''Saturday Stayback'' was a late-night comedy show that was aired for six episodes from 22 January until 26 February 1983 by Central Television, starring

Chris Tarrant Christopher John Tarrant (born 10 October 1946) is a retired English broadcaster, television personality, radio DJ and stand up comedian. He is best known for presenting the ITV children's television show '' Tiswas'' from 1974 to 1981, and th ...

. It was performed entirely in a

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

. It was a sequel to '' O.T.T.'', itself a spin-off from ''

Tiswas ''Tiswas'' (; an acronym of "Today Is Saturday: Watch And Smile") was a British children's television series that originally aired on Saturday mornings from 5 January 1974 to 3 April 1982 and was produced for the ITV network by ATV. It was c ...

''. From these previous shows were regulars

Bob Carolgees Bob Carolgees (born Robert Frederick Johnson; 12 May 1948) is a British comedy entertainer who appeared on the Saturday morning TV series ''Tiswas'' and then later in its adult versions '' O.T.T.'' and '' Saturday Stayback''. He is best known fo ...

and Helen Atkinson-Wood, as well as newcomer to television

Tony Slattery Tony Declan James Slattery (9 November 1959 – 14 January 2025) was a British actor and comedian. He appeared on British television regularly from the mid-1980s, including as a regular on the Channel 4 improvisation show ''Whose Line Is It Anyw ...

. Guest appearances included Frank Carson and, making his TV debut, impressionist Phil Cool. ''O.T.T.'' had been a critical disaster for Central, and had angered the

Independent Broadcasting Authority The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television ( ITV and Channel 4 and limited satellite television regulation – cable television was the responsibility of the Cable Author ...

(the commercial television watchdog), so instead of automatically granting a second series, they decided to slash the budget and insisted on pre-recording instead of the show going out live. This decision so enraged producer/presenter Chris Tarrant, who had been largely responsible for the success of Central's ''Tiswas'', that after the meeting with management, he slammed the door so hard that the glass shattered. Due to the low budget circumstances and keen to keep a laddish air about the format, the decision was made to film from a local pub, and portray it as though they were in an illegal after-hours drinking session. This gave the show the name 'Stayback', which was included in the opening titles and break bumpers, but by the time Central were ready to transmit it, it was decided to be referred to as 'Saturday Stayback', despite this name never being used in the programme. Tarrant's friend from ''Tiswas'' and ''O.T.T.'', John Gorman, was used on this show for writing, keeping himself off-screen. Ex-Tiswas presenter Sally James (another friend of Tarrant) was a guest in one show. Kevin Seisay wrote and performed some of the comedy songs. Musical guests included

Roy Wood Roy Wood (born 8 November 1946) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He was particularly successful in the 1960s and 1970s as member and co-founder of the Move, Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard. Wood formed the Move in 1965, and ...

, who also contributed the theme tune, heavy rockers Gillan and two appearances by

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. The band initially consisted of bass guitarist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter Phil Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon although Wr ...

. The show ended after its initial six episode run.

Episode guide

*22 January 1983 * Frank Carson, Doorkeeper / Opening Titles / Chris Tarrant Intro /

Da Doo Ron Ron "Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector. It first became a popular top five hit single for the American girl group the Crystals in 1963. American teen idol Shaun Cassidy r ...

/ Patent Office Sketch / The Eurovision Gurning Competition / Police Sketch / Frank Carson Jokes / The Eurovision Gurning Competition (continued) / Pub Sketch / Karl Malden's Nose / Houdi-Elbow / Breakfast Argument / Frank Carson Joke / Link From Chris and Bob / Football Manager Sketch / Link From Frank Carson / Cold Sweat by

/ Bedroom Sketch / Commercial Break / Man in Pyjamas / Two Women Talking / Picking Up a Girl / Economy Version of Dallas / Frank Carson Jokes /

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

Impression / Classified Adverts Sketch / Bathtub Sketch /

Rolf Harris Rolf Harris (30 March 1930 – 10 May 2023) was an Australian musician, television personality, painter, and actor. He used a variety of instruments in his performances, notably the didgeridoo and the Stylophone, and is credited with the inventi ...

Impression / Snig Boy / Frank Carson Joke / Link From Chris and Frank Carson / Hortense Loves

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

, and Closing Credits /

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

Announcer / Throwing-out Time / *29 January 1983 *Chris and Bob Intros (outtakes) / Opening Titles / 21 Today /

Dandruff Dandruff is a skin condition of the scalp. Symptoms include flaking and sometimes mild itchiness. It can result in social or self-esteem problems. A more severe form of the condition, which includes inflammation of the skin, is known as s ...

