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(The Comic Side Of) 7 Days

"7 Days" was a comedy show conceived by Tony Roche and Andy Marlatt, a British and an American writer who had met whilst working on a Sir David Frost pilot for Pozzitive, "The Strategic Humour Initiative"

Here, more or less, is the original blurb:

7 Days
The top comedy brains in the UK analyse, satirize and make funny-ize the previous week in a frighteningly fast-paced half-hour tied together with music, video clips and shiny bright graphics that handily reduce the news of the past 7 days to "7 Words", or "7 Numbers", or even "7 Vowel Sounds"; for people who are really busy, really rushed, really lazy, or have no tongues.

Tony Roche is a comedy writer who wrote the cult BBC2 comedy "World Of Pub" and whose short film, "How To Tell When A Relationship Is Over" won "Best Short Film" at the Montreal Just For Laughs Comedy Festival. Inbetween times, he's written for Armando Iannucci's Gash on Channel 4, Alistair McGowan's Big Impression, The All New Harry Hill Show and Radio 4 cult hits The 99p Challenge and The Sunday Format

Andy Marlatt is an American. Nevertheless, he is a world famous satirist and comedy journalist, thanks to his brilliant website Satirewire.com ("because you can read and we have a web site"). Rivalling The Onion in its satirical look at the world, Satirewire boasts such now-legendary stories as "Study: Women Who Drink More Fun To Study" and "Zimbabwe Changes name To AAA Zimbabwe"

The pilot show starred inter alia Armando Iannucci, Mark Steel and fast-rising star John Oliver.

Here's a link to SatireWire: http://www.satirewire.com

******************

The first series ran for six half-hours in early 2005, and was immediately re-commissioned by the then BBC Three Controller, Stuart Murphy, for another run later that same year - but of  thirteen shows, an absurdly overwhelming commission which we somehow managed to carry out.

A small obstacle came our way when the BBC decided that the title "7 Days" (around which the whole rhythm and feel of the show was based) wasn't a distinguishable enough title for the average digital channel browser, so a number of suggestions were made by them of varying levels of awfulness until, with moments to go before the presses rolled, we all compromised on the baffling "The Comic Side Of 7 Days" which did the job, retained the "7" bit and was lousy. We still just call it "7 Days"*

The format of the show was simple, we took news topics and filmed comedians talking to camera about them, and edited them down to the funniest stuff. Interspersed with that were Tony & Andy's "lists" of Sevens... cut at a fast pace, voiced radio-style and matched with astonishingly sharp and speedily-produced graphics by Andy Carroll and Jonny Brosnan (joined by David Edwards in the second series). In the first series, we had different narrators each week - Kevin Eldon, Robert Webb & Ralf Little all got a go, but for the second series, we hit upon the non-dulcet tones of DJ and 99p Chalenge/Now Show star Jon Holmes to provide the exact tone of high-energy venom required.

The edit was usually a race against the clock, but by the second series, we'd got the method down sufficiently well to allow the format to become more sophisticated; there was time to put music under lists, and to shoot live-action sketches for example. Unlike the first series, there was probably no danger of not making it on to the air in time. The only mishap occurred one week, when somebody nameless (and by now probably jobless) in BBC Scheduling accidentally put the show, complete with swearing and highly unsuitable content, out at 6.30 in the morning, to a bunch of baffled pre-school children, and their startled if sleepy parents.

David Tyler produced and directed Series 1 and the first nine of series 2, and exec'd the final four, with Karen Rosie producing.

By the end of the second run, BBC Three had a new Controller, who decided that the channel didn't need satire any more, and didn't recommission it.

That Controller is now gone....

 

* The show came within an inch of being called "How Nuts Was That!!". Truly.

