This Morning With Richard Not Judy
Encyclopedia
This Morning With Richard Not Judy or TMWRNJ t was a BBC
comedy
television programme, written by and starring Lee and Herring
. Two series were broadcast in 1998
and 1999
on BBC2. The name was a satirical reference to ITV
's This Morning
which was at the time popularly referred to as This Morning with Richard and Judy
.
The show was a reworking of old material from their previous work together (radio and TV) along with new characters. The show was hosted in a daytime chat show format in front of a live studio audience, although it featured a small proportion of pre-recorded location inserts. It was structured by the often strange obsessions of Richard Herring; examples include his rating of the milk of all creatures and attempting to popularise the acronym of the show (TMWRNJ) (in the style of Tiswas
). The show featured (and acknowledged its use of) repetition, with regular and vigilant viewers being rewarded by jokes that would make no sense to casual viewers. The show seemed to oscillate between the intellectual and puerile. However, irony was often used, even though the citing of irony as an excuse was mocked by the show's stars in one of many self-referential jokes.
The Actor Kevin Eldon also reprised two of his characters from the earlier Lee & Herring series Fist of Fun
, Simon Quinlank (the "King of Hobbies") and his portrayal of "the false Rod Hull
" as a jelly
fanatic with a false arm and giant chin. A run of sketches featuring Eldon as the false Rod Hull was filmed for the second series, but dropped when the real Rod Hull died just prior to the start of the series. A new sketch was filmed as a tribute and featured as the closing item of the last programme in the series. (Rod Hull had taken this in good humour and had featured in one episode of Fist of Fun as a guest, pouring scorn on the false Rod Hull.)
TMWRNJ was the subject of many complaints on Points of View
, largely due to the surprisingly adult content for a programme shown at Sunday lunchtime. The Jesus sketches were much remarked upon on Points of View due to the time of broadcast and uncertainty as to whether they were making fun of Jesus or people's take on the scriptures themselves. Like Fist of Fun it remains a cult series fondly remembered by fans. Unfortunately, the master tapes of some episodes were lost by the BBC, making repeats of the series or a DVD release unlikely http://www.stewartlee.co.uk/whatisstewartlee/whatisstewartlee1999.htm.
. The name is derived from the album I Am Kurious Oranj
by The Fall (itself a reference to the film I Am Curious (Yellow)
), which was used to introduce each Curious Orange segment. At the end of the first series, having been revealed to be Richard Herring's illegitimate son, he was crushed to death and "juiced", but he was later reconstituted by a mad scientist. Throughout the second series his behaviour became increasingly sinister, and for a while he was replaced by The Curious Alien (in truth due to Putner's commitments elsewhere). By the final episode, he had mutated into a tyrannical character reminiscent of Doctor Who
s Davros
(though "just different enough not to infringe any copyright laws").
children's television programme featuring two pirate crows: the titular Histor (who concealed a multicoloured spinning eye beneath his eyepatch) and his hapless first mate Pliny Harris. Histor's ability to transport himself and Pliny through time ("as the crow flies") to view past events would be used to satirise current affairs, and the script would be peppered with deliberately weak but dense nautical- and bird-related multiple puns, which would increase in volume and weakness as the series progressed. (For example, Pliny would say 'Egg feather bird oeuf tit' in place of 'I've never heard of it', or 'Feather me wingers' in place of 'Shiver me timbers'.) Pliny's idiocy drives Histor to insanity and, eventually, he murders him by stuffing him with eggs until he bursts, as he keeps using the word "egg" so it has no connection or relation to the context of what Histor was saying, (only for Histor to be subsequently haunted by Pliny's equally pun-obsessed ghost). A running joke in this segment was that despite Pliny's apparent idiocy, he would occasionally counter Histor's right-wing views with extraordinarily eloquent and well constructed left-wing arguments. This would often result in Pliny being physically attacked by Histor or a third party (e.g. having a broken glass shoved into his face by a "lager lout" Saint George
). During the Histor's Eye segment the ident "KIDZ CHANNEL" would be shown in the top left of the screen, this was similar to those used by many satellite broadcasters at the time.
Another running gag not featured in the fictional show, but would be part of its introduction, would be a sketch in which Herring naively complains about a recent report in the media, only for Lee to try to correct him before realizing the best way to make him understand better is showing him "An educational film for the under fives" he taped from cable TV. After the segment Lee would ask Herring if that cleared the matter up for him, with Herring praising the crows for this saying he now understands. Indeed, Herring once points out that the same joke is always told every week before showing the latest episode, shortly after Lee told him that telling the same jokes soon wears off, with the episode of "Histor's Eye" being focused on that topic. The gag was less frequent in the second series.
played keyboards every week on the show and in series 1 would play a hymn at the end of the show.
s, dealing with them in increasingly ridiculous fashion.
of the show When Animals Attack!
, with a voice-over supposedly by actor Greg Evigan
(actually Mark Gatiss
). The last episode of this segment, in the first series, saw The Lettuce Family attacked by a slug – technically not an insect. In the second series this was replaced by When Things Get Knocked Over but as each week progressed, the segment's subject would vary. Eventually the title became When Things Get Knocked Over, Spill, or Fall Out Of Cupboards.
and Nathalie Brandon) who would sometimes be dressed in outlandish costumes. At this point Trevor would invariably be mocked by Stew for having "a small face".
Richard Herring would use this segment of the show as an opportunity to swear live on Sunday morning TV. Each week it would be varied. For example he would chant "There's only one King. One King. Wan King. Wanking!" On another week, imitating a trumpet, "Fa fa fa fa, King! Fa fa fa fucking!"
), and a woman called Nathalie, played by Nathalie Brandon, would appear on each show in non-speaking roles as slaves, often to bring in props or to usher in guests or other performers.
, with the journalists being in bitter competition to see who could write the most "ironic" article.
Men of Achievement 1974 was first mentioned in the TV version of Fist of Fun as an item Richard Herring had shoplifted from a charity shop.
