Gash
"Gash" was a Talkback production, made in association with Pozzitive and arose when Armando Iannucci was asked by Channel 4 to pilot a run of a topical nightly show, a complex freewheeling mixture of topical sketches and guests with a resident panel of comedians. With a passing nod to the then new-fangled “The Daily Show” in the US, it ran for its week in late April 2003, but in the end, according to their letter to Armando, “didn’t make the right sort of noises for Channel 4”, a phrase that caused the team much bitter hilarity. The show’s format, or many of the elements from it, resurfaced later within Armando Iannucci’s Charm Offensive on Radio 4, now in its fourth series.
The title itself merits some explanation; “Gash” is a slightly old-fashioned technical term for odd bits and pieces of tape - audio or video - lying around the editing room; it was meant to give the impression that bits of the show - sketches, jokes, ideas - had come from all over the field of view that day. (Originally it was a naval terms for odd bits of rope lying around on deck.)
Highlights of the show included a wilful “Double Take” spoof of photo-artist Alison Jackson’s BBC 2 show featuring rubbish Alan Yentob and Alison Jackson look-alikes shot in the Double Take style arguing about why the series would be funny, the ever-so-twee Iraq War Reconstruction Society and the world’s first and only satirical balloon-modeller. Plus each show featured a spoof prankster, “Mickey Dick” getting involved in soi disant hilarious, but in truth, utterly tasteless and hateful “pranks”, usually resulting in his merciful injury or death...
Here’s the original blurb:
Gash
… is the new nightly political comedy show for Channel Four, presented by Armando Iannucci (The Friday Night Armistice, writer/producer of “I'm Alan Partridge” and “The Day Today”), with guests from the world of comedy, news and the media being funny about everything that’s ever happened today, so probably the war with Iraq mostly. Definitely not just tame BBC 2-type sketches in which someone who looks nothing like Kylie Minogue injects her bottom with stuff and tries to pass off the whole limp event as the ‘topical satire’ show Double Take.
Gash – editor’s slang for any bits of cut-up tape – will try and compress twenty-four hours of the day’s events into twenty-four minutes of talk, jokes, bits, VT footage, more jokes, blindingly well-informed opinion, jokes, utter lack of balance, jokes and Armando Iannucci. One or more of these things could happen at the same time.
Gash
Show 1
First Tx: 28/4/0323.00-23.30
Starring | Armando Iannucci |
with guests | Dominic Holland |
Nick Wilty | |
Martin Bell | |
and featuring | |
Ewan Bailey | |
The satirical balloonist | Graham Lee |
Show 2
First Tx: 29/4/0323.00-23.30
Starring | Armando Iannucci |
with guests | Dominic Holland |
Jon Holmes | |
John McFall | |
and featuring | |
Admiral Sir Michael Boyce | Geoffrey Whitehead |
Gulf War Man | Adam G Goodwin |
Gulf War Woman | Olivia Colman |
Mickey Dick | Dan Clark |
Company MD | Peter Corey |
Additional voices | Ewan Bailey |
Melanie Hudson | |
The satirical balloonist | Graham Lee |
Show 3
First Tx: 30/4/0323.00-23.30
Starring | Armando Iannucci |
with guests | Dominic Holland |
Nick Wilty | |
Mark Oaten MP | |
and featuring | |
Mickey Dick | Dan Clark |
Priest | Ewan Bailey |
WPC Rap News | Olivia Colman |
Clare Short/Gollum | Melanie Hudson |
Ian Duncan Smith | Lewis Macleod |
The satirical balloonist | Graham Lee |
Show 4
First Tx: 1/5/0323.00-23.30
Starring | Armando Iannucci |
with guests | Jon Holmes |
Nick Wilty | |
Jan Falkowski | |
Matthew Parris | |
and featuring | |
Mickey Dick | Dan Clark |
Sentry/Alan Yentob | Ewan Bailey |
Alison Jackson | Melanie Hudson |
The satirical balloonist | Graham Lee |
Additional material by | Simon Blackwell |
Roger Drew | |
Jon Holmes | |
Danny Robins | |
Tony Roche | |
with | Joel Veitch |
Ian Martin | |
Produced in association with Pozzitive Television Ltd | |
Directed by | Ben Fuller |
David Tyler | |
Produced by | David Tyler |
Gash
Because "Gash" only ran for a week, we haven't got any photos, alas. Nor was it ever released on DVD.... But you can -
- gawk at Armando's CV on The Internet Movie Database
or on his agent's website
And we can't resist linking you to "Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive" or even getting you to contemplate buying it as downloads, either via iTunes or by clicking here...