User Reviews

Satire's heyday on British television was the 1960's. In 1977, it made a brief comeback in this six-part series made by ATV. Produced by and starring the urbane Ned Sherrin, it was shot on film, without a laugh track, and poked fun at investigative journalism. Sherrin travelled the length and breadth of the country, interviewing various eccentrics such as the world's first bionic hooligan, and fronted spoof new items such as the adoption agency where orphans interview prospective parents ( a young Linda Robson appeared in this sketch ), a school for mercenaries ( 'The Dogs Of War' by Frederick Forsyth was on the curriculum ), and the University of Anything Goes whose students indulge in sado-masochism amongst other things ( this sketch graced the first episode and seems to have been written purely to drive Mary Whitehouse up the wall ). 'Why Are Roving Reporters Always Roving?' was a witty monologue delivered by Sherrin at great speed from various locations. 'Behind The Scenes At ITV's Comedy Department' had Henry McGee as a grumpy commissioning editor and John Junkin as a writer whose ideas for new shows are variations on existing formats. The sketch took pot shots at recent series such as 'Down The Gate' ( starring Reg Varney ) and, that comedian's favourite target, the soap opera 'Crossroads'. Sherrin used many T.W.3. writers such as Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall as well as N.F. Simpson. Ron Grainer provided the bombastic theme tune. It was all a bit hit and miss, but when on target, the sketches were hilarious. Sherrin closed each edition with the words: "i find that rather reassuring!". Not enough viewers were reassured apparently, and there was no second season and the first is missing from the archives. This is a pity as I believe it would probably stand up well now.