Hello, Cheeky!
Encyclopedia
Hello Cheeky was a series broadcast on BBC Radio 2
between 1973 and 1979. It was written and performed by Tim Brooke-Taylor
, Barry Cryer
, and John Junkin
, with music by the Denis King
Trio, and produced by David Hatch
, Richard Willcox, and Bob Oliver Rogers.
There were also three Christmas
specials: Hello Cheeky, Hello Christmas in 1973, Hello Christmas in 1974 and the pantomime
-style Cheeky Whittington and his Magic Ballpoint in 1976.
Regular segments included the quickfire "meanwhile"s, "would you believe it?"s, "home hints for the handyman", phone calls, news flashes and comic songs (a number of which had previously been recorded by Marty Feldman
). The final sketch frequently featured a comic amalgam of three ostensibly serious broadcasts (e.g. Z Cars, Gardeners’ Question Time & A Book At Bedtime).
Hello Cheeky quickly gained a reputation of containing absolutely terrible jokes and puns. Two random examples of jokes are, "I once spent an evening with seven Benedictines. What happened? I drank them all and fell over" and, "Enoch Powell
sent me a draught
board for Christmas. Trouble is, all the squares are white."
On 6 April 1975, "The Least Worst of Hello Cheeky" was recorded before a live audience in the Paris Studio
. It was produced by Bob Rogers. From the two hour show, 45 minutes was released on vinyl
. Two 30 minute shows containing material from this recording session were broadcast on 25 January and 1 February 1976.
Hello Cheeky transferred to Yorkshire Television
in 1976 with the same writing and performing team with Len Lurcuck as producer and Duncan Wood
as executive producer.
The first television series, containing eight episodes, was broadcast between 19 January and 22 March 1976. The second series, containing five episodes, was broadcast between 26 May and 23 June of the same year.
The TV series was generally considered a flop as there was no attempt to make the material more visual for television.
Some episodes of the radio series have been re-broadcast on BBC Radio 7.
The two TV series (minus one episode) were released on DVD by Network
in June 2010.
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
between 1973 and 1979. It was written and performed by Tim Brooke-Taylor
Tim Brooke-Taylor
Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE is an English comic actor. He became active in performing in comedy sketches while at Cambridge University, and became President of the Footlights club, touring internationally with the Footlights revue in 1964...
, Barry Cryer
Barry Cryer
Barry Charles Cryer OBE is a British writer and comedian. Cryer has written for many noted performers, including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory Bremner, George Burns, Jasper Carrott, Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Dick Emery, Kenny Everett, Bruce Forsyth, David Frost, Bob Hope, Frankie...
, and John Junkin
John Junkin
John Francis Junkin was an English radio, television and film performer and scriptwriter.In 1960 Junkin joined Joan Littlewood's Stratford East Theatre Workshop, and played the lead in the original production of Sparrows Can't Sing...
, with music by the Denis King
Denis King
Denis King is an English Ivor Novello award-winning composer, singer and actor.As a writer he composed music for the British television series The Adventures of Black Beauty, Within These Walls, Lovejoy and Worzel Gummidge amongst others. He also composed the theme to the 1992 series The New...
Trio, and produced by David Hatch
David Hatch
Sir David Hatch was involved in production and management at BBC Radio, where he held many executive positions, including Head of Light Entertainment , Controller of BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4 and later Managing Director of BBC Radio.- Education :He attended St John's School, Leatherhead and...
, Richard Willcox, and Bob Oliver Rogers.
There were also three Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
specials: Hello Cheeky, Hello Christmas in 1973, Hello Christmas in 1974 and the pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
-style Cheeky Whittington and his Magic Ballpoint in 1976.
Regular segments included the quickfire "meanwhile"s, "would you believe it?"s, "home hints for the handyman", phone calls, news flashes and comic songs (a number of which had previously been recorded by Marty Feldman
Marty Feldman
Martin Alan "Marty" Feldman was an English comedy writer, comedian and actor who starred in a series of British television comedy shows, including At Last the 1948 Show, and Marty, which won two BAFTA awards and was the first Saturn Award winner for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Young...
). The final sketch frequently featured a comic amalgam of three ostensibly serious broadcasts (e.g. Z Cars, Gardeners’ Question Time & A Book At Bedtime).
Hello Cheeky quickly gained a reputation of containing absolutely terrible jokes and puns. Two random examples of jokes are, "I once spent an evening with seven Benedictines. What happened? I drank them all and fell over" and, "Enoch Powell
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, classical scholar, poet, writer, and soldier. He served as a Conservative Party MP and Minister of Health . He attained most prominence in 1968, when he made the controversial Rivers of Blood speech in opposition to mass immigration from...
sent me a draught
Draughts
Draughts is a group of abstract strategy board games between two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over the enemy's pieces. Draughts developed from alquerque...
board for Christmas. Trouble is, all the squares are white."
On 6 April 1975, "The Least Worst of Hello Cheeky" was recorded before a live audience in the Paris Studio
Paris Theatre
The Paris Theatre was a former cinema located in Lower Regent Street, London, which was converted into a theatre by the BBC for radio broadcasts...
. It was produced by Bob Rogers. From the two hour show, 45 minutes was released on vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
. Two 30 minute shows containing material from this recording session were broadcast on 25 January and 1 February 1976.
