Alas Smith and Jones

Alas Smith and Jones

Infobox Television
show_name = Alas Smith and Jones


caption =
format = Sketch comedy
runtime = 30 min per normal episode
creator =
starring = Mel Smith
Griff Rhys Jones
country = UK
network = BBC2
BBC1
first_aired = 31 January 1984
last_aired = 14 October 1998
num_episodes = 62
imdb_id = 0088475
preceded_by = "Not the Nine O'Clock News"
followed_by =

"Alas Smith and Jones" was a British comedy sketch television series featuring Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. It was broadcast on the BBC from 1982 to 1998. From 1989 to 1995, it was called "Smith and Jones".

The series followed in the footsteps of "Not the Nine O'Clock News" in its use of taboo-breaking material and sketches in questionable taste (as well as bad language), and also featured head-to-head 'duologues' between Smith and Jones. The series shared several script writers with "Not the Nine O'Clock News" including Clive Anderson, Colin Bostock-Smith and used Chris Langham as a cast regular. Other writers included Andy Hamilton.

The show's title was a pun on that of the American television series "Alias Smith and Jones". The head-to-head sketches were very much in the Pete and Dud mould - Smith was the idiot who knew everything, Jones the idiot who knew nothing.

The series was one of the first to be commissioned by the BBC from an independent company, Talkback Productions of which Smith and Jones were also directors. The format of the Head to Head with similar characters was used by Smith and Jones in a series of commercials.

The show also had a brief run in the United States on A&E and PBS.

In 2006 Smith and Jones returned with "The Smith and Jones Sketchbook", recorded in front of a live audience acting as a look back at their earlier shows.

chedule

The show ran for 10 series with 5 to 7 episodes of 30 minutes duration [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088475/episodes] :
* 27 December 1982: A 5 minute special, broadcast as part of "The Funny Side Of Christmas"
* 31 January 1984 - 6 March 1984: "Series One", 6 episodes
* 31 October 1985 - 5 December 1985: "Series Two", 6 episodes
* 18 September 1986 - 23 October 1986: "Series Three", 6 episodes
* 15 October 1987 - 26 November 1987: "Series Four", 7 episodes
* 21 December 1988: 40 minutes special, "Alas Sage And Onion"
* 16 November 1989 - 28 December 1989: "Series Five", 6 episodes (then titled "Smith & Jones", thus dropping the "Alas")
* 22 November 1990 - 3 January 1991: "Series Six", 6 episodes
* 22 October 1992 - 3 December 1992: "Series Seven", 6 episodes
* 6 September 1995 - 18 October 1995: "Series Eight", 6 episodes
* 19 June 1997 - 24 July 1997: "Series Nine", 6 episodes
* 9 September 1998 - 14 October 1998: "Series Ten", 6 episodes.

Commercial releases

A compilation DVD release (coded for region 2) was scheduled for 8 August 2005 by the BBC, but has been delayed many times (its latest scheduled release was for 26 December 2007, according to sites such as play.com):

Two VHS releases featuring footage from Series 5 & 6 of "Alas Smith & Jones" (then titled "Smith & Jones"), were released in 1991. The second video released in 1993 featured footage from Series 1-4 of the series, specially the second series.

Tie-in books included "The Smith and Jones World Alas" (a humorous gazetteer of the world's countries) and "The Lavishly Tooled Smith & Jones instant Coffee Table Book" (co-written with Clive Anderson), which was designed to look as if it could be made into a coffee table.

External links

*bbc.co.uk|id=comedy/guide/articles/a/alassmithandjone_1299002882.shtml|title="Alas Smith and Jones (1982-1988)" Comedy Guide
*bbc.co.uk|id=comedy/guide/articles/s/smithandjones_7775885.shtm|title="Smith and Jones (1989-1998)" Comedy Guide


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Smith and Jones — may refer to:* Alias Smith and Jones , an American Western television series * Alas Smith and Jones , a British television sketch comedy show * Smith and Jones (Doctor Who), an episode of the British television series Doctor Who In fiction, the… …   Wikipedia

  • Alias Smith and Jones — infobox Television show name = Alias Smith and Jones format = Western runtime = 48 X 60 minutes 2 X 90 minutes creator = Glen A. Larson original packager = Universal Studios starring = Pete Duel Ben Murphy Roger Davis country = United States… …   Wikipedia

  • Jones — is a common surname in Wales and England. It is the most common surname in Wales, despite there officially being no letter J in the Welsh language, although there are a few words borrowed from English language eg Jocan = Joke. This is because… …   Wikipedia

  • Smith — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom.  Pour l’article homophone, voir Smyth. Sommaire …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Mel Smith — For other people named Melvin Smith, see Melvin Smith (disambiguation). Mel Smith Birth name Melvin Kenneth Smith Born 3 December 1952 (1952 12 03) (age 58) Chiswick, London, England National …   Wikipedia

  • Griff Rhys Jones — Infobox Comedian name = Griff Rhys Jones imagesize = 200px caption = Griff Rhys Jones in 2007 birth date = Birth date and age|1953|11|16|df=yes birth place = Cardiff, UK active = 1970s–present notable work = Not the Nine O Clock News (1979–1982)… …   Wikipedia

  • Mel Smith — (* 3. Dezember 1952 in London) ist ein britischer Autor, Komiker, Schauspieler, Produzent und Regisseur. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Werk 2.1 Regiearbeiten …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Griff Rhys Jones — 2007 Griffith „Griff“ Rhys Jones (* 16. November 1953 in Cardiff) ist ein britischer Autor, Komiker, Schauspieler, Produzent und Regisseur. Leben In der satirischen TV Sendung N …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Paul Smith (writer) — Paul Smith is a British television writer best known as creator of the Dawn French series Murder Most Horrid (for which he also wrote), and as co creator (with Terry Kyan) of the Mel Smith series Colin s Sandwich .His most notable comedy writing… …   Wikipedia

  • Griff Rhys Jones — est un acteur et scénariste britannique né le 16 novembre 1953 à Cardiff (Royaume Uni). Sommaire …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”