The Lenny Henry Show
The Lenny Henry Show is a comedy sketch show (and in its 1987–1988 incarnation, a sitcom) featuring Lenny Henry. It was originally broadcast between 1984 and 1988, and was later revived twice, in 1995 and 2004–2005.[1][2][3]
The Lenny Henry Show | |
---|---|
Genre | Sketch comedy, sitcom |
Written by | Lenny Henry Chris Reddy (1985) Stan Hey (1987–1988) Andrew Nickolds (1987–1988) |
Directed by | Geoff Posner (1984–1988) Juliet May (1995) Michael Cumming (2004–2005) |
Starring | Lenny Henry |
Theme music composer | Simon Brint |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 7 |
No. of episodes | 48 |
Production | |
Executive producers | Kevin Lygo (1995) Polly McDonald (1995) Clive Tulloh (2004–2005) Mark Freeland (2004–2005) |
Producers | Geoff Posner (1984–1988) Geoff Atkinson (1995) Lissa Evans (2004–2005) |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Production companies | Crucial Films (1995) Tiger Aspect Productions (2004–2005) |
Release | |
Original network | BBC One |
Original release | 4 September 1984 – 24 June 2005 |
Chronology | |
Followed by | Lenny Henry in Pieces (2000–2003) |
History
Original version (1984–1985)
The original version of the show ran for two series on BBC 1 in 1984 and 1985. Each series had six episodes. A 40-minute special was aired in December 1987. Recurring guests include Nicholas Lyndhurst (3 episodes) and Robbie Coltrane (2 episodes). Bands featured on the 1984 series included Musical Youth and Second Image.[4]
Sitcom incarnation (1987–1988)
Two further series broadcast in 1987–1988 kept the same name,[5] but followed a sitcom (rather than sketch-based) format. This version starred Henry as Delbert Wilkins, a well-meaning but trouble-prone pirate radio DJ. At the end, Wilkins went "legit", gaining a job with the BBC World Service, and a son.[6]
1995 revival
The show was revived for one series in 1995; it failed to pick up audiences and was axed not long after.[7]
2004–2005 revival
Lenny Henry revived the format once again in 2004 for 8 episodes, with stand-up and recurring sketches and recurring star Gina Yashere.[8]
Transmissions
Series
Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 September 1984[9] | 9 October 1984[10] | 6 |
2 | 5 September 1985[11] | 10 October 1985[12] | 6 |
3 | 27 October 1987[13] | 1 December 1987[14] | 6 |
4 | 15 September 1988[15] | 3 November 1988[16] | 6 |
5 | 1 April 1995[17] | 6 May 1995[18] | 6 |
6 | 30 April 2004[19] | 18 June 2004[20] | 8 |
7 | 6 May 2005[21] | 24 June 2005[22] | 8 |
References
- "Comedy - The Lenny Henry Show". BBC. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- "Lenny Henry interview". Telegraph. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- "Entertainment | Lenny Henry to quit sketch shows". BBC News. 3 May 2005. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- "BBC - Comedy Guide - The Lenny Henry Show". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 28 September 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
- "The Lenny Henry Show - 1987-1988". IMDb.com. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- "BBC - Comedy Guide - The Lenny Henry Show". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 31 August 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
- Thomas Sutcliffe (1 May 1995). "Watch out for that big black guy". The Independent. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
- "BBC - Comedy Guide - The Lenny Henry Show". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 29 January 2005. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
- "The Lenny Henry Show - BBC One London - 4 September 1984 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "The Lenny Henry Show - BBC One London - 9 October 1984 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "The Lenny Henry Show - BBC One London - 5 September 1985 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "The Lenny Henry Show - BBC One London - 10 October 1985 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "The Lenny Henry Show - BBC One London - 27 October 1987 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "The Lenny Henry Show - BBC One London - 1 December 1987 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "The Lenny Henry Show - BBC One London - 15 September 1988 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "The Lenny Henry Show - BBC One London - 3 November 1988 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "The Lenny Henry Show - BBC One London - 1 April 1995 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "The Lenny Henry Show - BBC One London - 6 May 1995 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "The Lenny Henry Show - BBC One London - 30 April 2004 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "The Lenny Henry Show - BBC One London - 18 June 2004 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "The Lenny Henry Show - BBC One London - 6 May 2005 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "The Lenny Henry Show - BBC One London - 24 June 2005 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "The Lenny Henry Christmas Show - BBC One London - 28 December 1994 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- "The Lenny Henry Christmas Show - BBC One London - 28 December 1995 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2018.