Whoops Apocalypse was originally a six-part 1982 sitcom by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick, made by London Weekend Television for ITV. Marshall and Renwick later reworked the concept as a 1986 movie with almost completely different characters and plot, although one or two of the original actors returned in different roles. 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... Andrew Marshall (1960- ) is a British comedy writer, most noted for the domestic sitcom 2point4 children. ... David Renwick (born September 4, 1951 in Luton, Bedfordshire, UK) is a British television writer, best known for creation of the sitcom One Foot in the Grave and the mystery series Jonathan Creek Before beginning his full-time comedy writing career, he worked as a journalist on his home town... Now known as ITV London (Weekends) London Weekend Television logo, 1978-1996 London Weekend Television logo, 1996-2004 London Weekend Television Limited (LWT) is the ITV contractor for London, Friday 5:15pm to Monday, 5:59am. ... Current ITV logo. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about motion pictures. ...

Some have used the saying as a description of general incompetence or insanity in political events. (e.g. "In these Whoops Apocalypse times...") Agnolo Bronzino, Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time (1540/45), Detail Insanity, or madness, is a semi-permanent, severe mental disorder typically stemming from a form of mental illness. ...

John Otway also recorded a song called Whoops Apocalypse, which was used as the theme song for the film. He occasionally performs it live. Otway at Glastonbury Festival, 2002 John Otway, (born October 2, 1952, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire) is a self-confessed unsuccessful singer songwriter, who built a large cult audience through unrelenting touring, a surreal sense of humour and a winning underdog personality. ...

Series

The series detailed the weeks leading up to the Apocalypse. It featured a chaotic and increasingly unstable global political situation in which nuclear alerts are accidentally triggered by malfunctioning Space Invaders machines, the naive U.S. President Johnny Cyclops (an obvious Ronald Reagan parody) is advised by an insane right-wing fundamentalist security advisor, called The Deacon, who claims to have a direct hotline to God. The Deacon was so named because of the previous role of the actor who played him (John Barron) as a Cathedral Dean in the sitcom All Gas and Gaiters; the writers claimed not to know at the time that Alexander Haig, a security advisor to Reagan, was known as The Vicar in the White House. Look up Apocalypse in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Apocalypse (Greek: αποκαλυψις, disclosure), is a term applied to the disclosure to certain privileged persons of something hidden from the mass of humankind. ... Politics is the process and method of decision-making for groups of human beings. ... Space Invaders is an arcade video game designed by Toshihiro Nishikado in 1978. ... The presidential seal was first used by president Hayes in 1880 and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975). ... In comparative religion, fundamentalism has come to refer to several different understandings of religious thought and practice, including literal interpretation of sacred texts such as the Bible or the Quran and sometimes also anti-modernist movements in various religions. ... Michelangelos depiction of God in the painting Creation of the Sun and Moon in the Sistine Chapel This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and derived henotheistic forms. ... John Barron (December 24, 1920 – July 3, 2004) was an English actor. ... All Gas and Gaiters was a popular British sitcom which ran on BBC from 1966 to 1971. ... Alexander Haig For other people named Alexander Haig, see Alexander Haig (disambiguation). ... The southern side of the White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States of America. ...

The Soviet Premier, Dubienkin, is in fact a series of clones, which keep dying and being replaced. The situation is further complicated by the development of a new super-powerful American nuclear weapon. This is originally called the Johnny Cyclops Bomb; later, when the President vetoes the name, it is renamed the Quark Bomb, Formerly Called the Johnny Cyclops Bomb. State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Socialist republics Area  - Total  - % water 1st before collapse 22,402,200 km² Approx. ... Cloning is the process of creating an identical copy of an original. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ...

