Twice a Fortnight

Last updated

Twice a Fortnight
Starring Graeme Garden
Terry Jones
Jonathan Lynn
Bill Oddie
Michael Palin
Tony Buffery
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producer Tony Palmer
Running time30 minutes
Original release
Network BBC1
Release21 October (1967-10-21) 
23 December 1967 (1967-12-23)

Twice a Fortnight is a 1967 British sketch comedy television series with Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie, Jonathan Lynn and Tony Buffery.

Contents

Graeme Garden suggested to the director, Tony Palmer, that Michael Palin and Terry Jones be included in the cast and writers of the show. [1] All episodes are now lost as a result of the BBC wiping the tapes. [2]

Influences of the series

As in the case of the radio comedy programme I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again , and the television comedy programmes At Last the 1948 Show , Do Not Adjust Your Set and Broaden Your Mind , Twice a Fortnight was considered an excellent training ground, in both writing and acting, for the future stars of both Monty Python and The Goodies, as well as for the future co-writer of Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.

Graeme Garden appears briefly as Max Von Sydow in the trailer for Monty Python and the Holy Grail, in reused footage from Twice a Fortnight.

Related Research Articles

<i>Do Not Adjust Your Set</i> British television series

Do Not Adjust Your Set (DNAYS) is a British television series produced originally by Rediffusion, London, then, by the fledgling Thames Television for British commercial television channel ITV from 26 December 1967 to 14 May 1969. The show took its name from the message that was displayed when there was a problem with transmission or technical difficulties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Chapman</span> English actor, comedian and writer (1941–1989)

Graham Chapman was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was one of the six members of the surrealist comedy group Monty Python. He portrayed authority figures such as The Colonel and the lead role in two Python films, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and Life of Brian (1979).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monty Python</span> British surreal comedy group

Monty Python were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus, which aired on the BBC from 1969 to 1974. Their work then developed into a larger collection that included live shows, films, albums, books, and musicals; their influence on comedy has been compared to the Beatles' influence on music. Their sketch show has been called "an important moment in the evolution of television comedy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Palin</span> English actor, comedian, writer and television presenter (born 1943)

Sir Michael Edward Palin, is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. He received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2013 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Goodies</span> Trio of British comedians known for the TV series of the same name

The Goodies were a trio of British comedians: Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie. The trio created, wrote for and performed in their eponymous television comedy show from 1970 until 1982, combining sketches and situation comedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graeme Garden</span> British comedian and actor

David Graeme Garden OBE is a Scottish comedian, actor, author, artist and television presenter, best known as a member of the Goodies and a regular panellist on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Jones</span> Welsh actor, comedian, director, historian and writer (1942–2020)

Terence Graham Parry Jones was a Welsh actor, comedian, director, popular historian, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Yorkshiremen</span> Comedy sketch

The "Four Yorkshiremen" is a comedy sketch that parodies nostalgic conversations about humble beginnings or difficult childhoods. It features four men from Yorkshire who reminisce about their upbringing. As the conversation progresses they try to outdo one another, and their accounts of deprived childhoods become increasingly absurd.

<i>The Frost Report</i> 1960s British television series

The Frost Report is a satirical television show hosted by David Frost. It introduced John Cleese, Ronnie Barker, and Ronnie Corbett to television, and launched the careers of other writers and performers. It premiered on BBC1 on 10 March 1966 and ended on 12 December 1967, with a total of 26 regular episodes over the course of 2 series and 2 specials as well.

Broaden Your Mind (1968–1969) is a British television comedy series, broadcast on BBC2 and starring Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden, joined by Bill Oddie for the second series. Guest cast members included Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Jo Kendall, Roland MacLeod and Nicholas McArdle. It was one of BBC2's earliest programmes to be completely broadcast in colour, which had been introduced by the channel a year earlier.

<i>Monty Pythons Previous Record</i> 1972 studio album by Monty Python

Monty Python's Previous Record is the third album by Monty Python. Released in 1972, it marked the group's first collaborations with regular sound engineer Andre Jacquemin as well as musician Neil Innes, who had previously appeared with future members of the Python team on Do Not Adjust Your Set. The album contains many sketches from the third series of Flying Circus, one from the second as well as an abridged version of "The Tale of Happy Valley" from the second German show. The album was released midway through the broadcast of Series 3, whose sketches featured on the album were all from its first half, with the exception of "Dennis Moore" which aired a month later and therefore made its debut here. The oldest sketch on the album, Eric Idle's "Radio Quiz Game", dates back to I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again where it was performed by Graeme Garden - Idle having subsequently performed the sketch himself on two editions of Do Not Adjust Your Set. The rest of the material was specially written for the album.

Charles McKeown is a British actor and writer, perhaps best known for his collaborations with Terry Gilliam. The two met while shooting Monty Python's Life of Brian, while McKeown was doing bit parts in the film.

Edward Ian MacNaughton was a Scottish actor, television producer and director, best known for his work with the Monty Python team.

<i>The Goodies</i> (TV series) British television comedy series

The Goodies is a British television comedy series shown in the 1970s and early 1980s. The series, which combines surreal sketches and situation comedy, was broadcast by the BBC, initially on BBC2 but soon repeated on BBC1, from 1970 to 1980. One seven-episode series was made for ITV company LWT and shown in 1981–82.

<i>The Complete and Utter History of Britain</i> British LWT comedy sketch show, 1969

The Complete and Utter History of Britain is a 1969 television comedy sketch show. It was created and written by Michael Palin and Terry Jones between the two series of Do Not Adjust Your Set. It was produced for and broadcast by London Weekend Television but was not shown in all of the other ITV regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Buffery</span> British Clinical Neuro-Psychologist

Anthony Walter Harold Buffery was a British actor, comedian, and writer who also had a career in academic psychology.

Tony Roche is an English television, radio and film comedy writer and producer, best known as a writer of the HBO comedy Veep, the BBC Television series The Thick of It and its film spin-off In the Loop.

<i>Monty Pythons Flying Circus</i> British sketch comedy television series (1969–1974)

Monty Python's Flying Circus is a British surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam, who became known collectively as "Monty Python", or the "Pythons". The first episode was recorded at the BBC on 7 September 1969 and premiered on 5 October on BBC1, with 45 episodes airing over four series from 1969 to 1974, plus two episodes for German TV. A feature film adaptation of several sketches, And Now for Something Completely Different, was released in 1971.

<i>Holy Flying Circus</i> 2011 BBC television comedy film

Holy Flying Circus is a 90-minute BBC television comedy film first broadcast in 2011, written by Tony Roche and directed by Owen Harris.

<i>Monty Python Live!</i> Book on Monty Python live performances 1971-1980

Monty Python Live! is a book detailing the various live performances of the Monty Python team between 1971 and 1980.

References

  1. From Fringe to Flying Circus – 'Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960-1980' – Roger Wilmut, Eyre Methuen Ltd, 1980.
  2. Guide, British Comedy (24 April 2018). "Comedies crowd top 100 missing TV shows list". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 1 May 2024.