THE Eighties sketch show, Not the Nine O’clock News which featured the cream of British comedy talent including Roan Atkinson and Griff Rhys Jones, should be revived, according to one of the show’s original writers.
Hollywood-based writer Richard Sparks, 72, believes that the show should return, because it is a better vehicle for political satire than the BBC’s current offering: Have I Got News for You.
Leading comedy writer Richard Sparks believes that the BBC panel show has lost its way[/caption]
Mr Bean star Roan Atkinson was a comedy pioneer and original member of Not the 9 O’clock news[/caption]
Have I Got News for You began in 1990 and is now in its 67th series.
Not The Nine O’clock News, which went alongside the main news on BBC1, was created and produced by John Lloyd, and featured up and coming stars, the late Mel Smith, Pamela Stephenson, Rowan Atkinson, and Griff Rhys Jones.
Asked whether Have I Got News for You had run out of steam, Sparks, who wrote Roan Atkinson’s signature schoolmaster sketch told The Express: “Paul Merton is still funny and I haven’t seen every episode to know if it’s lost its step, but nothing lasts forever.
“You could get a room full of half a dozen writers and throw them at the newspapers and the TV, and they would come up with hours’ worth of material every week.”
And Sparks added that the headlines emerging from Number 10 are ripe for mockery, but are currently going to waste, in the absence of a decent sketch show.
He said: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the scandal over gifts could be a plum target.
All that stuff is going to waste as material isn’t it. What a wonderful sketch you could have about that. I mean I could write it in 10 seconds and it just write itself.”
The 72-year-old added that the public enjoyed seeing a comedy take down of political figures.
“I think politicians, when they get to Westminster, they are given a loaded gun and immediately proceed to shoot themselves in the foot before they’re allowed in the place.”
He added: “People love to see their overlords mocked.
“You know, we’re paying for these guys. They’re working for us. They’re public servants, and yet they get so full of themselves and go off and have their meetings.”
Asked about casting the show, Richard named who he thought was the natural successor for Rowan Atkinson.
He said: “I know Rowan Atkinson is a once in a generation talent. But just because that show was built around Rowan doesn’t mean to say you can’t now find four people who are equally good. And you could cast across the generations.
“David Mitchell would be great.
Indeed a showbiz insider on the comedy circuit echoed Richard Spark’s thoughts that Have I got New for You has lost its satirical bite. They said:
“Have I Got News for You is just not landing any punches on this new government.
“There are right-leaning comedians that they could book but you never hear from any of them people like Dominic Frisby, Mark Dolan or Andrew Lawrence. Why don’t they ring them?
“The only true Tory comedian who appeared on there was Bob Monkhouse, who trounced them, I recall.”
Now Richard Sparks has turned his comedy writing talent to penny fantasy novel to much success.
His debut novel, New Rock New Role, was published last year to critical acclaim, with its follow-up New Rock New Realm, pubished this month.
“The books came out of my love of role-playing games. I spent a lot of time playing either multiplayer games, where I’ve got 24 people in my ear in one of those wonderful online games, or solo games.”
Not the Nine O’Clock News was broadcast on BBC from 1979 to 1982, originally shown as a comedy alternative to the Nine O’Clock news on BBC1.
The show featured parody songs, comedy sketches and spoof television formats starring Rowan Atkinson Pamela Stephenson, Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones.
Pamela Stephenson was the only female comedian to star on the show and was a pioneer for female funnywomen[/caption]
Mel Smith was a big star of the sketch show scene of the 80s and 90s but passed away aged just 60 in 2013[/caption]
