>I need the name of Victor Lewis-Smith's review of Brass Eye and the date it was published. Anyone know?

I *think* it's on the Thrift Funnel...

Haven't been able to find an answer for this yet. I think we might have the article buried somewhere on Cook'd and Bomb'd but no luck finding it yet, sorry!

I did notice, however, that the Guardian "Feuds Corner" article from 1992 was written by Ruth Picardie!

Funny when you consider that Morris would go on to mock her later style of writing with the Suicide Journalist shtick.

Brass Eye was originally due to start on C4 on Tuesday 19th November 1996 at 10.35pm. Someone told me that VLS's review was based on what was in the press tape - the review supposedly appeared in the Standard the following day even though the programme had been pulled from the schedule on the Sunday. The tone of L-S's piece was "You're missing nothing". So I was told.

I said as much on a thread last year.

It was extremely sour grapes on L-S's part, bearing in mind that the public were unable to make up their own minds.

He even put in a crack about Morris being "plastered with make up", which was a bit unfair seeing has Morris has a birthmark on his face (and L-S knows it).

I remember someone (the Standard?) printing a story that during the filming of TDT Morris had been so rude to a make-up girl who had to constantly retouch his make-up that he made her cry.

I also remember some other journalist remarking snidely that the only reason Morris got those two columns in the Standard was that he was sleeping with the editor's daugher.

Any more examples of Morris-sniping spring to mind? (VLS excepted.)

Private Eye printed that rumour about "sleeping with the editor's daughter", I seem to remember. Yet I don't actually think that's true. Is Jo Unwin actually Stewart Steven's daughter? I believe they're distantly related, but that's all...

Private Eye have never liked Morris. Actually, they're pretty bitchy about anyone "doing" satire (in a broad sense)outside the PE church.

Does anyone know who Square Eyes, is, btw? I thought it was Lewis-Smith for some time, but I think it's pretty unlikely now. Whoever it is (and of course, it might be different people who write it), they gave Game On a good write-up. Reason enough to sneer, I reckon.

A letter printed in Private Eye (some time in '94):

............................................

Paternity suit

Sir,

My recent employer, the editor of the EVENING STANDARD, is indeed my girlfriend's uncle (EYE 852).

When I was offered my first job at Radio Bristol, I was going out with the manager's daughter.

Mr Yentob! Have you a child for me?

Yours,
CHRISTOPHER MORRIS
Radio One

>Does anyone know who Square Eyes, is, btw? I thought it was Lewis-Smith for some time, but I think it's pretty unlikely now. Whoever it is (and of course, it might be different people who write it), they gave Game On a good write-up. Reason enough to sneer, I reckon.

I recall the review of Game On and it could not be described as entirely favourable. I seem to remember it running along the lines of nice concept badly done.

>Private Eye have never liked Morris.

Utter bollocks. I have it on extremely good authority that Morris has been known to pop round and suggest ideas to Ian Hislop that are "brilliant but unworkable within the format of the magazine".

The Stewart Steven thing (Jo Unwin is SS's niece if memory serves) inspired a great letter from Morris saying something like "Yes, I am sleeping with Stewart Steven's niece. Do you have any children for me, Mr Yentob?"

>The Stewart Steven thing (Jo Unwin is SS's niece if memory serves) inspired a great letter from Morris saying something like "Yes, I am sleeping with Stewart Steven's niece. Do you have any children for me, Mr Yentob?"

Johnny fucking come lately that I am, a Corpse gets in with the full text and a full attribution. Curses. Why are you both so damned good?

morris upsetting a make-up girl sounds unlikely. he's usually praised by those that know him as affable and charming.

j xxx

related thought: were there any bits of brass eye that people didn't like? we've heard everyone's jam opinions (including mine) ad nauseam. what didn't people like in brasseye? go on, someone be brave...

j xxx

OK... I've never been backward about coming forward on this issue. The 'drug office' sketch was overlong and tedious, and some of the interviews (Darcus Howe, Babylon Zoo bloke etc) served no purpose and detracted from the overall quality of the programme.

It still rocked like a barstard though.

I've never been crazy about the kids convincing the old people that they're dead, in "Crime". In fact there are a couple of bits in "Crime" that don't quite come off, which is maybe why it tends to get overlooked - that and the fact that it's obviously not nearly as contentious as "Sex" or "Drugs" - which is a shame, as it's also got a couple of his best gags in it. (IMO.) (Nothing H about it.)

Agreed - Crime was the weakest episode. Despite some killer lines, "Key 2000" doesn't hang together somehow...

>>Private Eye have never liked Morris.
>
>Utter bollocks. I have it on extremely good authority that Morris has been known to pop round and suggest ideas to Ian Hislop that are "brilliant but unworkable within the format of the magazine".

Well, they didn't like On The Hour very much (there was a sneery item in Media News about it during the first series). They weren't terribly keen on Brass Eye either (Square Eyes, at least), and jam didn't exactly get a rave review. When I can locate all my PEs (not now, but the next time I return to my parents' house, I will find them), I shall reproduce quotes. Unless someone can do the honours in the meantime...