(evident in the costume's triangular hat).
, in which the characters were all organs of the human body, they would have some adventure and end up "laughing for a whole five minutes." It bore some resemblance to the real children's series The Garden Gang in which all the characters were fruit and vegetables. The final episode saw Brian Cant ranting at his duty of being the narrator saying I'm Brian Cant!.
and Jack Docherty
(who claimed to have had sex with Morwenna Banks
while she was dressed as her 'little girl' character from Absolutely
).
(Lee), usually on a topic of importance that would split Christianity
(e.g. Transubstantiation
vs Transignification
). Instead of answering directly He would make a vague comment (such as instructing them to "consider the lily"), pause, then say "ahh" in a mysterious manner, causing all but Matthew
(Herring) to "ahh" along with Him, leading the disciple to become frustrated with the evasion ("This isn't an 'ahh' situation"; "Ahh!"; "No, not 'ahh' – you can't just say 'consider the lily'"; "Ahh!"; "No Jesus: Not 'ahh'.") Peter
(Carlton Dixon) would insult Matthew for not understanding, insisting in a smug "class swot" manner that he "got it right away", and Judas
(Eldon) would also laugh at double entendres, only to be admonished. The other Apostles were played by Paul Putner ("Doubting Thomas"
), Trevor Lock
(Thaddaeus
) and Emma Kennedy
(the fictional Ian, who only started following Jesus as he misunderstood the phrase "fishers of men"). These sketches tended to cause some controversy given the time of the show and the day of its broadcast.
. The rest of them (particularly the Man Corr
) he didn't care for, a joke based on the similar looks of the Corr sisters.
which saw Dan Aykroyd
and John Goodman
laughing and urinating on the grave of John Belushi
before driving off in the Bluesmobile. Another was made for Titanic
, in which Leonardo DiCaprio
's character swims to the surface after Kate Winslet
is rescued to celebrate finally escaping her clutches.
mug, a reference to the political party famously supported by John Cleese
(whose picture appeared on the title screen) during the 1980s. Angus Deayton
himself did not appear.
as a result of his alleged relationship with Andrea Corr. In order to display his love for the former Take That
member Rich draws a felt tip pen tattoo on his stomach in the shape of Robbie Williams
.
(played by Emma Kennedy
with a false beard and, for no adequately explored reason, a Welsh
accent) would give his predictions for the week ahead, which would often be either completely absurd or extremely vague. The start of the segment would look at the previous week's predictions, if they were not correct Nostradamus would be punished by a nipple cripple, or something similarly pseudo-sexual, by Richard. During one episode Richard obsessed about cress
for a whole show, as a spoof of product placement deals. When Nostradamus only got 1 out of the 3 of his predictions correct, a barbecue of cress was burnt with a blowlamp.
also featured elsewhere on the show several times, apparently to ensure this unloved cereal did not go unnoticed in the UK). He would end with the line "Remember, there'll always be milk".
During one episode they also brainstormed lazy comedy ideas for the BBC. Their ideas would usually include characters called Ian – a running joke which also featured in Sunday Heroes, with one of the disciples being called Ian. Programme examples included:
Ian Roll is a driving instructor, Ian Reversall is a baker. Due to some kind of accident they are forced to swap jobs. With hilarious consequences.
Ian Pie is the landlord of the Sky pub. In an attempt to attract custom each week he buys a different giant pie which goes wrong and ironically scares the public away. With hilarious consequences.
Ian Myy lives in a flat. His upstairs neighbour borrows one of his cups and then doesn't return it. The series details Ian Myy's contrived and failed attempts to get back the cup that is rightfully his.
Two babies live in a piece of wood. Simple but brilliant.
Ian Chalk and Ian Cheese are two men. They are very different. As different literally as chalk and cheese. Consequently they don't really get on but occasionally they do something which makes them realise they are more similar than they initially thought and then Ian Cheese falls in a stream to break the seriousness of the moment.
Ian and Iain Bent are brothers who are policemen. One is corrupt and the other is homosexual. They both suffer from curvature of the spine, and they're made of copper – they're robots in the future.
Adem Ay, who used to do the video game reviews on Live & Kicking
, loses his to legs in an accident. Zoe Ball
feels guilty that he was sacked and so offers to carry him around on her back thus he is literally 'eye on the ball'. If Zoe not available then Johnny Ball
definitely is.
Ian Fruit, a flamboyant elderly raconteur, shares a flat with Ian Nut, a dangerous schizophrenic who has escaped from Broadmoor Hospital
. Ian Fruit can only eat nuts, Ian Nut can only eat fruit, but they are both allergic to fruit and nut chocolate. As Ian Nut is mad he always secretly puts fruit and nut chocolate in everything they eat. With fatal consequences.
Rick Moranis
plays a hapless professor who accidentally turns himself into a killer whale. Each week he attacks a ship and eats some sailors.
It's about cats who can talk, going through the change of life. Possible Eddie Izzard
vehicle.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
tours the country in a gigantic mink lined stall granting peoples' wishes.
Dr Fox hides a secret camera in the toilet of small American actor Michael J. Fox
and watches him go about his daily ablutions.
Jeremy Paxman
goes round the country on a moped playing the early arcade game Pacman. He is not allowed to leave any town until he has clocked up the highest score for that machine.
Denise Van Outen
goes out in a van and meets other people with 'Van' in their name and outs them as homosexual. Whether they are or not.
David Dimbleby
presents a kind of candid camera programme for bees where the foolish insects are shown making mistakes like trying to collect pollen from artificial flowers.
Midge Ure
travels around the country on a motorcycle looking at and sampling the urine of different species of Midge
s.
In which Jan Leeming
and Lemmy from Motorhead tame wild Lemming
s.
Newsround
's John Craven talks each week about some of the things he has cravings for: food, alcohol and oxygen but mainly knitwear.
A specialist show for after the 9 p.m. watershed.
