Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979 – 1982)
Not the Nine O'Clock News is a television comedy sketch show, originally broadcast from 1979 to 1982. The show featured satirical sketches on current culture and news stories, as well as comedy sketches, parody songs, spoof television features and re-edited videos, and was originally shown as an alternative to the Nine O'Clock News on BBC1. The sketches in the show were mainly self-contained which lasted few minutes and regularly had an extent of naturalism in the performances. There were a total of four seasons, summing to 27 episodes and the sitcom's popularity led to a stage show in London and Oxford in 1982.
The show launched the careers of many high-profile writers and actors that included Rowan Atkinson, who is most noteworthy as Mr. Bean. The rest of the cast included Pamela Stephenson, Chris Langham, Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith. Not the Nine O'Clock News is credited with bringing alternative comedy to Britain and British television. The show's uniqueness came about from its video editing and recording techniques. The pace of each episode was enhanced by use of jump-cuts between library clips of celebrities, politicians and royalties mainly. The series focused in observational comedy and put its observation mostly on the events of the world, which opened doors to almost any writer. The sitcom created a flow of material and an unorthodox system of writing talent that led to the founding of the independent production companies that would eventually lead comedy development in the future.
The show is a must-watch for audience who enjoy sketch comedy and unusual scripts. For the audience who is familiar with and admire the comedic talents of Rowan Atkinson, this series will take them back where the comedy legend started his career.
Source: Internet
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