Newsrevue
Encyclopedia
NewsRevue is a topical, satirical song and sketch
show based at the Canal Cafe Theatre
in Maida Vale
, London
and annually at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-running live comedy show. Its 30th anniversary show was held at the Leicester Square theatre on 25 Sept 2009.
The performers, director and musical director for the annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe run are chosen from the best of the preceding year's talent.
to show business
. It has been compared to Spitting Image
, The News Quiz
, Beyond The Fringe
and many other topical, satirical shows.
The show is about an hour long. In London
, NewsRevue runs every Thursday to Sunday, 50 weeks a year, and is updated on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis. On average, between 15 and 30% of the show is updated from one week to the next.
's topical show Week Ending
. Hodd and Thorington took the inaugural show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on 18 August 1979 and it proved so successful that it later transferred to The King's Head Theatre
in London
for a lunchtime season.
The show headed back to the Edinburgh Fringe in 1980 and received a Scotsman
Fringe First Award. The show then transferred to The Gate Theatre in Notting Hill
and in March 1981, started a continuously updated regular run. The team from Week Ending
allowed NewsRevue to use scripts submitted to the radio programme, and Lee Cornes
, Mark Elliot and Stephen Frost
made up the cast. Along with Mark Arden
, this team were later to form BBC Radio 4
's The Wow Show.
At the 1981 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, NewsRevue played the 650-seat auditorium at the Assembly Rooms and was nominated for a Perrier award. After an unsuccessful attempt to transfer to the Fortune Theatre
in London
's West End
, NewsRevue missed the 1982 Edinburgh Fringe - the only time it has failed to appear since it began in 1979.
in 1984, and has remained there ever since. In 2004 the show was awarded a Guinness World Record for the world's longest-running live comedy show on the occasion of its 25th birthday.
Since its opening night in 1979, NewsRevue has performed well over 7,000 shows, presenting over 10,000 sketches and songs to a total audience of over 350,000. It has used more than 1,000 actors, musical directors and directors, and over 500 writers have had their material in the show.
by Emma Taylor with assistance from Alexandra Smith, India Rakusen and Ash Lim.
After several years of total sell-out shows at C Venues
the Edinburgh Fringe show transferred to the Underbelly Cow Barn in 2008 for another critically acclaimed run. It then moved to the new Pleasance Over The Road venue for 2009 and the Pleasance Courtyard > Beyond for Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2010 featuring the best performers from the last twelve months: Richard David Caine, Tom Connor, Annabel King and Amy Westgarth directed by Kylie Butler, musical director: Pete Smith for the 9th year.
, Paul Mark Elliott, Stephen Frost
, Andrina Carroll, Simon Mattacks, Jeremy Hardy
, Jessica Martin
, Charles Hart, Rory Bremner
, Bill Bailey
, Suzanna Kempner
, Alistair McGowan
,Gary Jerry, Arthur Bostrom
, Abi Roberts
, Saskia Reeves
, John Sparkes
, Nick Wilton
, Michelle Collins
, Matt Roper
, Elizabeth Bower
, Rupert Degas
, and 2008 if.comedy award nominee for best newcomer Pippa Evans.
Ben Elton
auditioned for the show but was not cast as his singing and dancing were not felt to be up to scratch.
, John Random, Noel Christopher, Mikey Jackson, Ian Christiansen, Nick Revell
, Brian Jordan, Rob Newman
, Simon Townley, Mark Brissenden, Barry Grossman
, Ivan Shakespeare, Terry Newman
, Marc Blakewill, James Harris
, Simon Ounsworth, Colin Stutt, Simon Blackwell
, Alan Stafford, Christopher Hale, Terry Newman, Philip Lunn, Stephen Follows, Laurence Howarth
, and Laura Solon
.
Edward Wiley
, Graham Frost, Tim Whitby, Elaine Cook, John Elms, Tania Jones
, Diane Messias, Bill Bailey
, Denise Thompson, Michael Eriera, Mark Brissenden and Sarah Sylvester.
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
show based at the Canal Cafe Theatre
Canal Cafe Theatre
The Canal Cafe Theatre is a 60-seat fringe theatre venue in Little Venice, London, specialising in comedy performances.-Location:The theatre is above the Bridge House pub in Little Venice, on the corner of Westbourne Terrace Road and Delamere Terrace, at the meeting point of the Grand Union and...
in Maida Vale
Maida Vale
Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and annually at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-running live comedy show. Its 30th anniversary show was held at the Leicester Square theatre on 25 Sept 2009.
Personnel
On the performance side, the team consists (almost always) of two male and two female performers, a director and a musical director - all of which change every six weeks. On the writing side, however, there is no such rotation, and some writers have stayed with the show for several years.The performers, director and musical director for the annual Edinburgh Festival Fringe run are chosen from the best of the preceding year's talent.
