Mitch Benn's Crimes Against Music

Last updated

Mitch Benn's Crimes Against Music
Genre Comedy
Running time30 minutes
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Language(s) English
Home station BBC Radio 4
Starring Mitch Benn
Robin Ince
Alfie Joey
Written by Mitch Benn
Robin Ince
Adam Bromley
Produced by Adam Bromley
Original release19 February 2004 
4 July 2006
No. of series3
No. of episodes14
Audio format Stereophonic sound

Mitch Benn's Crimes Against Music is a BBC Radio 4 comedy series, taking a satirical look at popular music. It is written by and stars Mitch Benn and Robin Ince. It also features Mitch's group The Distractions (Kirsty Newton and Tash Baylis) and in the first two series Alfie Joey. It began in 2004, and has run for three series so far.

Format

Series One and Two

The first two series had a discussion format in which, every week, the presenters would talk about some aspect of the music industry, inevitably tying into whatever songs Mitch had prepared (something Robin would comment sarcastically upon). Running gags included regular appearances by Satan (Robin Ince) complaining that heavy metal was getting soft; Robin's obsession with The Smiths and talking head clip shows he had appeared in; Alfie's obsession with Lindisfarne; and, in the first series, Mitch's paranoia that Richard Stilgoe is a better musical satirist.

In both series the final episode was a "format-buster" with a special guest star. The last episode of series one started out as a discussion of manufactured bands, but was derailed when Richard Stilgoe appeared and attempted a coup, with Robin taking his side. The series two finale, Journey to the Centre of Rick Wakeman, a parody of 1970s progressive rock "concept albums", was set in the near future (2009, to be exact), when England and Wales are on the point of war and the Crimes team must reform to bring Rick Wakeman out of a coma so he can bring peace.

Series Three

The third series worked the musical satire into a sitcom format. The concept was that Mitch and Robin were taking the show on tour, but consistently failing to arrive at their destinations and performing wherever they ended up. The first two episodes were set in fictional small towns in Canada and Wales, respectively. In the third they were trapped at London Stansted Airport, trying to get to Australia. This led directly into the final episode, in which their plane crashed on a mysterious island, in a parody of Lost .

Recurring jokes in this series included Morrissey (played by Ince) appearing at some point, and the fact the Distractions were present during the musical numbers, and occasionally referred to, but almost never directly involved in the plot.

Crimes Against Music album

Crimes Against Music is a 2005 album by Mitch Benn and The Distractions named after and featuring songs from the show, as well as The Now Show and It's Been a Bad Week .

"The Curse Of Robin Ince"

Series one made a regular feature of Robin Ince's celebrated impression of the well-loved DJ John Peel. Peel's death in October 2004 required that this feature be dropped for series two; accordingly Ince wrote and recorded a series of sketches using his impression of rock DJ Tommy Vance. By a bizarre quirk of fate, Vance himself died shortly before series two was due to begin broadcasting; Ince had to be hurriedly smuggled into a recording of The Now Show in order to record re-written versions of the Vance sketches in his "Satan" persona, Satan being less vulnerable to The Curse. Ince's John Peel impression was resurrected for the last episode of series two, where he played "The Ghost of John Peel".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Wakeman</span> English keyboardist (b. 1949)

Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboardist and composer best known as a member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his prolific solo career. AllMusic describes Wakeman as a "classically trained keyboardist extraordinaire who plied his trade with Yes and developed his own brand of live spectacular in a solo act."

Radio Active is a radio comedy programme, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 during the 1980s. The series grew out of a 1979 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show presented by The Oxford Revue and starred Angus Deayton, Geoffrey Perkins, Michael Fenton Stevens, Helen Atkinson-Wood and Philip Pope. The first episode was broadcast in 1980, and it ran for seven series.

BBC Radio 4 Extra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The sister station of BBC Radio 4, it mostly broadcasts archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes. It is the principal broadcaster of the BBC's spoken-word archive, and as a result the majority of its programming originates from that archive. It also broadcasts extended and companion programmes to those broadcast on Radio 4, and provides a "catch-up" service for certain programmes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Dees</span> American radio personality (born 1950)

Rigdon Osmond Dees III, best known as Rick Dees, is an American entertainer, radio personality, comedian, actor, and voice artist, best known for his internationally syndicated radio show The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown and for the 1976 satirical novelty song "Disco Duck".