Meanwhile the deposed (and fictional) Shah of Iran, Shah Massiq Rassim, led by an advisor (Abdab) who is always blindfolded to avoid looking upon the Shah's magnificence, is shunted around the world in search of a refuge (spending most of the series in a ferry's toilet). At the same time Lacrobat, an eccentric international arms smuggler and master of disguise, nicknamed The Devil (a parody of Carlos the Jackal), has stolen a Quark Bomb and is on his way to Iran, to help the Shah in his counter revolution. We later learn that this was part of an elaborate plan set up by The Deacon as the new authorities in Saudi Arabia plan on cutting off the US oil supply. The Soviets get word of this (via Rassim's parrot) and decide to invade, gaining control over the world's oil supply. At the same time the British Prime Minister, Kevin Pork of the fictional Social Demoncratic Alliance (SODEMALL, a parody of the Social Democratic Party) has gone insane and believes himself to be Superman. Later on, the British foreign secretary is persuaded (read blackmailed) by the Soviets to join the Warsaw Pact. The Soviets are also holding two elderly American tourists captive, convinced they are secretly CIA spies, and they are constantly tortured by Commissar Solzhenitsyn (no relation to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn). Ironically it turns out to be true, but they are killed in a bungled CIA rescue operation. One of the worlds longest-lasting monarchies, the Iranian monarchy went through many transformations over the centuries, from the days of Persia to the creation of what is now modern day Iran. ... A skirmish with smugglers from Finland at the Russian border, 1853, by Vasily Hudiakov. ... Deception is providing intentionally misleading information to others. ... Carlos with fiancée Isabelle Coutant_Peyre Ilich Ramírez Sánchez (born October 12, 1949) was a terrorist, professional revolutionary, and playboy; he is better known by the nom de guerre Carlos the Jackal, which may have been given to him by the press after a copy of the Frederick... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the Social Democratic Party that existed from 1981 until 1988. ... Superman, aka the Man of Steel, is a fictional character and superhero who first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938. ... Seal of the Warsaw Pact Distinguish from the Warsaw Convention, which is an agreement among airlines about financial liability. ... Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn (Russian: ; born in Kislovodsk, Russia, on December 11, 1918) is a Russian novelist, dramatist and historian. ...

 To further complicate matters, Cyclops is despised (his popularity is just below that of Charles Manson) and is trying to run a re-election campaign. The Deacon stages an assassination attempt in order to help Cyclop's flagging popularity, but it is damaged further when the ambulance carrying Cyclops to the hospital accidentally runs over his main opponent. By the end of the series we're told he's less popular then the Boston strangler. 

Eventually the Quark Bomb is accidentally detonated in Israel when Lacrobat's attempt to prevent it being incinerated goes horribly wrong, destroying the country. Not only does Pork think he's Superman, but later two of his party members don Green Lantern and Hawkman costumes. Meanwhile the Shah, who has temporarily been given sanctuary aboard a space shuttle, manages to crash it into Moscow (more specifically the Moscow Kremlin). Believing it to be a bomb, the Russians launch their weapons at America. In the final scene Soviet missiles are on their way to obliterate the United States and President Cyclops has to decide whether to retaliate. The title sequence already showed the aftermath of the decision, Earth reduced to a nuclear wasteland. Charles Manson Charles Milles Manson (born November 11, 1934) is an American career criminal and was the leader of a group known as The Family, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. ... The Boston Strangler is the pseudonym given to a serial killer active in Boston, Massachusetts (United States) in the early 1960s. ... Cover to Green Lantern: Rebirth #6, art by Ethan Van Sciver. ... Hawkman is a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. ... The Space Shuttle Columbia seconds after engine ignition, 1981 (NASA). ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA: (help· info)) is the capital of Russia and the countrys principal political, economic, financial, educational and transportation center, located on the river Moskva. ... The Moscow Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (Russian: Московский Кремль) is the best known kremlin (Russian citadel). ... Motto: E pluribus unum (1789 to present) (Latin: Out of Many, One) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York, New York Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government • President  â€¢ Vice President Federal republic... Earth is the third planet from the Sun. ...

The show also features satire on the media, in particular news broadcasting. There is a topless newsreader, and during the middle of a bulletin an advertisement for underwear appears on screen. Some of the most strident satire was on forms of Fundamentalism. The new ruler of Iran orders several people to be executed; one who unicycled into a mosque, one who kept a picture of Ernest Borgnine in his Koran, one who walked the streets of Mecca dressed as Aquaman, one who was caught miming to a Joe Cocker record during Ramadan and another who called Muhammad "Spitz" in a sermon. Abdab also wears the blindfold due to what was written in a holy text; and there is The Deacon who spouts dialogue such as, "If the lord had meant us to be optimistic, he wouldn't have given us life insurance." In comparative religion, fundamentalism has come to refer to several different understandings of religious thought and practice, including literal interpretation of sacred texts such as the Bible or the Quran and sometimes also anti-modernist movements in various religions. ... Ernest Borgnine shows off his new Chief Petty Officer cover at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C on October 15, 2004 Ernest Borgnine (born January 24, 1917) is an American actor. ... This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. ... Aquaman is a DC Comics superhero. ... Joe Cocker Joe Cocker (born John Robert Cocker, May 20, 1944) is a pop music singer. ... Ramadan or Ramadhan (Arabic: رمضان) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the holiest month in Islam. ... Muhammad in Arabic calligraphy. ...

