Radio 2's History Of British Comedy
- Radio documentary
- BBC Radio 2
- 2013
- 4 episodes (1 series)
Four part series in which David Mitchell traces the history of British humour, from 1913 to the present day. Also features Christopher Paul Lee, Barry Cryer, Denis Norden, Michael Grade, Jimmy Cricket and more.
Episode menu
Series 1, Episode 3
Further details
In this episode, David looks at Round The Horne. Innuendo has been there in every programme so far, but never in the field of British comedy has anyone pushed as hard as Julian and Sandy did!
He examines the big screen too. Everyone knows what is meant by the phrase 'Carry On humour', but as the films moved through the Seventies, they became freer and laced with sexual innuendo. But by their demise in the late Seventies, the double entendre was more forced and attempts to shock were creeping in.
The programme marks the satire boom of the Sixties. Britain was the centre of popular culture, and comedy was on that band wagon with Peter Cook and That Was The Week That Was.
David also learns how Beyond The Fringe changed reviews forever, and the programme marks the contributions of the Monty Python team, The Two Ronnies, and Morecambe and Wise.
Many call the Seventies the Golden Age of British Comedy and there's no denying that this was the heyday of peak-time light entertainment that was targeted at all ages. Behind the big names however, there was a change of emphasis. The country was facing a tough economic situation and, in times of hardship, comedy is often there to take our minds off our worries - not to remind us of our problems!
As TV and radio dominated, many say that live variety started to die in the Seventies, but variety shows packed out every theatre in every seaside town while Working Men's Clubs took on the acts who once toured the Empire or Stoll Moss circuits a couple of decades before.
The programme includes interviews and archive material from Denis Norden, producer Johnnie Hamp, writers David Nobbs and Barry Cryer, showbusiness agent Laurie Mansfield, Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, Kenneth Williams, media lecturer CP Lee, Dave Spikey, Peter Cook and Jonathan Miller.
Broadcast details
- Date
- Tuesday 19th March 2013
- Time
- 10pm
- Channel
- BBC Radio 2
- Length
- 60 minutes
Cast & crew
| David Mitchell | Host / Presenter |
| Christopher Paul Lee (as Dr CP Lee) | Self |
| Barry Cryer | Self |
| Denis Norden | Self |
| Laurie Mansfield | Self |
| Johnnie Hamp | Self |
| David Nobbs | Self |
| Carla Lane | Self |
| Jonathan Miller | Self |
| Ray Galton | Self |
| Alan Simpson | Self |
| Robert Ross | Self |
| David Frost | Self |
| Dick Clement | Self |
| Ian La Frenais | Self |
| Ronnie Corbett | Self |
| Dave Spikey | Self |
| Eddie Braben | Self |
| Eric Morecambe | Self (Archive Material) |
| Ernie Wise | Self (Archive Material) |
| Ronnie Barker | Self (Archive Material) |
| Kenneth Williams | Self (Archive Material) |
| Kenneth Connor | Self (Archive Material) |
| Barbara Windsor | Self (Archive Material) |
| Peter Cook | Self (Archive Material) |
| Terry Jones | Self (Archive Material) |
| Michael Palin | Self (Archive Material) |
| John Cleese | Self (Archive Material) |
| Mike Craig | Self (Archive Material) |
| Les Dawson | Self (Archive Material) |
| Phil Collinge | Writer |
| Phil Collinge | Producer |
| Ashley Byrne | Executive Producer |