I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again (The Original) is one of the early radio comedy greats, having initially run in the 60s and 70s, but still being re-broadcast now. It involved the Goodies, Humphrey Barclay, John Cleese, David Hatch and Jo Kendall, and managed to run on for nine series, combining songs, sketches, occasional episodic serial plots and a godawful amount of puns. (My favourite part.)
I've listened to more or less all of it a couple of times over the years, because as I say, the BBC know a good thing when they hear it, and aren't ashamed to replay it. As such, listening to this was something of a no-brainer.
It's also why I'm surprised this took as long as it did to exist. It started out as a live theatre entertainment, with a cast of several doing "best of" bits of the original series. The trailer for that is here:
It's had a slight updating, with a few of the topical bits being brought back with references to Brexit and the difficulties of the current political environment. The majority of the work however is taken pretty much verbatim from the original script. (I think. Relying on my memory.)
And that's no bad thing. This features all of the major characters loved by the audience (and eventually possibly loathed by the cast) that recurred so frequently. There's Lady Constance de Coverlet, the Folk and Madrigal Society, Angus Prune, gibbons and you may spot (Woof!) (wild applause) a few others.
It's actually more impressive that as many jokes still hold up as they do. Bad puns, serials with one part, and obscenities about stuffing gibbons are mostly timeless. The "three different shows at once" allows innuendos a go-go, which don't really age, and the brash silliness of some of the ludicrous scenarios they run through (electric time trousers, anyone?) stay funny even on fourth listening.
If you've never listened to the original, definitely give this a go. And if you're a fan of it, this is a decent repeat, with a good selection of things to tickle your funny bone.
Tagged: Radio Comedy Cast Sketch Adaptation