Similar to Johnny Ball
's balls but involves expensive prosthetic make-up.
Louise Woodward
, the clumsy nanny, is given a wad of money made from wood which she has to try and spend before her parents can steal it off her.
David Seaman
goes round the country on a moped meeting different sailors.
Mel and Sue
from Late Lunch appear in a fly on the wall documentary about a zoo they run where all the cages are full of melons.
Former BBC Radio 1 DJ Mike Read and Eastenders star Mike Reid travel around the country in a moped challenging each other's religious beliefs
"My expectations were confounded and from thence the humour arose."
"Who is the real sick man in this so called society?" A question posed by Herring throughout the first series in order to justify his outrageously inappropriate and perverse personal anecdotes such as:
"Wanting to make love to an animal with the body of Natalie Imbruglia
's and the head of an ant
."
He would compare his activities to:
"The businessman, in his Suit
and tie
having sex with the same woman, his wife, every day of his life for 40 years."
It was always concluded by Lee that Herring was clearly the more sick.
"Look at his little face, it’s almost as if he understands."
"Saying it in a staccato fashion doesn't make it any more true."
"No, listen to the question and the words in it..."
PC
vs. Mac
adverts shown that year, which then leads on to a rant by Rich that "It should have been us Stew!"
The show is available on YouTube
in November 2008. Their approach to the material was characteristically sarcastic and self-referential, with both comedians ruthlessly deriding their own their classic routines even down to points of language and grammar – despite Rich insisting that "You can't question the text! This is like Shakespeare!"
Both comedians fell into their old double act with relative comfort. Much humour was drawn both from the passage of time since TMWRNJ came to an end (Rich opens the set with "Old Mr Lee! Old Mr Lee! Can Stewart come out to play?") and the effective lack of a television career for either comedian since. (Stewart Lee has since returned to the screen on Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle
on BBC 2).
Highlights of the reunuion show included a performance of the TMWRNJ theme song by Emma Kennedy's band Vaginal Tap and the return of Paul Putner as The Curious Orange.
The show is available on YouTube.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
television programme, written by and starring Lee and Herring
Lee and Herring
Lee and Herring were a British standup comedy double act consisting of the comedians Stewart Lee and Richard Herring. They were probably most famous for their work on television, most notably Fist of Fun and This Morning With Richard Not Judy but had been working together on stage and on radio...
. Two series were broadcast in 1998
1998 in television
The year 1998 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1998.For the American TV schedule, see: 1998–99 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
and 1999
1999 in television
The year 1999 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1999.For the American TV schedule, see: 1999-00 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-Miniseries:...
on BBC2. The name was a satirical reference to ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
which was at the time popularly referred to as This Morning with Richard and Judy
Richard and Judy
Richard and Judy is the name informally given to Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, a married couple who are both British television presenters and columnists. Since their marriage, their television appearances have been largely made as a couple. They are best known for presenting This Morning and...
.
The show was a reworking of old material from their previous work together (radio and TV) along with new characters. The show was hosted in a daytime chat show format in front of a live studio audience, although it featured a small proportion of pre-recorded location inserts. It was structured by the often strange obsessions of Richard Herring; examples include his rating of the milk of all creatures and attempting to popularise the acronym of the show (TMWRNJ) (in the style of Tiswas
Tiswas
Tiswas was a Saturday morning children's British television series which ran from 5 January 1974 to 3 April 1982 and was produced for the ITV network by ATV Network Limited....
). The show featured (and acknowledged its use of) repetition, with regular and vigilant viewers being rewarded by jokes that would make no sense to casual viewers. The show seemed to oscillate between the intellectual and puerile. However, irony was often used, even though the citing of irony as an excuse was mocked by the show's stars in one of many self-referential jokes.
The Actor Kevin Eldon also reprised two of his characters from the earlier Lee & Herring series Fist of Fun
Fist of Fun
Fist of Fun was a popular British comedy television and radio programme, written by and starring Lee and Herring . A lot of the show's comic material was adapted from Lee and Herring's radio programme Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World.Each episode of Fist of Fun featured several disparate sketches...
, Simon Quinlank (the "King of Hobbies") and his portrayal of "the false Rod Hull
Rod Hull
Rodney Stephen Hull , better known as Rod Hull, was a popular entertainer on British television in the 1970s and 1980s. He rarely appeared without Emu, a mute, highly aggressive arm-length puppet of the flightless emu bird...
" as a jelly
Gelatin dessert
Gelatin desserts are desserts made with sweetened and flavored gelatin. They can be made by combining plain gelatin with other ingredients or by using a premixed blend of gelatin with additives...
fanatic with a false arm and giant chin. A run of sketches featuring Eldon as the false Rod Hull was filmed for the second series, but dropped when the real Rod Hull died just prior to the start of the series. A new sketch was filmed as a tribute and featured as the closing item of the last programme in the series. (Rod Hull had taken this in good humour and had featured in one episode of Fist of Fun as a guest, pouring scorn on the false Rod Hull.)
TMWRNJ was the subject of many complaints on Points of View
Points of View
Points of View is a long-running television show shown in the United Kingdom on BBC One, featuring the letters of viewers offering praise, criticism and purportedly witty observations on the television of recent weeks...
, largely due to the surprisingly adult content for a programme shown at Sunday lunchtime. The Jesus sketches were much remarked upon on Points of View due to the time of broadcast and uncertainty as to whether they were making fun of Jesus or people's take on the scriptures themselves. Like Fist of Fun it remains a cult series fondly remembered by fans. Unfortunately, the master tapes of some episodes were lost by the BBC, making repeats of the series or a DVD release unlikely http://www.stewartlee.co.uk/whatisstewartlee/whatisstewartlee1999.htm.
The Curious Orange
Questions about life from a gigantic talking orange, played by Paul PutnerPaul Putner
-Life and career:He was born in East Grinstead. He studied at LAMDA where he won, amongst other prizes, the Kenneth More prize for comedy acting.His first significant TV role saw Putner as numerous characters in The Glam Metal Detectives shown on BBC2. His real break in comedy came after he set up...