<i>Behind the Music</i> Television series

Behind the Music is an American documentary television series that initially aired on VH1 from 1997 to 2014 and has streamed on Paramount+ since July 2021. Each episode profiles and interviews a popular musical artist or group, examining career beginnings, roads to success and any resultant hardships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitch Benn</span> English comedian, author, and musician

Mitchell John Benn is an English comedian, author and musician known for his comedy rock songs performed on BBC radio. He was, until 2016, a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's satirical programme The Now Show, and has hosted other radio shows.

<i>The Now Show</i> British radio comedy show

The Now Show is a British radio comedy programme on BBC Radio 4, which satirises the weekly news from 1998 to 2024. The show is a mixture of stand-up, sketches and songs hosted by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis. It features regular appearances by Jon Holmes, Laura Shavin, a monologue by Marcus Brigstocke, and music by Mitch Benn, Pippa Evans or Adam Kay. Later series feature a wider range of contributors.

Grumpy Old Men is a conversational-style British television series, first shown in October 2003 on BBC Two. The first run of four programmes was repeated several times before a second series, also of four episodes, was shown in 2004. A third series was broadcast in April 2006. There were also 2003 and 2004 Christmas specials. An Irish version, Gaybo's Grumpy Men, was produced by RTÉ in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Richie</span> British actor and singer (born 1964)

Shane Patrick Paul Roche, known as Shane Richie, is an English actor, comedian, presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the character Alfie Moon in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders and then in its spin-off RTÉ Drama Redwater in 2017. In 2020, he appeared on the twentieth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here and finished in fourth place.

Comedy rock is rock music that is comedic in nature. It is often mixed with satire or irony.

Jammin' was a musical comedy show on BBC Radio 2 in the United Kingdom. It was presented by Rowland Rivron, who also plays drums. In addition to Rowland, there were two regulars in the band, and two guests - usually one comedian and one musician. The two regulars were usually Dave Catlin-Birch and Steve Brown. When Dave Catlin-Birch is on tour, he was usually replaced by Honka James Roby. Brown replaced original regular Richard Vranch in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Ince</span> English comedian and writer

Robin Ince is an English comedian, actor and writer. He is known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage with physicist Brian Cox, creating Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People, co-creating The Cosmic Shambles Network, and his stand-up comedy career.

Mark Moseley is an American voice actor, radio personality, stand-up comedian, and singer-songwriter. He has appeared in a variety of films, television shows, and video games. He is best known as a voice double for actors such as Eddie Murphy, Patrick Stewart, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Patrick Warburton, and Robin Williams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Fenn</span> English musical artist (born 1953)

Richard Fenn is an English rock guitarist. He has been a member of the band 10cc since 1976 and has also collaborated with Mike Oldfield, Rick Wakeman, The Hollies singer Peter Howarth, and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. Rick Fenn is also a Musical Playwright, a Librettist and a Novelist.

Adam Bromley is a television and radio producer and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfie Joey</span> British writer, comic, actor, impressionist, singer, presenter, and artist/cartoonist

Alfie Joey is a writer, comic, actor, impressionist, singer, presenter, and artist/cartoonist. He hosted the flagship breakfast show on BBC Radio Newcastle from 2009, until his last show on 28 October 2022.

Rick Wakeman is an English keyboardist, composer and songwriter, most known as the keyboard player for progressive rock group Yes. His solo albums have sold over 50 million copies.

<i>The Six Wives of Henry VIII Live at Hampton Court Palace</i> 2009 live album by Rick Wakeman

The Six Wives of Henry VIII Live at Hampton Court Palace is a live album and video by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released on 5 October 2009 by Eagle Records. It documents Wakeman's concerts on 1 and 2 May 2009 at Hampton Court Palace that featured his 1973 progressive rock concept album The Six Wives of Henry VIII performed in its entirety for the first time. A DVD and Blu-ray edition of the concerts was released.

<i>Galavant</i> American television series

Galavant is an American musical fantasy comedy television series, created and written by Dan Fogelman, with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. Fogelman, Menken and Slater also serve as executive producers alongside Chris Koch, Kat Likkel and John Hoberg. Joshua Sasse stars as the titular character, and is joined by principal cast members Timothy Omundson, Vinnie Jones, Mallory Jansen, Karen David, and Luke Youngblood. Jansen described Galavant as "the bastard child of Monty Python and The Princess Bride."

<i>Rick and Morty</i> season 6 Season of television series

The sixth season of the American adult animated television series Rick and Morty premiered on September 4, 2022. Starring Justin Roiland as both titular characters, Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith, and their inter-dimensional counterparts, the season was ordered before the fourth season of the show finished airing, in May 2020. It is the final season to feature Roiland providing any voice as he was fired from the series on January 24, 2023, due to domestic violence allegations.