Many also praised the use of cliff-hanger endings.

Although the series has never been repeated it has a big cult audience, and copies of videos are heavily sought after. In religion and sociology, a cult is a cohesive group of people (often a relatively small and new religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream. ...

Cast:

• President Johnny Cyclops - Barry Morse
• The Deacon (Presidential Adviser) - John Barron
• Premier Dubienkin - Richard Griffiths
• Lacrobat - John Cleese
• Prime Minister Kevin Pork - Peter Jones
• Shah Mashiq Rassim - Bruce Montague
• Jay Garrick (newsreader) - Ed Bishop
• British Foreign Secretary - Geoffrey Palmer
• British Chancellor Of The Exchequer - Richard Davies
• Commissar Solzenitsyn - Alexei Sayle
• Abdab - David Kelly

Barry Morse, 1975 Barry Morse is a British-born Canadian actor. ... John Barron (December 24, 1920 – July 3, 2004) was an English actor. ... Richard Griffiths (born 31 July 1947 in Thornaby-on-Tees, Cleveland) is a British actor. ... John Cleese as Q in Die Another Day. ... Peter Jones in an episode of Rumpole of the Bailey Peter Jones (June 12, 1920 – April 10, 2000) was an English actor, born at Wem in Shropshire. ... Ed Bishop (1932-2005), as he appeared in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey (where he played the Captain of the Aries 1B space-station-to-moon shuttle, in a role which first featured dialogue: the dialogue was later cut from his scenes). ... Geoffrey Palmer, OBE (born in London, England on June 4, 1927) is a British comedy actor, noted mostly for his extensive career in situation comedies. ... Richard Davies (born 25 January 1926) is a British actor, from Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales whose film and TV work covered many years but is probably best known for his performance as the exasperated schoolmaster Mr Price in situation comedy Please Sir!. Davies uses a broad Welsh accent for much... Alexei David Sayle is a British comedian, actor and author. ... Irish actor. ...

Movie

The 1986 ITC Entertainment film version, directed by Tom Bussmann, uses an almost completely different plot from the series, but also ends with an accidentally-triggered nuclear holocaust (hence the title). A small British colony is invaded by its neighbour, the fictional country of Maguadora, whose dictator, General Mosquera is played by Herbert Lom. Newly elected female President of the United States, Barbara Adams, tried to sort out the mess (both countries are hard on communism) but the peace talks are sabotaged by Lacrobat, the world's leading terrorist. The British, under the leader of PM Sir Mortimer Chris, send in a task force to seize the islands back. For revenge Mosquera hires Lacrobat to kidnap the British Princess Wendy, in order to hold her to ransom to get the British out. Sir Mortimer then threatens that unless she is returned in 48 hours, he will release a nuclear strike. So now Barbara not only has to deal with Mosquera and Lacrobat, she must also deal with Sir Mortimer, and also with the fact that Mosqueara decides to align himself with Russia, and this whole thing could start World War III. 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... -1... Nuclear war, or atomic war, is war in which nuclear weapons are used. ... Herbert Lom (born January 9, 1917) is an international film actor. ... The term terrorism is largely synonymous with political violence, and refers to a strategy of using coordinated attacks that typically fall within the time, manner of conduct, and place commonly understood as unconventional warfare. ... The term ransom refers to the practice of holding a prisoner to extort money or property extorted to secure their release, or to the sum of money involved. ... Nuclear fireball. ...

Loretta Swit is Barbara Adams, the first female president. She was only elected when the previous president, an ex circus clown, died after asking a journalist to hit him in the stomach with a crowbar as a test of physical strength (a take on the death of Harry Houdini). For a comical satire, Swit plays the role straight. Adams, while trying to maintain the peace is shown to be incompetent, especially when trying to handle questions from the press. Loretta Swit was born on November 4, 1937, in Passaic, New Jersey to Polish immigrants. ... The greatest of 20th century American circus clowns, Master Clown Otto Griebling. ... Harry Houdini (born Ehrich Weiss; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was one of the most famous magicians, escapologists, and stunt performers of all time as well as an investigator of spiritualists. ...

