The 'Not the 9 o'Clock News' repeats on Gold look SO dated 30 plus years on,of course not remembering the news stories of the time that are being parodied just adds to the sense of it being a 'long time ago'.:o
(
I'd like to see full repeats of "Not the Nine O'Clock News",
with a "Drop the Dead Donkey"-style voice-over at the start
explaining what the news stories were when the ep
aired.
Mind you, they'd have to drop Chris Langham.... :eek:
There was a lot of talk about how Peep Show was revolutionary because you heard the characters' thoughts - Colin's Sandwich got there first. It's a terrific little show, a missing link to One Foot In The Grave in some ways and not just because Annette Crosbie appeared in it. It's exactly the sort of archive material that would fit BBC4 beautifully (as would Not..) although a DVD release would be even better.
I hope the BBC will eventually come up with a better tribute than what appears to be basically a Smith & Jones repeat and a rerun of the Not Again documentary next Saturday.
I was going to ask the same thing. But you beat me to it. Mel Smith has done a lot of good stuff, including his first serious role in Muck & Brass.
But IMO, 'Colin's Sandwich' is by far his finest hour. Brilliant performances, and brilliant writing. I don't think the 'dated' factor would apply. As the stories are everyman subjects,about the stresses of life,releationships and work. etc. and are just as relevant today as they were when originally aired. The issues weren't time specific. I have both series from UK Gold years ago. But a nice clean broadcast would be great.
If you haven't seen it. I urge you to try and track it down, if you can. It's painfully funny.
I've hesitated for ages about commenting in this thread as I was very fond of Colin's Sandwich in the 1980s. Watched some clips on YouTube a year or so ago, and wondered why I used to like it so much. For me, at least, it had dated badly. Selected clips from Alas Smith and Jones would probably be a better tribute, especially the "Wos that then?" head-to-heads with GRJ.
Can't remember much about this series, but I do remember it being really funny and liking it a lot.
Throughout the early/mid-nineties I was hoping/expecting the BBC would make a new series, but for some reason they never did (the last one of the second series did have a bit of an 'ending' feel to it, if I remember correctly).
The premise of the show would seem dated now, as he used to work on the complaints desk at British Rail, but that was pretty secondary to the main thrust of the show.
Even though it's largely forgotten, it had a heavy influence on quite a few subsequent British sitcoms, especially One Foot in the Grave, and the one that Jack Dee used to do.
It would be a great tribute to Mel Smith. Let's hope the BBC get their finger out, even if it's on 4.
Colin's Sandwich was a wonderful couple of series.
A repeat would be marvellous.
And I must agree with Birdsworth - Jack Dee's Lead Balloon really reminded me of Colin's Sandwich when it was first shown. I've mentioned this to loads of people but no-one seems to remember Colin, which is a terrible shame.
I loved Colin's Sandwich too! Someone on DS very kindly copied it onto disc for me so I got to see it again and I still really enjoyed it It should be repeated and given a release if possible.
Would love to see this series again - I think I managed to record series 1 off UK Gold (remember that) about 100 years ago - must have been a while as it was on VHS. May just have to dig out the old tape. Unfortunately I seem to recall UK Gold never showed Series 2..... lost classic.
Colin worked in the British Rail complaints department, so it is fairly dated in that respect, but as noted above, the programme was gentle, genuinely funny, full of interesting characters, and really showed how good Mel Smith was as an actor.
I still recall the long-running story about one of his books being made into a film by Nicholas Ball's character, who asked Colin if he could do a 'treatment'. Colin readily agreed despite not knowing what the hell a 'treatment' was. You probably had to be there...
The 'Not the 9 o'Clock News' repeats on Gold look SO dated 30 plus years on,of course not remembering the news stories of the time that are being parodied just adds to the sense of it being a 'long time ago'.:
Well I thought that the carefully selected sketches from the recent documentary shown about NTNN came across as being very current and just as funny as when the were first shown. The Constable Savage, Gerald the gorilla sketches and the spoof Billy Connolly/Janet Street Porter interview in particular. They could all have been written within the past five years.
I think a similar programme on the lines of Not The Nine O Clock News or Spitting Image is very much overdue.
I'd like to see full repeats of "Not the Nine O'Clock News",
with a "Drop the Dead Donkey"-style voice-over at the start
explaining what the news stories were when the ep
aired.
Mind you, they'd have to drop Chris Langham.... :eek:
That would be a crazy decision because, as has been said already on this thread, the BBC have not expunged Langham's character from the first series of The Thick of It. How could they? Langham and Capaldi made the series and now, seeing as he has repaid his debt to society irrespective of how we regard him personally, perhaps the British viewing public could be a little less "burn him" by not go into an outrage fuelled hissy fit about him working again.
As for Mel Smith, my favourite, aside from NTNOCN, has to be the little seen "remake" of A Night At The Opera, Brain Donors.
Comments
What has that got to do with it. Who cares if its dated doesnt stop you enjoying it.
I'd like to see full repeats of "Not the Nine O'Clock News",
with a "Drop the Dead Donkey"-style voice-over at the start
explaining what the news stories were when the ep
aired.
Mind you, they'd have to drop Chris Langham.... :eek:
I hope the BBC will eventually come up with a better tribute than what appears to be basically a Smith & Jones repeat and a rerun of the Not Again documentary next Saturday.
But IMO, 'Colin's Sandwich' is by far his finest hour. Brilliant performances, and brilliant writing. I don't think the 'dated' factor would apply. As the stories are everyman subjects,about the stresses of life,releationships and work. etc. and are just as relevant today as they were when originally aired. The issues weren't time specific. I have both series from UK Gold years ago. But a nice clean broadcast would be great.
If you haven't seen it. I urge you to try and track it down, if you can. It's painfully funny.
Throughout the early/mid-nineties I was hoping/expecting the BBC would make a new series, but for some reason they never did (the last one of the second series did have a bit of an 'ending' feel to it, if I remember correctly).
The premise of the show would seem dated now, as he used to work on the complaints desk at British Rail, but that was pretty secondary to the main thrust of the show.
Even though it's largely forgotten, it had a heavy influence on quite a few subsequent British sitcoms, especially One Foot in the Grave, and the one that Jack Dee used to do.
It would be a great tribute to Mel Smith. Let's hope the BBC get their finger out, even if it's on 4.
A repeat would be marvellous.
And I must agree with Birdsworth - Jack Dee's Lead Balloon really reminded me of Colin's Sandwich when it was first shown. I've mentioned this to loads of people but no-one seems to remember Colin, which is a terrible shame.
Because no-one who partially owns a product should be forced to do something with it against their will.
Unless you want to live in North Korea?
Colin worked in the British Rail complaints department, so it is fairly dated in that respect, but as noted above, the programme was gentle, genuinely funny, full of interesting characters, and really showed how good Mel Smith was as an actor.
I still recall the long-running story about one of his books being made into a film by Nicholas Ball's character, who asked Colin if he could do a 'treatment'. Colin readily agreed despite not knowing what the hell a 'treatment' was. You probably had to be there...
That would be a crazy decision because, as has been said already on this thread, the BBC have not expunged Langham's character from the first series of The Thick of It. How could they? Langham and Capaldi made the series and now, seeing as he has repaid his debt to society irrespective of how we regard him personally, perhaps the British viewing public could be a little less "burn him" by not go into an outrage fuelled hissy fit about him working again.
As for Mel Smith, my favourite, aside from NTNOCN, has to be the little seen "remake" of A Night At The Opera, Brain Donors.