On The Hour double cassette cover featuring Chris Morris, 1992. On the back is the motto "Man is only 90% water, but On The Hour is 100% news!"

On The Hour was a British radio programme that parodied current affairs broadcasting, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1991 and 1992. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (620x770, 118 KB) On the Hour double cassette cover, 1992 This image is of a cover of an audio recording, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the album or the artist(s) which... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (620x770, 118 KB) On the Hour double cassette cover, 1992 This image is of a cover of an audio recording, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the album or the artist(s) which... Parody of Back to the Future In contemporary usage, a parody is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ...

It was written by Chris Morris, Armando Iannucci, Steven Wells, Andrew Glover, Stewart Lee, Richard Herring and David Quantick and starred Morris as the overzealous and self-important principal anchor (for which he used his own name). He was aided and abetted by a regular cast of Steve Coogan, Patrick Marber, David Schneider, Doon Mackichan and Rebecca Front as news reporters, presenters, interviewees, etc. It also featured the very first appearance of Coogan's character Alan Partridge as the Sportsdesk reporter. Chris Morris in Brass Eye Chris Morris (born September 5, 1965 in Bristol, England) is an English comedy writer, satirist and radio DJ. Morris grew up in Cambridgeshire; both his parents were doctors. ... Presenting the Election Night Armistice in 1997 Armando Iannucci (born 1964, Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish comedian, satirist and radio producer. ... Steven Wells is a journalist and author. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Stewart Lee performing at Downstairs at the Kings Head in London, UK. Stewart Lee (born April 5, 1968 in Solihull) is an English stand-up comedian, writer and director probably best known for being one half of the 1990s comedy duo Lee and Herring, and for co-writing and... Richard Herring performing his show Someone Likes Yoghurt at the Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh, during the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Richard Keith Herring (born July 12, 1967) is an British comedian and writer formerly best known as part of Lee and Herring, a double act with Stewart Lee. ... David Quantick (born 1961, Wortley, South Yorkshire) is a freelance journalist, writer and critic who specialises in music and comedy. ... Steve Coogan (born 14 October 1965) is an English actor, impressionist, and comedian. ... Patrick Marber (born September 19, 1964) is a British Jewish writer, actor, and sometimes director associated with the kind of playwriting referred to as in-yer-face theatre. ... David Schneider (born May 22, 1963) is a British actor and comedian. ... Doon Mackichan Doon Mackichan (born 1962, Fife) is a Scottish comedian. ... Rebecca Front (born June 28, 1965) is a British comedian and actress. ... Alan Partridge: Every Ruddy Word Alan Partridge is a fictional character portrayed by English comedian Steve Coogan. ...

Surrealism was an important part of the programme, especially since every drop of pure nonsense ("More Oxygen Needed says France", "Glass-Faced Man Too Disgusting For Trial", etc) was delivered in an accurate rendition of the straight-faced manner in which contemporary news stories are dealt, and it has often been quoted that Morris' initial intention was indeed to show how the public would believe anything if it was delivered with a straight-face. And it did fool many people, with some listeners ringing in to complain about how the anchor treated his guests.

However, the satirical edge was equally significant. Not just in commenting on how news programmes can spend an awful lot of time informing you that they're reporting the news ("THIS IS THE NEWS!") and repeating the show's title but also on newsspeak, media-manipulation, exploitation of tragedies, patronising mistreatment of the general public, not checking the facts - personified by Marber's Peter O'Hanraha-hanrahan - and generally viewing itself as infallible ("On The Hour - Towards A New Eden"). There was also time to satirise party political broadcasts, chummy yet vacuous radio DJs in the form of Morris' Wayne Carr, religious broadcasting, glossy magazines, 'fun' local events, local radio, youth information shows, Radio Four plays, Royal ceremonies and even satirical comedies that don't hit the mark - as well as the basic absurdity of life.

The programme also utilised editing of out-of-context sound-clips in order to cement its illogicality into some reality and Morris' prank phone calls.

Twelve episodes were made (including a Christmas special, of which two versions exist) and broadcast in 1991 and 1992. At the end of the series, the inevitable happened and On The Hour became a rolling 24-hour newszenith of an information-station - letting people know exactly what was happening forever and ever. The team, (minus Lee and Herring due to creative/legal disputes, who were replaced by Peter Baynham and Father Ted writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews) subsequently made a television series loosely based on it called The Day Today. Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday that marks the traditional birthdate of Jesus of Nazareth. ... Peter Baynham is a British comedy writer and perfomer born in Cardiff, Wales. ... Father Ted is a popular 1990s television situation comedy set around the lives of three priests on the fictional extremely remote Craggy Island off the west coast of Ireland. ... Graham Linehan Graham Linehan (born 1969) is an Irish writer who, often in partnership with Arthur Mathews, has written - or written for - a number of popular British comedies. ... Arthur Mathews (born 1959 in County Meath, Ireland) is a comedy writer who, often with writing partner Graham Linehan, has either written - or contributed to - a number of popular television comedies. ... The Day Today is a surreal British parody of television current affairs programmes. ...

The final programme closed with Morris introducing a set of headlines with the line "And there is still just time to part the beef curtains on tomorrow's news". Anterior view of an adult woman with pubic hair removed, showing labia majora. ...

Unfortunately, due to the aforementioned dispute with Lee and Herring, the show is only commercially available as a two-hour audio compilation (edited down from the seven hours of both series and specials) which removed all traces of their writing. However, like many BBC Radio comedies it has been repeated on BBC 7 although even these repeats have shown signs of slight editing from the original broadcasts. Full episodes of On the Hour are available on illegal torrent sites. BBC 7 is a digital radio station broadcasting comedy, drama, and childrens programming 24 hours a day. ...

See also

• Jam
• Blue Jam
• Brass Eye
• Nathan Barley
• Second Class Male/Time To Go
• The Day Today
• The IT Crowd

Jam is a British comedy television series created by Chris Morris. ... Chris Morris advertising Blue Jam. Blue Jam was an ambient radio comedy programme produced by Chris Morris. ... Brass Eye is a UK television series of satirical spoof documentaries which aired on Channel 4 in 1997 and was re-run in 2001. ... Nathan Barley is a fictional twentysomething loathsome London media type created by Charlie Brooker in 1999. ... A series of 12 newspaper columns by Chris Morris (under the pseudonym Richard Geefe) that appeared in The Observer in 1999. ... The Day Today is a surreal British parody of television current affairs programmes. ... The IT Crowd (IPA: pronounced ) is a sitcom written by Graham Linehan and produced by Ash Atalla for Channel 4. ...

External links

• Full episode guide