The film also features Peter Cook playing Sir Mortimer, an insane conservative British Prime Minister who hands out Union Jack umbrellas to Conservative voters to protect them from nuclear bombs, and plans to reduce unemployment by pushing employed people off of cliffs, creating new jobs. Despite the fact he is evidently insane, the public adore him and follow him blindly (a satire on how Margaret Thatcher was, and still is perceived by many to have been an excellent leader, and how the Conservative Party kept getting re-elected in the 1980s.) He later claims that unemployment is caused by evil invisible pixies. The rest of his party attempt to assassinate him, but he only loses his hand, getting a hook instead. He then takes up a new policy of crucifying disloyal party members in Wembley Stadium. Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937–9 January 1995) was an English satirist, writer and comedian who is widely regarded as the leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. ... Flag Ratio: 1:2 The Union Flag or Union Jack is the flag most commonly associated with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and was also used throughout the former British Empire. ... Conservatism or political conservatism is any of several historically related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... In economics, a person who is able and willing to work at prevailing wage rate yet is unable to find a paying job is considered unemployed. ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925) is a British politician and a former barrister and chemist. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Pixies are mythical creatures of English folklore, considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas around Devon and Cornwall. ... Crucifixion is an ancient method of execution, in which the victim was tied or nailed to a large wooden cross (Latin: crux) and left to hang there until dead. ... March 20 9. ...

Princess Wendy is a parody of Princess Diana, who was at the height of her popularity at the time. When kidnaped by Lacrobat, Wendy is placed in increasingly odd disguises, including bondage gear and a King Kong outfit. The film also parodies the Falklands war, featuring Rik Mayall playing the commanding officer of an inept SAS squad, most of whom are massacred in a shoot out in a wax museum when attempting to rescue Wendy. Michael Richards plays Lacrobat, the only character from the original series to appear. Lacrobat is partly responsible for the war between the two countries beginning, and is seemingly the only intelligent character in the film. He dies when a tiger - that the SAS have for no reason - rips his throat out. Alexei Sayle , who starred in the original, appears in a different role, as a Communist solider who is hiding their nuclear arms on a holiday camp ground. Diana, Princess of Wales (Diana Frances Mountbatten-Windsor, née Spencer) (1 July 1961–31 August 1997), commonly, but incorrectly, known as Princess Diana, was for fifteen years the wife of HRH The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. ... King Kong battles a pterosaur in the 1933 version King Kong and Ann Darrow in the 2005 version of King Kong. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Rik Mayall Rik Mayall (born in Harlow, Essex, England, March 7th, 1958) is a British comedian and actor. ... It has been suggested that SAS Troops be merged into this article or section. ... Michael Richards Michael Richards (born July 24, 1949 in Culver City, California) is an American actor, writer, producer, and comedian, best known for playing Kramer on the television show Seinfeld. ... Alexei David Sayle is a British comedian, actor and author. ... Communism - Wikipedia /**/ @import /w/skins-1. ...

Other characters include two tabloid journalists who discover the Communist weapons, but are killed; a rear admirial who is openly homosexual, two security guards who accompany President Adams everywhere (even when she's going swimming) and a former president, now prisoner, who authored the book Commie Bastards I Have Known. Since its coinage, the word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ...

Although Wendy is rescued, Sir Mortimer ignores Adams pleas to call off the nuclear strike. She then calls the rear admiral (who Lacrobat hypnotised to imagine he was in a burning building when fingers are snapped). He ponders calling off the strike, but when a solider snaps his fingers, he calls "Fire!", the strike is launched and the film ends.

The film reuses some jokes from the series, like Lacrobat's absurd disguises (at one time going by the name Dr. Thesius Lyndon Penis), a dying Soviet leader, a crucifixion sight gag, the president being unable to decipher other people's technobabble, an insane Prime Minister and an overly macho CIA agent with ludicriously complicated plans. There is an SAS sequence in the series as well, and another gay military character. The following mock news story was used in both as well, "A woman who secured a lock of Frank Sinatra's hair twenty years ago has sold it back to him for an undisclosed sum of money." Technobabble (a portmanteau of technology and babble) is a form of prose using jargon, buzzwords and highly esoteric language to give an impression of plausibility through mystification and misdirection. ... Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer who is considered by many to have been the finest male popular song vocalist of all time. ...

External links

• Whoops Apocalypse at The Internet Movie Database (1982 TV series)
• Whoops Apocalypse at The Internet Movie Database (1986 film)