Do Not Adjust Your Set (1967)

Another TV comedy from before my time, but one that has a great influence on my favourite comedy shows, without me even knowing.

Any lover of TV comedy has probably heard of 'Do Not Adjust Your Set' simply because it brought together two thirds of the Monty Python team. The other two (John Cleese and Graham Chapman were working together on 'At Last the 1948 Show') DNAYS was written by Terry Jones, Eric Idle and Michael Palin and as well as these three comedic geniuses, it also introduced us to a young David Jason.

So what was the format? Technically made as a children's comedy sketch show (although many parents used to rush home early from work to watch it) it was a collection of very short skits and sketches with single punchline jokes. Running through the show were musical interludes by the delightfully bizarre Bonzo Dog Doh-Dah Band, the brain child of Neil Innes (who stayed with the Python team as their musical creator, including the later movies).

The sketches were really varied, both in subject matter and laughter value. Some were REAL misses when it came to being funny, whilst others were laugh out loud hilarious. You can see the germ of Python breeding throughout - the anarchic nature of some of the humour. Terry Gilliam joined them from the second series, providing additional material and his now famous animations too, which completes it as the 'Junior Python'. Not a bad title really, as it was a) aimed at children and b) the earlier version of the classic show.

Now the next thing I say is going to surprise you....

DNAYS gets my thumbs down. No, I'm not joking, it does. I say that based on the show itself, not on what it eventually gave us. I am not decrying the fact without DNAYS we wouldn't have the dead parrot sketch or Life of Brian, but that's not what this blog is about. DNAYS is far too dated and far too hit and miss when it comes to laughter. I'm sure if I was aged 9 in 1967 I'd think it was the greatest thing since the invention of Dib Dab sherbet, but only because there was nothing to compare it with. Judging it in 2011 as a 37 year old, it just doesn't cut the mustard. There are a few sketches that are so cringe-worthy you almost need to look away, and one or two of the Bonzo songs are not even funny on a surreal level.

I am a massive fan of Python, and a big fan of everything David Jason has done both comic and straight acting) and there is no reason for anyone involved in DNAYS not to be proud of what they did, but more than 40 years on, it is best left in the archives, rather than being introduced to a new audience.