The Franz Kafka Big Band
Encyclopedia
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...
Radio. They have made two series for BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...
.
The group achieved notoriety in August 2006 after its second series for BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...
was pulled by the 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...
before the first show was broadcast because it was deemed too controversial. The story received extensive press coverage in the UK and Australia (due to one of the sketches featuring a character based on Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
).
The Franz Kafka Big Band are:
- Colin Edwards - writer and producer
- Innes Smith - writer and performer
- Jenny Ann Marshall - performer
- Craig Stobo - performer
- Dave Barr - performer
Since the Franz Kafka Big Band, Edwards and Smith have worked on a sketch show for Channel 4 Radio called The Atrocity Machine with Scottish Stand-Up Comedians Allan Miller and Steven Dick; and Burlesque Artist Ophelia Bitz. Barr, Marshall and Stobo continue to contribute occasional performances for The Atrocity Machine.