Monkey tennis
Encyclopedia
"Monkey Tennis" is a British
pop culture phrase, first used in the late 1990s and popular throughout the 2000s. Originating as a joke in a television sitcom, it has come to be commonly used as an example of the hypothetical lowest common denominator
television programme that it is possible to make. Programmes believed to have been poorly-conceived or of particularly low quality, especially within the reality television
genre, are sometimes compared with the "Monkey Tennis" idea in media coverage and popular discussion in the UK.
, originally broadcast on BBC Two
in the UK on Monday 3 November 1997. In one scene the eponymous character of Partridge, a failed chat show host, desperately attempts to pitch programme ideas to uninterested fictional BBC
executive Tony Hayers (David Schneider
), who cancelled his first series. After failing to interest him in ideas plucked from thin air such as Arm Wrestling
With Chas & Dave, Youth Hostelling with Chris Eubank
, Inner-City Sumo
and Cooking in Prison, Partridge comes up with a final spur-of-the-moment suggestion, "Monkey Tennis?", which is met with similar disdain. Steve Coogan
, the star and co-writer of I'm Alan Partridge, said on a DVD commentary for the episode that the writing team came up with the idea when they decided that: "It had to be a two-word pitch that created an immediate visual image".
in Edmonton
, BBC News Online
correspondent Tom Fordyce
wrote that "The organisers exceeded my wildest dreams. All that was missing was monkey tennis and I could have died a happy man." Reviewing an evening's television for The Observer
newspaper in 2005, Kathryn Flett
wondered "Why did I recently squander such a lovely big bunch of superlatives on something which looks like Monkey Tennis, compared to this stunning work of unparalleled comedy genius?". The phrase has been used several times in The Guardian
and The Observers television review articles.
Another television reviewer, Ian Johns of The Times
, called Five's True CSI "about as misguided as picking up such Alan Partridge programme pitches as Monkey Tennis and Inner-City Sumo. Then again, I think his Cooking in Prison idea might now have a chance."
TV and restaurant critic AA Gill, writing in his Sunday Times column of 14 February 2010, made reference to the fictional programme when giving a critical review of the BBC Three
series Dancing on Wheels
, stating: "You remember Monkey Tennis? From Alan Partridge’s list of TV proposals that were patently absurd? This could be one of them. Dancing on Wheels. Almost literally car-crash broadcasting. I wish they’d filmed the meeting where the disability access convener proposed it. And, one by one, editors and commissioners nodded that they thought it was an innovative and entertaining idea whose time had come".
Sky Sports' light-hearted football show Soccer AM
featured the term on numerous occasions, as former presenter Tim Lovejoy
would use the phrase when describing women's football, usually in a derisory manner such as "Women's football? What next, Monkey Tennis?" The joke was phased out after Lovejoy's departure from the series.
When Peter Fincham
, the executive producer
of I'm Alan Partridge, became controller of the BBC One
channel in 2005, the show's producer
and co-writer Armando Iannucci
attended the press conference at which his appointment was officially announced and asked Fincham whether there would be a place for Monkey Tennis in his schedules. According to the Guardian Unlimited
website's media section report, Fincham jokingly replied that he had "always said quite a few of those shows would have been commissioned."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pop culture phrase, first used in the late 1990s and popular throughout the 2000s. Originating as a joke in a television sitcom, it has come to be commonly used as an example of the hypothetical lowest common denominator
Lowest common denominator
In mathematics, the lowest common denominator or least common denominator is the least common multiple of the denominators of a set of vulgar fractions...
television programme that it is possible to make. Programmes believed to have been poorly-conceived or of particularly low quality, especially within the reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
genre, are sometimes compared with the "Monkey Tennis" idea in media coverage and popular discussion in the UK.
Origin
The term originates from the opening episode of the sitcom I'm Alan PartridgeI'm Alan Partridge
I'm Alan Partridge is a BBC situation comedy starring Steve Coogan, of which two series of six episodes each were produced — the first in 1997 and the second in 2002...
, originally broadcast on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in the UK on Monday 3 November 1997. In one scene the eponymous character of Partridge, a failed chat show host, desperately attempts to pitch programme ideas to uninterested fictional BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
executive Tony Hayers (David Schneider
David Schneider
David Schneider may refer to:*David Schneider , English actor and comedian*David Schneider , American film writer , director and actor*David Schneider , former pro tennis player...
), who cancelled his first series. After failing to interest him in ideas plucked from thin air such as Arm Wrestling
Arm Wrestling
Arm Wrestling is a 1985 arcade game developed and released only in North America by Nintendo and a spin-off of the Punch-Out!! series. Since it was created by the same development team that made the Punch-Out!! series, Arm Wrestling features many of the same features such as a dual-monitor system...