(The Comic Side Of) 7 Days

Pilot

"Pilot"

Rx 16/6/04

FeaturingArmando Iannucci
Inder Manocha
Julia Morris
Roland Rivron
Rob Rouse
Andy Marlatt
John Oliver
 
And the voices ofEwan Bailey
Tony Gardner
Emma Kennedy
 
Written byAndy Marlatt
Tony Roche
 

Researcher
Nerys Evans

Archive Researcher
Sophie Milland

Make Up
Ally Williams

VT Editor
Mykola Pawluk

Sound
Glenn Calder

Production Manager
Jill Hallowell

Production Executive
Jez Nightingale

Executive Producer
Jon Plowman

Created By
Andy Marlatt & Tony Roche

 
Produced & directed byDavid Tyler

Series 1

Show 1

First Tx 1 20/1/05 BBC Three 23.00-23.30

FeaturingGermaine Greer
Rich Hall
John Oliver
Lucy Porter
Will Smith
Mark Steel
Mark Thomas
 
And the voices ofRalf Little
Emma Kennedy
Ewan Bailey

Show 6

First Tx 24/2/05 BBC Three 23.00-23.30

FeaturingDanny Bhoy
Marcus Brigstocke
Jo Caulfield
Dan Gaster
Reginald D Hunter
John Oliver
Will Smith
Mark Steel
Lucy Porter
 
And the voices ofJon Holmes
Emma Kennedy
Ewan Bailey
 
Written byAndy Marlatt
Tony Roche
withDan Gaster
 

Graphic Design
Andy Carroll
Jonny Brosnan

Opening Titles
Component

Title Music
Peter Baikie

Camera
Roy Estabrook

Sound
Joe Walters

Researcher
Willy Norton

Archive Researcher
Andy Rossiter

Production Team
Katie Collins
Danielle Longhurst
Emma Lyons
Michael Gilligan
Maria Faley
Helen Ringer
Victoria Peacock

Production Manager
Jane Sprague

Editor
Chris Wadsworth

Associate Producers
Jack Cheshire
Andy Marlatt
Tony Roche

Production Executive
Jez Nightingale

Executive Producer
Jon Plowman

Created By
Andy Marlatt & Tony Roche

 
Produced & directed byDavid Tyler
 

Produced In Association With Pozzitive Television

Series 2

Show 13

First Tx 16/12/05 BBC Three 23.00-23.30

FeaturingChris Addison
Matt Blaize
Jo Caulfield
Kevin Day
Dan Gaster
Robin Ince
Sarah Kendall
Simon Munnery
Alexei Sayle
Glenn Wool
 
And the voices ofJon Holmes
Emma Kennedy
Ewan Bailey
 
Written byAndy Marlatt
Tony Roche
withDan Gaster
 
Additional materialSimon Blackwell
Mark Evans
 
Additional voicesDave Lamb
 

Graphic Design
Andy Carroll
Jonny Brosnan
David Edwards

Opening Titles
Component

Title Music
Peter Baikie

Camera
Roy Estabrook
Pete Rowe

Sound
Joe Walters
Alistair Widgery
Stuart Piggott

Make Up
Joanna Harvey

Costume
Linda Wood
Tilly Hardy

Topicals Researcher
Anne Henry

Stand-Up Researcher
Rohan Acharya

Stills Researcher

Sean Gray

Archive Researcher
Phil Clark

Production Team
Greg Ash
Charlotte Gleeson
Lucy Moorby
Max Moore
Jennifer Moorehouse
Stephen Roe
Danielle Wittman

Script Supervisors
Victoria Peacock
Kate Scarbrough

Production Coordinator
Fiona Brydon

Production Manager
Sue Longstaff

Editor
Mykola Pawluk
Chris Wadsworth

Associate Producers
Clayton Smith
Andy Marlatt
Tony Roche

Production Executive
Jez Nightingale

Executive Producer
Jon Plowman

Created By
Andy Marlatt & Tony Roche

Executive Producer (shows 10-13)
David Tyler

 
Produced & directed byDavid Tyler


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