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Frost On Saturday
''The Frost Report'' is a satirical television show hosted by David Frost. It introduced John Cleese, Ronnie Barker, and Ronnie Corbett to television, and launched the careers of other writers and performers. It premiered on BBC1 on 10 March 1966 and ended on 12 December 1967, with a total of 26 regular episodes over the course of 2 series and 2 specials as well. Cast and writers The main cast were Frost, Corbett, Cleese, Barker, Sheila Steafel, and Nicky Henson. Musical interludes were provided by Julie Felix, while Tom Lehrer also performed songs in a few episodes. Writers and performers on ''The Frost Report'' later worked on many other television shows. They included Bill Oddie and Tim Brooke-Taylor (of The Goodies), Barry Cryer, Ronnie Barker, Ronnie Corbett, Dick Vosburgh, Spike Mullins (who would write Corbett's ''Two Ronnies'' monologues), Antony Jay (''Yes Minister'' and ''Yes Prime Minister''), and future Monty Python members Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Ter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Comedy
Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greece: in Athenian democracy, the public opinion of voters was influenced by political satire performed by comic poets in Ancient Greek theatre, theaters. The theatrical genre of Greek comedy can be described as a dramatic performance pitting two groups, ages, genders, or societies against each other in an amusing ''agon'' or conflict. Northrop Frye depicted these two opposing sides as a "Society of Youth" and a "Society of the Old". A revised view characterizes the essential agon of comedy as a struggle between a relatively powerless youth and the societal conventions posing obstacles to his hopes. In this struggle, the youth then becomes constrained by his lack of social authority, and is left with little choice but to resort to ruses which e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Oddie
William Edgar Oddie (born 7 July 1941) is an English actor, artist, birder, comedian, conservationist, musician, songwriter, television presenter and writer. He was a member of comedy trio The Goodies. A birder since his childhood in Quinton, Birmingham, Oddie has established a reputation as a naturalist, conservationist, and television presenter on wildlife issues. Some of his books are illustrated with his own paintings and drawings. His wildlife programmes for the BBC include '' Springwatch'' and ''Autumnwatch'', '' How to Watch Wildlife'', ''Wild in Your Garden'', '' Birding with Bill Oddie'', '' Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie'' and '' Bill Oddie Goes Wild''. Early life Oddie was born on 7 July 1941 in Rochdale, Lancashire, but moved to Birmingham at a young age. He was raised by his father, Harry Oddie, and grandmother, Emily. His father was assistant chief accountant at the Midlands Electricity Board. His mother, Lilian, was diagnosed with schizophrenia and, dur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Muir
Frank Herbert Muir (5 February 1920 – 2 January 1998) was an English comedy writer, radio and television personality, and raconteur. His writing and performing partnership with Denis Norden endured for most of their careers. Together they wrote BBC Radio's '' Take It from Here'' for over 10 years, and then appeared on BBC radio quizzes '' My Word!'' and '' My Music'' for another 35. Muir became Assistant Head of Light Entertainment at the BBC in the 1960s, and was then London Weekend Television's founding Head of Entertainment. His many writing credits include editorship of ''The Oxford Book of Humorous Prose,'' as well as the ''What-a-Mess'' books that were later turned into an animated TV series. Birth and early life Muir was the second son of steam tug engineer Charles James Muir (1888–1934), originally from New Zealand, and his wife Margaret, daughter of ship's carpenter Harry Harding. Harry Harding had died young at sea; his widow, Elizabeth Jane (née Cowie) subsequ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Palin
Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. He received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award, BAFTA Fellowship in 2013 and was knighthood, knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 New Year Honours, 2019. Palin started in television working on programmes including the ''Ken Dodd Show'', ''The Frost Report'', and ''Do Not Adjust Your Set''. He joined ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (1969–1974) alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Graham Chapman. He acted in some of the most famous Python sketches, including "Argument Clinic", "Dead Parrot sketch", "The Lumberjack Song", "The Spanish Inquisition (Monty Python), The Spanish Inquisition", "Bicycle Repair Man", and "The Fish-Slapping Dance". Palin continued to work with Jones away from Python, co-writing ''Ripping Yarns''. Palin co-wrote and starred in ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' (1975 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terry Jones
Terence Graham Parry Jones (1 February 1942 – 21 January 2020) was a Welsh actor, comedian, director, historian, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, Jones and writing partner Michael Palin wrote and performed for several high-profile British comedy programmes, including '' Do Not Adjust Your Set'' and '' The Frost Report'', before creating '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'' with Cambridge graduates Graham Chapman, John Cleese, and Eric Idle and American animator-filmmaker Terry Gilliam. Jones was largely responsible for the programme's innovative, surreal structure, in which sketches flowed from one to the next without the use of punch lines. He made his directorial debut with ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'', which he co-directed with Gilliam, and also directed the subsequent Python films '' Life of Brian'' and '' The Meaning of Life''. Jones co-created and co-wrote with Palin the anthol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eric Idle
Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English actor, comedian, songwriter, musician, screenwriter and playwright. He was a member of the British comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band the Rutles. Idle studied English at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and joined Cambridge University Footlights. He has received a Grammy Award as well as nominations for two Tony Awards. Idle reached stardom in the 1970s when he co-created and acted in the Python sketch comedy series '' Flying Circus'' (1969–1974) and the films '' Holy Grail'' (1975), '' Life of Brian'', (1979) and '' The Meaning of Life'' (1983) with Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. Known for his elaborate wordplay and musical numbers, Idle composed and performed many of the songs featured in Python projects, including " Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". After ''Flying Circus'' ended, Idle created another sketch show '' Rutland Weekend Television'' (1975–1976), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monty Python