Oh yeah, Square Eyes gave Knowing Me Knowing You a bit of a bashing as well. (Although in fairness, this was to say that it was better on the radio.)

Game On did get a good review in as much as Square Eyes commented that it was aimed squarely at a target market, and made exactly the right jokes in order to attract that market. (During the first series in 95. I was watching GO every week out of horrified fascination just to see if it could get worse. The PE comments just infuriated me all the more.)

Spot on, TJ. The drug office sketch was definitely a bit of a snooze. Unless you were Will Self, I suspect (who, predictably, luurrrved it).

Thought the Baywatch actress phone call about Carla the elephant (Animals)* dragged its heels somewhat too.

Oh, and the Jenny Powell bit over the episode 3 credits. Bit dull.

*Meaning "Animals" as an episode title. I do know that elephants are animals.

Have to disagree with you about Carla the Elephant. "Her keeper's just been sucked up there instead... and he's breathing through a snorkel," etc. Also note the soothing music and dreamy image that accompany the call... proto-jam?

The Baywatch has a couple of funny bits in it, but it's just too long imo. Still, a couple of dull bits in an otherwise near-flawless series. Not bad going, I reckon.

Bad Brass?

Mmm. Probably just getting rather tired of the celebrity wind-up format by about episode 4. I thought it was a shame to do so much wind-up stuff when the rest of the pre-scripted studio material was of such a stunning quality.

The point (celebrities will say anything) was made perfectly well within a couple of episodes (and, since the press coverage focused on this element, it was even clear to people who didn't watch the show.) But, having got the point, you had to sit through more and more celebrities being hauled through the embarrassment mill.

It got boring. And if I can get bored watching Morris do it, I can certainly get bored of watching Sacha Baron Cohen do it.

But then I've never been that much of a fan of stunt-humour.

>Spot on, TJ. The drug office sketch was definitely a bit of a snooze. Unless you were Will Self, I suspect (who, predictably, luurrrved it).
>

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this sketch extended at the last minute because the Sutcliffe sketch was removed? This would explain why it is obviously drawn out and over-long.

Not extended, as far as I know, but almost certainly an outtake from 'Drugs'. If you look closely, you'll see a short clip from it in that episode...

reassuring to see that most of the stuff not liked by us forum contribs was either added to cover missing stuff (drug office jam factory) or over the end credits (jas mann, jenny powell): at least morris knows his quality thresholds and doesn't pad out his shows with weaker stuff (cf most things on television).

honest to god, someone *must* have a copy of the original edits. mike and joe - bother some people, would you?

j xxx

My favourite thing about Brass Eye is when you watch the whole lot with someone who has never seen it, or even heard of it before you press "play" on the video.

My American pal John was in fucking bits watching it, alternately creased up in hysterics, and open mouthed in awe.
Brought a tear to my eye the way he went around talking about "the swelling food" all day, in a really bad American-doing-a-Brit accent

That's beautiful.

Aaah.

my father didn't seem to get it all. bless him and all, he's a 57-year old postman, so brasseye was never quite aimed at him (as it were). mind you, he giggled himself silly at 'the gush' in jam. and i don't think he could believe what he was seeing or that he found it funny. especially the guy with the body the weight of two or three squirrels - dean dorsey, is it, tj?

or is it mickey vunclanger?

'and the bit with the man dressed as a horse, that was good, wasn't it?'

j xxx

Watching The Day Today with a very stupid person was a treasure. This was the first time it was shown, back in '94, I was sitting on the floor, cross-legged in total awe, [[worshipping]] the telly, having never yet seen Morris's delicious pock-marked face until that time, and this daft person (friend of a friend) comes in, sits down in the middle of the Chapman Baxter "Elvocution" skit and she starts murmuring to herself "Oh my God... It's barbaric... Only in America... How can you sit and watch this???"

I kid ye not.

True story - when the 'backward satanic messages' bit of On The Hour was first broadcast (almost ten years ago now), I was listening to it in the kitchen, and my dad walked in and said "bloody idiots will believe anything you tell them if it corresponds with something they've read in the papers", quite clearly believing that what he was hearing was a genuine sensationalised news broadcast. It took quite some time to convince him that it was really a comedy show.

Perhaps an indication of why the OTH/Day Today/Fist Of Fun gang succeeded on an artistic level, whereas their many imitators have not?

The world may have changed a bit in the intervening time. That Liquid News thing on digital *probably* blurs the boundary between spoof and real news (I say probably, having never watched it, nor will unless Her Majesty commands it) and people are now used to reacting to real "crazy" news as if it were a spoof, automatically. So it's come full circle. The news really IS gibberish. Bearded cleric really IS in oily chin insertion. Maybe the pleasure of watching Brass Eye now is the way it sparks a feeling-memory of your first go. And of course, the sound of Noel Edmonds saying Shatner's Bassoon. Or Rolf Harris saying Joss Acland's Spunky Backpack in a sad, disgusted voice.