Commercial / Dead Cat / Important Message / Actor in Hospital / Jim Bowen Joke / Chris Tarrant Link /

Pete Best Randolph Peter Best (; born 24 November 1941) is an English retired musician who was the drummer for the Beatles from 1960 to 1962. He was dismissed shortly before the band achieved worldwide fame and is one of several people referred to as a ...

/ Roget's Novel / Blind Date / Houdi-Elbow /

Jim Bowen James Brown Whittaker (born Peter Williams; 20 August 1937 – 14 March 2018), known professionally as Jim Bowen, was an English stand-up comedian, actor and television personality. He was the long-time host of the ITV game show '' Bullseye'', ...

Joke / Man in Pyjamas / Jim Bowen Joke /

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

Dreadlock Dreadlocks, also known as dreads or locs, are a hairstyle made of rope-like strands of matted hair. Dreadlocks can form naturally in very curly hair, or they can be created with techniques like twisting, backcombing, or crochet. Etymology Th ...

Man / Recession Joke / Confession Box / Rolf Harris Impression / Chris Tarrant Link /

If You Wanna Be Happy "If You Wanna Be Happy" is a 1963 song recorded by Jimmy Soul, written by Rafael de Leon and adapted by Joseph Royster, Carmella Guida and Frank Guida. Background "If You Wanna Be Happy" is based on the song "Ugly Woman" by the Trinidadian cal ...

Rocky Sharpe and the Replays Rocky Sharpe and the Replays is an English doo-wop/ rock and roll revival group who first found fame in the late 1970s. The usual line-up of the group was Rocky Sharpe (born Robert Podsiadły, 26 November 1952 – 5 December 2019), Helen Highwa ...

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Awards, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime Emm ...

Joke / Commercial Break /

David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was an English television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ...

TV-am TV-am was a TV company that broadcast the ITV franchise for breakfast television in the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 until 31 December 1992. The station was the UK's first national operator of a commercial breakfast television franchise ...

/ Bedroom Quiz /

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

's Hair / Prisoner Sketch / Pub Conversation / Jim Bowen Joke / One Player Short / Lucky Dip / Link From Chris and Bob /

Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent non-governmental organizations (NGOs), focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. It began as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief ...

Jumpers Song / Jim Bowen Joke / Chris Tarrant Link, and Dirty Video / My Psychiatrist Thinks I'm Immature / Bedroom Sketch /

Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out) "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)" is a song written by Ernie Maresca and Thomas F. Bogdany, and originally recorded by Maresca in 1962. The single was released on Edward Kassner's fledgling Seville Records label. It also appeared on Maresca' ...

by Rocky Sharpe and the Replays, and Closing Credits / *5 February 1983 *Directions For Chas and Dave / Opening Titles / Chris Tarrant Intro, and Can I Have Your Glasses? / Aliens From Outer Space / Interrogating Bacon /

Bernard Manning Bernard John Manning (13 August 1930 – 18 June 2007) was an English comedian and nightclub owner. He gained a high profile on British television during the 1970s, appearing on shows such as '' The Comedians'' and '' The Wheeltappers and Shun ...

Joke / The Eurovision Gurning Competition (continued) / The Big Match Commentators / Houdi-Elbow / This Beer is Off / Sex Therapy Man / Bernard Manning Joke / The Disappearing Lady ( Sally James) / Bob and Baby / Marriage Bureau Questionnaire / The

Eurovision The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster submits an origina ...

Gurning Competition (continued) / Yard of Ale and Elephant Impression / Sex Makes Me Bilious / Bernard Manning Joke / Chris Tarrant Link / London Girls by Chas 'n' Dave / Commercial Break / Alka-Seltzer / Mugger Express / Bernard Manning Joke / Marriage Confession / Rolf Harris Impression / Bob and Baby / Punks in a Pub / Man in Pyjamas /

Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...

Reporter at Breakfast / Charlsberg Lager / Nazi Song / Wedding Vows / Private Dentist / Two Women Talking / Ice Dance Champion / Avenge-a-Gram / Chris Tarrant Link /

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

Tribute / Bernard Manning Joke / Link From Chris and Bob / Bin Men Song, and Closing Credits / Groping in the Back of a Car (unfinished) / *12 February 1983 *Chris's Round / Opening Titles / Chris Tarrant Intro / Charlie Daze Joke / The 1983

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow ( ; born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer with a career that spans over sixty years. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", "Looks Like We Made It", "Brandy (Scott ...

Endurance Test / Gee, Thanks a Million, Silly Gillian / Whicker's World / Swedes / Bedroom Sketch / Charlie Daze Joke /

Premium Bonds Premium Bonds is a lottery bond scheme organised by the United Kingdom government since 1956. At present it is managed by the government's National Savings and Investments agency. The principle behind Premium Bonds is that rather than the s ...

