It’s 30 years to the day since The Day Today was first broadcast and producers ever since have taken what was meant to be a satirical warning and treated it as a style manual. It’s remarkable that a 30 year old programme about news coverage can still seem so fresh and topical.
I’m watching my DVDs right now and I’ll raise a glass to Collaterlie Sisters, Peter O’Hanraha-hanrahan, Ted Maul and all, but for now here are Harfynn Teuport and Sukie Bapswent bringing us RokTV.
Incredible television, of a sort we may not see again (for a while at least).
So many wonderful gags, but my all time favourite is the piece on people who have been kept in prison too long, featuring an interview with an old lag who, when asked about his crime, announces in a deep Geordie brogue: “I got dressed up like a little city gent and marched into the Bank of England shouting “Fuck the pound””. I have been laughing at that joke for 30 years.
Or maybe “Fist Headed Man Destroys Church”. Or “Where Next For Man Raised By Puffins”. Or the rest of it.
Those are the headlines … God, I wish they weren’t.
“….you big hairy cock”
I’ve just watched the bit where a Sinn Féin spokesman has to inhale helium. I wonder how many people who weren’t old enough to watch then will know that there was an odd time when Sinn Féin could be interviewed on the news and shown on screen, but an actor had to do a VoiceOver of their words.
Lost count of how many times we’ve watched it, or listened to On The Hour.
The MTV bit might just be my fave; Fur-Q, Nirvana’s ‘Panty Smile’ advert, though the declaration of war comes a close second.
Uzi like an metal dick in my hand
Magazine like a big testicle gland
Bitch wanna try it, I said keep her quiet
Shove it up her muthafuckin’ ass and fry it
Bomb Dogs – I recall having a conversation with someone at work after that episode. They’d obviously only seen that bit, but were convinced it was real.
A testament to how close to the truth The Day Today was.
Cake.
That was Brass Eye.
Nonce sense
It was superb. I don’t think I have ever laughed as much as I did at the Alan Partridge World Cup compilation. Goooooooal!
That was liquid football!
He’s got a foot like a traction engine
Shit! Did you see that?
“You’re 33? You look about 14!”
Tissue-fingered man too flappy for yacht, says skipper
Headmaster suspended for using big-faced child as satellite dish
Portillo’s wife defends crack habit
(Cut to large bearded man saying “it’s cheap. Very cheap.”)
Hello sir!
John Fashanu, John Fashanu, John Fashanu…
Ich nichten lichten.
Chris Morris: We’re pushed for time, can you sum it up in a word?
Spartacus Mills: No.
Chris Morris: A sound?
Spartacus Mills: Woouueerrrr.
Chris Morris: Spartacus, thank you. Alan, Sport.
In the 3.30 at Chep-Chestershire, where the going is good to flimsy:
Christ’s Chin
Novelty Bobble
Alf Ramsey’s Porn Dungeon
I Am A Horse
Alan Beith Tonsil Boy
Spartacus Mills was on the old Word site, and I think is here under another name.
‘ Thanks Chris. Quick roundup of today’s gayness, starting with the roads: The M70, the A3, the B664 and the A48(M), they are all gay as of midnight tonight.’
Colin Popshed there. He’s not gay, of course. We wouldn’t employ a homosexual.
…they can’t shoot straight
(sorry, Brass Eye again)
Cobweb
Groin strain….
If you watched the credits at the end there were some unexpected names like Sylvester Stewart, Ian Paice, Jon Lord….
I think Wilf Lunn was on one. He probably built Ken Morse’s Rostrum Camera…
Mrs Moose met Wilf Lunn once and says he was a right bell-end.
Oh. I’m surprised how sad I am.
“There’s a picture of his face looking cross….”
“Interestingly”, the astonishing creativity of the false names of the reporters and other people featuring in the items did not extend to the presenter. As far as I know, he is simply “Chris” – his real name.
The persona, at least on OTH/TDT/BE is mostly based on Paxo, then at the peak of his sneeriness on Newsnight.
The jam festival sketch in the first episode is condensed Paxo (‘Has this been very upsetting for you?’)
And I think other than ‘Chris’, he only appears as Ted Maul; ‘With hammers!!’
Sorry to break it to you but Fur Q wasn’t real…
Nor Harfynn Teuport and Sukie Bapswent. And that wasn’t really Richard Branson in the dentist’s chair.
Hah! Or Derren Zenks, from Rolling Stone.
In 1975, no one died
In 1976, no one died
In 1977, no one died
In 1978, no one died
In 1979, no one died
In 1980, someone died
In 1981, no one died
In 1982, there was the incident with a pigeon
In 1983, no one died
In 1984, no one died
In 1985, no one died
In 1986, no one died
I could go on.
Coogan’s face and voice is perfect in that. I’m also thinking about David Schneider as the physical cartoonist.
While being very much of-the-moment in 1994 there was also a lot of mileage in the ancient and venerable comedic value of silly names, silly voices and silly faces.
I like Alan Partridge, but I think he works best in small doses like in OTH and Day Today. The ‘horse’ under the tarpaulin, or interviewing Doon as Showjumper getting undressed.
I liked that bit too, but I suspect you might have guessed that.