When one door closes… Steve Punt (left) and Hugh Dennis will launch new Radio 4 series, RouteMasters, this autumn
Eyebrows were eyes were raised and some eyes glazed over (including mine) when it was suddenly announced in March that The Now Show, one of Radio 4's leading theme comedy shows with an audience of around two million, was closing after just over 25 years. years.
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis reliably led scripted rounds of incisive, offbeat commentary on everything from Asbos and phone hacking to Brexit and the pandemic, with impressions, performances and music. Those with suspicious minds may wonder why news of the show's expiration came so close to its final series, and why the ax has fallen on several other BBC current affairs entertainment programs of late. The Mash Report was canceled in 2021, after just four years, and Mock the Week on BBC Two was canceled in 2022.
Those suspicions were heightened by a conversation with the duo at their manager's office near Buckingham Palace – the first time the pair have spoken in detail about the decision to switch off. It turns out that they were informed about the termination in the summer of 2022, but were obliged to remain silent, if only because the departure of the show had to be compensated by the development of a new radio project, and they were not in the business of beating up the Bieb. However, they acknowledge that the delay helped prevent resistance.
“I think when they tried to get rid of [Radio] 6 Music, they didn't expect the number of people who said: a radio station that plays new music is what the BBC is for,” Punt reflects. “Perhaps that is why they are announcing it so late. We noticed that they stopped following the show. For years we've been asked to make a mark for each new series. It stopped a couple of years ago and we weren't asked to do it for the last episode – I think the show was lost before it closed.”
They are determined not to express bitterness about this. “You can say, ‘That’s a shame’ and get a little angry, but there’s a point,” offers Dennis, while Punt recognizes the dangers of sounding too upset. “There are times when presenters whose performances have ended have reacted in a completely rude manner, and I thought, “Don’t do that.”
Last Laugh: Dennis and Punt Photo: Jeff Pugh
The irony of abandoning the show in a general election year was not lost on them: “We said the logical point to stop would be the election – it would end an era,” says Punt. This reasonable request was not heard. They add that they are in the dark about what will replace the show and remain so forever, they add, about the exact reasons for the show's demise. They were invited to lunch by Julia McKenzie, Radio 4's comedy editor, who spoke about the decision, which can be inferred to have been made by Radio 4 controller Mohit Bakaya.
There were many stories about presenters – the late DJ Steve Wright, Frank Skinner – who apparently lost their position because they were “men, pale and stale.” When John Holmes, a key part of their line-up, left The Now Show in 2016, he resented being let go to make way for more diversity. Was this a factor?
While acknowledging there was a shake-up to widen the supportive environment and saying the Holmes decision was out of their hands, Punt, 61, a year younger than Dennis, suggests positive discrimination was not the culprit. “I remember them saying they had done research and found that audiences were supposedly not as interested in John as they were in the rest of the show. It had nothing to do with him being white.” He argues that positive discrimination does not apply to them either. “We understand that being male, white, middle-aged, middle-class does not place you high in the hierarchy of modern broadcasting. But given that Jack Dee, Miles Jupp and Andy Saltzman have recently been appointed presenters of long-running Radio 4 shows, I don't think that's a problem.”
The strange lack of transparency itself gives rise to speculation. Yes, the show may have simply dragged on and become relatively expensive to produce while licensing fees have been frozen. But perhaps the BBC has become more nervous about political comedies? BBC director general Tim Davie's emphasis on “impartiality” could be considered a tectonic shift. “The BBC is such a big organization – you don't [always] know what programs they're talking about,” says Punt. There is a hint of irritation at the widespread expectation that The Now Show and its ilk will be politically balanced.
From left to right: Hugh Dennis, David Baddiel, Steve Punt and Rob Newman in The Mary Whitehouse Experience
“One of the real problems with 'balance',” he explains, “is that from a politician's point of view there are two parties. But in terms of comedy, you have the government and the opposition, and the former clearly has a much greater impact on your life and sets the agenda in a way that the opposition doesn't. Sometimes we'd be told, “You should mention Labour,” and we'd say, “Yes, but Labor haven't done anything or nothing that the audience would know about.”
Dennis, a better known face for his roles in Outclassed (co-star Claire Skinner), Stay Off and as the host of The Great British Dig, is more reserved from this pair, listening with an air of wry detachment. T
The subservient yet subversive streak matches the pair's playful dynamic on stage (they're currently on their first tour in over a decade, with Punt holding a clipboard and leading a comic recap of years gone by). They met at Cambridge University in 1983, where Punt studied English and Dennis studied geography. They bonded over their suburban origins: “I’m from Edgware, he’s from Reigate,” says Dennis. “We understand Middle England.”
And it is true that their material neglects the laughter of the capital's liberal elite, focusing on topics such as potholes and train timetables, NHS strikes and sewage spills. They were almost all the rage for a while, teaming up with Robert Newman and David Baddiel for the edgy but silly sketch show The Mary Whitehouse Experience, which aired first on radio and then on television (1989–1992). Split, Newman and Baddiel soared playing at Wembley Arena before splitting bitterly in a double act. The less glamorous side of the quartet actually had the last laugh. “I remember the producer telling us it was a marathon, not a sprint,” says Punt.
&# 39;Cons Newman and Baddiel thought we were old-fashioned, but that didn't bother us.
“People thought we were old-fashioned, especially with David and Rob,” he continues. “But it didn't bother us. I thought, “Well, we did the sketches for Jasper Carrott, that's who we are.” The only unforgivable sin in comedy is not being who you are. Viewers will forgive almost anything – I don't think they care where you went to school or your background – except for those who pretend.”
A new dawn is approaching – in the autumn they are launching a new Radio 4 series, RouteMasters, in which, with the help of a guest, they will take the most interesting conversational route between random topics. While they've always had other projects in the works, you feel a little relieved that they'll be free from the constraints of topical comedy. Given our crazy digital age, is there a future for this genre? “The Now Show started the year Google was founded,” Punt reflects. “The BBC and The Telegraph even had news information lines you could call. I remember people used the Telegraph because the BBC was so slow to get back to you.” Algorithms now shape people's news feeds. “Nobody sees the same news.”
Punt and Dennis do not appear to be offended by their BBC clients. If anything, they tend to be sympathetic given the difficulties. “The irony is that audio comedy is much more popular now than when The Now Show started,” says Punt. “Radio comedy used to be considered a backwater, now a lot of big comedy names want to get into audio.” “But equally,” replies Dennis with a wistful grin: “The BBC once had a monopoly on speech radio. Now there are all these competing platforms. I can imagine there is a real feeling of, “Ahh, what should we do?” This is a new era.”
The “Punt and Dennis: We Are Not Robots” tour runs until June 26; rbmcomedy.com
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