Exactly Vague

NOT THE NINE O'CLOCK NEWS ( #2.5/1980) - "Gerald the Gorilla" sketch. Pamela Stephenson, Mel Smith and Rowan Atkinson (in gorilla suit). Season 2 of the BBC's sketch comedy series consolidated its success. The three performers featured here and Griff Rhys-Jones (who replaces Chris Langham from Season 1) were a small and effective acting team. The writing team had half a dozen regulars (including Richard Curtis) and accepted other work from an even wider team of free-lancers. Topicality and satire were key elements, but sometimes the material was neither, and just straight-down-the-line funny, as in this sketch. Over all there were 27 episodes made between 1979 and 1982. Audio recording of the material. LP compilations were very successful with parody songs sometimes released as singles.

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