I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again

I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
Genre Sketch Comedy
Running time 30 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language(s) English
Home station BBC Home Service (series 1)
BBC Light Programme
(series 25)
BBC Radio 2 (series 69)
Syndicates BBC Radio 4 Extra
Starring Tim Brooke-Taylor
John Cleese
Graeme Garden
David Hatch
Jo Kendall
Bill Oddie
Air dates 3 April 1964 (1964-04-03) to 23 December 1973 (1973-12-23)
No. of episodes 104[1][2]

I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (often abbreviated as ISIRTA) is a BBC radio comedy programme that originated from the Cambridge University Footlights revue Cambridge Circus. It had a devoted youth following, with live recordings being more akin to a rock concert than a comedy show, a tradition that continued to I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.

The pilot programme and Series 1 were broadcast on the BBC Home Service.[3] Series 2–9 were broadcast on the BBC Light Programme (renamed BBC Radio 2 in September 1967).

It was first broadcast on 3 April 1964, the pilot programme having been broadcast on 30 December 1963 under the title "Cambridge Circus". The ninth series was transmitted in November and December 1973. An hour-long 25th anniversary show was broadcast in 1989. It is comically introduced as "full frontal radio". I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, a spinoff panel game show, was first produced in 1972.

The title of the show comes from a sentence commonly used by BBC newsreaders following an on-air flub: "I'm sorry, I'll read that again." Having the phrase used to recover from a mistake as the title of the show set the tone for the series as an irreverent and loosely produced comedy show.[1]

Cast

Influence

As well as giving rise to The Goodies team, ISIRTA shows the roots of Monty Python team very clearly, with Cleese, Chapman and Eric Idle all regular script contributors. The show's creator Humphrey Barclay went on to create the TV show Do Not Adjust Your Set, featuring the rest of the Python team.

ISIRTA's roots can be traced back to classic radio comedies like ITMA, The Goon Show and Round the Horne.

As with Round the Horne, the cast's adventures would sometimes be episodic with cliff-hanger endings each week as with "The Curse of the Flying Wombat" (3rd series), and "Professor Prune And The Electric Time Trousers" (7th series). Christmas specials normally included a spoof of a traditional pantomime (or several combined). They had few qualms about the use of puns – old, strained or inventive – and included some jokes and catchphrases that would seem politically incorrect by the mid-1990s. Garden's impressions of the legendary rugby league commentator Eddie Waring and the popular Scottish TV presenter Fyfe Robertson, Oddie's frequent send-ups of the game-show host Hughie Green, and Cleese's occasional but manic impressions of Patrick Moore (astronomer and broadcaster) built these people into eccentric celebrities in a way that the Mike Yarwood, Rory Bremner, Spitting Image and Dead Ringers programmes did for other TV presenters with similar disrespect years later.

As the only woman on the show, Jo Kendall voiced all the female characters (with the exception of Brooke-Taylor's oversexed harridan, Lady Constance de Coverlet) and demonstrated a tremendous range and versatility, which occasionally extended into having conversations with herself in different voices. Kendall also wrote some of her own material. She was the first female performer in British radio comedy to have (and deserve) equal top billing with male stars in a male-dominated series.

The show ended with an unchanging sign-off song, which Bill Oddie performed as "Angus Prune" and was referred to by the announcer as "The Angus Prune Tune". Spoof dramas were billed as Prune Playhouse and many parodies of commercial radio were badged as Radio Prune, but the name Angus Prune seemed as random and incidental as the name Monty Python, which appeared several years later.

Although earlier BBC radio shows such as Much Binding in the Marsh, Take It From Here, and Beyond Our Ken had conditioned listeners to a mix of music, sketches and jokes in a 30-minute show, and Round the Horne was also doing this, ISIRTA accelerated the transitions, and it certainly seemed more improvised. It was one of those programmes where the listener was unlikely to get all the jokes on first hearing, so would have to listen to the scheduled repeat (or a tape recording) to discover what they had missed. It thus helped prepare the television audience for At Last the 1948 Show, Spike Milligan's Q series, Monty Python's Flying Circus, and The Goodies. It also may have influenced other spoof-based British radio programmes such as Radio Active, On the Hour, The Sunday Format, The News Huddlines, and later "Bleak Expectations".