Monty Python, also known as the Pythons, were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy series '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which aired on the BBC from 1969 to 1974. Their work then developed into a larger collection that included live shows, films, albums, books, and musicals; their influence on comedy has been compared to the Beatles' influence on music. (The live version of the Web page does not contain the quoted line, but the archived version does.) Their sketch show has been called "an important moment in the evolution of television comedy". ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' was loosely structured as a sketch show, but its innovative stream-of-consciousness approach and Gilliam's animation skills pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in style and content. A self-contained comedy unit, the Pythons had creative ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yes Prime Minister
''Yes Minister'' is a British political satire sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn. Comprising three seven-episode series, it was first transmitted on BBC2 from 1980 to 1984. A sequel, ''Yes, Prime Minister'', ran for 16 episodes from 1986 to 1988. All but one of the episodes lasted half an hour, and almost all ended with a variation of the title of the series spoken as the answer to a question posed by Minister (later, Prime Minister) Jim Hacker. Several episodes were adapted for BBC Radio; the series also spawned a 2010 stage play that led to a new television series on Gold in 2013. Set principally in the private office of a British cabinet minister in the fictional Department of Administrative Affairs in Whitehall, ''Yes Minister'' follows the ministerial career of Jim Hacker, played by Paul Eddington. His various struggles to formulate and enact policy or affect departmental changes are opposed by the British Civil Service, in particular his Permanent Secreta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yes Minister
''Yes Minister'' is a British political satire sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn. Comprising three seven-episode series, it was first transmitted on BBC2 from 1980 to 1984. A sequel, ''Yes, Prime Minister'', ran for 16 episodes from 1986 to 1988. All but one of the episodes lasted half an hour, and almost all ended with a variation of the title of the series spoken as the answer to a question posed by Minister (later, Prime Minister) Jim Hacker. Several episodes were adapted for BBC Radio; the series also spawned a 2010 stage play that led to a new television series on Gold in 2013. Set principally in the private office of a British cabinet minister in the fictional Department of Administrative Affairs in Whitehall, ''Yes Minister'' follows the ministerial career of Jim Hacker, played by Paul Eddington. His various struggles to formulate and enact policy or affect departmental changes are opposed by the British Civil Service, in particular his Permanent Secre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antony Jay
Sir Antony Rupert Jay, (20 April 1930 – 21 August 2016) was an English writer and broadcaster. With Jonathan Lynn, he co-wrote the British political-satirical comedies ''Yes Minister'' and '' Yes, Prime Minister'' (1980–88). He also wrote ''The Householder's Guide to Community Defence Against Bureaucratic Aggression'' (1972). For his career as a broadcaster and in public relations, Jay received a knighthood in the 1988 New Year Honours. He also wrote the 1969 BBC television documentary ''Royal Family'' and wrote a 1992 book about Elizabeth II called ''Elizabeth R'', after which he was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order for personal services to the royal family in the 1993 New Years Honours list. Early life and education Jay was born in Paddington, London, the son of Ernest Jay, a character actor, and Catherine (Hay) Jay. He was educated at St Paul's School and Magdalene College, Cambridge, graduating with first-class honours in Classics and comparative p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spike Mullins
Dennis Jeremiah (Spike) Mullins (2 October 1915 – 18 April 1994) was a comedy performer and writer. He wrote for a number of established performers, such as Max Bygraves and Harry Secombe, Kenneth Williams and Frankie Howerd. Perhaps his most famous work is scripting Ronnie Corbett's seated monologues during ''The Two Ronnies'' TV series in the UK. He also worked, together with Barry Cryer as a writer for the groundbreaking British TV programme '' The Frost Report'', where Corbett first met his later performing partner, Ronnie Barker. Early life Mullins was born in London during World War I to working class parents. The Mullins family lived near a film studio, and the infant Spike was frequently used in silent movies. While still in his teens, he signed on as galley boy on a cargo ship, After four years, he returned home to work as a stevedore, which he did until the outbreak of World War II, At this point he joined the RAF. After his release from the RAF in 1945, he did a numb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dick Vosburgh
Richard Kennedy Vosburgh (27 August 1929 – 18 April 2007) was an American-born Grammy and Tony-nominated comedy writer and lyricist, working chiefly in Britain. Early life Vosburgh was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States. He persuaded his father to let him study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London (where he met his future wife, Beryl Roques) and won the Comedy Acting prize. He was soon writing for BBC Radio, starting with scripts for Bernard Braden in 1953. Career In the 60s he moved from radio to television, writing (and occasionally performing onscreen) on television comedy shows like '' The Frost Report'', ''That Was The Week That Was'', '' We Have Ways of Making You Laugh'', ''Do Not Adjust Your Set'', '' At Last The 1948 Show'' and '' How To Irritate People''. On all these shows Vosburgh worked alongside members of what was to be Monty Python and he formed lasting friendships with them. He later appeared on one episode of ''Monty Python's Flying Ci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