With Chas & Dave, Youth Hostelling with Chris Eubank
Chris Eubank
Chris Eubank, Lord of the Manor of Brighton is a retired British boxer who held world titles at middleweight and super middleweight...
, Inner-City Sumo
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
and Cooking in Prison, Partridge comes up with a final spur-of-the-moment suggestion, "Monkey Tennis?", which is met with similar disdain. Steve Coogan
Steve Coogan
Stephen John "Steve" Coogan is a British comedian, actor, writer and producer. Born in Manchester, he began his career as a standup comedian and impressionist, working as a voice artist throughout the 1980s on satirical puppet show Spitting Image. In the early nineties, Coogan began creating...
, the star and co-writer of I'm Alan Partridge, said on a DVD commentary for the episode that the writing team came up with the idea when they decided that: "It had to be a two-word pitch that created an immediate visual image".
Usage
The title became used by some as a shorthand for poor programming ideas, and has been mentioned or referred to in the media in the years following the original broadcast. When describing the opening ceremony of the 2001 World Athletics Championships2001 World Championships in Athletics
The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...
in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, BBC News Online
BBC News Online
BBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. The website is the most popular news website in the United Kingdom and forms a major part of BBC Online ....
correspondent Tom Fordyce
Tom Fordyce
Tom Fordyce has been a BBC Sport Interactive journalist since 2000. He authors text commentaries on cricket and tennis, also writing features on various other sports and blogging from a number of different events....
wrote that "The organisers exceeded my wildest dreams. All that was missing was monkey tennis and I could have died a happy man." Reviewing an evening's television for The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
newspaper in 2005, Kathryn Flett
Kathryn Flett
Kathryn Flett is a British TV critic, author, and star of the BBC's Grumpy Old Women series, was educated at Notting Hill & Ealing High School, and Hammersmith and West London College....
wondered "Why did I recently squander such a lovely big bunch of superlatives on something which looks like Monkey Tennis, compared to this stunning work of unparalleled comedy genius?". The phrase has been used several times in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and The Observers television review articles.
Another television reviewer, Ian Johns of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, called Five's True CSI "about as misguided as picking up such Alan Partridge programme pitches as Monkey Tennis and Inner-City Sumo. Then again, I think his Cooking in Prison idea might now have a chance."
TV and restaurant critic AA Gill, writing in his Sunday Times column of 14 February 2010, made reference to the fictional programme when giving a critical review of the BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
series Dancing on Wheels
Dancing on Wheels
Dancing on Wheels is a British television show made by production company Fever Media and first broadcast on BBC Three on 11 February 2010. The concept of the show is that an able-bodied celebrity dances with a wheelchair user. The couples dance each week, and each week one couple is eliminated in...
, stating: "You remember Monkey Tennis? From Alan Partridge’s list of TV proposals that were patently absurd? This could be one of them. Dancing on Wheels. Almost literally car-crash broadcasting. I wish they’d filmed the meeting where the disability access convener proposed it. And, one by one, editors and commissioners nodded that they thought it was an innovative and entertaining idea whose time had come".
Sky Sports' light-hearted football show Soccer AM
Soccer AM
Soccer AM is a British Saturday-morning football-based comedy/talk show, predominantly based around the Premier League...
featured the term on numerous occasions, as former presenter Tim Lovejoy
Tim Lovejoy
Timothy Paul Lovejoy is a British television presenter most famous for hosting Saturday morning football programme Soccer AM alongside Helen Chamberlain for over a decade.- Career :...
would use the phrase when describing women's football, usually in a derisory manner such as "Women's football? What next, Monkey Tennis?" The joke was phased out after Lovejoy's departure from the series.
When Peter Fincham
Peter Fincham
Peter Fincham is a British television producer and executive, currently the Director of Television for the ITV network. He was also formerly the Controller of BBC One, the primary television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation, until his resignation on 5 October 2007, following...
, the executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
of I'm Alan Partridge, became controller of the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
channel in 2005, the show's producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
and co-writer Armando Iannucci
Armando Iannucci
Armando Giovanni Iannucci is a Scottish comedian, satirist, writer, director, performer and radio producer. Born in Glasgow, he studied at Oxford University and left graduate work on a PhD about John Milton to pursue a career in comedy....
attended the press conference at which his appointment was officially announced and asked Fincham whether there would be a place for Monkey Tennis in his schedules. According to the Guardian Unlimited
Guardian Unlimited
guardian.co.uk, formerly known as Guardian Unlimited, is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. Georgina Henry is the editor...
website's media section report, Fincham jokingly replied that he had "always said quite a few of those shows would have been commissioned."
External links
- Alan Partridge at bbc.co.ukBbc.co.ukBBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
- Watch the 'Monkey Tennis' clip
- http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article7022167.ece