Content
The content is a series of short satirical sketches and gags coupled with spoofs of popular songs, targeting various aspect of the daily news from politicsPolitics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
to show business
Show business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....
. It has been compared to Spitting Image
Spitting Image
Spitting Image is a British satirical puppet show that aired on the ITV network from 1984 to 1996. It was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Television. The series was nominated for 10 BAFTA Awards, winning one for editing in 1989....
, The News Quiz
The News Quiz
The News Quiz is a topical panel game broadcast on British radio BBC Radio 4.-History:It was first broadcast in 1977 with Barry Norman as chairman. Subsequently it was chaired by Simon Hoggart, Barry Took , and then again by Simon Hoggart until March 2006. Hoggart was replaced by Sandi Toksvig in...
, Beyond The Fringe
Beyond the Fringe
Beyond the Fringe was a British comedy stage revue written and performed by Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett, and Jonathan Miller. It played in London's West End and then on New York's Broadway in the early 1960s, and is widely regarded as seminal to the rise of satire in 1960s Britain.-The...
and many other topical, satirical shows.
The show is about an hour long. In London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, NewsRevue runs every Thursday to Sunday, 50 weeks a year, and is updated on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis. On average, between 15 and 30% of the show is updated from one week to the next.
Founding
NewsRevue was started in 1979 by Mike Hodd and Jack Thorington who were, at that time, writing on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's topical show Week Ending
Week Ending
Week Ending... was a satirical radio current affairs sketch show, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4, usually on Friday evenings. It was devised by writer/producers Simon Brett and David Hatch, and was originally hosted by Nationwide presenter Michael Barratt.The show's title was always announced as...
. Hodd and Thorington took the inaugural show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on 18 August 1979 and it proved so successful that it later transferred to The King's Head Theatre
The King's Head Theatre
The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an Off-West End venue in London. It was the first pub theatre in the UK. Adam Spreadbury-Maher became Artistic Director in March 2010 .-Background:...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for a lunchtime season.
The show headed back to the Edinburgh Fringe in 1980 and received a Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
Fringe First Award. The show then transferred to The Gate Theatre in Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
and in March 1981, started a continuously updated regular run. The team from Week Ending
Week Ending
Week Ending... was a satirical radio current affairs sketch show, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4, usually on Friday evenings. It was devised by writer/producers Simon Brett and David Hatch, and was originally hosted by Nationwide presenter Michael Barratt.The show's title was always announced as...
allowed NewsRevue to use scripts submitted to the radio programme, and Lee Cornes
Lee Cornes
Lee Cornes is a British actor.He appeared in three series of Blackadder, as a talking extra, in two episodes of The Young Ones and in the TV show Bottom, as barman, 'Dick Head'. He made an appearance in the first episode of Filthy, Rich & Catflap as a binman. He also starred in children's drama...
, Mark Elliot and Stephen Frost
Stephen Frost
Stephen Frost , also known as Steve Frost, is an English comedian.Frost is known for his work in the 1980s with Mark Arden as part of the double act The Oblivion Boys on Saturday Live...
made up the cast. Along with Mark Arden
Mark Arden
Mark Arden is an English comedian and actor, best known for being one half of comic double act "The Oblivion Boys" with Stephen Frost....
, this team were later to form BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's The Wow Show.
At the 1981 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, NewsRevue played the 650-seat auditorium at the Assembly Rooms and was nominated for a Perrier award. After an unsuccessful attempt to transfer to the Fortune Theatre
Fortune Theatre
The Fortune Theatre is a 432 seat West End theatre in Russell Street, near Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, built in 1922-4 by Ernest Schaufelberg for impresario Laurence Cowen. The façade is principally bush hammered concrete, with brick piers supporting the roof...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
, NewsRevue missed the 1982 Edinburgh Fringe - the only time it has failed to appear since it began in 1979.
Canal Cafe Theatre
NewsRevue transferred from The Gate to the Canal Cafe TheatreCanal Cafe Theatre
The Canal Cafe Theatre is a 60-seat fringe theatre venue in Little Venice, London, specialising in comedy performances.-Location:The theatre is above the Bridge House pub in Little Venice, on the corner of Westbourne Terrace Road and Delamere Terrace, at the meeting point of the Grand Union and...
in 1984, and has remained there ever since. In 2004 the show was awarded a Guinness World Record for the world's longest-running live comedy show on the occasion of its 25th birthday.
Since its opening night in 1979, NewsRevue has performed well over 7,000 shows, presenting over 10,000 sketches and songs to a total audience of over 350,000. It has used more than 1,000 actors, musical directors and directors, and over 500 writers have had their material in the show.
