"The Big Fun Show" - l to r Neil Mullarkey, Josie Lawrence, Tony Hawks, Paul Merton, John Irwin, Julian Clary

"The Big Fun Show" - l to r John Irwin, Julian Clary, Paul Merton, Neil Mullarkey, Josie Lawrence, Tony Hawks

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The Big Fun Show

The Big Fun Show was a radio sketch show written by and hosted by Paul Merton & John Irwin.

Running for one series in early 1987, the show also starred Josie Lawrence, Tony Hawks and Neil Mullarkey and Julian Clary.

A typical episode would contain Paul & John’s intro, and a sort of over-riding surreal story - The Attack Of the Ironing Boards or similar. It would have a song by Tony Hawks, either solo or accompanied by Josie Lawrence, a couple of sketches by Tony & Neil in the guise of the Timid Twins, and an episode of a faux-Victorian melodrama - “Ruffles - Gentleman Surgeon”, which chronicled the adventures of a sort of Robin Hood/Raffles/Jack The Ripper  composite who stride the fog-filled streets of Victorian London taking internal organs from the rich and donating them (surgically) to the poor.

A lot of the routines contain the seeds of sketches that were later to appear in “Paul Merton - The Series” on Channel 4, also written by Merton & Irwin - like the multiple dream-within-a-dream sequence.

Each show would finish with a big set-piece sketch, written by Paul, John & Julian, where Julian would be the much-anticipated “new arrival” - whether it was a new captain on board a pirate ship, an alien about to emerge from his spaceship, the new sheriff in a Western town, or, most famously, as a new Desk Sergeant in a police station, with Paul Merton playing his exasperated boss (“And what’s all this I hear about you forming a Shiny Helmet Club?”)

Paul had broken his leg earlier on and recorded most of the pilot in a chair with his leg in plaster...

The Big Fun Show

Series 1

Show 1

First Tx: 2/1/87 23.00-23.30

StarringPaul Merton
John Irwin
Neil Mullarkey
Tony Hawks
Josie Lawrence
Julian Clary
 
Written byPaul Merton
John Irwin
 

with additional material by the cast

 
andJeremy Hardy
Steve Edgar
Paul Z Jackson
Ian McPherson
 

Music by Tony Hawks

Produced & directed by David Tyler

Show 2

First Tx: 9/1/87 23.00-23.30

StarringPaul Merton
John Irwin
Neil Mullarkey
Tony Hawks
Josie Lawrence
Julian Clary
 
Written byPaul Merton
John Irwin
 

with additional material by the cast

 

Music by Tony Hawks

Produced & directed byDavid Tyler

Show 3

First Tx: 16/1/87 23.00-23.30 

StarringPaul Merton
John Irwin
Neil Mullarkey
Tony Hawks
Josie Lawrence
Julian Clary
 
Written byPaul Merton
John Irwin
 

with additional material by the cast

 

Music by Tony Hawks

Produced & directed byDavid Tyler

Show 4

First Tx: 23/1/87 23.00-23.30 

StarringPaul Merton
John Irwin
Neil Mullarkey
Tony Hawks
Josie Lawrence
Julian Clary
 
Written byPaul Merton
John Irwin
 

with additional material by the cast

 

Music by Tony Hawks

Produced & directed byDavid Tyler

Show 5

First Tx: 30/1/87 23.00-23.30 

StarringPaul Merton
John Irwin
Neil Mullarkey
Tony Hawks
Josie Lawrence
Julian Clary
 

with additional material by the cast

 

Music by Tony Hawks

Produced & directed byDavid Tyler

Show 6

First Tx: 6/2/87 23.00-23.30 

StarringPaul Merton
John Irwin
Neil Mullarkey
Tony Hawks
Josie Lawrence
Julian Clary
 
Written byPaul Merton
John Irwin
 

with additional material by the cast

 

Music by Tony Hawks

Produced & directed byDavid Tyler

The Big Fun Show

Don't forget, you can play a clip from The Big Fun Show, including an episode of "Ruffles - Gentleman Surgeon" by clicking on "CLIPS", to the left.

Hear the famous "PC Fanclub" sketch with Julian Clary


Other shows in GEOFF & DAVID ...