>Bearded cleric really IS in oily chin >insertion.

*speechless with laughter*

It's certainly true that Newsnight has BECOME the Day Today. It was supposed to be a vicious satire, not a fucking blueprint.

With regard to the mention of Rolf Harris' voice - if there's one thing that has really struck me with repeated viewings of "Brass Eye", it's that while most of the sincerity displayed by the celebrities seems fake and careerist, and Bruno Brookes (who is on the verge of laughing throughout) had clearly been asked by Morris to film his segments in the hope of persuading other targets that the campaign was real, Rolf Harris actually seems genuinely concerned and appears to believe that he actually _is_ doing something to help people, and I've always felt a bit sorry for him in that respect.

>Bruno Brookes (who is on the verge of laughing throughout)

Jimmy Greaves is as well, isn't he? How many people were actually 'in on it', do you think? I've heard that Tommy Vance was.

I always just assumed Vance and Brookes because they had been, to some extent, 'in' on the Radio 1 show...

Chris used to ring in fake birthday requests to Bruno's show in the middle of the night, didn't he?

>Chris used to ring in fake birthday requests to Bruno's show in the middle of the night, didn't he?

It was suggestions for very very bad jokes in some context or other, and then Bruno would read them out verbatim, which obviously CM would record and incorporate into his own R1 show the next week. Marvelous.

Chris' tone always hinted that he'd actually informed Bruno what was going on etc...

Vance _did_ do those "Stop Shouting At People"/"Stop Being Poor" etc jingles, didn't he?

i thought that was michael alexander st john. mind you, i thought the doctor in 'blue jam' was morris until series 3. cunt that i am.

j xxx

Anyone out there know ANYTHING at all about Michael Alexander St. John? It seems he's been working with Morris since Radio Bristol days, but no-one seems to know who he is or how they met etc...

>Anyone out there know ANYTHING at all about Michael Alexander St. John? It seems he's been working with Morris since Radio Bristol days, but no-one seems to know who he is or how they met etc...

He used to be a continuity announcer for HTV West, I think. There's a pretty well-known out-take on It'll Be Alright On The Night where an announcer (I am 99% convinced it is St John) previews the prison drama Within These Walls, only to be met with a row of dancing gonks from (quite clearly) some other programme - for kids, no doubt. St John (if it is him) basically starts rambling on about there being some sort of "bother". It is hysterical.

>He used to be a continuity announcer for HTV West, I think. There's a pretty well-known out-take on It'll Be Alright On The Night where an announcer (I am 99% convinced it is St John) previews the prison drama Within These Walls, only to be met with a row of dancing gonks from (quite clearly) some other programme - for kids, no doubt. St John (if it is him) basically starts rambling on about there being some sort of "bother". It is hysterical.

'I'm sorry about that - that was our mistake. Within These Walls is the story of Stonepark Women's Prison where there's not only women's lib, but also a lot of danger and a lot of bother. I'm sure the governer (referring to onscreen pic) - there, you can see her - I'm sure when she finds this out she's going to be rather cross. Well I'm pleased to say we can now show you a bit of the threatened violence...and the story is...quite exciting...'

Yeah, I've always been sure this was Michael StJohn too. Shall I capture the audio and put it on-line? We can put it to the vote!

The dancing gonks were called 'The Yogs' and were advertising a yoghurt-based snack.

>i thought that was michael alexander st john. mind you, i thought the doctor in 'blue jam' was morris until series 3. cunt that i am.

I'm glad someone else thought so too. At first I just thought they'd slowed the tape down a bit. Ho hum.

>...this daft person (friend of a friend) comes in, sits down in the middle of the Chapman Baxter "Elvocution" skit and she starts murmuring to herself "Oh my God... It's barbaric... Only in America... How can you sit and watch this???"
>

Yes- my Dad walked in on exactly the same bit and was horrified. He's a big Elvis fan, though.

And of course Q magazine printed a letter from an outraged reader the month after Alan Partridge was profiled in 'Who the Hell...' complaining about how such a small-minded bigot ever got on TV etc etc

My rather guileless flatmate - she was a primary school teacher - came into the room on the line "Headmaster uses wide-faced child as satellite dish" and was inconsolably appalled. It took a long time to explain that it wasn't true.

Here's an audio of that 'Within These Walls' continuity announcer. Let's have an 'is it, isn't it?' vote...

http://mudhole.spodnet.uk.com/~frogger/yogs.rpm

Sounds scarily MASJ. I've always had a theory that Morris got in touch with St John after this clip went out as part of the '10 Years Of It'll Be Alright' in Dec 1988 (in a sort of VLS-style giving work to ageing linksmen sort of way).

'It all reeks of Birtism this lot, y'know...'

It's definitely him.

TV Cream has a screengrab of 'The Yogs', I've just noticed. And they credit the announcer as 'Michael "News Felch" Alexander StJohn. How very like them.