BBC 2 comedy pilots

[Jeremy Grayson]

Hiya,

Can anyone remember all the pilots which comprised the 1989 BBC2 strand Comic Asides? I was reminded the other day of Tygo Road, the abrasive CA pilot set in a dysfunctional community centre, when someone mentioned to me that Bill Bailey featured in it as a clown called Spinnij. I must say I remembered the spoilt child Gandalf writing off a sports car more than the clown, but the bailey claim appears to be true. I must have missed the resultant six-episode series completely, though...

The only other one I remember was Dowie, a meditation on death by the eponymous John Dowie which featured the possibly contentious ditty:

Dead as a doornail
Dead as a dodo
About as much use
As a spring or a yoyo
Unable to breathe
Bolster or belch
But let's look on the bright side
At least I'm not Welsh...

Not the stuff long-running, award-winning comedy shows could be hewn from, what say?

The other pilots have completely gone from memory - please advise!

Cheers,

Jeremy

[dubs]

COMIC ASIDES - BBC2

12/4/89 KYTV
19/5/89 Tygo Road
26/5/89 Davie
2/6/89 The Stone Age
9/6/89 I, Lovett
16/6/89 Mornin' Sarge - The New Constable

Series 2

9/1/94 The High Life
16/1/94 Woodcock
23/1/94 The Last Word
30/1/94 The Honeymoon's Over

HTH

S.

[dubs]

"Dowie" is listed in Kal 97 as "Davie"!

Somebody must be right!

[David Brunt]

Guest-dubs said:

"Dowie" is listed in Kal 97 as "Davie"!

Somebody must be right!

Definitely billed in Radiotimes as " Dowie"

[andrew martin]

It is "Dowie" - the star is John Dowie. Incidentally, the Bill Bailey in Tygo Road is a different Bill Bailey, an actor not the stand-up...

[Jim Schwartau]

Indeed there are two Bill Baileys (three if you count the one in the song.)

The comedian-musician Bill Bailey would almost certainly be credited at this stage of his career as Mark Bailey - as he was in Frank Skinner's "Blue Heaven: A Song For Albion" (Channel 4, 1994).

Hope this helps,

Jim.