Several cast members have since appeared in the radio comedy panel game I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, a spinoff from ISIRTA that has outlived it by decades. Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden continue as regulars on the show.

Episodes of ISIRTA have frequently been heard on BBC Radio 4 Extra (available on digital television, DAB digital radio and the web). Listeners in Australia occasionally find ISIRTA in the 5.30am vintage comedy timeslot on ABC Radio National (available on the web to overseas listeners).

In 2015, plans were announced for a live "Best Of" homage show, using material by Garden and Oddie, and performed by Hannah Boydell, David Clarke, Barnaby Eaton-Jones, William KV Browne and Ben Perkins.[4] The show was a sell-out success at The Bacon Theatre, Cheltenham (Feb 19th, 2016) and a tour has now been licensed by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie to the same company which will be visiting theatres in late 2016.

Catchphrases

Episode and sketch titles

The episode titles are unofficial and mostly come from the last sketch in each programme, which was usually the longest sketch.[5]

  • "Ali Baba and the 38 Thieves"
  • "Alice in Wonderland"
  • "All Hands on Venus"
  • "Angus Prune Story"
  • "Angus Sotherby's Detective Agency"
  • "Audible Road Signs"
  • "Beau Legs"
  • "Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School"
  • "Boadicea – The British Army"
  • "Britain for the British (Ireland)"
  • "Bunny and Claude"
  • "Butler Dunnit"
  • "Camelot (aka Knights of the Round Table)"
  • "Champion, the Wonder Mouse"
  • "A Christmas Carrot"
  • "Circus Life"
  • "Cleopatra and Caesar"
  • "The Colditz Story"
  • "The Curse of the Flying Wombat" (a serial)
  • "The Curse of the Workington Shillelagh"
  • "Dentisti"
  • "Dick Whittington and His Wonderful Hat"
  • "Doctor Clubfoot of the Antarctic"
  • "Doctor Why and the Thing"
  • "Dr Zhivago and His Wonderful Lamp (Aladdin)"
  • "England in Medieval Times"
  • "England Our England"
  • "A Fairy Story"
  • "First Pilot"
  • "The Ghost of McMuckle Manse"
  • "The Ghost of Objectionable Manor"
  • "Goldilocks (and Prince Valiant)"
  • "Greek Tragedy"
  • "Henry VIII"
  • "History of Radio"
  • "History of the British Army"
  • "History of the Cinema"
  • "Incompetence"
  • "The Inimitable Grimbling"
  • "Interlude"
  • "Inventors"
  • "Jack and the Beanstalk"
  • "Jack the Ripper"
  • "Jorrocks Memoirs of a Fox Hunting Man"
  • "Julius Caesar"
  • "Lady Godiva"
  • "Laurence of Arabia - On Ice"
  • "The Libel Suit"
  • "Liverpool the City"
  • "The Lone Stranger"
  • "Long Range Weather Forecast"
  • "Macbeth"
  • "Marriage Bureau"
  • "Moll Flounders"
  • "My Man, Grimbling"
  • "Nibble on the Bone"
  • "Operation Chocolate"
  • "Othello"
  • "People Are Out"
  • "Professor Prune and The Electric Time Trousers" (a serial)
  • "RAF Briefing"
  • "Radio Prune Awards
  • "The Ramond Nostril Story"
  • "Report on Schools"
  • "Review of the Pops
  • "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire"
  • "The Roaring Twenties"
  • "Robin Hood"
  • "Robinson Prunestone"
  • "Search for the Nile"
  • "Son of the Bride of Frankenstein"
  • "Song of the South"
  • "Star Trek"
  • "The Supernatura"
  • "Take Your Pixie
  • "Tales of the Old West"
  • "The Taming of the Shrew"
  • "Teddy and Rupert Bear"
  • "The Telephone"
  • "Ten Thousand BC (The Dawn of Civilization)"
  • "3:17 to Cleethorpes"
  • "Tim Brown's Schooldays"
  • "20,000 Leaks Under the Sea"
  • "The Unexplained"
  • "Universal Challenge"
  • "The Vikings"
  • "Voyages of Ulysses"
  • "Watergate"
  • "William Tell"
  • "William the Conqueror"
  • "World of Sport"

Regular characters of the radio show

The Director General of the BBC
played by John Cleese. Continually sends memos to the ISIRTA team with the most ridiculous requests. One week, he decides that "Radio Prune" will become a music channel, a rival to Radio 1. His reason is "We at the BBC may be very, very silly, but we can write letters". He is constantly offended by the contents of the show.
American Continuity Man
is a parody of Hughie Green usually played by Oddie, although on one occasion, in the 3rd series, he is voiced by Garden. His catchphrases include "Thank-you, Thank-you" and "Wasn't that just great?" Invariably, when he hands over to Kendall for details of the Prune Play of the Week, she refers to him by another personality's name – Simon (Dee), Jimmy (Young, or possibly Savile), David (Frost), or Eamonn (Andrews). On one occasion, after Kendall announces the title of the Prune Play of the Week Jorrocks: The Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man (or a man-hunting fox....), by Stanley Stamps, author of Stanley Stamps' Gibbon catalogue, Bill/Hughie says to the audience, "So will you please put your hands together ... and pray ...."
Angus Prune
is a character adopted by Bill Oddie to sing the playoff.
Grimbling
Voiced by Bill Oddie, Grimbling is a "dirty old man" who often appears as a groundsman, butler, or some similar profession. Due to the limitations of an audio-only medium, the true nature of Grimbling is never revealed, but he is greeted with universal revulsion by all bar the audience. He memorably introduces himself in the 25th anniversary episode "I am Grimbling, but don't worry, I'll clean it up later." In the same episode, Cleese asks him "Aren't you a little past it, old man?" with the response, "No, I'm a little dirty old man". In the "Robin Hood" sketch in the 3rd series, Grimbling is in the employ of the Sheriff of Nottingham (Garden), who tells him, "You have done well, Grimbling; take this tennis racquet for your services".
Lady Constance de Coverlet
is a ridiculous female character played by Tim Brooke-Taylor. Lady Constance is usually introduced by a statement along the lines of "what is that coming towards us? – It's huge – It's a rhinoceros!" – "No, it's me!!!" and this is often accompanied by a rousing rendition of "Happy Days Are Here Again", and always by rousing cheers from the audiene. Her size is legendary; in the "Henry VIII" sketch, Katharine of Aragon and Lady Constance (masquerading as Anne of Cleavage) fight a duel to decide who is to be Queen. Brooke-Taylor introduces her in the style of a boxing MC: "..and in the blue corner, at 15 hundredweight, your own, your very own – and there's enough to go round – twice -...". In the "Dentisti" sketch, a parody on the 1960s TV series Daktari, Lady Constance plays (appropriately) an elephant; and in "Jack The Ripper", Lady Constance is invited to: "please, sit down anywhere ... or in your case, everywhere". In the "Radio Prune Greek Tragedy" sketch, she plays the mother of Oedipus Rex – according to the Oracle, she was hoping for a dog – and she tells Oedipus: "Now let me get on with my housework, I've got a little behind .." (pause for the double-entendre to register) ".. oh all right, I've got a colossal behind!!" In the "Colditz" sketch, the lads' escape route is through the plug hole of her bath, and Bill Oddie exclaims "She's like a ruddy great iceberg: one eighth above the water, 76 eighths below!". She also in her own way is a bit of a nymphomaniac – she's described in the 25th anniversary show version of "Jack The Ripper" as a steaming volcano of eroticism – and there are frequent references to unfulfilled sexual desire: in the "3.17 to Cleethorpes" sketch, she and the other players in the drama are adrift on a raft in the ocean; Lady Constance offers to take all her clothes off and use them for a sail, and when Hatch says, "Yes, and then what?", Lady Constance replies, "Well, that's rather up to you ...."
Mr Arnold Totteridge
Another famous recurring character, Arnold Totteridge (played by Garden) is a doddering old man who gets lost in the middle of his sentences. He invariably begins with: "How do you do, do you do, do you do...do you?" and after rambling incoherently for a few minutes returns to where he started. His most famous moment is in the 25th anniversary episode, where he has been appointed "The Dynamic new-de-oo-do-de-oo-do-de-oo Head of Radio-do-do-de-do Comedy"
John and Mary
John Cleese and Jo Kendall frequently performed poignant – almost romantic – dialogues as the respectable but dysfunctional couple "John and Mary", a forerunner of the relationship between Basil and Sybil in Fawlty Towers. They bear a passing resemblance to Fiona and Charles of Round the Horne.
Masher Wilkins
A kind-hearted simpleton (played by John Cleese), who often appears as an unlikely villain or henchman. He is prone to malapropisms: "I've been trailing you through this impenetrable ferret-- I mean 'forest'" - but these are often the intro to clever running jokes - in this case the line continues: "Oh no, not ferret, I mean stoat". "Stoat?" "Yes, 'stoatally impenetrable". At some point, a female character would often call out "Oh, Masher, Masher!" - followed by a chorus of "All fall down!" by the remaining cast. In one show, the topic on The Money Programme is fiscal policy and other matters monetary, and Masher asks some very abstruse questions about the Bank of England and its role in the economy. His last question, however is: 'An' wot's the combination o' de safe: oooh wot a giveaway!!'

