The 50th series was broadcast in November and December 2007. Tue 2 Dec 2014 10.53 EST Last modified on Wed 1 Jul 2020 13.20 EDT I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue started in 1972 and is still going. [21] Jeremy Hardy also ruled himself out, saying "Humph had big shoes to fill and I wouldn't do it."[22]. Tributes have been paid to Iain Pattinson, the writer of I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, who died at the weekend at the age of 68 after a short illness. On the Hour. The show draws to a close with the chairman imparting some final words of wisdom intended to evoke time, destiny, fate and eternity, undercut with silliness. The mere mention of Lionel Blair will often bring roars of laughter in anticipation of an outrageous double-entendre based on his supposed homosexuality (he is not gay); Similarly, particular mention of points scorer Samantha, or her occasional replacement Sven (neither of whom actually exists) will typically bring anticipatory laughter in wait of a sexual double-entendre. [7][8], I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue developed from the long-running radio sketch show I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, the writers of which were John Cleese, Jo Kendall, David Hatch, Bill Oddie, Tim Brooke-Taylor and especially Graeme Garden who suggested the idea of an unscripted show[9] which, it was decided, would take the form of a parody panel game. Many games have featured in the programme over the years, the most famous of which is ‘Mornington Crescent’. The tour show looks just like a recording, feels like a recording, sounds like a recording, and audience members are also treated to their very own kazoo, surely the best value for money on the British stage today. I consent to Random Entertainment collecting my email address. I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue. The format of the game is very simple: four players are given silly things to do by the Chairman, with Colin Sell setting some of them to music. Every series since then has been chaired by Dee. The show at the Lowry in Salford was filmed and broadcast on BBC Four on 13 September 2008. The teams are often mocked at their introduction: "As I introduce the teams today I must say we couldn't have asked for four better comedians. A panel game with no competition was not itself a new idea: the BBC had a history of successful quiz shows designed to allow witty celebrities to entertain where winning was not important. ", as a stereotypical Scots miser when receiving a guest never offers any food or drink. Billed as "the antidote to panel games", it consists of two teams of two comedians "given silly things to do" by a chairman. Samantha has sometimes been replaced by a Swedish stand-in, Sven, or occasionally another substitute, Monica. And this will be the last Clue release to feature Humphrey Lyttelton as host as he presides over regulars Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer, and Graeme Garden. [citation needed], The pilot episode (at that time titled I'm Sorry, They're At It Again) opened with Graeme Garden and Jo Kendall singing the words of "Three Blind Mice" to the tune of "Ol' Man River" followed by Bill Oddie and Tim Brooke-Taylor performing the lyrics of "Sing a Song of Sixpence" to the melody of "These Foolish Things". I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue is a BBC radio comedy panel game. [13] In the first series Lyttelton shared the role of chairman with Barry Cryer[2] but he made it his own (especially once Cryer replaced Cleese as a regular panellist) and continued as chairman until his death on 25 April 2008. The latest stage … ", "All good things must come to an end, so let's carry on. [9] At least one recording for the spring 2006 series filled all its seats within three hours of the free tickets being made available, and the London recording of the autumn series in that year sold out in ten minutes. A ninth tour was announced in October 2019 to take place in early 2020. In the "Film Club" round any reference by Graeme Garden to Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is sure to cause a similar response. [24] The programme returned on 15 June 2009, chaired by Fry with the usual panellists and special guest Victoria Wood. The characters were developed into their own Radio 4 show, Hamish and Dougal. The show was launched in April 1972 as a parody of radio and TV panel games, and has been broadcast since on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service, with repeats aired on BBC Radio 4 Extra and, in the 1980s and 1990s, on BBC Radio 2. The format of the touring show is a 'Greatest Hits' presentation, sourcing the very finest material from Clue's enormous archives (ably retrieved by Samantha and her two kindly archivist friends). The programme's scoring is completely nonexistent. 1h 48min | Comedy | TV Movie 13 September 2008. When the game started, after great ceremony, the penultimate player, the last of the panellists, won on his first move, thus denying the distinguished guest the opportunity to make a single move. [11] Once when Innes was guesting Lyttelton outlined the musician's career, concluding that this "has brought him to where he is today: standing in for Colin Sell." Humph In Wonderland " was a Christmas special. The official, authorised history of the show and ISIRTA, The Clue Bible by Jem Roberts, was published by Preface Publishing in October 2009. Some early episodes of the series, including the first, were wiped in the late 1970s. Often imitated but never bettered, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue is the only authentic antidote to panel games. Dave Lee, who was bandleader on I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, was at the piano and a number of rounds were introduced by a short phrase of music. And barry Cryer made a special appearance at the Watford Colosseum show Francis Pym... 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