. The name is derived from the album I Am Kurious Oranj
I Am Kurious Oranj
I Am Kurious Oranj is a 1988 album by British rock band The Fall. The album was written as the soundtrack for the ballet "I am Curious, Orange", produced by contemporary dance group Michael Clark & Company, and themed loosely around the 300th anniversary of William of Orange's accession to the...
by The Fall (itself a reference to the film I Am Curious (Yellow)
I Am Curious (Yellow)
I Am Curious is a 1967 Swedish drama film written and directed by Vilgot Sjöman and starring Sjöman and Lena Nyman. It is a companion film to 1968's I Am Curious ; the two were initially intended to be one 3½ hour film...
), which was used to introduce each Curious Orange segment. At the end of the first series, having been revealed to be Richard Herring's illegitimate son, he was crushed to death and "juiced", but he was later reconstituted by a mad scientist. Throughout the second series his behaviour became increasingly sinister, and for a while he was replaced by The Curious Alien (in truth due to Putner's commitments elsewhere). By the final episode, he had mutated into a tyrannical character reminiscent of Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
s Davros
Davros
Davros is a character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Davros is an archenemy of the Doctor and is the creator of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks...
(though "just different enough not to infringe any copyright laws").
Histor's Eye
Ostensibly an extremely low-budget Sky TVBritish Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
children's television programme featuring two pirate crows: the titular Histor (who concealed a multicoloured spinning eye beneath his eyepatch) and his hapless first mate Pliny Harris. Histor's ability to transport himself and Pliny through time ("as the crow flies") to view past events would be used to satirise current affairs, and the script would be peppered with deliberately weak but dense nautical- and bird-related multiple puns, which would increase in volume and weakness as the series progressed. (For example, Pliny would say 'Egg feather bird oeuf tit' in place of 'I've never heard of it', or 'Feather me wingers' in place of 'Shiver me timbers'.) Pliny's idiocy drives Histor to insanity and, eventually, he murders him by stuffing him with eggs until he bursts, as he keeps using the word "egg" so it has no connection or relation to the context of what Histor was saying, (only for Histor to be subsequently haunted by Pliny's equally pun-obsessed ghost). A running joke in this segment was that despite Pliny's apparent idiocy, he would occasionally counter Histor's right-wing views with extraordinarily eloquent and well constructed left-wing arguments. This would often result in Pliny being physically attacked by Histor or a third party (e.g. having a broken glass shoved into his face by a "lager lout" Saint George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
). During the Histor's Eye segment the ident "KIDZ CHANNEL" would be shown in the top left of the screen, this was similar to those used by many satellite broadcasters at the time.
Another running gag not featured in the fictional show, but would be part of its introduction, would be a sketch in which Herring naively complains about a recent report in the media, only for Lee to try to correct him before realizing the best way to make him understand better is showing him "An educational film for the under fives" he taped from cable TV. After the segment Lee would ask Herring if that cleared the matter up for him, with Herring praising the crows for this saying he now understands. Indeed, Herring once points out that the same joke is always told every week before showing the latest episode, shortly after Lee told him that telling the same jokes soon wears off, with the episode of "Histor's Eye" being focused on that topic. The gag was less frequent in the second series.
Musical Interludes
Richard ThomasRichard Thomas (musician)
Richard Thomas is British a musician, writer, and comedy actor. He is best known for composing and scoring the award-winning Jerry Springer: The Opera with Stewart Lee. Thomas collected the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Score in 2004....
played keyboards every week on the show and in series 1 would play a hymn at the end of the show.
Pause for Thought for the Day
The Unusual Priest, played by Kevin Eldon, would present ethical dilemmaEthical dilemma
An Ethical dilemma is a complex situation that will often involve an apparent mental conflict between moral imperatives, in which to obey one would result in transgressing another....
s, dealing with them in increasingly ridiculous fashion.
When Insects Attack
A parodyParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the show When Animals Attack!
When Animals Attack!
When Animals Attack! is a series of television specials aired by FOX in the United States during the mid- to late-1990s. The specials compiled graphic clips of various animals attacking humans....
, with a voice-over supposedly by actor Greg Evigan
Greg Evigan
Gregory Ralph "Greg" Evigan is an American actor best known for the TV series B.J. and the Bear, My Two Dads, P.S. I Luv U and TekWar.-Personal life:...
(actually Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss is an English actor, screenwriter and novelist. He is best known as a member of the comedy team The League of Gentlemen, and has both written for and acted in the TV series Doctor Who and Sherlock....
). The last episode of this segment, in the first series, saw The Lettuce Family attacked by a slug – technically not an insect. In the second series this was replaced by When Things Get Knocked Over but as each week progressed, the segment's subject would vary. Eventually the title became When Things Get Knocked Over, Spill, or Fall Out Of Cupboards.
King (or Queen) of the Show
In each edition, a member of the audience would be crowned "King or Queen of the Show", either at random or as a reward for sending in an especially entertaining letter. After being crowned, they would be offered various items from a trolley- these items would be all be linked by the current theme of the show. The crown and trolley would be brought on by the normally mute ("we can't afford to pay you to speak") Trevor and Nathalie (Trevor LockTrevor Lock
Trevor Lock is an English comedian, actor and playwright. He is noted for the circuitous and surreal nature of his stand-up comedy.-Early life:Lock was born in Lincolnshire...
and Nathalie Brandon) who would sometimes be dressed in outlandish costumes. At this point Trevor would invariably be mocked by Stew for having "a small face".
Richard Herring would use this segment of the show as an opportunity to swear live on Sunday morning TV. Each week it would be varied. For example he would chant "There's only one King. One King. Wan King. Wanking!" On another week, imitating a trumpet, "Fa fa fa fa, King! Fa fa fa fucking!"
