The first recording today is Lead Balloon – Hero from which I’m missing the very start, so we only get the very end of the opening scene where Rick stops a man from committing suicide.
He moan that there’s no news in the national newspapers. “I save someone’s life, and I’ve been on television.” But Magda brings in the local newspaper, and it’s on the front page. “Well, at least they got their facts right.” “There you go.” “Still, you think they make it top story? I mean, is anyone really interested in this bypass business?” “Well, the people whose homes are being demolished.”
After walking around town with the newspaper under his arm all day, he comes home excited, telling Mel that he bumped into “Tony Briggs, head of drama at ITV” and he’s invited him for dinner on Sunday.
His neighbour asks if he’ll sign a petition. “It’s the alleyway at the back of my mum’s house. We’ve had an increasing number of incidents involving vandalism, graffiti. Youths gathering, shouting, swearing, you know, that sort of thing. I mean, last week, she had an old car tire thrown over.” “Did she?” “Yeah, she was pretty upset about it, as you can imagine.”
Magda brings Rick a dish for the dinner party, although he doesn’t seem very interested.
Tony arrives, with his wife. Rick is in full schmooze mode.
Mel has to break some news to Rick when she’s introduced to Tony. “Because that is not Tony Briggs. That is Tony Welland. Tony the Builder? Who did our roof four years ago?” “He can’t be.” “It is.” “He said he liked my stuff.” “Yes, but that doesn’t stop him being Tony the Builder. You idiot.”
Rick has to get rid of Magda’s unwanted food but can’t throw it away in their bin. “Can’t put it in the bin. Magda will see it. If she doesn’t see that, she’ll see the dead rats lying around it.” So he takes it round the back of his neighbour’s mother’s house and tries to dump it there. But when he thumps the dish on the fence to dislodge the food it breaks, falling into the garden.
He has to return half the dish. “Thing is, I put it in the dishwasher and… It broke.” “Where’s other half? I will mend.” “You know what? That’s what’s really weird. The other half just shattered into tiny pieces. It’s quite a dangerous, really. Now obviously, I’ll replace it. You know, buy a proper one. That doesn’t break so easily.”
There’s more bad news for Rick in the local paper concerning the man he saved from suicide.
Then his neighbour comes round again to tell him the problems with his mother’s garden have got worse. “Thrown over the Garden Wall last night. I found it there this morning. Lying in what I can only describe as a pile of congealed vomit.” Although, given he doesn’t know who was responsible, does this imply that he’s taken this dish round to everyone in the neighbourhood?
Media Centre Description: Sitcom about ex-celebrity comedian Rick Spleen. Rick becomes a local hero when he stops someone from committing suicide. He gets even more excited when, as a result, a TV executive agrees to come to dinner to talk about Rick’s career. Magda prepares a traditional dish from her country for the evening, but when the guests finally arrive, Rick gets an unwelcome surprise.
Recorded from BBC TWO on Thursday 22nd November 2007 21:30
BBC Genome: BBC TWO Thursday 22nd November 2007 21:30
After this, there’s a trail for The Graham Norton Show which features as guests, the Dukes of Hazzard.
There’s also a trail for The Mighty Boosh.
Then the recording stops with the start of The Graham Norton Show.
The next recording starts with the end of Property Ladder.
Then, the next episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – Breaking News. There’s lots of drama in this one.
Harriet talks to Simon. “Do you happen to know if Tom got an e-mail from his brother before the show?” “Mm, no, I don’t, why?” “His parents called me, they haven’t heard from his brother in about 48 hours. Doesn’t Mark usually e-mail Tommy before the show? When do we say something?” “Not during the show.” I’m not sure why Tom’s parents would call Harriet about it before they talk to Tom. (For context, Tom’s brother Mark is in Iraq.)
Mary Tate, the lawyer helping with the sexual harassment lawsuit from a female writer against the previous head writers, is back, asking Matt about Harriet. “Karen Salisbirk wrote a sketch Harriet was in, but it got cut at dress. By way of explanation, Harriet said, ‘A writer’s room is a tough place for a woman.'” Worse news for Matt, the writer has filed a retaliation claim, alleging that Matt had given her a bad reference. “What did you tell Dan Spitzer?” “I told him that I’d never worked with her.” “And?” “I told him that she’d been fired ’cause she wasn’t good enough and now she’s suing the show. I told him she’s bad news.” “There’s the retaliation claim. She’s saying you’re depriving her of future earnings.”
