Yes Im Sorry I Read That Again

L to R: Bill Oddie, John Cleese, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Jo Kendall, Graeme Garden and David Hatch

"This is 'I'm Deplorable I'll Read That Again', an extravaganza peculiarly written for the wireless by several persons, and featuring a number of performers."

—Announcer

I'one thousand Deplorable I'll Read That Again was a pop BBC Sketch Comedy bear witness which ran between 1965 and 1973, with a one-off "25th anniversary" show in 1989. It was something of a spiritual successor to The Goon Show, featuring numerous atrocious puns, funny voices and bizarre situations. The program originated from a broadcast of the 1963 Cambridge Circus revue, followed by iii preparatory shows in April 1964, which were followed past the first serial proper a year and a half later.

The cast, all Cambridge alums, included Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Nib Oddie, who after went on to create The Goodies, and John Cleese, who, along with occasional writers Eric Idle and Graham Chapman, later went on to form Monty Python. Also in the cast were Jo Kendall and David Hatch. The early on series featured occasional appearances by producer Humphrey Barclay (the original director of Cambridge Circus), but these concluded later Barclay handed the reins of production to Hatch.

The format of the show was rather slapdash in the beginning, but eventually was streamlined into a Cold Opening sketch followed by the tongue-in-cheek opening announcements, followed by two or three unrelated sketches, a (ordinarily) comic song by Beak Oddie, and then the extended central sketch of the calendar week, usually an Affectionate Parody of either a specific film, book, or play, or simply a genre.

I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again was responsible for the creation of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue a few years later on.

---

Tropes:

• Ambiguous Syntax: One John and Mary sketch has John driving Mary around the bend with an incessant cord of magic tricks:

  John: How most the baffling Chinese mice play a trick on?
  Mary: Darling, the dining room is full of Chinese mice as it is.
  John: Well, can't I go downwardly and baffle them?

• And Starring: Invoked in the intro of i episode, in which no one tin agree about the casting and billing.

  John: This is I'm Distressing, I'll Read That Again, with special guest John Cleese.
  Tim: Featuring Tim Brooke-Taylor...
  David: Starring David Hatch!
  Graeme: Surprise celebrity — Graeme Garden!
  Jo: Introducing Jo Kendall.
  Bill: With...(sadly) Bill Oddie.

• Butt-Monkey: Beak Oddie, and occasionally David Hatch. Example:

  Jo Kendall: And now a little vocal about a ane-homo band, sung by our piffling songster, Bill Oddie, who should be one homo banned.

• Military camp Gay: Often played by Tim Brooke-Taylor, and sometimes John Cleese as well.
• Campsite Straight: Sir Prancelot, in the King Arthur sketch, is Tim Brooke-Taylor at his most army camp — and madly in dearest with the Male monarch'southward daughter.

  Prancelot: That surprised you, didn't it?

• Helm Obvious: They mined this for a lot of humor.

  David: Oedipus had known his mother a long time.

• Automobile Meets House: Bill and Graeme park inside Tim'southward house in the 25th anniversary episode.
• Catchphrase: Ordinarily avoided, although "I'thou the king rat!" stands out as an exception, too every bit Jo Kendall's characters' "Hello, crewman!" and Beak Oddie'southward "How de do dere, honey!"
  • Ane episode featured Bill attempting to plough "Terrapins!" into a take hold of phrase, just for the remainder of the cast to proceed telling him there was nothing funny nigh terrapins. He proceeded to prove them incorrect with "The Terrapin Song".
  • Another episode included characters randomly blurting out the give-and-take "teapot" in the hope that the audience would exist conditioned to detect it funny. And by halfway through the episode they were.
  • Catchphrases seemed to go on happening, whether the performers wanted them or not. In one subsequently episode, they ran through all the catchphrases from the show'southward run right at the start to get them over with, with John Cleese commenting "Honestly, it's similar feeding time at the zoo" at the audition's thanks. ^notation A reflection of John's genuine disgust at the practice of milking catchphrases for laughs - and the susceptibility of audiences to said practise.
• Censored for One-act: A recurring gag with medleys of censored songs from performers similar Tom Jones or Rolf Harris. Every bit you tin can imagine, they had a lot of fun with songs like 'Two Trivial Boys' (even if that'south Harsher in Hindsight now).
• Character Development: Unusual for a sketch show, merely still present — for many seasons, David Hatch ordinarily played himself playing a generic journalist, and was otherwise either dull or snarky. Then, towards the stop of season 7 and throughout season eight, he started identifying himself more equally a producer, becoming more than assertive, occasionally power-mad, and actively trying to stop the surreality/filthy-mindedness of other cast members rather than merely providing a contrast to it.
• Deadpan Snarker: David Hatch and John Cleese, but John especially. A running gag was him breaking grapheme or otherwise interrupting to snark.

  David: London is home to many people.
  John: ..."London is home to many people". Oh, well done. David Hatch, the boy genius.

