Laugh??? I Nearly Paid My Licence
Fee
Louise Gold starred as one of the team of four
performers, Recorded 13 August to 17 September
1984, Broadcast on BBC 2 on Monday 29 October, 5, 12, 19 & 29
November & 3 December 1984 (There were 6 episodes, each of half an hour). A
half hour Compilation Episode was broadcast on 25 March 1985 (using clips from
the series)
Some forty years after her mother flew the flag for
women in Revue (at Unity Theatre), Louise proves that she is very much
her mother’s daughter, only in her case flying the flag for women in Television
Comedy.
The Radio Times (highlighted the first
episode of the programme by interviewing Louise Gold, whom they referred
to as “TV’s latest funny woman”. However, in the interview Louise herself
comes across as very much against that sort of sexist attitude, as she says of
female comedy performers:
“Because we are so few we are inevitably
compared with each other, but no one ever said, “We can’t have Lenny Henry
because we’re already got Les Dawson.”” Louise Gold to Jane McCarthy,
THE RADIO TIMES, p13, 27 October - 2 November 1984
She
goes on to explain that problem lies in it not being considered sexy for woman
to be funny, and concludes with her own wish
“No one expected Morecambe and Wise to be
sexy - they’re universally loved and that’s what I want to be. I would like to
be thought sexy, pretty, and funny.” Louise Gold to Jane McCarthy, THE
RADIO TIMES, p13, 27 October - 2 November 1984
Although
the interview covers Louise’s full range of comedy work, include her work as
both a voice-artiste and puppeteer on both The
Muppet Show and Spitting Image
(the interview does actually state that ‘she is an accomplished puppeteer’),
Louise is first and foremost an actress, (and when it comes to that craft she comes
across as down right sensible) as such she says she admires Beryl Reid.
“She managed to go from stand-up comedy to
fine acting. That’s what I would like to be - a good actress. I’m prepared to
take risks because sometimes you have to fail to be brilliant” Louise
Gold to Jane McCarthy, THE RADIO TIMES, p13, 27 October - 2 November 1984
Cast
Main Cast
Robbie
Coltrane
John
Sessions
Ron Bain
Louise
Gold
Additional (Non-Main) Cast included
Elaine C
Smith
Production Team
Songs
- David McNiven
Design -
Producer
& Director - Colin Gilbert
Production
Company - BBC Scotland
Writers - Bob
Black, Niall Clark, Robbie Coltrane, Philip Differ, Colin
Gilbert (not credited as such), Donnie Kerr, Terry Kyan, Neil
MacVicar, Ian Pattison, Laurie Rowley, Paul Smith,
and, John Sessions.
Film Editor
- John MacDonnell
According to the Radio Times interview, on the
programme Louise Gold got to play the full range of female characters,
ranging from: Play School Presenters and Shirley Bassey style singers,
to the typical nurses and secretaries.
The Radio Times also highlighted the last
episode of the series, on 3 December 1984, by including on that days viewing
schedule and photograph from the show (depicting Louise Gold, Robbie
Coltrane, and, Ron Baines, in unusual garb.
The series was a successor to the TV show A Kick
Up The Eighties, and employed many of that shows personnel.
Extracts from the show, along with those from A
Kick Up The Eighties, and, Naked Video were included in a
television comedy compilation programme in 1998, called A Kick Up The Archive.
Myra McFyden went on to play the third
Dynamo role of Rosie in Mamma Mia Cast 4.
Like Louise Gold, John Sessions did
voices on Spitting Image, and can be heard on
the album Spit In Your Ear.
Louise Gold, and, Elaine C. Smith went on to appear in an
episode of City Lights, directed by Ron Bain, this was also written by Bob Black and produced by Colin Gilbert for BBC Scotland, but also shown on BBC2.
Rachel And The
Roarettes, Rita Rudner, Alexei Sayle’s Merry-Go-Round and A Week In The West End were also
broadcast on BBC 2, as was the first terrestrial broadcast of The Alan Clark Diaries.
Robbie Coltrane went on to
appear in Alice In Wonderland, for which Louise Gold puppeteered.
As a television comedy actress Louise Gold has gone on to appear in an episode of Gina’s Laughing Gear.
It is not known whether the Paul Smith listed among the writers on this programme, could
possibly be the same Paul Smith who
became a notable BBC TV producer (with Points of View and various Children’s
programmes to his credit in the late 1980s and well into the 1990s.).
Critics Comments
Links about Laugh???
I Nearly Paid My Licence Fee
Laugh??? I Nearly Paid My Licence Fee, BBC Comedy: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/l/laughinearlypaid_7774100.shtml
A Kick Up The Eighties, BBC Comedy: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/k/kickuptheeightie_7773980.shtml
BFI Database’s page for the
programme: http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/261464
The Encyclopaedia Of Fantastic Film And
Television’s page for the show: http://www.eofftv.com/l/lau/laugh_i_nearly_paid_my_licence_fee_main.htm
Internet Movie Database’s page for the show: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0205654/
Naked Radio - a Page about this
Scottish Radio programme, which claims to have been the forunner to many of BBC
Scotland’s notable TV comedy shows: http://www.angelfire.com/pq/radiohaha/NAKEDRAD.html
BBC Programme
Catalogue Pages for the series (unfortunately the ‘main’ page does not appear to
be working): http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/NGWA605S , http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/NGWA606L , http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/NGWA607F , http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/NGWA608A , http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/NGWA609T , http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/NGWA610N , and, http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/NGWA777W
Return To Site Guide | Return To
Television Acting | A Kick Up The Archive |