British archive channel Talking Pictures TV will air Who Do You Do?, a rarely seen 1970s sketch comedy series from the London Weekend Television archives. It will first air on the 26th of October at 9:10 pm.
What is Who Do You Do?
It was a sketch comedy show that featured impersonations of celebrities by young comedians and impressionists. Sketches were mostly quickfire, with lots of gags squeezed in. Among the cast seen are Russ Abbot, Peter Goodwright, Michael Barrymore, David Copperfield, Les Dennis, Dustin Gee, Karen Kay, Debbie Arnold, Eddie Large & Syd Little, Paul Melba, Freddie Starr, among many others.
Who Do You Do? first aired on ITV in 1972, running for 52 episodes over 5 series. It ended in 1976. Among the writers were Barry Cryer and Dick Vosburgh.
What is Talking Pictures TV?
Talking Pictures TV is a free-to-air channel accessible through Freeview and Freesat in the UK. It is assigned channel 82 on Freeview and channel 306 on Freesat. Additionally, it is available on subscription platforms, appearing on channel 328 on Sky Digital and channel 445 on Virgin Media. The channel focuses on vintage films and television shows, often showcasing forgotten gems and classic favourites.
In the last few months, Talking Pictures TV have been lining up more classic television, with titles including Sergeant Cork and That’s My Boy. We will endeavour to inform on when more programming is announced.
Jamie’s Reaction
This announcement was a complete surprise! Talking Pictures TV have been digging deep into that ITV archive, as this show hasn’t been seen on television for decades. The last recorded run was probably on Granada Plus about 25 years ago! Given the topical nature of the impressions, it was a show almost doomed to be forgotten in the vaults forever.
Talking Pictures TV is the perfect home for this show. It’s a varied audience who will likely understand a majority of the references and get a great deal of nostalgia from seeing famous performers in the early stages of their career. And for those who aren’t old enough to have seen it on its original run, it’s a new discovery!
There are likely to be references or jokes that wouldn’t pass the censors today, perhaps even an edit or two, but it’s nice to be able to see a piece of comedy history in any capacity. It’ll be interesting to see the show in its proper context, instead of clips. The channel’s recent broadcast of The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club was a revelation in this respect, and I’m sure this sketch show will be too!
When is Who Do You Do? being broadcast?
Who Do You Do? will first air on Talking Pictures TV on Sunday, the 26th of October at 9.10pm. It will continue weekly at the same time. Please see the channel’s website for any schedule changes.
Dick Vosburgh is one of the scriptwriters in this series, you might recognise the name from “Space Patrol”, currently showing on Talking Pictures TV on Saturday mornings. He also contributed to such shows as Do Not Adjust Your Set, At Last The 1948 Show, That Was The Week That Was, The Frost Report,
Apparently, to avoid interruptions, he did most of his writing whilst travelling on the Circle Line of the London Underground (as was)