Posted October 2, 200718 yr TELEVISION MEMORIES 5: Kenny Everett This week the BBC has been celebrating forty years of ‘Radio 2’ by broadcasting a number of classic shows from the archives. One of the shows that were chosen for this celebration was a 1981 broadcast by the ‘Liverpudlian’ comedy genius Kenny Everett. Now, Kenny Everett was such a comedy hero of mine back in the early 1980s, that if I could have been the son of any celebrity I would have wished that Kenny would be the one to be my father (remember that this was the early 1980s, a few years before even ‘Section 28’ was thought about). As a young boy this opinion would have been formed by his television shows rather than his performances on the radio, as I did not live in London and ‘Radio 2’ was the kind of ‘comfy’, ‘Middle Of The Road’ station that only your parents listened to. However, looking back now, it is the radio broadcasts that show his genius rather than the Barry Cryer scripted sketch shows, which seem rather tame and unfunny in comparison. Actually this opinion might be slightly unfair as there are still some sketches in his television shows that still raise a smile when you watch them, such as ‘Reg Prescott’ the accident prone handy man and ‘Cupid Stunt’, the ‘glamour puss’, but I think they have dated more than other shows from that period such as ‘the Two Ronnies’ for example. In addition to his comedy shows you might also remember his primetime game show called ‘Brainstorm’ and his novelty records such as the one for his cartoon character/radio series ‘Captain Kremmen’
October 2, 200718 yr i was never enamoured with everet, i thought his sketches were second/third rate monty python or even spike milligan, relying heavily on sexual inuendo.
October 3, 200718 yr I was a bit young and didn't understand. I always remember him saying something like 'Let's have a big hand for...' and then coming on wearing these huge plastic hands. It was all visual for me back then, I was only 4 or 5!
October 3, 200718 yr Author I was a bit young and didn't understand. I always remember him saying something like 'Let's have a big hand for...' and then coming on wearing these huge plastic hands. It was all visual for me back then, I was only 4 or 5! Yes I was of a similar age too when I first started watching, but I think this is what makes it so great in my memories of the period. I think it was the characters and chaos that appealed, whilst the mild innuendo was something you could laugh at when you were about ten, which may have been also the age when I started watching ‘Spitting Image’.
October 4, 200718 yr Loved watching him when I was a kid but I suppose a lot of his material has dated badly. Still a broadcasting legend though!
October 4, 200718 yr Author If only for his radio shows. If you exclude the music, I do not think the radio side has dated at all, the presentation is still quite modern sounding and that ‘zoo’ format is what loads of other presenters are doing now.
November 20, 200718 yr B)-->QUOTE(Neil B @ Oct 4 2007, 08:33 AM) 1487992[/snapback]Loved watching him when I was a kid but I suppose a lot of his material has dated badly. i ended up watching that show after IAC and omg!!! how scary it is to think that the two people touted as c4 saviours of uk comedy (leigh francis and russell brand) have nicked so many idea off kenny everett. when you saw that french waiter bloke (dont kno the characters name) the though flashed up in my brain 'omg thats so avid merrion! totally. btw allen jones in uncut was going on on the back page how $h!t and unfunny kenny everett is, so yeah other comparisons can be given as well with brand and francis as well :lol: btw good to hear some cerrone and sparks on the shows sound track, i wonder if alison goldfrapp knew as well :lol:
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