Boss of hit 80s series calls for show’s return – 42 years after last episode

THE Eighties sketch show, Not the Nine O’clock News which featured the pick of British drama endowment including Roan Atkinson and Griff Rhys Jones, should beryllium revived, according to 1 of the show’s archetypal writers.

Hollywood-based writer Richard Sparks, 72, believes that the amusement should return, due to the fact that it is simply a amended conveyance for governmental satire than the BBC's existent offering: Have I Got News for You.

Have I Got News for You began successful 1990 and is present successful its 67^th series.

Not The Nine O’clock News, which went alongside the main quality connected BBC1, was created and produced by John Lloyd, and featured up and coming stars, the precocious Mel Smith, Pamela Stephenson, Rowan Atkinson, and Griff Rhys Jones.

Asked whether Have I Got News for You had tally retired of steam, Sparks, who wrote Roan Atkinson’s signature schoolmaster sketch told The Express: “Paul Merton is inactive comic and I haven’t seen each occurrence to cognize if it’s mislaid its step, but thing lasts forever.

“You could get a country afloat of fractional a twelve writers and propulsion them astatine the newspapers and the TV, and they would travel up with hours’ worthy of worldly each week.”

And Sparks added that the headlines emerging from Number 10 are ripe for mockery, but are presently going to waste, successful the lack of a decent sketch show.

He said: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the ungraded implicit gifts could beryllium a plum target.

All that worldly is going to discarded arsenic worldly isn’t it. What a fantastic sketch you could person astir that. I mean I could constitute it successful 10 seconds and it conscionable constitute itself.”

The 72-year-old added that the nationalist enjoyed seeing a drama instrumentality down of governmental figures.

“I deliberation politicians, erstwhile they get to Westminster, they are fixed a loaded weapon and instantly proceed to sprout themselves successful the ft earlier they’re allowed successful the place.”

He added: “People emotion to spot their overlords mocked.

“You know, we're paying for these guys. They're moving for us. They're nationalist servants, and yet they get truthful afloat of themselves and spell disconnected and person their meetings.”

Asked astir casting the show, Richard named who helium thought was the earthy successor for Rowan Atkinson.

He said: “I cognize Rowan Atkinson is simply a erstwhile successful a procreation talent. But conscionable due to the fact that that amusement was built astir Rowan doesn't mean to accidental you can't present find 4 radical who are arsenic good. And you could formed crossed the generations.

"David Mitchell would beryllium great.

Indeed a showbiz insider connected the drama circuit echoed Richard Spark’s thoughts that Have I got New for You has mislaid its satirical bite. They said:

 “Have I Got News for You is conscionable not landing immoderate punches connected this caller government.

“There are right-leaning comedians that they could publication but you ne'er perceive from immoderate of them radical similar Dominic Frisby, Mark Dolan oregon Andrew Lawrence. Why don’t they ringing them?

“The lone existent Tory comedian who appeared connected determination was Bob Monkhouse, who trounced them, I recall.”

Now Richard Sparks has turned his drama penning endowment to penny phantasy caller to overmuch success.

His debut novel, New Rock New Role, was published past twelvemonth to captious acclaim, with its follow-up New Rock New Realm, pubished this month.

“The books came retired of my emotion of role-playing games. I spent a batch of clip playing either multiplayer games, wherever I've got 24 radical successful my receptor successful 1 of those fantastic online games, oregon solo games.”

Not the Nine O’Clock News was broadcast connected BBC from 1979 to 1982, primitively shown arsenic a drama alternate to the Nine O’Clock quality connected BBC1.

The amusement featured parody songs, drama sketches and spoof tv formats starring Rowan Atkinson Pamela Stephenson, Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones.