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
Starring | Paul Merton |
John Irwin | |
Neil Mullarkey | |
Tony Hawks | |
Josie Lawrence | |
Julian Clary | |
Written by | Paul Merton |
John Irwin | |
with additional material by the cast | |
and | Jeremy 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
Starring | Paul Merton |
John Irwin | |
Neil Mullarkey | |
Tony Hawks | |
Josie Lawrence | |
Julian Clary | |
Written by | Paul Merton |
John Irwin | |
with additional material by the cast
Music by Tony Hawks | |
Produced & directed by | David Tyler |
Show 3
First Tx: 16/1/87 23.00-23.30
Starring | Paul Merton |
John Irwin | |
Neil Mullarkey | |
Tony Hawks | |
Josie Lawrence | |
Julian Clary | |
Written by | Paul Merton |
John Irwin | |
with additional material by the cast
Music by Tony Hawks | |
Produced & directed by | David Tyler |
Show 4
First Tx: 23/1/87 23.00-23.30
Starring | Paul Merton |
John Irwin | |
Neil Mullarkey | |
Tony Hawks | |
Josie Lawrence | |
Julian Clary | |
Written by | Paul Merton |
John Irwin | |
with additional material by the cast
Music by Tony Hawks | |
Produced & directed by | David Tyler |
Show 5
First Tx: 30/1/87 23.00-23.30
Starring | Paul Merton |
John Irwin | |
Neil Mullarkey | |
Tony Hawks | |
Josie Lawrence | |
Julian Clary | |
with additional material by the cast
Music by Tony Hawks | |
Produced & directed by | David Tyler |
Show 6
First Tx: 6/2/87 23.00-23.30
Starring | Paul Merton |
John Irwin | |
Neil Mullarkey | |
Tony Hawks | |
Josie Lawrence | |
Julian Clary | |
Written by | Paul Merton |
John Irwin | |
with additional material by the cast
Music by Tony Hawks | |
Produced & directed by | David 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