Concluding the chronicle of classic Christmas giftage from the year when Hardwicke House‘s Adrian Edmondson said “send them some beef, you utter utter utter utter BARSTARD”…
THE UTTERLY UTTERLY MERRY COMIC RELIEF CHRISTMAS BOOK
While Comic Relief is undeniably serving a useful purpose and a good cause in general, it has to be said that much of its associated spinoff fundraising merchandising falls distinctly into the ‘will this do?’ bracket. And when Peter Kay does unspeakable things to an innocent Proclaimers song next year, let’s hope that the answer is ‘no it fucking won’t’. Time was, though, when with Comic Relief you really did get something substantial for your donated money, especially to accompany its launch in 1986 when they came up with the still-entertaining Cliff Richard & The Young Ones single, a genuine bona fide all-star live comedy stage show that later became an equally great album and video, and The Utterly Utterly Merry Comic Relief Christmas Book.
Edited by Douglas Adams and Peter Fincham, as if that wasn’t recommendation enough, and just look at the contents. An exclusive new Hitchhikers story! Meaning Of Liff addenda! Otherwise unpublished Adrian Mole! The Young Ones’ Nativity Play! Material from the then still-lost Out Of The Trees! Contributions from the writers of Yes, Minister and Spitting Image! Angus Deayton, Lenny Henry, Terry Jones and Mel Smith in general! And most notoriously of all, Richard Curtis’ controversial The Gospel According To A Sheep, which got the book withdrawn under blasphemy laws following complaints from idiot God-botherers who decided that likely extra future sales and the ensuing benefit for people dying of hunger in the third world wasn’t worth offending their religious sensibilities for!
It’s funny, and it’s controversial – beat that, Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares Meets Mock The Week!
ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS… put away your wallets, Fans Of The Silents, it’s the Official TV Cream Films (Films) Films On TV Bumper Bank Holiday Video Value Pack!
Blimey I wish I could remember what I wanted in 86 probably CDs -as I’d got my first sony CD player for my birthday just a couple of weeks earlier..
It was bigger than the Sanyo midi-system I was using at the time..