John Lloyd and Dr Pamela Stephenson talk about their pioneering BBC TV sketch show Not The Nine O’Clock News

The duo share the inside story with TV veterans Peter Fincham and Jon Plowman.

Over 17 million viewers tuned in over 4 series to watch Pamela alongside Rowan Atkinson, Griff Rhys Jones, Mel Smith, and Chris Langham perform scripts written by some of the cream of British comedy talent – Richard Curtis, Andy Hamilton, and even a (then undergraduate!) Stephen Fry.

John Lloyd recalls how the NTNON team was put together, and how a chance meeting with Pamela at a party led to her becoming the one of the most recognisable faces on British television.

They talk us through some of their favourite sketches and reveal how they created their vast array of characters, from Gerald the Gorilla to Janet Street-Porter (and in particular, the interview that Pamela’s Janet did with Billy Connolly that would change both of their lives).

And John and Pamela discuss the perks and perils of commercial success in the world of comedy, when the business of books, albums, and movies come calling, and how it eventually led to the end of Not The Nine O’Clock News.

With Peter and Jon as our guides, we’ll take the opportunity to ask quite how they went about making a great bit of TV comedy. Who came up with it? How did it get written? We’ll talk about the commissioning, the casting, and the reception the show received when it first aired.

We’ll do our very best to winkle out some backstage secrets straight from the horse’s mouth, as we hear the unvarnished truth from the people who were there, and who put these iconic shows on the telly.

Producer: Owen Braben

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Expectation Productions, and first broadcast October 2021. Show less