• Muddied Old Human being: Grimbling.

  John: Aren't y'all a little past it, old man?
  Grimbling: No, I'm a piddling dirty former man.

• Double Entendre: Almost every joke that wasn't a pun was this. Sometimes the jokes were sexual in nature, sometimes they were only plays on the fact that a given word or phrase could be taken two different ways and spun off from the less obvious interpretation.

  David: Think of Scandinavia, and you may think of beautiful blondes.
  Graeme: Oh, may I?
  David: Oh, certainly.
  Graeme, Neb, Tim: [lustily] Wa-hey!...
  Graeme: [chuckles] Oh, thank you, I enjoyed that.
  David: Yes, not at all.

• Exact Words: The unfortunate name of an arts show is caused by this.

  David: No, no, that's non going to cut it. Look, we need an arts bear witness — but something with a chip of a kick in it.
  (theme music)
  Tim: Nosotros present A Kick In The Arts.

• Finishing Each Other'due south Sentences: Played for laughs in a sketch where Tim, John and Jo wanted to present iii different radio programs (gardening, yoga and cookery respectively) at the aforementioned time, so Graeme makes them share the same microphone, leading to a barrage of Double Entendre one-act.

  Tim: Good evening. At present is the fourth dimension of twelvemonth you lot should be lifting your bulbs-
  John: -crossing your legs-
  Jo: -and whipping half a dozen-
  Tim: -pansies. And as before long as you tin, become them into the bed-
  Jo: -coat them liberally with butter-
  John: -and take a deep breath.

• Hurricane of Puns: Many times.
• Impossible Insurance: In ane sketch, a grapheme buys a ridiculously-specific insurance policy that will only pay out if he's trampled by a herd of bison in the middle of Whitehall. Every bit he is explaining to a skeptical friend (while standing in the middle of Whitehall) what a good deal it was, he is indeed trampled by a herd of bison — just it turns out they're buffalo, non bison.
• Incredibly Lame Pun: By the bushel.
• Inherently Funny Words: Favorite frequently-used funny words on the show included "ferret", "rhubarb tart", "gibbon", and "terrapin".
• I Resemble That Remark!: Unintentional on David's part. From their version of Alice Through The Looking-Glass:

  David: Oh my, oh my, oh my—I'1000 belatedly, I'm tardily, I'chiliad tardily—oh my ears and whiskers—oh my, I'm belatedly, I'm late, I'm late...
  John: It was a loony.
  David: I am non! I'm a little white rabbit!

• Leave Behind a Pistol: Played for Laughs in their Great Escape sketch where the escaping P.O.W.south are told:

  In case of capture, y'all'll each have a pistol with ane bullet. So, for God'southward sake, be careful or you could hurt yourself!

• Left the Background Music On: Several times. In 1 episode, the BBC tin't afford any musicians, and so the linking music that normally signifies a shift in location is conspicously absent. The bandage, therefore, sing an a cappella rendition of the music to movement from location to location.
  • Too played straight at times:

    BBC Director: Now, here's what we want yous to do!
    [transitional piano music]
    David Hatch: ...simply I tin can't play the piano.

  • An episode opens in the Houses of Parliament. The narrator explains that "select committees meet to discuss matters of national import" and so at that place is a tinkly piano transition. Followed by the narrator adding "And play the piano". The scene and then cuts to a meeting room where a member is asked to stop playing the piano and come dorsum to the table.
  • In "Murder on the 3.17 to Cleethorpes", Secret Serviceman Cliff Hanger-Catastrophe (David) has simply received orders from his boss, Special Branch head Twiggy (Graeme), to have classified documents to Cleethorpes, and says he volition never be forgotten if he succeeds. Twiggy so immediately forgets who Hanger-Ending is and orders him out of his part. A clarinet-led musical transition follows, after which Twiggy adds, "And take that blasted clarinet with yous!"
  • Another i from the 25th anniversary bear witness when John begins to deliver an impassioned speech almost how miserable he was not being allowed to practice a Silly Walk or sing 'The Ferret Vocal' and a sad trombone starts playing in the groundwork.

  John: Don't desert me, please... don't abandon me, please... and please... cease playing that encarmine trombone, would you!

• Loads and Loads of Roles: There were only half dozen performers (and very occasional contributions from early series producer Humphrey Barclay), just the spoof radio dramas that took upwards the 2nd one-half of most episodes always featured many more than 6 characters, requiring frequent doubling, tripling, or quadrupling up of roles (often resulting in performers - most often Tim Brooke-Taylor - holding conversations with themselves).
• Lovable Sex Maniac: Lady Constance. Her beingness an Abhorrent Gentleman didn't help.
• Mistaken for Gay: This, from "The Source of the Nile".

  Egyptian Man: Effendi, effendi! I have nice sis!
  Lord Luvaduck: How dare yous?! I'm an English lord!
  Egyptian Man: Oh, I apologize. Effendi, effendi! I take squeamish blood brother!

