What have TV Offal and Son of Cliché got in common? News Posted by John Hoare on 10th February 2007, 14:03 Watch the following. The bit that’s important is right at the start, but I put the whole section on because TV Offal is fantastic. Got it? In the background over the ETV ident is… the opening music of Series 1 Episode 1 of Son of Cliché! Clearly it’s library music. It reminds me of a couple of times when Dwarf‘s use of library music suddenly clashed with what I was watching. For instance, I saw a Live & Kicking episode where they used the music used at the start and end of Ouroboros over an item; I had no idea what library music was at that point, so I was rather confused. Or when I went to Cadbury World – and one of the attractions used the opening music of Tikka Xtended…
It works a lot better when you see the whole show, rather than just clips. I love TV Offal – it’s all my obsessions and sense of humour wrapped up into one programme. Unfortunately, it’ll never get a DVD release – the rights situation is just too complicated. Some of the clips were agreed for one broadcast only, so even the repeat was a compilation – let alone commercial release.
Is this the right thread? Yes? Thank fuck!! Just by linking from that one i found another funny clip involving Victor Lewis Smith phoning up the Guinness Book Of Records ?What?s the name of that woman who looks like she could suck the colour out of a marble? Ah, that?s right, Cheryl Baker? I am in hysterics as I write this, from that line alone, I couldn?t watch any more for laughing? Ooh I needed that, technically I should thank you John. I love a good wheeze.
> Unfortunately, it?ll never get a DVD release – the rights situation is just too complicated. I’m still very impressed that The Day Today managed a DVD release given the news footage they needed to clear. It boggles the mind – home video exploitation is a world away from ‘reasonable information use’. That said, the packaging is crap. Neatly designed, but the extras are listed…on a paper band that wraps around the slipcase. Something you have to remove to get at the discs. I have come to the conclusion that this is the possbly the first case of Deliberately Ironic Packaging. (Though see also the brilliant copy on the back of the Mitchell and Webb live DVD.)
I do wonder whether Talkback negotiated all the news footage stuff for commercial release when the programme was made. The VHS was released the year after the programme was broadcast, so it was clearly in their sights early on. Even if they did that though, it’s still pretty impressive that they got the commercial rights – although there’s a history of the BBC current affairs department helping out with comedy shows. The compilation of songs for the This is Our War advert – that must have been a bugger too…
>I have come to the conclusion that this is the possbly the first case of Deliberately Ironic Packaging. Ah, when I finally get the fire under my butt and launch my Day Today site…I’m going to do it. I swear to christ. But yes, Andrew, I agree that the packaging is deliberately handled that way…ditto the awful uncontrollable main menu…I think it fits right into the “style over substance” mantra of the news show itself. You can’t deny that the packaging LOOKS fantastic…it’s just that, in practice, it’s frustrating. It’s all about presentation with that show, and I truly believe they kept that in mind while putting the DVD together.
That Victor Lewis-Smith guy that’s narrating sounds like a cross between Robert Llewellyn and Graham Norten…kinda
It’s Nice Being Dale has one of my favourite TV Offal jokes ever – “He’s a one-man lack of concentration camp”. Or if you don’t like that, try this…
“A coffee-coloured little imp…” What a fucking cunt. Also: the ad at the start of the clip is the best advert ever in the history of the world ever.