Present Day
NewsRevue continues to run weekly at the Canal Cafe Theatre on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The show has been produced in London and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 20012001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe was the 54th Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The Fringe ran from 5–27 August 2001 and presented 1462 shows over 176 venues.-Scotsman Fringe First Awards:Week One:*Gagarin Way*Runt*Like Thunder*Bedbound...
by Emma Taylor with assistance from Alexandra Smith, India Rakusen and Ash Lim.
After several years of total sell-out shows at C Venues
C venues
C venues is the home of the largest theatre and new writing programme at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which is held annually in August each year...
the Edinburgh Fringe show transferred to the Underbelly Cow Barn in 2008 for another critically acclaimed run. It then moved to the new Pleasance Over The Road venue for 2009 and the Pleasance Courtyard > Beyond for Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2010 featuring the best performers from the last twelve months: Richard David Caine, Tom Connor, Annabel King and Amy Westgarth directed by Kylie Butler, musical director: Pete Smith for the 9th year.
Alumni
Given the large number of people associated with NewsRevue over the years, this list can only constitute a very small selection, and it has been gleaned from the Canal Cafe Theatre's records.Performers
Lee CornesLee Cornes
Lee Cornes is a British actor.He appeared in three series of Blackadder, as a talking extra, in two episodes of The Young Ones and in the TV show Bottom, as barman, 'Dick Head'. He made an appearance in the first episode of Filthy, Rich & Catflap as a binman. He also starred in children's drama...
, Paul Mark Elliott, Stephen Frost
Stephen Frost
Stephen Frost , also known as Steve Frost, is an English comedian.Frost is known for his work in the 1980s with Mark Arden as part of the double act The Oblivion Boys on Saturday Live...
, Andrina Carroll, Simon Mattacks, Jeremy Hardy
Jeremy Hardy
Jeremy James Hardy is a British alternative comedian who is also known for his socialist politics.-Career:Hardy was born in Farnborough, Hampshire. He attended Farnham College and studied Modern History and Politics at the University of Southampton...
, Jessica Martin
Jessica Martin
Jessica Martin is an actor and comedian. She is probably best known for her work as an impressionist and voice artist on the television series Spitting Image, impersonating the voice of Her Majesty The Queen. She also appeared on Yorkshire Television's 3-2-1 in the 1980s with impressionist Aiden J...
, Charles Hart, Rory Bremner
Rory Bremner
Roderick "Rory" Keith Ogilvy Bremner, FKC is a Scottish impressionist, playwright and comedian, noted for his work in political satire...
, Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey is an English comedian, musician and actor. As well as his extensive stand-up work, Bailey is well known for his appearances on Black Books, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI.Bailey was listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in...
, Suzanna Kempner
Suzanna Kempner
Suzanna Kempner is an English actress, singer and stand-up comedian who studied at the Royal Academy of Music. In March 2010 she recorded the demo album for a new musical, "I Capture the Castle"....
, Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan is a British impressionist, stand-up comic, actor, singer and writer best known to British audiences for The Big Impression , which was, for four years, one of BBC1's top-rating comedy programmes - winning numerous awards, including a BAFTA in 2003...
,Gary Jerry, Arthur Bostrom
Arthur Bostrom
Arthur Bostrom is an English actor, most famous for his role as Officer Crabtree, in the long-running BBC sitcom Allo 'Allo!.-Biography:...
, Abi Roberts
Abi Roberts
Abi Roberts is a British comedian, actress and singer songwriter.Educated at Swansea University, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and later the Moscow Conservatoire, she gained prominence in a series of sketch shows on the London stage and at the Edinburgh Festival; appearing firstly in the satirical...
, Saskia Reeves
Saskia Reeves
Saskia Reeves is a British actress perhaps best known for her roles in the films Close My Eyes and ID , and the 2000 miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune....
, John Sparkes
John Sparkes
John Sparkes is a Welsh comedian born in Swansea and is more commonly known on Welsh television as Barry Welsh, in the award-winning series Barry Welsh is Coming....
, Nick Wilton
Nick Wilton
Nick Wilton is an English actor and scriptwriter. His best known roles are playing Mr Lister in the BBC soap opera EastEnders a recurring character, making his first appearance on the 3 January 2008. He also appeared in Carrott's Lib, Fast Forward and Jackanory.-Early and personal life:Wilton was...
, Michelle Collins
Michelle Collins
Michelle Danielle Collins is a British actress best known for her roles on television in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, as Cindy Beale, Coronation Street as Stella Price, and BBC dramas Sunburn and Two Thousand Acres of Sky...
