I've been at TVC for a recording of 'Only Fools and Horses'. Fantastic stuff !

Which episode?

Okay... you don't want to hear about 'Armistice'... but anyway, I was briefly in shot on Armistice at the same time as Chas'n;Dave... an' that's class that is.

Does the Paul Squires show count?

>Does the Paul Squires show count?

What about 'Anderson on the Box' currently being repeated on BBC CHOICE NI on Mondays.

No? I'll get me coat...

>Were you in the audience for something fantastic?

Sadly no, but four years ago I was in the audience for the first episode of "Legacy of Perrin" thanks to Geoffrey Palmer, who also smuggled me into the gallery and later the BBC bar during two recordings of "As Time Goes By".

I think Geoffrey Palmer is a very good actor - one of his best performances was in a half-hour comedy drama with Rowan Atkinson, based on the life of 20's racing car driver Roly Birkin - but watching the "Perrin" recording I was overwhelmed by the huge feeling that it was all a terrible mistake. The BBC should never have revived it, because without Leonard Rossiter it was nothing. My strongest memory of the evening is how emaciated and frail John Barron looked, as he shuffled from one set to another like a living cadaver. Is he still alive, anyone? I think so. Still, when the lights came up in the set and the recording began, he seemed to come alive again, and the hubris of CJ spilled out once more with a twinkle in the eye.

The whole recording was completed within forty-five minutes, which surprised me. Barring the opening sequence recorded on location in a cemetery, the entire episode was set in a solicitor's office, with just one other scene in a pub bar. I gather comedy directors at the BBC make bets on who can finish their recordings the quickest, and Gareth Gwenlan's team made it to the 4th floor bar first that Sunday night. Sydney Lotterby used to take a lot more care over his recordings of "As Time Goes By", which would usually take about an hour, maybe 90mins.

Anyway, I saw the transmitted version, and it looked quite average, and only raised the odd chuckle. Nothing like the enjoyment I had when I first saw series one of "The Fall and Rise" when it was repeated in the late 80's/early 90's. I'd just started commuting to work, during my year out from school, and really sympathised with Reggie Perrin's trek through suburban hell. "Sorry I'm late, Joan, escaped puma at Chertsey..." etc.

"The Legacy" was pants in comparison...

I was in the audience for the dress rehearsal for the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest. And then there's my many visits to We Can Work it Out (but there wasn't an audience as such).

And yes, Anderson on the Box is something to be proud of. Who were the guests?

>I was in the audience for the dress rehearsal for the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest.

Now there's something to be proud of....;-)


And then there's my many visits to We Can Work it Out (but there wasn't an audience as such).

There wasn't an audience *at all*....!

>
>And yes, Anderson on the Box is something to be proud of. Who were the guests?

>And yes, Anderson on the Box is something to be proud of. Who were the guests?

Former Northern Irish McLaren driver John Watson, Linda Nolan and someone else. And Sean Coyle stood on my foot. I was in shot for a bit and kept looking up at the monitor above my head which looked really obvious when I watched it back but it didn't seem so at the time. Still, if you want to see what I looked like in 1995 look out for that episode.

I also went to see PK Tonight, where the guests were Mark Little and Honour Blackman.

I was once in the audience for "Songs of Praise".

I saw 'Friday Night Live' when it was first transmitted, so I was as much a part of the audience as the people in the studio. What I mainly remember is that when Harry Enfield came on to do Loadsamoney for the first time ever on TV, I didn't think much of it and turned over. The studio audience didn't like it either. Actually, Ben Elton's end-of-show routines would often go by with hardly any laughter at all. That's not to say he didn't have some great moments, just that people only talked about those and not the whole picture. I think that's why there was such a backlash against him around 1990.

Been in the audience for some godawful LWT entertainment shows, used to mostly look facsinated about the studio and crew and stuff more than pay attention to the shows. Still, as far as TV studios go, the London TV Centre seems to be one of the best.

Also, I oncevisited the BBC TV Centre, but I was about six or something so the memory's faded a bit. I remember watching Smith and Jones (this would have been '86-ish) doing a sketch involving quite a few actors on Wood Lane that was obviously too rubbish to go on TV (it was just a lot of people popping up saying "This is BBC 1", sub first-series Fast Show stuff) and I remember going into the little booths with windows looking down into the studios they have, seeing ohh dammit whatshername with the big hair rehearsing something for Tommorrow's World holding an apple.. And in another one I saw Elaine Page or someone recording a song for the Two Ronnies that for one reason or other wouldn't be done in front of a studio audience like the rest of the show. It seemed a pretty surreal place in there, wish I could vist now, I'd appreciate it more..

I was in the audience for a couple of Jack Docherty's chat shows on Channel 5 (but I doubt you think that counts).

>Were you in the studio audience for a landmark comedy show? Python, The Young Ones, Blackadder...

Well while watching the video of the Red Dwarf Smeg Ups tape I noticed that I was in the audience clapping furiously, however I never went to a recording of Red Dwarf, the cheeky people lifted shots from 'The 10%ers' and inserted them into the RD-SU video.

The greatest thing I ever saw taped was 'Radio Active' but that's a wireless show and so is a bit off topic.

No, 'Radio Active' is exactly the kind of thing we're talking about.

But come on, somebody else must have seen a major comedy show being recorded. 300+ people saw each Young Ones/Python/Blackadder session. Are they are all dead?

>I was once in the audience for "Songs of Praise".

Shouldn't that be congregation?!

I was in the audience for Bill Hicks' final show of his UK tour in 1992, which was recorded and released as 'Revelations'. He was half an hour late on stage and his stand-up lasted for over two hours. It was magnificent.

I saw an edition of The News Quiz being recorded once... not such a huge achievement, but smuggling the family of eight marmosets into the studio under my coat was a huge task.

I think I fell asleep halfway through, but maybe that was just the effect of Jeremy Hardy not being there.

>Were you in the studio audience for a landmark comedy show? Python, The Young Ones, Blackadder...shows of that stature? (Something bigger than The Friday Night Armistice, anyway.) SOTCAA would love to hear from you. Tell all.
>
Bill Hicks?Fucking hell,thats like seeing the Beatles

Bill Hicks never dated Jane Asher.

I was in the audience for 2 eps of 'Knowing Me, Knowing You', 'This Morning With Richard Not judy', 'Fantasy Football League', 'Jim'll Fix It' (twice), 'Smell Of Reeves And Mortimer', 'Bang Bang It's Reeves And mortimer', 'Newman and Baddiel In Pieces'. Do any of those count?

Well, come on, Jim'll Fix It, man!

How could that possibly not count?

Yes, Peabody, most of those count. KMKY certainly.

Go on - send us details...

I did see Seaside Special once (or was it called Summertime Special?).
Frank Carson headlined. I think Peter Powell hosted.
It was on the Isle of Man in a big top tent during a thunder storm.
You are beyond jealous.

i saw the last episode of the third series of 'a bit of fry and laurie' being recorded, which was fabulous, and had about an extra half hour's worth of material in it that didn't make it to the screen.

the most terrifying thing, being in the third row, was messrs fry and laurie's formidable height. hugh laurie is about 7'9" and stephen fry about 13'6".

j xxx

I was in the Saturday Superstore studio when someone told Matt Bianco that his group were a load of wankers. After the show, the editor came down from his gallery and said that the presenters had dealt with it brilliantly.