| Not with a Bang | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Situation comedy |
| Written by | Tony Millan |
| Directed by | Robin Carr |
| Starring | Mike Grady Josie Lawrence Ronald Pickup Stephen Rea |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Robin Carr |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV |
| Original run | 25 March – 6 May 1990 |
Not with a Bang was a short-lived British television sitcom produced by London Weekend Television in 1990. It ran for seven episodes, each 30 minutes long, before being cancelled due to poor ratings and a stagnant plot.[1] The show was a dark science fiction comedy, focusing on the end of the human race on Earth. The title comes from the last line of T. S. Eliot's poem The Hollow Men "not with a bang, but a whimper".
Contents |
The pilot episode of Not with a Bang begins with a spoof episode of the iconic BBC show Tomorrow's World, where Judith Hann is presenting a story on how scientists have apparently isolated the hormone that causes aging in humans. The chemical is then accidentally released from a vial and the effect spreads almost instantly, annihilating virtually all human life on Earth, turning people into little piles of an ash-like compound, before dissipating harmlessly.
The show then follows the plight of the four human survivors - three male, one female - who survive due to various far-fetched reasons - for example being sealed in a sound-proof booth during a pub quiz when the agent strikes the vicinity. The four characters are united by chance about one year after the event, and set up a base of operations in a country cottage. They then spend the next six episodes looking for other survivors, adjusting to life after the end of the world, and deliberating over the repopulation of the human race.
The show relies heavily on a small cast of esoteric characters, including: rugby league fanatic Colin; everyman Brian, who comes closest to being the group's leader; and Graham and Janet, a bland couple who struggle over the issue of having children. Conversation between Graham and Janet frequently features Graham's reluctance and Janet's determination to have children, as well as Graham's extraordinarily low sperm count.
The pub name is never mentioned in the show, but the shots from the outside are of the White Hart in the village of Bouth in Cumbria.