Stand Up / Weekenders

[Jeremy Grayson]

Hello again!

A question: how widely syndicated was the first series (from 1989) of Granada's comedy show Stand Up? I've dug one up - albeit a repeat from a year later - which features a very young Steve Coogan, John Hegeley and Craig Ferguson. I think Michael Redmond (later Father Stone in Father Ted), Linda Smith and Mike Hayley complete the line-up this time round.

This show represented my first introduction to real quality stand-up comedy - I remember Boothby Graffoe, Malcolm Hardee, Hattie Hayridge, Jim Tavare, Kevin Day and Rob Newman appearing in the first series also - and I'd be dead interested to see what else (if anything) has survived of it.

I also appear to have a copy of The Weekenders, the comedy pilot Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer did for Granada in 1992. Featuring, inevitably, some barking cameos from the likes of Paul Whitehouse and Phil Oakey out of the Human League, it featured Jim (not Vic here!) and Bob's weekend searches for the perfect meat product. Never commissioned for further editions, this, a real shame - unless anyone knows of any more in the can?

Cheers,

Jeremy

[Barry Hodge]

I believe that it took so long to be transmitted - on Channel 4 in the end - that R&M had been grabbed by the BBC, and no more was thought of it... There then followed talk of the "Ealing-style film" that was to be somewhat in line with the Weekenders piece, but 12 years later and still no movie...

[Jeremy Grayson]

Hiya,

I promise you, The Weekenders WAS originally first shown by ITV in Granadaland, even if it did gain a repeat on C4 later on! It was one of six pilots Granada commissioned and finally aired in early 1992, with full series supposedly to be awarded to any shows which got a positive enough response.

I can't remember what the name of this strand was (for named it was), and four of the other five pilots have left my memory completely since. However, the remaining pilot was entitled "The Dead Good show", and was a sketch show featuring none other than Steve Coogan, Caroline Aherne and John Thomson! They also wrote the thing, and then staples of their respective stand-up canons (certainly Bernard Right-On, Mrs Merton and possibly also Ernest Moss) made appearances. Coogan did a send-up of Top Gear which culminated in a driving ban, and the grand finale involved him singing the James hit "Sit Down" in a mock classical stylee.

I can't remember any other details about "The Dead Good Show", other than feeling totally underwhelmed by it considering the talent on show.

Jeremy

[Barry Hodge]

Well I never! I know that, now I come to think of it, C4 also broadcast it as part of a strand of pilots (or things they couldn't otherwise work into the schedules - memory too hazy to remember which) under the title Bunch Of Five (was a scots thing about the dead dad also shown then - again, memory). The R&M fan club mags never mentioned the Granada tx, though they did include some lovely photos. Where ever did R&M disappear to...? Catterick, or so it's thought.