Trevor And Nathalie
A man with 'an extremely small face', called Trevor (comedian Trevor LockTrevor Lock
Trevor Lock is an English comedian, actor and playwright. He is noted for the circuitous and surreal nature of his stand-up comedy.-Early life:Lock was born in Lincolnshire...
), and a woman called Nathalie, played by Nathalie Brandon, would appear on each show in non-speaking roles as slaves, often to bring in props or to usher in guests or other performers.
The Five Aims
Every week, Rich and Stew discussed 5 aims they wanted to implement before the end of the series, a parody of New Labour's pledge cards from the 1997 General Election. (The aims were different every week).The Profit Making Phone Opinion Poll
Each week the show would stage a phone in which was purely designed to make money for Lee and Herring. The phone in was hosted by 'Jo Unwin and The Actor Kevin Eldon' and would tackle issues which dominated the weeks news. The phone in would present viewers with 3 options to the topical question of which one would be phrased in a style similar to "I agree, but trivial phone opinion polls about such important issues are morally offensive."The Ironic Review
A fly-on-the-wall documentary about a so-called cutting edge magazine. The item was ostensibly a satire of The Modern ReviewModern Review (London)
Modern Review was the name of a London-based magazine reviewing popular arts and culture, founded by Julie Burchill, Cosmo Landesman and its editor, Toby Young. It was published from 1991 to 1995 and principally financed by Peter York. Amongst its high-profile contributors were Nick Hornby, Will...
, with the journalists being in bitter competition to see who could write the most "ironic" article.
Men of Achievement 1974
A short item in which the details of an entry in the book of the same name would be read out. At one point, noted as the least popular part of the show, but kept in 'until it becomes so popular, it gets its own series'.Men of Achievement 1974 was first mentioned in the TV version of Fist of Fun as an item Richard Herring had shoplifted from a charity shop.
The School
A fly on the wall documentary focussing on two teachers and their attempts to teach English at a secondary school. Mr Harris (Herring) is an old fashioned teacher described as a 'good man' by the head master who is abused by his students and enjoys nothing more than marking. Mr Ian Kennedy (Lee) is a rogue teacher who constantly attempts to rock the establishment. He is described as 'a fuckwit' by the head teacher.Roger Crowley
The self-styled most evil man alive, played by Roger Mann. During the first series he would regularly break into the programme to outline his latest absurd plan for world domination. Based on Aleister CrowleyAleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
(evident in the costume's triangular hat).
The Organ Gang
Also known as TOG, in keeping with Richard's unhealthy abbreviation obsession – A spoof children's series, drawn by Joseph Champniss and narrated by Brian CantBrian Cant
Brian Cant is an English actor, television presenter and writer.-Personal life:Born in Ipswich, he currently lives in Buckinghamshire and is married to writer and director Cherry Britton, sister of TV presenter Fern Britton and actor Jasper Britton. They have three children, daughter Rose, and...
, in which the characters were all organs of the human body, they would have some adventure and end up "laughing for a whole five minutes." It bore some resemblance to the real children's series The Garden Gang in which all the characters were fruit and vegetables. The final episode saw Brian Cant ranting at his duty of being the narrator saying I'm Brian Cant!.
Special Guests
The first series featured guests who were interviewed in a talk show fashion including Jenny Eclair, Peter BaynhamPeter Baynham
Peter Baynham is a screenwriter and a British comedian, writer, and performer. He often collaborates with Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris and has worked with Stewart Lee and Richard Herring. He is first heard on Morris' early radio DJ slots, often going out to places...
and Jack Docherty
Jack Docherty
Jack Docherty is a Scottish writer, actor, presenter and producer.-Early career:He first performed at the 1980 Edinburgh Festival Fringe with the comedy sketch group The Bodgers which he formed with George Watson's College schoolfriends Moray Hunter, Gordon Kennedy and Pete Baikie. They performed...
(who claimed to have had sex with Morwenna Banks
Morwenna Banks
Morwenna Banks is a British comedy actress, writer and producer.Banks is perhaps best known in the UK as a cast member of the British Channel 4 comedy series Absolutely, where her best-known character was a schoolgirl who sat on the edge of a desk.She appeared as the Keeper of the Rules in the...
while she was dressed as her 'little girl' character from Absolutely
Absolutely (TV series)
Absolutely is a popular United Kingdom television comedy sketch show shown on Channel 4 between 1989 and 1993.The cast and crew were mainly Scottish; the principal writers and performers were Moray Hunter, Jack Docherty, Peter Baikie, Gordon Kennedy , Morwenna Banks and John Sparkes...
).
Sunday Heroes
A series of sketches featuring Jesus and his disciples as the main characters, parodying a schoolteacher and his class. In one sketch per week a disciple would pose a question to JesusJesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
(Lee), usually on a topic of importance that would split Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
(e.g. Transubstantiation
Transubstantiation
In Roman Catholic theology, transubstantiation means the change, in the Eucharist, of the substance of wheat bread and grape wine into the substance of the Body and Blood, respectively, of Jesus, while all that is accessible to the senses remains as before.The Eastern Orthodox...
vs Transignification
Transignification
Transignification is an idea originating from the attempts of modernist Roman Catholic theologians, especially Edward Schillebeeckx, to better understand the mystery of the Real Presence of Christ at Mass in light of a new philosophy of the nature of reality that is more in line with contemporary...
). Instead of answering directly He would make a vague comment (such as instructing them to "consider the lily"), pause, then say "ahh" in a mysterious manner, causing all but Matthew
Matthew the Evangelist
Matthew the Evangelist was, according to the Bible, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the four Evangelists.-Identity:...
(Herring) to "ahh" along with Him, leading the disciple to become frustrated with the evasion ("This isn't an 'ahh' situation"; "Ahh!"; "No, not 'ahh' – you can't just say 'consider the lily'"; "Ahh!"; "No Jesus: Not 'ahh'.") Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
(Carlton Dixon) would insult Matthew for not understanding, insisting in a smug "class swot" manner that he "got it right away", and Judas
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
(Eldon) would also laugh at double entendres, only to be admonished. The other Apostles were played by Paul Putner ("Doubting Thomas"
Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman...
