Laugh??? I Nearly Paid My Licence Fee
Louise Gold
starred as one of the team of four performers, Recorded 13 August to 17
September 1984, Broadcast on BBC 2 on
Monday 29 October, 5, 12, 19 & 29 November & 3 December 1984 (There
were 6 episodes, each of half an hour). A half hour Compilation Episode was
broadcast on 25 March 1985 (using clips from the series)
Some forty
years after her mother flew the flag for women in Revue (at Unity Theatre),
Louise proves that she is very much her mother’s daughter, only in her case
flying the flag for women in Television Comedy.
The Radio
Times (highlighted the first
episode of the programme by interviewing Louise Gold, whom they referred
to as “TV’s latest funny woman”. However, in the interview Louise
herself comes across as very much against that sort of sexist attitude, as she
says of female comedy performers:
“Because we
are so few we are inevitably compared with each other, but no one ever said,
“We can’t have Lenny Henry because we’re already got Les Dawson.”” Louise
Gold to Jane McCarthy, THE RADIO TIMES, p13, 27 October - 2 November 1984
She goes on to explain that problem lies in it not being considered sexy for woman to be funny, and concludes with her own wish
“No one
expected Morecambe and Wise to be sexy - they’re universally loved and that’s
what I want to be. I would like to be thought sexy, pretty, and funny.” Louise
Gold to Jane McCarthy, THE RADIO TIMES, p13, 27 October - 2 November 1984
Although the interview covers Louise’s full range of comedy work, include her work as both a voice-artiste and puppeteer on both The Muppet Show and Spitting Image (the interview does actually state that ‘she is an accomplished puppeteer’), Louise is first and foremost an actress, (and when it comes to that craft she comes across as down right sensible) as such she says she admires Beryl Reid.
“She managed to go
from stand-up comedy to fine acting. That’s what I would like to be - a good actress.
I’m prepared to take risks because sometimes you have to fail to be brilliant”
Louise Gold to Jane McCarthy, THE RADIO TIMES, p13, 27 October - 2 November
1984
Cast
Main Cast
Robbie Coltrane
John Sessions
Ron Bain
Louise Gold
Additional (Non-Main) Cast
included
Elaine C Smith
Production Team
Songs - David McNiven
Design -
Producer & Director - Colin Gilbert
Production Company - BBC Scotland
Writers - Bob Black, Niall Clark, Robbie Coltrane, Philip Differ, Colin Gilbert (not credited as such), Donnie Kerr, Terry Kyan, Neil MacVicar, Ian Pattison, Laurie Rowley, Paul Smith, and, John Sessions.
Film Editor - John MacDonnell
According to
the Radio Times interview, on the programme Louise Gold got to
play the full range of female characters, ranging from: Play School
Presenters and Shirley Bassey style singers, to the typical nurses
and secretaries.
The Radio
Times also highlighted the last episode of the series, on 3 December 1984,
by including on that days viewing schedule and photograph from the show
(depicting Louise Gold, Robbie Coltrane, and, Ron Baines,
in unusual garb.
The series was
a successor to the TV show A Kick Up The Eighties, and employed
many of that shows personnel.
Extracts from
the show, along with those from A Kick Up The Eighties, and, Naked
Video were included in a television comedy compilation programme in
1998, called A Kick Up The Archive.
Myra
McFyden went on to play the third
Dynamo role of Rosie in Mamma Mia Cast 4.
Like Louise
Gold, John Sessions did voices on Spitting
Image, and can be heard on the album Spit In
Your Ear.
Louise Gold, and, Elaine C. Smith
went on to appear in an episode of City Lights, directed by Ron Bain, this was also written by Bob Black and produced by Colin Gilbert for BBC Scotland, but also shown on BBC2.
Rachel And The Roarettes, Rita Rudner, Alexei Sayle’s Merry-Go-Round, A Week In The West End, and, Transmission: Impossible With Ed And Oucho
were also broadcast on BBC 2, as was the first terrestrial broadcast of The Alan Clark Diaries.
Robbie Coltrane went on to appear in Alice In
Wonderland, for which Louise Gold
puppeteered.
As a
television comedy actress Louise Gold
has gone on to appear in an episode of Gina’s
Laughing Gear.
It is not
known whether the
Elaine C. Smith went on to take part in Shopping
With The Stars 2009.
Critics Comments
Links about Laugh??? I Nearly Paid My Licence Fee
Laugh??? I
Nearly Paid My Licence Fee, BBC
Comedy: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/l/laughinearlypaid_7774100.shtml
Petition
To Get Laugh I Nearly Paid My Licence Fee Released On DVD: http://www.petitiononline.com/rcn1991/petition.html
A Kick Up
The Eighties, BBC Comedy: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/k/kickuptheeightie_7773980.shtml
BFI Database’s page for the programme: http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/261464
The
Encyclopaedia Of Fantastic Film And Television’s page for the show: http://www.eofftv.com/l/lau/laugh_i_nearly_paid_my_licence_fee_main.htm
Internet
Movie Database’s page for the
show: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0205654/
Naked Radio - a Page about this Scottish Radio programme,
which claims to have been the forunner to many of BBC
BBC Programme Catalogue Pages for the series (unfortunately the ‘main’
page does not appear to be working): http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/NGWA605S , http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/NGWA606L , http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/NGWA607F , http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/NGWA608A , http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/NGWA609T , http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/NGWA610N , and, http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/NGWA777W
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