• My Friends... and Zoidberg
• No Accounting for Sense of taste: John and Mary, played past John Cleese and Jo Kendall. Unremarkably Mary is a Love Martyr, but sometimes she hates John equally much as he hates her.
• Punny Proper name: Many.
• Rapid-Fire Comedy: The show seems to have gotten exponentially faster and funnier each series.
• Refuge in Audacity: You lot meliorate believe it! They managed to get abroad with some staggeringly offensive jokes because of it (their 'Black and White Minstrel Show' went through diverse incarnations including the 'Yellow and White Minstrel Show' and the 'Red and White Minstrel Show' before settling on Tim performing solo as the 'Pink and White Minstrel Show').
• Reunion Show: The 25th Anniversary bear witness in 1988.
• Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies: The final episode of the Professor Clip And The Electric Time Trousers series opens with all the characters dying. They get better.
• Running Gag: Many, such equally Tim Brooke-Taylor playing all women'southward parts, the phrase "promises, promises" to signify a Double Entendre, David Hatch playing all boring bits, ferrets, gibbons, OBEs, and John Davidson (who?).
• Show Stopper:
  • One time she becomes an established recurring character, Lady Constance'southward start advent in any given episode always causes a prolonged audition reaction. (Inevitably, several episodes deliberately subvert the audition'due south expectation of an impending entrance past Lady Constance... for a minute or two, anyway.)
  • From the serial Professor Prune And The Electrical Time Trousers, at every appearance of Spot the Dog (played by Tim Brooke-Taylor, who had previously non been given a role in the serial), there's huge audition adulation, even though his merely line is "Woof!". Eventually, John Cleese gets jealous.

  David: Oh, come up now, John — you've got a sports car, a mansion, a career—all Tim'due south got is his woof! Yous don't begrudge him that, exercise yous?
  John: Yes.

• Shout-Out: In the 25th Anniversary episode, the chief of police calls in "Hercule Parrot". Who is promptly shot, making him Hercule ex-Parrot.
  • Professor Prune And His Electrical Time Trousers
• Bear witness Within a Bear witness: All the time, since the setting of the show was a radio station. Most notable is the weekly Prune Play Of The Week and the two serials, Curse Of The Flying Wombat and Professor Clip And His Electric Time Trousers, which featured an eccentric old buffer and his intrepid young assistants, travelling through space and fourth dimension in the aforementioned Time Trousers.
• Audio-to-Screen Accommodation: As with so many other BBC radio comedy shows before and since, sketches which starting time aired on this bear witness, depending on who wrote them, migrated to television receiver and took on a visual dimension. ISIRTA sketches went to TV shows as diverse as At Last the 1948 Show, The Goodies and Monty Python'south Flying Circus.
• Spoonerism: The kickoff episode of Series v ("Bunny and Claude") segues from the opening credits into "The David Hatch Show", in which David passes himself off equally a DJ. His DJ patter includes the following careful subversion of the obvious spoonerisms:

  David Hatch: Yes, information technology'due south Dave the Rave on the medium wave, with another happy-become-become, ringing-dinging, bunky-futting, frunty-bucking, brunty-funking, funting-butting - that was close! (audience laughter) Funky-butting fun time of fun and frolics on Radio Hatch!

• Stage Magician: I John and Mary sketch has John driving Mary round the bend with an incessant cord of magic tricks, including versions of Pick a Card (he gets the bill of fare incorrect) and What Have We Ear? (producing several remarkable objects, none of which is the i he intended).
• Straight Human: David Hatch, who claims he "simply does the narration and boring bits". Occassionally he bemoans information technology, and occassionally he uses it to avert taking part in the latest shenanigans. (He did oft get his share of puns to deliver, though. Only non every bit many light-headed voices.)
• Accept That!: Tony Blackburn, David Frost and many others.
• Take That, Us
• Translation: "Yes": In the "Schmurtot Yach Proxyl?" sketch, an episode of a program education a fictional Eastern European language.

  "Did you notice that word 'apklaptischmurkschlagomfarawak'? Yes, it means 'with'."

• Travelling at the Speed of Plot: Utterly averted in an installment of Professor Clip and the Electric Time Trousers.

  They built a boat and crossed the Atlantic in a record xvi years.

• United nations Sound Effect: Frequently.

  Narrator: They basked in the sun merrily.
  Crowd: Bask, savor, savor...
  Voice: Merrily!

• Weird Trade Union: In one episode a parody of "Song of the S" is held up by the representative of the division of Animals' Equity representing spiny anteaters, marsupials and other lower mammals, who demands that some of the parts should go to members of that partitioning. Leading choruses of "B'rer Rabbit out! B'rer Platypus in!", he is successful, and when the production continues, non only does B'rer Platypus take the leading part, there'south besides one for B'rer Bandicoot.

---

rotherbehienceeten51.blogspot.com

Source: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Radio/ImSorryIllReadThatAgain

Share this post