The Five Foot Nine Show

A one-off comedy show that reunited two of the regulars from That Was The Week That Was. 

But why The Five Foot Nine Show? Writer Dave King explained: 'It's simply a different size in entertainment. Originally it was The Four Foot Three Show, but the BBC-tv planners thought this would be rather low stuff for a family audience. We then tried out for size The Six Foot Six Show but this felt likely to be over the heads of many viewers. So we compromised on five foot nine. Although if it overruns it could well end up as The Six Foot Show.' 

Producer Barry Lupino tried to give readers of the Radio Times a little more useful information about the show - but failed quite miserably. (The show is) rectangular-a convenient shape for the talents of Lance Percival, Roy Kinnear and Tsai Chin. We've also put in a chit for six dancers, a singing Eskimo, a singing tadpole, and pipes and drums. If we find the budget can stand it, we may even have musicians to play them.' Could it be described as a new type of show? In this Lupino was quite candid. 'No!' He said. 'It's an old-style show but we're giving it a lick of paint and freshening it up a bit. Actually, the whole thing has been written to fit some old scenery we found lying around.' What, then, is it all about? 'About five foot nine.' Replied Lupino. 'Give or take an inch.'

Published on December 12th, 2018. Based on original Radio Times article.