To: "SOTCAA"
Date: Wed, 3 May 2000 11:16:46
The more of this I write, the more I realise you can't really have it,
and certainly not publish it!! But enjoy it anyway [please let me know if
you want to do anything with it]
The Harry Hill Story [as I understand it]
Harry is of course for some an enigma, for others a thing they have to laugh
at in the same way they have to have that shirt, and for others a true
pleasure. But the way he ended up on tv and his subsequent treatment by his
masters is very odd.
What you have to bear in mind [and you know this pretty well] is that
Channel Four is now BBC2, or rather Michael Jackson took the people he had
at BBC2 with him to C4 for when he took over - Kevin Lygoe in charge of
Entertainment [or whatever it's called] and had his own little Year Zero.
Whilst Harry was quite well looked after at Radio 4 [though they blew hot
and cold whilst commissioning a billion Paul Powell shows at the same time]
the television end of things seemed not to be getting off the ground [a well
worn topic this, tv not knowing what radio's up to]. Anyway, when Harry had
been big enough that one wondered why he wasn't on the box for a couple of
years [while dear old Alan Davies hared away] - and it was always his stated
aim that he wanted to get it right rather than do it for its own sake - he
was very rarely approached by anyone. Finally along came Saturday Live [or
whatever they called it] and Harry took the opportunity to be a diamond in
pig-shit. This was at a time when [in his own words] "he couldn't get
arrested".
So, anyway, suddenly the phone starts ringing. Harry meets with everyone,
amongst them Kevin Lygoe of BBC2. The meeting seems to go OK, though Harry
senses Lygoe isn't all that interested. Lygoe says something like "you can't
just do the radio show on the television". Harry asks him what he thinks of
the radio show. Lygoe tells him he has never heard it. The rest is easy to
figure out, Harry goes to Channel 4.
So the first series goes ahead - massive poster campaign, the 1030 slot
[after Frasier, before the pubs shut]. Channel Four are right behind it and
all seems to be well. Although the show ain't perfect, it ain't bad, and it
picks up nominations and the odd award. Viewing figures and critical
reaction are unambiguous - the show is a home made hit. The deal is that we
do three series, a deal done with then the regime [Seamus Cassidy]. Then
everything changes. Out goes Michael Grade and Seamus, and the commissioning
editor who commissioned "Harry Hill" - his name escapes me - he was also the
uber brain behind "Whittle". In comes Michael Jackson and Mr Lygoe. As the
new regime come in they cancel loads of stuff, series that have already been
recommissioned are cancelled, and the blatant and feeble Channel 4
entertainment policy emerges: everything has to be "sexy", or "daring", or
"outrageous", or aimed at youth [whatever that means] - in come your Graham
Nortons and your 11 O'Clock Shows and your Antoine de Caunes shows [ever see
that pilot? phew!!!!] and the feeble and weak willed Comedy Lab. Anyway,
although Harry is something that the new regime didn't want when they were
at BBC2 they're lumbered with him, because he's high profile, he's won
awards etcetera [and I expect some contractual wizardry on the part of his
sulphurous management].
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So they proceed to do what all good networks stuck with something they don't
want: they try to bury it. Instead of letting someone else take it over
[which would look like they'd been scooped] they carry on making it [at vast
expense] but don't promote it, give it a lousy slot and start generally to
interfere. The second series is moved to 1105 - after Eurotrash for heavens
sake - a mad decision when you consider the content. There's no poster
campaign. And lo and behold there are less viewers [not that many though].
Also, for the six oclock re run of the first series they start randomly
censoring the show. The Little Orphan Boy [voice now broken] is called in to
re dub each time he says "slag" with the word "slug" - Harry's decision as
he can't be arsed with the whole process; bear in mind how commonplace the
word slag is, and the fact Nana Hill said "tits" and they didn't notice.
Also Harry is told of a "mistake" - you can see his mouth moving whilst he
does Stouffer.......... god help us all.
Onto series three. Harry has decided simply not to listen to anyone from C4
and any advice they might - "fuck 'em" I believe were his words. This series
is timed to tie in with Harry's book, released in October, *published by
Channel 4 Books* for pity's sake, and when we start filming it is announced
that the series is to be broadcast in February. On a Sunday night - never
the same slot twice. So the tie in - for their own company - is lost.
Wilfully stupid. The series gets moved twice and then the final episode
inexplicably moved to Easter Monday at 1130. Critical reaction is still very
good [in a way that perhaps the 11ocs lacks], but of course viewing figures
are down - that's the plan, naturally. Harry is not one of those Fighting
the Forces of Boredom [a war Channel 4 seem determined to lose - my
favourite thing about that campaign was the Iain Lee clip where the punter
was funnier than him - not difficult, but it was probably the funniest thing
ever to happen in Mr Lee's presence]. Perhaps Harry's crime is that whilst
he is an acquired taste, he is not fashionable, and not interested in being
so. C4's output is so determined to be "street" or something [and it tickles
me greatly that you have Ali G and Ritchie Blackwood both on the same
channel, both offered up in the same way......]
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At the moment there are no plans for another Harry Hill series. In Harry's
last tour programme there was a thank you to "Kevin Lie-go".
