5.5 - Not The Nine O'Clock News

“Not The Nine O’Clock News” 23 October 1979 – Rowan Atkinson


Aha, found it on youtube.

The swivels from attempting to appear sympathetic and non-judgemental to failed attempts at contemporary slang, further embarrassment, swiftly escalating into weird aversion therapy, and finally landing with a thud into matter-of-fact grand condemnation. Not bad for a minute and a half. The laughs are more at the expense of the character Atkinson is playing, his verbal contortions, his hunched-up body and gesticulating hands, with the big final laugh for the outrageousness of the last line coming from such a placatory-seeming character.

There, I think that's analysed all the fun from it.