), Trevor Lock
Trevor Lock
Trevor Lock is an English comedian, actor and playwright. He is noted for the circuitous and surreal nature of his stand-up comedy.-Early life:Lock was born in Lincolnshire...
(Thaddaeus
Saint Jude
Jude was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is generally identified with Thaddeus, and is also variously called Jude of James, Jude Thaddaeus, Judas Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus...
) and Emma Kennedy
Emma Kennedy
Emma Kennedy is an English actress, writer and television presenter....
(the fictional Ian, who only started following Jesus as he misunderstood the phrase "fishers of men"). These sketches tended to cause some controversy given the time of the show and the day of its broadcast.
The Corrs Shrine
A shrine to the Corrs or more correctly 'The Corrs Shrine'. Essentially Herring's infatuation with Andrea CorrAndrea Corr
Andrea Jane Corr is an Irish musician, songwriter and actress. Corr debuted in 1990 as the lead singer of the Celtic folk rock and pop rock group The Corrs along with her three elder siblings Caroline, Sharon, and Jim...
. The rest of them (particularly the Man Corr
Jim Corr
James Steven Ignatius "Jim" Corr is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. He is a member of the Irish folk/rock band The Corrs, the other members being his three younger sisters Andrea, Sharon and Caroline. He is also a DJ....
) he didn't care for, a joke based on the similar looks of the Corr sisters.
Extra Final Scene
This would take the form of a tacked-on ending for a different film each week, for example as extra final scene for Blues Brothers 2000Blues Brothers 2000
Blues Brothers 2000 is a 1998 American musical comedy film that is a sequel to the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Directed by John Landis, the film featured Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman, with cameos by many musicians.-Plot:...
which saw Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
and John Goodman
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
laughing and urinating on the grave of John Belushi
John Belushi
John Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, The Star of the Films National Lampoon's Animal House and the The Blues Brothers and for fronting the American blues and soul...
before driving off in the Bluesmobile. Another was made for Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
, in which Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
's character swims to the surface after Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet
Kate Elizabeth Winslet is an English actress and occasional singer. She has received multiple awards and nominations. She was the youngest person to accrue six Academy Award nominations, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Reader...
is rescued to celebrate finally escaping her clutches.
Angus Deayton's Authorised History Of Alternative Comedy (with Angus Deayton)
A satirical version of a BBC series that explored the boom in alternative comedy in the 1970s and early 1980s. The item would involve a comedian (either the portrayal of a real life person or a generic stand-up) reminisce about the "amazing times" they had, while shamelessly exaggerating their trailblazing influence. The characters would always be seen drinking from an SDPSocial Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
mug, a reference to the political party famously supported by John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
(whose picture appeared on the title screen) during the 1980s. Angus Deayton
Angus Deayton
Gordon Angus Deayton is an English actor, writer, musician, comedian and broadcaster. He is best known for his role as Victor Meldrew's long-suffering neighbour Patrick Trench in the comedy series One Foot in the Grave...
himself did not appear.
Curious Alien
In series 2 the Curious Orange was replaced by the Curious Alien as Stew becomes increasingly frustrated with the Orange's behaviour.Rich's Robbie Williams Tattoo
Rich becomes obsessed with Robbie WilliamsRobbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
as a result of his alleged relationship with Andrea Corr. In order to display his love for the former Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
member Rich draws a felt tip pen tattoo on his stomach in the shape of Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
.
Nostradamus and his horse David Collins
A regular feature in the second series, medieval seer NostradamusNostradamus
Michel de Nostredame , usually Latinised to Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties , the first edition of which appeared in 1555...
(played by Emma Kennedy
Emma Kennedy
Emma Kennedy is an English actress, writer and television presenter....
with a false beard and, for no adequately explored reason, a Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
accent) would give his predictions for the week ahead, which would often be either completely absurd or extremely vague. The start of the segment would look at the previous week's predictions, if they were not correct Nostradamus would be punished by a nipple cripple, or something similarly pseudo-sexual, by Richard. During one episode Richard obsessed about cress
Garden cress
Garden cress is a fast-growing, edible herb that is botanically related to watercress and mustard, sharing their peppery, tangy flavor and aroma...
for a whole show, as a spoof of product placement deals. When Nostradamus only got 1 out of the 3 of his predictions correct, a barbecue of cress was burnt with a blowlamp.
Richard Herring's Food And Milk
A weekly segment in which Richard Herring would taste a different milk (shrews, tapirs, blue whale, Jesus milk, the milk of human kindness) and give a rating out of ten. Despite the name no solid food was ever featured in this piece (although Golden GrahamsGolden Grahams
Golden Grahams is a brand of breakfast cereal owned by General Mills. It consists of small toasted square shaped cereal pieces made of whole wheat and corn. The taste is a mix of honey and brown sugar...
also featured elsewhere on the show several times, apparently to ensure this unloved cereal did not go unnoticed in the UK). He would end with the line "Remember, there'll always be milk".
Lazy Comedy Slags
Lee and Herring would discuss lazy comedy clichés, such as jokes ending with "and then I got off the bus", "28 years old I was!", "And that was just the teachers... aaah", "and then I was thrown out of the public library... ah", "and then I got out of the toddlers' paddling pool... ah", and "and then I was sacked as head of the girls school biology department" and jokes designed to play on the audience's sense of nostalgia for the 1970s.During one episode they also brainstormed lazy comedy ideas for the BBC. Their ideas would usually include characters called Ian – a running joke which also featured in Sunday Heroes, with one of the disciples being called Ian. Programme examples included:
- Roll Reversall
Ian Roll is a driving instructor, Ian Reversall is a baker. Due to some kind of accident they are forced to swap jobs. With hilarious consequences.
