No - this is real - and was actually on the NTNOCN repeat last Friday. mel Smith plays a liberal vicar who wants to welcome satanists into the Church of England, and the whole thing is presented as an episode of a documentary series called 'I Believe' with a v/o by Rowan Atkinson who kicks off by posing the question 'The Devil - Is He All Bad?' The undoubted highlight of the sketch is Griff Rhys Jones declaring that he and Pamela Stevenson 'do go up to the heath, strip naked, and ravish each other passionately til dawn.' Atkinson: 'and this helps summon up the forces of evil does it?' Jones: 'Who cares?' Atkinson: 'Do you think Satanists will ever be accepted into the church?' Jones: 'I couldn't give a toss.'

The sketch also details ways in which Satanism has become more modern and up to date including bring and buy sales, coffee mornings and sacrificing virgins. 'Rape, murder, coffee... of a morning.' Smith is also exceptional as the treny vicar. It's on one of the NTNOCN albums but I can't remember which one.

I was thinking of the same sketch as Al - it's written by Andy Hamilton, and it is indeed the last main sketch on the 1st BBC album (same title, released October 1980). Think it's from series 2, because Griff's in the sketch.

Was that the one, Jon?

Incidentally, was Griff in any of the first series at all (occasional cameos or anything?)?

The original sketch had a title sequence to the strains of George Harrison's 'My Sweet Lord', featuring stock footage of (among other things) satanic nakedness. This was left off the compilations. See Edit News.

Yes, GRJ made some cameos in the first series - as the naked man entering the restaurant wearing a gigantic tie, for example.

The sketch was also in the NOT book in the 80's, as a magazine article (as was the airline food one, also repeated on Friday

The repeats that the BBC have been showing were re-edited in 1995.

You're all probably right. The reason it stuck in my mind is because it seemed a very odd, very extreme sketch at the time. My recollection of it still is.

Incidentally, Justin, you can e-mail me by clicking the red name, if you want to pursue a sitcom writing partnership. I remember you said you were writing one ages ago. How's it coming on?

I watched last weeks NTNOCN and it brought back many onanistic memories of seeing Pamela Stephenson as the hitchhiker in the Truckers SongSketch PHOOOEWARRetc

She's 18 stone now you know.

She's 18 stone now you know.