Not the Nine o'Clock News - Season 1 (1979)
Show title: Not the Nine o'Clock News
IMDb score:
7,9 (3.089)
Episodes: 7
Playing time: 2 hour and 55 minutes
Developed by: John Lloyd and John Lloyd
Stars: Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith and Pamela Stephenson
Origin:
United Kingdom
Releasedate: Tuesday 16 October 1979
First aired on: BBC Two (Verenigd Koninkrijk)
This season is not available on US streaming services.
Actors and Actresses
Reviews & comments
Dievegge
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- 3219 messages
- 8320 votes
This sketch show pushed the boundaries of the kind of humor that could be done on television. Religion, racism, sexism, homophobia, affirmative action, animal rights, euthanasia and suicide were laughed at. Current figures were mocked: “Maggie” Thatcher, Jimmy Carter, Leonid Brezhnev and the eternally sympathetic Ayatollah Khomeini. The British royal family was ridiculed. The political satire went further than before. There were parodies of news reports, and funny montages in which news images and fiction were stitched together. Wordless “quickies” provided a pleasant change of rhythm. An episode often ended with a musical parody, for example on Kate Bush. A Christmas song was also provided with a bawdy text.
It was the breakthrough of Rowan Atkinson, who often played rude types, and excelled in both verbal and visual humor. Smith and Jones later continued as a comedy duo, while Pamela Stephenson built a career as a psychologist. Richard Curtis made a significant contribution as a writer. Unfortunately, the complete series was never released on DVD, perhaps because many jokes were tied to current events. One of the best skits, John McEnroe's Breakfast, can only be found in the '90s compilation.
At the end of the third episode, ten pianists each play the same instrument with one finger. That was not quatre-mains, but an dix-doigts. Episode 6 features a TV debate in which the Bible is accused of plagiarizing Monty Python. This first season has its highlights, but is still hit and miss, especially due to the presence of the superfluous Chris Langham. From the second season they reached a more constant level with the permanent team of four actors.
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