Jack tries to pitch a piece of what sounds like AI software. “They’ve plugged in the plots from 500 successful movies, breaking down their elements and bam, they tell you your screenplay needs a car chase here, a love scene there, a sidekick…”
Matt’s assistant Suzanne tells him she knows he’s taking pills. She has a very particular reason to worry about the effect it’s having on him. He tries to reassure her. “Writing a comedy show, you can’t be depressed while you’re doing it. You gotta have energy and you got to be able to feel joy. And it’s not like I can ask everybody to sit and wait while I get over it.” “I know.” “As soon as we have a hiatus, I’m gonna stop. Okay?” “My mom said that when I was nine. And when I was ten, she slit her wrists.” Merrit Wever as Suzanne is fantastic in this and her other scenes. Her whole body language tells us she’s petrified of saying what she’s saying, but she has to.
There’s several monitors around the studio which are showing the show in the wrong aspect ratio. I wonder why. It’s bugging me.
Jordan and Danny are arguing. “I asked you not to open with the war. And you know what else? You knew you shouldn’t have but you did it anyway. You did it because I asked you not to. That’s just messed up. And we’re taking down a lot a good people with us. Now get your ass back on the floor.”
Mary talks to Harriet about her comment that the Writers’ Room was a tough place for women. “Ricky and Ronald ran a bad room. You’re talking about a pack mentality of guys age 25 to 33 who’d never been let into the pack. Not a lot of comedy writers dated the prom queen. These guys wrote to be mean.” “Why does Matt write?” “I’m sorry?” “You said the other guys were writing to be mean. Why does Matt write?” “Matt writes to get people to like him.” “Yeah?” “It’s working on you, isn’t it?”
Lucy tries to cheer Tom up because he’s feeling bad about how his sketches went.
The Guest Host is Jenna Fischer, only glimpsed for the Goodnights at the end of the show.
As soon as the show finishes, Danny rushes up to Matt’s office and asks him where the pills are. “I’m a drug addict, Matt, and I have to be one for the rest of my life. I will beat you to a bloody pulp before I let you…” There’s a long soliloquy about all the different drugs he could be taking, and the best way to take them, written, I’m sure, from Aaron Sorkin’s personal experience. Matt shows him the bottle of pills. “These are Flintstones Vitamins.” “Yeah. I like the Bam Bams. You got a problem with that?” “Suzanne said you were taking pills.” “I was.” “Till when?” “About an hour ago.” “What have you been taking? Anything. I’ve stopped now. I’m not writing the show any better high than I was straight.” “You were writing it worse.” “I know that.” “And you’re done?” “Yeah.”
Danny talks to Jordan about the ratings. She orders a carton of Orange Juice from the waiter. “Seriously, are you gonna drink that whole carton?” “Yeah.” “Why?” “I can’t feel the baby kick.” “What are you talking about?” “I haven’t felt her kick all day. And if I drink orange juice, usually I can get her to…” Danny takes her away.
Suzanne asks Matt if he’s mad she told Danny. He tells her he’s stopped. She tells him the comedown is going to be bad. When he leaves, the look she gives suggests maybe she doesn’t believe him.
Matt asks Mary out to dinner.
As Danny is about to take Jordan to the emergency room, Jack arrives with news. “Three American soldiers were ambushed in their truck on a road in Paktika, Afghanistan. One of them is Mark Jeter.”
Tom rushes up to the gallery to watch the footage.
Media Centre Description: Drama series about a late-night comedy sketch show. A pregnant Jordan has difficulties during a live show. Matt’s pill-popping is discovered by a staff member.
Recorded from More 4 on Thursday 22nd November 2007 22:00
After this, the recording stops with the start of Too Big To Walk?
The next recording starts with the end of Newsnight.
There’s Weather, and an ad for Digital Switchover.
There’s also a trail for This World: Britain’s Most Wanted.
Then, a repeat showing of Heroes – Five Years Gone seen last week.
Media Centre Description: Drama series in which people all over the world deal with the newly-discovered superpowers they possess. Thrown five years in the future, Hiro and Ando discover that people with extraordinary abilities are not only widely known about, but are being registered, imprisoned, hunted and even killed as terrorists. As the President takes his first step towards a ‘final solution’, the pair get swept up in what could be a final battle and encounter a range of new and darkly familiar faces.
Recorded from BBC TWO on Thursday 22nd November 2007 23:18
BBC Genome: BBC TWO Thursday 22nd November 2007 23:20
After this there’s trails for Heroes, Radio 1Xtra, and a new trail for The Mighty Boosh.
There’s also a trail for the episode of Spooks we saw two days ago.
Then the recording stops with the start of The Cult of… Star Cops.
Today’s final recording starts with the end of Dog Borstal.
