Dirty Digest #11: November 2023
"Look, it’s Uncle Norris"
Hey all. Here’s this month’s missive from the culture war. Making fun of Norris McWhirter is where it’s at, right?
This Month on Dirty Feed
A packed month! Well, apart from the fact that three of the below were published… in October. Don’t let it worry you, this newsletter is on a peculiar schedule.
Freeze-Frame Gonna Drive You Insane, Part Three - Yes folks. This is a big one. On Spitting Image, and the flash frame which landed the IBA in court. I hope it was worth the wait. (Warning: contains very mild nudity.)
Freeze-Frame Gonna Drive You Insane, Part Four - The true story about The Young Ones, and the flash frame which went missing in 1985. (Well, as true as I can currently get, anyway. There may be more truth to come next year.)
I Hate Doing Research, Part Six - I’m sure me complaining about other people getting their research incorrect is an unedifying spectacle, especially when I had to pull an entire article the other month for exactly that fucking reason. But it does feel worth getting down exactly why these flash frames articles have been such a ballache to write.
Creatures of Flesh and Blood - On Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the film’s surprisingly links with hauntology. This was published in last week’s newsletter, but I like it so much that I want to link to it again. (The real legwork was done by animation historian Michael Barrier, mind. Buy his book, Hollywood Cartoons.)
Alan Partridge’s Sporting Season - Are you interested in exactly what footage was used to create Alan Partridge’s first real television sketch? Then do I have the article for you.
Sadly, none of the above is as entertaining as this. (I should write a Virgin-style guide to Hacker Time.)
The Mystery of Zectron 2000
Sometimes my knowledge of a popular science fiction sitcom can reach mildly irritating proportions. When this happens, I do feel the urge to share it with you, and share the irritation equally,
Take the following episode of Press Gang, “Love and War”, broadcast on the 28th January 1992. We are particularly interested in the voice of Colin’s ludicrous electronic briefcase.
Now, the actor for the briefcase isn’t listed in the end credits. Which is peculiar - sure, it’s only a voice, and an electronically altered one at that, but it’s very clearly a comedy performance. But not to worry. I recognised that voice.
Here’s a clip from Red Dwarf, “Emohawk: Polymorph II”, broadcast nearly two years later, on the 28th October 1993. The gang are being tracked by a Space Corps External Enforcement Vehicle, whose voice should sound rather familiar:
Luckily, the voice is actually credited in Red Dwarf. It’s Hugh Quarshie, probably best known as Ric Griffin for nearly two decades of Holby City, as well as appearing in The Phantom Menace, and a million and one other things.
And one of those million and one other things? Erm, Press Gang. Specifically, the two parter “The Last Word”, broadcast on the 28th May/4th June 1991. He played Inspector Hibbert, an important character with a crucial moral choice at the end of the show, in two episodes which are some of the most serious material the show ever did.
I won’t spoil the moral choice if you haven’t seen it, but here he is from earlier in the story:
Who knew that his turn as an Inspector in a two episodes mediating on gun crime, suicide, and the nature of guilt would be followed up with… a silly talking briefcase? Actually, that seems to be Press Gang in a nutshell.
Oh well. It really is a shame he wasn’t credited in “Love and War”, but at least Hugh Quarshie got a proper credit in “The Last Word”.
Huge Quarshie?
Oh well.
Not on Dirty Feed
Blah!
The Famous Five and You - Christopher Wickham on more faintly rubbish gamebooks.
Why Wasn’t Britannia High a Hit? - Isobel Lewis gives a more considered answer than “because it was crap”.
The Brittas Empire chiptune - Someone needs to actually write the videogame next.
Rubber Balloons - Rubber balloons.
A deleted scene from Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em - Courtesy of Richard Latto, a cut scene from the end of the brilliant episode “Have a Break, Take a Husband”.
Theft of a Thoroughbred - Behind the scenes of ITN in 1983. (Via Gareth Joy.)
Capital Radio pre-launch commercials - A more joyful 47 seconds would be very difficult to find.
Smile Orange Films - A near-complete archive of the work of Smile Orange Films, whose most famous output was 4Later’s Focus North. A show I’ve wanted to revisit for ages.
The Rutles Remonstered - Also on the Internet Archive, Garrett Gilchrist presents a bunch of remastered Rutles videos.
Not interested… yet. - Joel Morris on the problems with letting your free time be guided by algorithms. (I have a vested interest working in linear broadcasting, but it’s well worth your time regardless.)
Next month: the final part of the flash frames stuff, hopefully. It would be nice to get that series finished before the seas start to boil.
Thanks for pointing to the remastered Rutles videos. The upload notes include the fun fact that both Cleo Rocos and Kim Wilde were on the roof for Get Up And Go; the funnier fact is that I was there too.