An early sketch on this edition has Bob Carolgees as a bank robber claiming to be "22", but with the bank cashier refusing to believe him.
Carolgees' character relents and admits to being "33" - which was Carolgees' real age at the time.
Carolgees' character relents and admits to being "33" - which was Carolgees' real age at the time.
The previous week's episode had featured a clip of The Beatles during the time that Jimmie Nicol was standing in for Ringo Starr, and asked viewers to name the people on screen.
On this edition Chris Tarrant claims that Nicol was watching, and jokingly called to ask if he was eligible to enter the competition.
On this edition Chris Tarrant claims that Nicol was watching, and jokingly called to ask if he was eligible to enter the competition.
This edition sees the first appearance of Lenny Henry's African impressionist character, Joshua Yarlog. (A play on Mike Yarwood.)
Alexei Sayle stated in his 2016 autobiography "Thatcher Stole My Trousers" that he may have been the person responsible for Yarlog's "Katanga!" catchphrase:
"[Lenny] insists that he told me during rehearsals that he was having difficulty finding an authentically African-sounding hook for this creation and I suggested he shout out the word 'Katanga!' from time to time.
This he did and it seemed to go down well with the audience in the studio. It was only after he and Central TV received a number of anguished and disappointed letters and phone calls that Lenny learnt that Katanga was the place where Patrice Lumumba the charismatic and popular Congolese independence leader and the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo had been tortured and murdered at the behest of Belgian mining interests, the CIA and MI6. I denied all responsibility and certainly had no memory of ever mentioning Katanga. [My wife] had a third explanation which was that I had done it subconsciously to make trouble."
Alexei Sayle stated in his 2016 autobiography "Thatcher Stole My Trousers" that he may have been the person responsible for Yarlog's "Katanga!" catchphrase:
"[Lenny] insists that he told me during rehearsals that he was having difficulty finding an authentically African-sounding hook for this creation and I suggested he shout out the word 'Katanga!' from time to time.
This he did and it seemed to go down well with the audience in the studio. It was only after he and Central TV received a number of anguished and disappointed letters and phone calls that Lenny learnt that Katanga was the place where Patrice Lumumba the charismatic and popular Congolese independence leader and the first democratically elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo had been tortured and murdered at the behest of Belgian mining interests, the CIA and MI6. I denied all responsibility and certainly had no memory of ever mentioning Katanga. [My wife] had a third explanation which was that I had done it subconsciously to make trouble."