NTNOCN: "Closedown" (1980)

Back in the days before TV went 24 hour, the main UK TV channels (BBC1 and ITV) ended just around midnight with the national anthem, but just before that was a programme called something like "Epilogue" or "Late Call" in which a minor religious figure would do their final "In a way, this is really all about God" type thought for the day. One of Richard Curtis' most famous "Not The Nine O'Clock News" sketches recreates this lost TV fixture (Featuring L-R: Griff Rhys Jones, Pamela Stephenson, Mel Smith and Rowan Atkinson), but not in the way the original makers might have intended...

Category:

Comedy

Tags:

• ntnocn
• epilogue
• richardcurtis
• GriffRhysJones
• PamelaStephenson
• MelSmith
• RowanAtkinson
• comedy
• 80s
• 1980
• religion

[tigerboy1966]

Really stupid and clever, like all the best comedy. Almost thirty years on and I still just sneezed a mouthful of tea down my nose watching this.

[L1ZZ1771]

Rowan = legend. I love him.

[physicmad]

Acheoich toiloy! - dachhkyloy , dachhilaaaaw

[twooffour]

@TheGnolla

I've always thought the text was translated from some other, probably archaic language (judging after how the main character's named), and Atkinson obliviously reads all the quotes in their authentic language, to the annoyance of everyone else ;)

[Darron1967]

One time at school, a teacher read this one out. So many of us knew this sketch that it had to be read from the beginning at least 3 times because we were all doing the Rowan Atkinson part.

[TheGnolla]

@LeeJTurnock The jokes are many. First of all there is the smug and sombre look and performances of the people reading the text. This is in itself a great parody. And then Rowan Atkinson in his inimitable style starts spouting utter gibberish. The icing on the cake is that he denies the listeners vital information needed to understand what the poem is about. :) I think it's brilliant.

[peros70]

Fascinating! Modern comedy bah!!!! Why don't modern comedians use established facts as base of they're jokes; if you withdraw facts of no importance regarding popular figours of today they got nothing!!! Shame on them!!! NTNOCN used real humour and I'm from Norway! But even I can spot british humour dead on!!!

[LeeJTurnock]

@Electricshrock I thought that was the gag, silly me!

[thepaulbates]

An all time favorite of mine! For best effect - It's one to listen to when you get back from the pub.

[Electricshrock]

@LeeJTurnock The only joke is that the most significant lines of the poem are read by a guy who can't speak properly. It's really only rowan's delivery and the expressions on the other speakers' faces that make it funny. Or not.

[LeeJTurnock]

I don't know if I'm just being extremely thick here or missing a really obvious joke, but I never quite got the joke here. If someone could explain it to me without the expected "LOL THICKO!" abuse, I'd be most grateful.