- Pie In The Sky
Ian Pie is the landlord of the Sky pub. In an attempt to attract custom each week he buys a different giant pie which goes wrong and ironically scares the public away. With hilarious consequences.
- Myy Cup Upstairs
Ian Myy lives in a flat. His upstairs neighbour borrows one of his cups and then doesn't return it. The series details Ian Myy's contrived and failed attempts to get back the cup that is rightfully his.
- Babes In The Wood
Two babies live in a piece of wood. Simple but brilliant.
- Chalk And Cheese
Ian Chalk and Ian Cheese are two men. They are very different. As different literally as chalk and cheese. Consequently they don't really get on but occasionally they do something which makes them realise they are more similar than they initially thought and then Ian Cheese falls in a stream to break the seriousness of the moment.
- Bent Coppers
Ian and Iain Bent are brothers who are policemen. One is corrupt and the other is homosexual. They both suffer from curvature of the spine, and they're made of copper – they're robots in the future.
- Ay On The Ball
Adem Ay, who used to do the video game reviews on Live & Kicking
Live & Kicking
Live & Kicking was a BBC Saturday morning children's magazine programme, running from 1993 to 2001. The fourth in a succession of Saturday morning shows, it was the replacement for Going Live!, and took many of its features from it, such as phone-ins, games, comedy, competitions and the showing of...
, loses his to legs in an accident. Zoe Ball
Zoë Ball
Zoë Louise Ball is an English television and radio personality, most famous for becoming the first female host of the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show and for her earlier work presenting the 1990s children's show, Live & Kicking.-TV career:The daughter of the children's TV presenter Johnny Ball and his...
feels guilty that he was sacked and so offers to carry him around on her back thus he is literally 'eye on the ball'. If Zoe not available then Johnny Ball
Johnny Ball
Johnny Ball is a British television personality, a great populariser of mathematics and the father of BBC Radio 2 DJ Zoë Ball.-Early life:...
definitely is.
- Fruit And Nut
Ian Fruit, a flamboyant elderly raconteur, shares a flat with Ian Nut, a dangerous schizophrenic who has escaped from Broadmoor Hospital
Broadmoor Hospital
Broadmoor Hospital is a high-security psychiatric hospital at Crowthorne in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It is the best known of the three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, the other two being Ashworth and Rampton...
. Ian Fruit can only eat nuts, Ian Nut can only eat fruit, but they are both allergic to fruit and nut chocolate. As Ian Nut is mad he always secretly puts fruit and nut chocolate in everything they eat. With fatal consequences.
- Honey I Swallowed Some Seamen
Rick Moranis
Rick Moranis
Frederick Allan "Rick" Moranis is a Canadian comedian, actor, musician, and a magician. Moranis came to prominence in the late 1970s on the sketch comedy show Second City Television, and later appeared in several Hollywood films including Strange Brew; Ghostbusters; Spaceballs; Little Shop of...
plays a hapless professor who accidentally turns himself into a killer whale. Each week he attacks a ship and eats some sailors.
- Men O Paws
It's about cats who can talk, going through the change of life. Possible Eddie Izzard
Eddie Izzard
Edward John "Eddie" Izzard is a British stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy style takes the form of rambling, whimsical monologue and self-referential pantomime...
vehicle.
Lazy TV Executive Twits
Lee and Herring discussed the laziness of TV executives after Rich received an offer from Channel 5 to make a programme about fishing due to his surname. They decided to submit some ideas to Channel 5 themselves, which included:- Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Huge Furry Wishing Stall
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a British celebrity chef, television personality, journalist, food writer and "real food" campaigner, known for his back-to-basics philosophy...
tours the country in a gigantic mink lined stall granting peoples' wishes.
- Fox watch with Dr Fox
Dr Fox hides a secret camera in the toilet of small American actor Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
and watches him go about his daily ablutions.
- Jeremy Paxman's Pacman
Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Dickson Paxman is a British journalist, author and television presenter. He has worked for the BBC since 1977. He is noted for a forthright and abrasive interviewing style, particularly when interrogating politicians...
goes round the country on a moped playing the early arcade game Pacman. He is not allowed to leave any town until he has clocked up the highest score for that machine.
- Van Outen's Van Outings
Denise Van Outen
Denise van Outen
Denise van Outen is an English actress, singer and television presenter. Her most notable roles to date are as a presenter on The Big Breakfast, and as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago on both the West End and on Broadway.- Early life :Born Denise Kathleen Outen in Basildon, Essex, she is the...
goes out in a van and meets other people with 'Van' in their name and outs them as homosexual. Whether they are or not.
- Dimbleby's Dim Bumble Bees
David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby is a British BBC TV commentator and a presenter of current affairs and political programmes, most notably the BBC's flagship political show Question Time, and more recently, art, architectural history and history series...
presents a kind of candid camera programme for bees where the foolish insects are shown making mistakes like trying to collect pollen from artificial flowers.
- Midge Ure's Midge Urine
Midge Ure
Midge Ure
James "Midge" Ure, OBE is a Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter...
travels around the country on a motorcycle looking at and sampling the urine of different species of Midge
Midge
A midge is a very small, two-winged flying insect. "Midge" may also refer to:-Real:* Midge Costanza , American politician* Mildred Gillars , aka "Midge", American broadcaster of Nazi propaganda during World War II...
s.
- Lemmy and Leeming's Lemmings
In which Jan Leeming
Jan Leeming
Jan Leeming is a British TV presenter and newsreader.-Career:Born Janet Atkins in Kent, England, and educated at the St. Joseph's Convent Grammar School, she worked as an actress and presenter in Australia and New Zealand before becoming a well-known face on British television in regional and...
and Lemmy from Motorhead tame wild Lemming
Lemming
Lemmings are small rodents, usually found in or near the Arctic, in tundra biomes. They are subniveal animals, and together with voles and muskrats, they make up the subfamily Arvicolinae , which forms part of the largest mammal radiation by far, the superfamily Muroidea, which also includes rats,...
s.
