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You Must Be Joking/Pauline’s Quirkes/You Can’t Be Serious

MORE YOUNG persons stuff, this time a string of variety-esque affairs masterminded by ROGER “TOMORROW PEOPLE” PRICE, peopled with kids who weren’t obviously “stage school”, and blessed with scripts that usually resulted in the kids ending up in uncomfortable situations, being knocked about and having all manner of crap dumped on their heads. The sketches were about common teenage situations and conflict with authority. …JOKING! was the first, in which token adult JIM BOWEN failed to take charge of Anna Scher kids including PAULINE QUIRKE and LINDA ROBSON, and music of a sort from GARY KEMP and Flintlock; PAULINE’S QUIRKES pushed the two birds to the top of the bill, along with Flintlock for nudge-nudge snog interest – the shows were anarchic enough for the Tyne Tees and Yorkshire regions to refuse to show them; while …SERIOUS was back to the original format, this time with a new set of kids who never really made it after, and a different token adult each week, including CLIVE DUNN, DEREK GRIFFITHS, STEPHEN “BLAKEY” LEWIS, “DIDDY” DAVID HAMILTON, and the newly grown-up Quirke on a return visit.

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. Joanne Gray

    March 2, 2017 at 6:26 pm

    I’m glad Tyne Tees passed on screening Pauline’s Quirkes – recently saw an edition on YouTube and it was painful.

  2. Glenn Aylett

    November 14, 2020 at 10:03 am

    You Must Be Joking was shown on Tyne Tees and was like a promotional vehicle for Flintlock, a band who were supposed to be the next big thing, but never quite made it as they were basically crap and passe looking in an era that was moving on to disco and punk. I do remember Pauline Quirke hitting one of them over the head as part of some sketch.

  3. Richardpd

    November 14, 2020 at 11:23 pm

    Mike Holoway was the drummer in Flintlock & also played Mike Bell in The Tomorrow People.

  4. THX 1139

    November 14, 2020 at 11:33 pm

    Comedienne Sara Pascoe’s dad was in Flintlock too.

    I’ve seen one episode on a compilation DVD, and was quite discomfited by the untrammelled lust displayed towards the frequently underdressed band.

    • Glenn Aylett

      November 16, 2020 at 5:32 pm

      Flintlock had a minor hit in 1976 with a song called Dawn, but all their other singles failed to make the Top 40, even with the massive promotion on ITV at the time. However, I do recall adults complaining about these shows with Pauline Quirke being unsuitable for smaller children and I’m not surprised some ITV regions refused to take Pauline’s Quirkes. However, both Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson were bound for bigger things as they entered their twenties.

  5. Droogie

    November 15, 2020 at 12:56 am

    The running joke with Pauline Quirke and Flintlock in that show was Pauline wanting to see them without underwear in each episode. They’d oblige, but it would be a cheat – like just showing them from the waist up, or having them all wear blue y-fronts and doing blue-screen colour separation on their private parts Quite racy for a kid’s show, but ahead of it’s time having a female lead too.

  6. Droogie

    November 15, 2020 at 12:57 am

    The running joke with Pauline Quirke and Flintlock in that show was Pauline wanting to see them without underwear in each episode. They’d oblige, but it would be a cheat – like just showing them from the waist up, or having them all wear blue y-fronts and doing blue-screen colour separation on their private parts Quite racy for a kid’s show, but ahead of it’s time having a female lead too.

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