/ The Alphabet Song by Foundation / Food at the Bar /

The Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of sta ...

/ Private Hospital / Charlie Daze Jokes / Two Women Talking / Russian Domino Game / Kevin's Theory / Bob and Baby /

Impression / Bedroom Sketch / Commercial Break / Four Minute Warning / Charlie Daze Joke / Pub Chat / I Lost My Cherry by Foundation / On a Train / Charlie Daze Joke / Chris Tarrant Introduces the Band / Chas 'n' Dave Outtakes (including John Gorman's voice) / We Are the Boys Who Make All the Noise (rock 'n' roll medley) by

Phil Lynott Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the co-founder, lead vocalist, bassist, and primary songwriter for the hard rock band Thin Lizzy. He was known for his distinctive ...

Bev Bevan Beverley Bevan (born 25 November 1944) is an English rock musician who was the drummer and one of the original members of the Move and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). After the end of ELO in 1986, he founded ELO Part II. Bevan also was a drum ...

and

Chas Hodges Charles Nicholas Hodges (28 December 1943 – 22 September 2018) was an English musician and singer. He was the lead vocalist, pianist and guitarist of the musical duo Chas & Dave, whose most successful singles include "Rabbit" (1980) and " Ai ...

, momentarily interrupted by Man in Pyjamas / A Changed Man / My Sister's Heart-throb is a Zulu, and Closing Credits / Chris Tarrant Announcements, and Roy Wood on Bagpipes / Spelling Argument / *19 February 1983 *Two Women Talking and Pervert / Opening Titles / Chris and Bob Joke / Chatting Her Up / Norman Collier Joke / Candy the Escort / Kevin's Bet / Cable Television / Chris Tarrant Link / Germany's Leading Country and Western Singer / Cable Television (continued) /

Russian Roulette Russian roulette () is a potentially lethal game of chance in which a player places a single round in a revolver, spins the cylinder, places the muzzle against the head or body (their opponent's or their own), and pulls the trigger. If the ...

/ Abbreviations / Norman Collier Joke / Directory Enquiries / Ranji Ram, the Indian Man / Sleeping Beauty / Eton Reunion / Houdi-Elbow / That's My Girl You're Groping /

Joke / Italian Action Man / Wife Swapping / Man in Pyjamas /

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

reader / Morbid Conversation / Have One For Yourself / Norman Collier Joke / Crisps / Weirdo Video Library /

Jack and the Beanstalk "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale with ancient origins. It appeared as "The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean" in 1734 4th edition :File:Round about our Coal Fire, or, Christmas Entertainments, 4th edn, 1734.pdf, On C ...

/ Knock Me a Kiss by Paul Jones / Norman Collier Joke /

Cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

on the Radio /

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

Lecturer / Arsonist / Russian Gymnast / Wallbanger / Clueless Doctor / Chris Tarrant Link / I Just Want to Be a Cannibal / Bob and Baby / Stuttering Song, and Closing Credits / *26 February 1983 *Complaints / Opening Titles / Chris Tarrant Intro / Chatting Up the Barmaid / Bernard Manning Joke / Hair Colouring / The Paranoiac Society / Medieval World of Sport (

Fred Dinenage Frederick Edgar Dinenage ( ; born 8 June 1942) is a British author, broadcaster and television presenter. His television career has spanned nearly 60 years, including the long-running children's programme '' How'' and ITV's regional programmin ...

) / Blue Nun / Alien Mum and Son / Cigarette Machine / Two Women Talking / Vasectomy Song / Political Interview / Frankenstein and Igor / Venison / The Joys of Not Having Sex / Bernard Manning Joke / Castrated / Man in Pyjamas / Chris and Kevin Link / Main Attraction by

Suzi Quatro Susan Kay Quatro (born June 3, 1950) is an American singer, bass guitarist, songwriter, and actress. In the 1970s, she scored a string of singles that found success in Europe and Australia, with both "Can the Can" (1973) and "Devil Gate Drive" ...

/ Alcohol-Free Lager / Commercial Break (EDITED OUT) / Spelling Mistake / Can I Marry Tania? / Bernard Manning Joke / Directing Kevin /

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

/ PMT Song / Tomorrow's Front Page / Bernard Manning Joke / My Friend Jackie's Got a Big Kawasaki / Rolf Harris Impression

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Saturday Stayback''
from the

bbc.co.uk BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...

Guide to Comedy
Chris Tarrant Fan Site
1983 British television series debuts 1983 British television series endings 1980s British television sketch shows ITV comedy Television series by ITV Studios Television shows produced by Central Independent Television British English-language television shows