The programme itself was interesting and well done, but (inevitably) much of the content was dreadful. The madness thing was truly appalling. As much as I can't stand the guy, the Dennis Pennis bit whre he fell upstairs was one of the best bits in the whole show.
I'm glad they stiil have 'Broaden your Mind' in the vaults, as I've been convinced by all my relatives and friends that there never was such a show, that I must have dreamt it.
I disagree that 'much of' the content was awful, but where it was, I assumed that was deliberate to make the point (or subtly suggest it at least) that for every gem, there's probably ten or more shows that were strangled at birth. Before showing the Madness clip, it was pointedly stated that it was written by the same guys who wrote the classic that is Blackadder. (Incidentally, the whole point of that section was it was pilot shows that were never commissioned, so it was always going to be pretty bad). Black Safari was probably included as an example of 'OMG, can you believe we actually thought this was a good idea'. Was it a coincidence that the clip of Dennis Leary was from the exact same show and doing the exact same routine that Bill Hicks did minutes earlier? I suspect not. The show wasn't necessarily meant to be all classic comedy, simply 50 years of comedy output on BBC2, both good and bad.
If they had been worth showing the BBC would have shown them.
Pilots are designed only to be viewed by TV executives and Focus Groups to assess if a series is worthwhile, not to be seen by the viewing public.
This is the BBC bean counters making as much use as they can of the fluff, half eaten sweeties and crusty tissues found at the bottom of the archive barrel.
In the 1960s The BBC had a choice to either save [ like ITV did ] stuff for the archive or re-use costly video tape, they chose the latter. I think Pete and Dud offered to repay the BBC the cost of blank video tapes in order to save the tapes of Not Only But Also , but the BBC wiped 'em and recorded It's A Knockout and The Rolf Harris Show over them.
What's the chances of them being shown again I wonder ?
I'm not sure the ITV companies were consistantly good at keeping their archives either. What gives them a better reputation is that some of their best stuff was made on film (Thunderbirds, The Prisoner, The Avengers) and so has survived. But a lot is still lost eg the early Avengers is missing some of its video episodes.
Yes its a great shame that so much was lost, but you have to remember that people back then really used to moan about 'repeats' and actors had to be paid for any re-shows.
So it was more economic and politically acceptable to make new programs rather than keep expensive tapes which may never again see the light of day. I suppose if they knew that in the futuristic 21st century people would actually want to see these shows, and would be able to own their own copies, perhaps they would've archived them better.
Regarding the comments on the Madness pilot, yes it was poor but remember pilots tend to be of a standard way below the product that gets commissioned (The QI pilot for example).
This could have worked if it was done in a Young Ones kind of way. Gave the band members separate identities rather than keep them together as a band.
Of course their lack of acting ability wouldn't have helped.
Regarding the comments on the Madness pilot, yes it was poor but remember pilots tend to be of a standard way below the product that gets commissioned (The QI pilot for example).
This could have worked if it was done in a Young Ones kind of way. Gave the band members separate identities rather than keep them together as a band.
Of course their lack of acting ability wouldn't have helped.
BIB: That's an interesting theory.
"Watch this sitcom pilot I've written, Mr BBC Bigwig. It's a complete load of shit, but if you commission a series I promise it'll get good."
This probably works for quiz shows. They tend to be a work in progress. Catch the first series on Challenge of Pointless, The Chase, 3-2-1, Bullseye or Blockbusters and they're probably not as slick as they were further down the line. (Although I'm not sure "slick" is a adjective you could ever have used for Bullseye or 3-2-1.:D)
Not sure you're theory can apply to sitcoms. Catch the first episodes of David Croft sitcoms Hi De Hi, Allo Allo and Are You Being Served?, all transmitted pilots, and you'll find they're all of the same standard as the series that followed. Anyone who liked the series would probably like the pilot.
That Madness sitcom was beyond bad. Even CBBC wouldn't have wanted it. Written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton?:o In the pub, when they were totally p**sed, presumably.
Many of these shows went out at the start of colour and we would watch anything then if it was in colour. I couldn't believe how awful most of it was as I enjoyed them at the time. Still laughed at Pete and Dud though.
Comments
Loved the Alan Bennett and Pete n' Dud sketches.
I remember seeing that show with Steven Wright the first time round and thinking WTF?
I'm not sure the ITV companies were consistantly good at keeping their archives either. What gives them a better reputation is that some of their best stuff was made on film (Thunderbirds, The Prisoner, The Avengers) and so has survived. But a lot is still lost eg the early Avengers is missing some of its video episodes.
Yes its a great shame that so much was lost, but you have to remember that people back then really used to moan about 'repeats' and actors had to be paid for any re-shows.
So it was more economic and politically acceptable to make new programs rather than keep expensive tapes which may never again see the light of day. I suppose if they knew that in the futuristic 21st century people would actually want to see these shows, and would be able to own their own copies, perhaps they would've archived them better.
I liked that too, it reminded me of the Great Railway Journeys of the Word sketch from Goodness Gracious Me - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIMUNyFGauE
This could have worked if it was done in a Young Ones kind of way. Gave the band members separate identities rather than keep them together as a band.
Of course their lack of acting ability wouldn't have helped.
BIB: That's an interesting theory.
"Watch this sitcom pilot I've written, Mr BBC Bigwig. It's a complete load of shit, but if you commission a series I promise it'll get good."
This probably works for quiz shows. They tend to be a work in progress. Catch the first series on Challenge of Pointless, The Chase, 3-2-1, Bullseye or Blockbusters and they're probably not as slick as they were further down the line. (Although I'm not sure "slick" is a adjective you could ever have used for Bullseye or 3-2-1.:D)
Not sure you're theory can apply to sitcoms. Catch the first episodes of David Croft sitcoms Hi De Hi, Allo Allo and Are You Being Served?, all transmitted pilots, and you'll find they're all of the same standard as the series that followed. Anyone who liked the series would probably like the pilot.
That Madness sitcom was beyond bad. Even CBBC wouldn't have wanted it. Written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton?:o In the pub, when they were totally p**sed, presumably.
There was a discussion on here a few months back about the first mockumentary. I don't think anyone mentioned Black Safari
http://youtu.be/fiFL7jkIRT8