- Craven's Cravings
Newsround
Newsround
Newsround is a BBC children's news programme, which has run continuously since 4 April 1972, and was one of the world's first television news magazines aimed specifically at children...
's John Craven talks each week about some of the things he has cravings for: food, alcohol and oxygen but mainly knitwear.
- Johnny Ball's Balls
A specialist show for after the 9 p.m. watershed.
- Zoe BallZoë BallZoë Louise Ball is an English television and radio personality, most famous for becoming the first female host of the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show and for her earlier work presenting the 1990s children's show, Live & Kicking.-TV career:The daughter of the children's TV presenter Johnny Ball and his...
's Balls
Similar to Johnny Ball
Johnny Ball
Johnny Ball is a British television personality, a great populariser of mathematics and the father of BBC Radio 2 DJ Zoë Ball.-Early life:...
's balls but involves expensive prosthetic make-up.
- Woodward's Wood Wad
Louise Woodward
Louise Woodward
The Louise Woodward case concerned a young English au pair convicted, at age 19, of the 1997 involuntary manslaughter of eight-month-old Matthew Eappen while he was in her care in his home in Newton, Massachusetts, in the United States...
, the clumsy nanny, is given a wad of money made from wood which she has to try and spend before her parents can steal it off her.
- Seaman's Seaman
David Seaman
David Seaman
David Andrew Seaman MBE is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury...
goes round the country on a moped meeting different sailors.
- Mel and Sue's Melon Zoo
Mel and Sue
Mel and Sue
Mel and Sue are a British comedy duo, consisting of Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.-Early career:The two women met whilst students at the University of Cambridge in England where both were members of the famous comedy club Footlights.-Television:Their television breakthrough came on the French &...
from Late Lunch appear in a fly on the wall documentary about a zoo they run where all the cages are full of melons.
- Mike Reid's My Creed
Former BBC Radio 1 DJ Mike Read and Eastenders star Mike Reid travel around the country in a moped challenging each other's religious beliefs
Quotes
"Curse you God for making me this way!" – A feature of a recurring theme in the series, where someone would be laughed at (in a surreal fashion) due to a misfortune. The victim of the ridicule would always say this, while shaking his or her fists at the sky."My expectations were confounded and from thence the humour arose."
"Who is the real sick man in this so called society?" A question posed by Herring throughout the first series in order to justify his outrageously inappropriate and perverse personal anecdotes such as:
"Wanting to make love to an animal with the body of Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
's and the head of an ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
."
He would compare his activities to:
"The businessman, in his Suit
Suit (clothing)
In clothing, a suit is a set of garments made from the same cloth, consisting of at least a jacket and trousers. Lounge suits are the most common style of Western suit, originating in the United Kingdom as country wear...
and tie
Necktie
A necktie is a long piece of cloth worn for decorative purposes around the neck or shoulders, resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat. Variants include the ascot tie, bow tie, bolo tie, and the clip-on tie. The modern necktie, ascot, and bow tie are descended from the cravat. Neck...
having sex with the same woman, his wife, every day of his life for 40 years."
It was always concluded by Lee that Herring was clearly the more sick.
"Look at his little face, it’s almost as if he understands."
"Saying it in a staccato fashion doesn't make it any more true."
"No, listen to the question and the words in it..."
Transmission details
- Number of episodes: 18
- Running-time: 45 minutes
- Series 1 (8 episodes): 15 February – 5 April 1998 – BBC2, Sundays at 12.15
- Series 2 (10 episodes): 21 March – 13 June 1999 – BBC2, Sundays, mostly at 12.15
- Shortened (30-minute) repeats of the programmes were aired by BBC2 on the Friday following each original broadcast
Lee & Herring @ Tedstock (Bloomsbury Theatre), February 5, 2007
Stewart Lee and Richard Herring reformed their act after a period of eight years to perform a brief selection of their old material at Tedstock 2007, at the Bloomsbury Theatre, London. Self-mocking and sarcastic as ever, the pair opened with a pastiche of the Mitchell and WebbMitchell and Webb
Mitchell and Webb are a British comedy double act, comprising David Mitchell and Robert Webb . They are best known for starring in the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show....
PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
vs. Mac
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
adverts shown that year, which then leads on to a rant by Rich that "It should have been us Stew!"
The show is available on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
TMWRNJ Reunion Show @ The Lyric, Hammersmith Nov 2008
Stew and Rich performed a forty-minute selection of their TMWRNJ material at a 'reunion gig' at the Lyric HammersmithLyric Hammersmith
The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on King Street, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, which takes pride in its original, "groundbreaking" productions....
in November 2008. Their approach to the material was characteristically sarcastic and self-referential, with both comedians ruthlessly deriding their own their classic routines even down to points of language and grammar – despite Rich insisting that "You can't question the text! This is like Shakespeare!"
Both comedians fell into their old double act with relative comfort. Much humour was drawn both from the passage of time since TMWRNJ came to an end (Rich opens the set with "Old Mr Lee! Old Mr Lee! Can Stewart come out to play?") and the effective lack of a television career for either comedian since. (Stewart Lee has since returned to the screen on Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle
Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle
Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle is a comedy series created by Stewart Lee.The BBC Two series debuted on 16 March 2009, and featured stand-up routines and sketches performed by Simon Munnery, Kevin Eldon and Paul Putner amongst others. Peter Serafinowicz recorded voice-over parts. The series is...
on BBC 2).
Highlights of the reunuion show included a performance of the TMWRNJ theme song by Emma Kennedy's band Vaginal Tap and the return of Paul Putner as The Curious Orange.
The show is available on YouTube.
External links
Comedy Guide- Fist of Fun.net fansite, includes downloads of their radio shows and live performances, episode guides, interviews, etc.
- Lee and Herring.com
- Official Stewart Lee website
- Stewart Lee's website links to full episodes Stewart Lee's site now has links to all of the full episodes of the show, hosted on Google Video
- Official Richard Herring website
- YouTube clip
- YouTube clip