, Matt Roper
Matt Roper
Matt Roper is a British comedian, writer and musician who made his stand-up debut in the mid-1990s.He is an alumnus of the young people's theatre company Oldham Theatre Workshop, where his contemporaries included the actors Anna Friel and Suranne Jones....
, Elizabeth Bower
Spoons (TV series)
Spoons is a comedy sketch show first broadcast on the UK's Channel 4 from 30 September 2005. In the United States, Spoons is broadcast on BBC America...
, Rupert Degas
Rupert Degas
Rupert Joel Degas is an English actor and voice artist.- Early life:Degas was born in London, the son of screenwriter Brian Degas and television presenter Maggie Clews, whose marriage ended in divorce when he was eight...
, and 2008 if.comedy award nominee for best newcomer Pippa Evans.
Ben Elton
Ben Elton
Benjamin Charles "Ben" Elton is an English comedian, author, playwright and director. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, as a writer on such cult series as The Young Ones and Blackadder, as well as also a successful stand-up comedian on stage and TV....
auditioned for the show but was not cast as his singing and dancing were not felt to be up to scratch.
Writers
Mike Hodd, Jack Thorington, Nick Yapp, Neil Raphael, Geoff NicholsonGeoff Nicholson
Geoff Nicholson is a British novelist and non-fiction writer. He was born in Sheffield and was educated at the Universities of Cambridge and Essex....
, John Random, Noel Christopher, Mikey Jackson, Ian Christiansen, Nick Revell
Nick Revell
Nick Revell is a British stand-up comedian and writer for radio and television. Born John Revell, he studied at Lincoln College, Oxford, and subsequently taught English at Westminster School....
, Brian Jordan, Rob Newman
Robert Newman
Robert Newman is a British stand-up comedian, author and political activist. In 1993 Newman and his then comedy partner David Baddiel became the first comedians to play and sell out the 12,000-seat Wembley Arena in London...
, Simon Townley, Mark Brissenden, Barry Grossman
The Attractive Young Rabbi
The Attractive Young Rabbi was a BBC Radio 4 comedy series of three series from 1999 to 2002, written by Barry Grossman. Starring Tracy-Ann Oberman, David de Keyser and Doreen Mantle, the series was about two rabbis...
, Ivan Shakespeare, Terry Newman
Terry Newman
Terry Newman is an award-winning British playwright.Newman's works include What Do You Do The Night After You've Saved The Universe?, The Life and Times of a Wonder Woman, Dulcas's Women, Burke and Hare and Being Dennis Potter....
, Marc Blakewill, James Harris
Blakewill & Harris
Blakewill & Harris are a UK-based comedy writing partnership, with credits on television and radio.They have written on the popular CBBC sketch shows Horrible Histories and Sorry, I've Got No Head, as well as ITV1 topical animation shows Headcases and 2DTV, Comedy Cuts , The Charlotte Church Show...
, Simon Ounsworth, Colin Stutt, Simon Blackwell
Dead Ringers (comedy)
Dead Ringers is a UK radio and television comedy impressions broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and later BBC Two. The programme was devised by producer Bill Dare and developed with Jon Holmes, Andy Hurst and Simon Blackwell. It starred Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Phil Cornwell, Kevin Connelly and Mark Perry...
, Alan Stafford, Christopher Hale, Terry Newman, Philip Lunn, Stephen Follows, Laurence Howarth
Laurence Howarth
Laurence Howarth is an English comic actor and writer. He has appeared in one episode each of the TV series After You've Gone , Hyperdrive , Blessed , The Robinsons , My Hero and Dark Ages...
, and Laura Solon
Laura Solon
Laura Solon is an English comedian, actor, writer, and winner of the 2005 Perrier Comedy Award, only the second woman to win as a solo performer .-Background:...
.
Directors
The theatre's records cite the following directors for outstanding Newsrevue runs:Edward Wiley
Edward Wiley
Edward Wiley is an actor who appeared in film and television throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He also directed an episode of Real Stories of the Highway Patrol called Missouri.- Filmography :* S.F.W. ... as Mr. Spab* NYPD Blue...
, Graham Frost, Tim Whitby, Elaine Cook, John Elms, Tania Jones
Anna Lee (TV series)
Anna Lee is a British television series produced by Brian Eastman and Carnival Films for London Weekend Television. Following a 1993 pilot, five two-hour programmes were produced in 1994, loosely based on the detective novels of Liza Cody. These were broadcast in the U.S. on the A&E cable network....
, Diane Messias, Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey is an English comedian, musician and actor. As well as his extensive stand-up work, Bailey is well known for his appearances on Black Books, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI.Bailey was listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in...
, Denise Thompson, Michael Eriera, Mark Brissenden and Sarah Sylvester.