The Kenny Everett Video Show

The Kenny Everett Video Show
Also known as The Kenny Everett Video Cassette (4th series)
Created by David Mallet
Written by
Directed by
  • David Mallet (1st–3rd series)
  • Royston Mayoh (4th series)
Starring
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of series 4
No. of episodes 32 (including 4 specials)
Production
Location(s) Thames Television House, Euston Road, London
Running time
  • 38 minutes (1st series)
  • 24 minutes (2nd–4th series)
  • 50 minutes (special)
Production company(s) Thames Television
Distributor Fremantle Media
Broadcast
Original channel ITV
Picture format PAL (576i) 4:3
Audio format Monaural
Original run 3 July 1978 – 21 May 1981

The Kenny Everett Video Show (later renamed The Kenny Everett Video Cassette) was a groundbreaking British television comedy programme made by Thames Television for ITV from 3 July 1978 to 21 May 1981.

Conception

Phillip Jones, the then head of light entertainment, asked his son who he'd like to see on television, and he said Kenny Everett. The format for the show came from David Mallet having lunch with Kenny, going for a walk in the afternoon, and during those 3 or 4 hours they both discovered that you could not watch on television the sort of things they wanted to watch. The original conception was that Everett would be a visual DJ linking bands and singers and the links eventually got longer and longer.

The Video Show was also noteworthy in that the sketches were performed to the studio crew and technicians with their laughter heard on the finished programme, unlike the later BBC series The Kenny Everett Television Show which used a live audience.

Two pilot episodes were made, which are believed to no longer exist.

Series 1

The first series was initially broadcast from 3 July to 21 August 1978 with a 'Best of...' compilation airing on 6 September 1978. This series was also the longest of the three, running for 45 minutes. This series was the most music filled one of the three, with the music making up most of the programme, with only little comedy bits.

Musical guests that appeared in this series were:

Episode 1: Wings, Bonnie Tyler, Electric Light Orchestra, Bryan Ferry, Steve Gibbons Band

Episode 2: Darts, Kate Bush, Lindisfarne, Yellow Dog, The Rolling Stones

Episode 3: Suzi Quatro, Nick Lowe, Thin Lizzy, Gordon Giltrap, Bob Dylan

Episode 4: The Moody Blues

Episode 5: Elkie Brooks, Renaissance, Justin Hayward

Episode 6: Cliff Richard, Darts, 10cc, Bonnie Tyler, City Boy

Episode 7: Bryan Ferry, Steve Gibbons Band, The Moody Blues, David Essex

Episode 8: Wings, The Boomtown Rats

Series 2

Series 2 premiered on 1 January 1979 with "The didn't quite make it in time for Christmas Video Show" (later repeated and cut down to 30 minutes on 18 April 1979). This was the second and last episode to be in the 45-minute format, and is considered an oddball episode due to it being the only episode to feature the big television set, and not having the standard bank of televisions behind him. This series was more equal with Comedy vs Music and many of his greatest comedy pieces come from this series. The normal series resumed from 19 February to 9 April 1979 and 23 to 30 April 1979 and ran for 25 minutes.

Musical guests that appeared in this series were:

Series 3

Series 3 began with a special one-hour episode "Will Kenny Everett make it to 1980?" airing on 31 December 1979. Quite a few bits from this special made it into the Naughty Bits compilations, Specifically, the Cliff Richard moments, Hot Gossip doing "Sleazy" and a few other short gags. This series was even more focused on the comedy than the music, normally only having 2 musical act per show. The normal series resumed from 18 February to 31 March 1980 and 14 April 1980.

Musical guests that appeared in this series were:

Series 4

Series 4 was renamed "The Kenny Everett Video Cassette" and began with a New Year's Daze special on the last 10 minutes of 31 December 1980 and the first 20 minutes of 1 January 1981. This episode was broadcast on Friday, 2 January 1981, on Grampian and Scotland Television, Border Television never screened the new year special. The normal series resumed from 16 April to 21 May 1981.

Musical guests that appeared in this series were:

Home Video releases

During the 1980s, several VHS, Betamax and Laserdisc compilations were released of the series, to this date, no complete or full episodes have ever been released legally. Only episodes mainly taped in Australia on VHS have been circulating.

The Best of the Kenny Everett Video Show (Vol. 1) (Thames Video - 1981)

The Best of the Kenny Everett Video Show (Vol. 2) (Thames Video - 1982)

The Best of the Kenny Everett Video Show (Vol. 3) (Thames Video - 1982)

Kenny Everett's Naughty Bits (Thames Video - 1989)

More of Kenny Everett's Naughty Bits (Thames Video - 1989)

Both Naughty Bits compilations from 1989 were chosen for release on the 2004 DVD The Complete Naughty Bits.

External links