Hello Cheeky transferred to Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
in 1976 with the same writing and performing team with Len Lurcuck as producer and Duncan Wood
Duncan Wood
Duncan Wood was a British comedy producer, director and writer. His best known achievements were to produce all of Tony Hancock's Half Hours for BBC TV during the late 1950s and early 1960s, and later, also with Hancock's former writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, the classic British sitcom...
as executive producer.
The first television series, containing eight episodes, was broadcast between 19 January and 22 March 1976. The second series, containing five episodes, was broadcast between 26 May and 23 June of the same year.
The TV series was generally considered a flop as there was no attempt to make the material more visual for television.
Some episodes of the radio series have been re-broadcast on BBC Radio 7.
The two TV series (minus one episode) were released on DVD by Network
Network DVD
Network DVD is a DVD publishing company that specialises in classic British television. In particular, it has the rights to a number of well-known ITV programmes...
in June 2010.
Series 1
- S01 E01 (7 April 1973)
- S01 E02 (14 April 1973)
- S01 E03 (21 April 1973)
- S01 E04 (28 April 1973)
- S01 E05 (5 May 1973)
- S01 E06 (12 May 1973)
- S01 E07 (19 May 1973)
- S01 E08 (26 May 1973)
- S01 E09 (2 June 1973)
- S01 E10 (Guest - Michael AspelMichael AspelMichael Terence Aspel, OBE is an English television presenter, known for his reserved demeanour and rich speaking voice. He has been a high-profile TV personality in the United Kingdom since the 1960s, presenting programmes such as Crackerjack, Aspel and Company, This is Your Life, Strange But...
) (9 June 1973) - S01 E11 (16 June 1973)
- S01 Special (25 December 1973)
Series 2
- S02 E01 (10 February 1974)
- S02 E02 (17 February 1974)
- S02 E03 (24 February 1974)
- S02 E04 (3 March 1974)
- S02 E05 (10 March 1974)
- S02 E06 (17 March 1974)
- S02 E07 (24 March 1974)
- S02 E08 (31 March 1974)
- S02 E09 (7 April 1974)
- S02 E10 (14 April 1974)
- S02 E11 (21 April 1974)
- S02 E12 (28 April 1974)
- S02 E13 (5 May 1974)
- S02 E14 (Guest - Aimi MacdonaldAimi MacDonaldAimi MacDonald is a British actress. She is best known for her role as "The Lovely" Aimi MacDonald in the television sketch comedy show At Last the 1948 Show ....
) (12 May 1974) - S02 E15 (19 May 1974)
- S02 Summer Special (27 May 1974)
- S02 Christmas Special (25 December 1974)
Series 3
- S03 E01 (9 March 1975)
- S03 E02 (16 March 1975)
- S03 E03 (23 March 1975)
- S03 E04 (30 March 1975)
- S03 E05 (6 April 1975)
- S03 E06 (13 April 1975)
- S03 E07 (20 April 1975)
- S03 E08 (27 April 1975)
- S03 E09 (4 May 1975)
- S03 E10 (11 May 1975)
- S03 E11 (18 May 1975)
- S03 E12 (25 May 1975)
- S03 E13 (Guest - Joan Bakewell) (1 June 1975)
- S03 Special - The Least Worst Part 1 (25 January 1976)
- S03 Special - The Least Worst Part 2 (1 February 1976)
Series 4
- S04 E01 (Guest - Frank BoughFrank BoughFrank Bough is a retired British television presenter who is best known as the former host of BBC sports and current affairs shows including Grandstand, Nationwide and Breakfast Time, which he fronted alongside Selina Scott.-Early life:...
) (16 May 1976) - S04 E02 (23 May 1976)
- S04 E03 (30 May 1976)
- S04 E04 (6 June 1976)
- S04 E05 (13 June 1976)
- S04 E06 (20 June 1976)
- S04 E07 (27 June 1976)
- S04 E08 (4 July 1976)
- S04 E09 (11 July 1976)
- S04 E10 (18 July 1976)
- S04 E11 (25 July 1976)
- S04 E12 (1 August 1976)
- S04 E13 (8 August 1976)
- S04 E14 (15 August 1976)
- S04 E15 (22 August 1976)
- S04 E16 (29 August 1976)
- S04 Special (25 December 1976) (Guests: Marti CaineMarti CaineMarti Caine, born Lynne Denise Shepherd was an English actress, dancer, presenter, singer, writer, and comedienne who gained fame from the television talent show New Faces and became a major variety star....
, Peggy MountPeggy MountMargaret Rose "Peggy" Mount OBE, was an English actress of stage and screen. She was perhaps best known for playing battleaxe characters, though her real personality was said to have been far removed from such roles. She was also well-known for her distinctive voice.- Early life :Mount was born in...
, and David JacobsDavid Jacobs (disc jockey)David Lewis Jacobs CBE is a British actor and broadcaster who gained prominence as presenter of the peak-time BBC Television show Juke Box Jury and the BBC Radio 4 political forum, Any Questions?-Early career:...
)
Series 5
- S05 E01 (7 October 1979)
- S05 E02 (14 October 1979)
- S05 E03 (21 October 1979)
- S05 E04 (28 October 1979)
- S05 E05 (Guest - Terry WoganTerry WoganSir Michael Terence Wogan, KBE, DL , or also known as Terry Wogan, is a veteran Irish radio and television broadcaster who holds dual Irish and British citizenship. Wogan has worked for the BBC in the United Kingdom for most of his career...
) (4 November 1979) - S05 E06 (11 October 1979)