Beethoven's Not Dead Posted Wed Jul 25 11:03:53 BST 2001 by Justin

Half-hour pilot for BBC2, November 1992, ostensibly about classical music, starring Miles & Milner and Jim Tavare. Found a video copy recently, and it was rather enjoyable. A little rough around the edges, and the visual jokes were largely "Let's use this piano as a car". But it was rather charming, and it would have been nice for it to have gone to a series.

Subject: Re: Beethoven's Not Dead [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Mike4SOTCAA on Wed Jul 25 11:30:10 BST 2001:

With Richard 'TMWRNJ' Thomas, yus?

Subject: Re: Beethoven's Not Dead [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Justin on Wed Jul 25 13:38:44 BST 2001:

That's him, still looking a bit like Ted Danson.

Shame it didn't make a series, but at least the pilot got aired. Imagine such a thing happening now...

Subject: Re: Beethoven's Not Dead [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Barney Sloane on Wed Jul 25 14:49:40 BST 2001:

Was that the one where a guy sat at a piano and finished Schubert's Unfinished Symphony with a Cockney piano-style twiddly bit? And a sketch about a guy taking his driving test on a piano? If it was, I've been trying to find out about this show for years, as I was a struggling music student when it was aired, and was elated at the prospect of a music-based show not dumbing itself down for a mass audience.

Subject: Re: Beethoven's Not Dead [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Mike4SOTCAA on Wed Jul 25 14:53:58 BST 2001:

>And a sketch about a guy taking his driving test on a piano?

I bet they did 'ah, you've stalled' and 'you missed three sharps back there' jokes. I haven't seen it, but I bet they did. Proper comedy.

Subject: Re: Beethoven's Not Dead [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Beelzebub' on Wed Jul 25 19:54:50 BST 2001:

>>And a sketch about a guy taking his driving test on a piano?
>
>I bet they did 'ah, you've stalled' and 'you missed three sharps back there' jokes. I haven't seen it, but I bet they did. Proper comedy.

Yeah, well, if you call a load of piano jokes 'proper' comedy. They wus a lot better at the ADC!

Subject: Re: Beethoven's Not Dead [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Radiator Head Child on Wed Jul 25 21:05:58 BST 2001:

>I bet they did 'ah, you've stalled' and 'you missed three sharps back there' jokes. I haven't seen it, but I bet they did. Proper comedy.

It's also been done in slightly different form by Foley and McColl. But people refuse to recognise they exist.

"Bricked up the second verse..."

Subject: Re: Beethoven's Not Dead [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Jon on Thu Jul 26 13:25:31 BST 2001:

"They wus a lot better at the ADC"

Oh, the ADC is the centre of the comedy universe...?

Subject: Re: Beethoven's Not Dead [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Beelzebub' on Thu Jul 26 23:48:06 BST 2001:

>"They wus a lot better at the ADC"
>
>Oh, the ADC is the centre of the comedy universe...?

That surely depends on how big your universe is and how much Adnams you've drunk...

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