite a few of these shows whenever they needed to fill their female quota.

  4. Glenn Aylett

    December 28, 2023 at 3:43 pm

    Roger Sloman to Grange Hill aficiandos will always be the army PT instructor type PE teacher Mr Foster in the first series of Grange Hill. Odd he ended up in an alternative comedy revue like this, but the headmaster in the second series of Grange Hill found a more lucrative career as Jim Begerac’s boss in Begerac. Also shortly before she became the headmistress of Grange Hill, Gwyneth Powell had a major role as one of the feminist police in the Two Ronnies story The Worm That Turned. Interesting where Grange Hill adult actors ended up or came from.

  5. Richardpd

    December 28, 2023 at 4:21 pm

    Lee Cornes has played many different characters over the years, as well as Mr Hankin in Grange Hill he was The Trickster in the Dr Who story Kinda & Lister’s Paranoia in the Red Dwarf episode Confidence & Paranoia, with a pre-American chat show Craig Ferguson playing Confidence with an American accent.

    Unsurprisingly many other GH teachers have been in Dr Who over the years!

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