Do Not Adjust Your Set Season 1 Episode 12 Special Edition
- March 28, 1968
- 27 min
Do Not Adjust Your Set was a British television series that aired in the late 1960s. The show featured comedy sketches, musical performances, and surreal segments. Each episode had a different theme, and the show aimed to appeal to both children and adults.
Season 1 Episode 12, titled "Special Edition," was a collection of previously unaired sketches and outtakes from the first season. The episode opened with a brief introduction from the cast, explaining that the footage was being shown because the network had given them a "special edition" time slot.
The first segment featured a parody of the British game show "The Golden Shot," in which contestants would shoot a crossbow at a target to win a prize. In the Do Not Adjust Your Set version, the target was replaced with a human head, and the contestants were blindfolded while shooting. The segment was interspersed with shots of a horrified studio audience, and ended with a maniacal laugh track.
Next up was a sketch featuring Eric Idle as a man who had invented a new type of joke. The joke was played out in several different scenarios, but it never made sense to anyone but the inventor himself. The punchline was always "because he's got a Union Jack on his head." The sketch ended with the other cast members beating up Idle's character.
After that came a musical performance by Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. The group played their song "Trouser Press," complete with silly costumes and choreography.
The following sketch was a parody of the British public service announcement program "Charley Says." The Do Not Adjust Your Set version featured a creepy character named "Charley" who gave terrible advice to children. In one segment, Charley told a group of kids that it was okay to play with matches because "fire is your friend." In another segment, he advised children to climb trees near power lines. The sketch ended with the tagline "Charley Says: Muahahaha."
The episode continued with a series of "outtakes from the cutting room floor." These were short sketches that had been deemed too weird or inappropriate for the original broadcast. One featured two men dressed as chickens hitting each other with pillows. Another featured Terry Jones as a man who had locked himself in a refrigerator to protest the Cold War.
The final sketch of the episode featured the entire cast in a spoof of American westerns. Eric Idle played the hero, David Jason played the villain, and Denise Coffey played the damsel in distress. The sketch was packed with typical western tropes, but with a surreal twist. There were gunfights, saloon brawls, and a chase scene involving a toy train. The sketch ended with a climactic showdown between Idle and Jason, which resulted in a surprise twist.
Overall, "Special Edition" was a fun and silly episode of Do Not Adjust Your Set. It showcased the show's offbeat sense of humor and willingness to push boundaries. While some of the jokes may not have aged well, the energy and creativity of the cast is still evident after all these years.