Prune Plays

Writers and cast in order of appearance:

Robin Hood
Written by Graeme Garden and John Cleese
Story narration – sung by David Hatch
'Curtain' – Tim Brooke-Taylor
Maid Marion – Jo Kendall
Friar Tuck – Bill Oddie
Robin Hood – Tim Brooke-Taylor
Alan 'a Gabriel – Graeme Garden
Will Scarlet – David Hatch
Little John – John Cleese
Sir Angus of the Prune – John Cleese
Grimbling (the Bailiff) – Bill Oddie
Sheriff of Nottingham – Graeme Garden
Master of Ceremonies for the 'Archery Competition' – John Cleese
Deputy Sheriff – Graeme Garden

The Curse of the Flying Wombat
Written by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
'King Lear' – John Cleese
Tim Brown-Windsor – Tim Brooke-Taylor
Mr. Hatch – David Hatch
Lady Fiona Rabbit-Vacuum (Jim-Lad) – Jo Kendall
Captain Cleese – John Cleese
'Lookout' – Bill Oddie
Casey O'Sullivan – Bill Oddie
Masher Wilkins – John Cleese
Maisie Robinson (the International Temptress) – Jo Kendall
Grimbling (Butler to Tim's Aunt) – Bill Oddie
Lady Constance de Coverlet – Tim Brooke-Taylor
"Hurricane" Flossie (Lady Constance's identical twin sister) – Tim Brooke-Taylor
Slave-girl trader – Bill Oddie
Colonel Clutch-Featheringhaugh – David Hatch
Nosebone (the Great White Hunter) – Bill Oddie
Wong (the Supply-keeper) – Tim Brooke-Taylor
Wong Tu (his brother) – John Cleese
'Armand' – Bill Oddie

ISIRTA songs

Main article: ISIRTA songs

Comedy songs replaced traditional songs during episodes.

References

  1. 1 2 "Roger Wilmut's ISIRTA research notes". Home.clara.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  2. "''I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again'' on The British Comedy Website". Britishcomedy.org.uk. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  3. Roger Wilmut From Fringe to Flying Circus: celebrating a unique generation of comedy 1960–1980. London: Eyre Methuen Ltd, 1980. ISBN 0-413-46950-6.
  4. "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again... again : News 2015 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  5. "Research notes". Home.clara.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-04-12.

External links

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