There’s a trail for Can Fat Teens Hunt? The House of Tiny Tearaways and Titty Bang Bang 3.
Then, there’s an episode of The Mighty Boosh – Journey to the Centre of the Punk.
Howard has bought a record. “Yeah, it’s only the most valuable jazz record in existence. Voodoo Scat by Howling Jimmy Jefferson.”
Howard likes all his Stationery organised in Stationery Village.
Vince is a Punk now.
When his punk friends come on, they cause trouble, and encourage Vince to eat Howard’s new record.
Howard takes the fragments of record to Lester, a blind Jazz expert.
Vince performs with his new band, Terminal Margaret. But he starts singing jazz-scat, and the crowd bottles them off.
There’s a very silly rear projection chase. (OK, it’s probably bluescreen rather than rear projection, but it’s the thought that counts.)
Lester explains why Vince is scatting. “I think I know what’s happening here. Let me tell you the tale. Gather round. Not you, extreme sports calendar.”
I wonder if the animated Howling Jimmy Jefferson in Lester’s story is one of those “broadcast standards, language and attitudes of its time” which iPlayer warns viewers might find offensive? Anyway, the story is “He wanted his music to live on, so he contacted a local voodoo priest called Tiny Robert. He performed a strange ritual on his king-size death bed, mixing a drop of Jimmy’s blood with his final recording, Voodoo Scat. So after Vince ate that record, the blood of Howling Jimmy must have crawled up inside of him. It’s turning everything that was Vince into jazz.”
Naboo knows what to do. “We need to shrink someone to a molecular level, inject him into Vince’s bloodstream using a miniature submarine.” Yay, the smallest sci-fi subgenre there is gets another entry.
I like the submarine.
It starts its journey to the brain.
The Jazz Virus is infecting Vince’s blood cells.
Howard and Lester have to get past Vince’s immune system.
Vince’s brain has a personal assistant.
Howard finally meets the singular brain cell.
He confronts the evil Jazz Virus.
He brought what he thought was the box containing the Anti-Jazz dart, but it’s actually got Lester’s packed lunch.
Howard Moon’s giving off Bond vibes. But the virus has new for him. “You can’t kill me, boy!” “Why?” “Because I’m your FATHER!” “NO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-OH!”
Naboo gets the submarine out, but the virus is in there too. He’s about to kill them when Vince’s very violent punk band arrives, so he kills them first.
Then Vince throws the safety pin that Sid Vicious wore through his nose – “It’s chock full of diseases.” Lester catches it and stabs the virus.
Media Centre Description: Surreal sitcom about a jazz fan, a fashion victim, a mystic and their gorilla friend. In an attempt to impress his new punk mates Vince bites Howard’s rare jazz record, but bites off more than he can chew as the corruptive Jazz Beast enters his bloodstream. As Vince’s life hangs in the balance, Naboo has to shrink Howard and his jazz companion Lester Corncrake to the size of a pea and send them into Vince’s body to locate and kill the invasive cell before the Jazz Beast kills Vince.
Recorded from BBC THREE on Friday 23rd November 2007 01:23
BBC Genome: BBC THREE Friday 23rd November 2007 01:25
After this, a trail for the next episode which we saw on an earlier recording, and a trail for Don’t Tell the Bride.
Then there’s the start of an episode of Comedy Shuffle promising a lot of names in the titles. Here’s Nick Mohammed doing a really good piece about conducting an orchestra. Very slick. It’s a pity the recording cuts off before it finishes.
Here’s the ad breaks in Studio 60
Adverts:
- Lemsip Max
- Marks & Spencer
- PC World
- Army
- trail: True Stories: The Kid Stays in the Picture
- trail: The IT Crowd
- Halfords
- B&Q
- Currys
- Dettol
- Ladbrokes
- Nurofen Express
- The Guardian
- The AA
- Deal or No Deal DVD Game
- Sainsbury’s
- trail: Film 4
- trail: This Is Civilisation
- Barclaycard – Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt
- Glenfiddich
- Homebase
- John Lewis Christmas
- Comet
- Ladbrokes
- Marks & Spencer
- Barclaycard – Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt
- trail: First Cut: In Search of Mr Average
- trail: The Queen’s Wedding
- Mini Clubman
- Comet
- AeroBed
- Glenfiddich
- J’Adore – Charlize Theron
- Stella Artois
- Ladbrokes
- Mini Clubman
- trail: The IT Crowd
- trail: The Secret Millionaire
- Lovefilm
- Rolled Gold
- The Golden Compass in cinemas
- trail: True Stories: The Kid Stays in the Picture
VHiStory 
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