The Independent article about "At Last the 1948 Show"
10/09/2007 00:00 0ST

Posted by lisa

The following short article about "At Last the 1948 Show" appeared in the London newspaper The Independent on September 7, 2007 in the "cult classics" section.

'At Last the 1948 Show', 1967

Starring future Flying Circus faces John Cleese and Graham Chapman, At Last the 1948 Show was, in effect, Monty Python before Monty Python. First broadcast in March 1967, the groundbreaking show stemmed from David Frost's plan to provide comic contributors to his Frost Report.

Originally, Cleese and Chapman were to star in their own separate series, but agreed to collaborate. The team was completed by Tim Brooke-Taylor and Marty Feldman. Many of their sketches have been etched into the national comedy consciousness, notably the clan of Aussies, all called Sydney Lotterby, and "The Four Yorkshiremen", both later revived by the Pythons.

In the latter, the quartet up the ante on each other, by expostulating on their "poor but happy" childhoods. "We had it tough," brags Brooke-Taylor as the new-moneyed Northerner, before disgorging a litany of abuse. Delivered deadpan, sketches such as this changed the face of British comedy and earned the show a cult reputation.

In between the appearance of now-familiar comedy characters, female support was provided by Aimi MacDonald, who delivered Pythonesque "And now..." links between the sketches.

Robert Webb