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The Mrs Merton Show

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The Mrs Merton Show is a mock talk show starring Caroline Aherne, also credited as Caroline Hook, as the elderly host Mrs Dorothy Merton.[2]

The Mrs Merton Show
Also known asMrs Merton in Las Vegas
Directed byPati Marr
Tony Prescott
Dominic Brigstocke
Philippa Robinson
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series4 (+ 2 pilots)
No. of episodes30 (incl. 6 specials)
Production
Executive producersAndy Harries
Clive Tulloh
ProducersPeter Kessler
Mark Gorton
Spencer Campbell
Philippa Robinson
Running time30 minutes
Production companyGranada Television
Original release
NetworkGranada TV (pilot)
BBC Two (series 1–2)
BBC One (series 3–4)
Release5 December 1993 (1993-12-05)[1] –
2 April 1998 (1998-04-02)
Related
Mrs Merton and Malcolm

Originally portraying 'Mrs. Murton' in a pilot for Yorkshire TV which was not picked up, Caroline Aherne retooled the character, making her older, and recorded a second pilot in 1993 for Granada Television, who commissioned the series. Running from 10 February 1995 to 2 April 1998, it was produced by Granada and aired on the BBC. The writers included Aherne, Craig Cash, Henry Normal and, for the first few series, Dave Gorman.

Prior to television success, Aherne's Mrs Merton character appeared on Frank Sidebottom's album 5/9/88 and on Aherne's KFM Radio show in Stockport.[3][4][5][6][7] After that she made a few appearances on local television in the north west including Granada's Saturday morning show Express! and on the Yorkshire Television series, Frank’s Fantastic Shed Show. On the former show, presented by I Am Kloot's John 'Johnny Dangerously' Bramwell[8][9] and Sumy Kuraishe, she was the regular celebrity interviewer and interviewed guests from a number of random locations in the north west, whilst the latter show was with Chris Sievey in his Sidebottom persona.

Her national television debut came on the 1991 Channel 4 gameshow Remote Control, hosted by Anthony H Wilson. The talk show was followed up by a sitcom, Mrs Merton and Malcolm, based on Mrs Merton and her son Malcolm, who was played by Craig Cash.

History

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For the first two series, the house band was Hooky and the Boys, fronted by Aherne's then husband Peter Hook. Following their marital break up the band was replaced by The Patrick Trio from the 1996 Christmas special until the end of the show's run in 1998.

In 1997 the production moved to Las Vegas for a series of specials with Hollywood stars. The series was not well received and was slated by critic Garry Bushell amongst others. For the following (and final) series back in the UK, Bushell was a guest and got appropriately roasted by Mrs Merton and her studio audience.

In an interview in November 2001 Aherne revealed that she did not want to carry on with the show and wanted to write a sitcom with Craig Cash and only agreed to a final series if she could do it. This became the BAFTA Award winning The Royle Family.

In August 2006 a poll of 4,000 people was commissioned by UKTV Gold for the best comic one-liner. In second place was a line from The Mrs Merton Show when she famously asked Debbie McGee, "So, what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?"[10]

In 2022, the Patrick Trio-era series was acquired by That's TV[11][12] for its comedy line-up which also included repeats of Hale and Pace and Monty Python's Flying Circus[13][14][15]

Format

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The Mrs Merton Show was a mock chat show which featured real-life celebrities getting outrageous faux-naïf questions from Aherne in her Mrs Merton persona. In one memorable example the wife of magician Paul Daniels, Debbie McGee, was asked "So, what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?"[16] whilst in another episode Aherne asked comedian Bernard Manning, after he had clashed with One Foot in the Grave's Richard Wilson, “Who do you vote for now Hitler's dead?” in regards to his racist attitudes.

As well as the celebrity guests and regular band, the show featured a few appearances from Craig Cash as Malcolm and a had audience of pensioners, who would sit behind Mrs Merton and the guests, and who would be used for regular discussion segments and for Aherne to field questions from. This group included a large number of older ladies who would be used for the programme from week-to-week and also included spots for the former child actor Roy Williams, who was known for his brightly coloured clothes and odd views,[17][18] former Manchester City goalkeeper Harry Dowd[19] and Stockport pensioner Horace Mendelsohn.[20][21]

Episodes

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SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
PilotsUnaired (Unaired)5 December 1993 (1993-12-05)
1610 February 1995 (1995-02-10)24 March 1995 (1995-03-24)
2612 November 1995 (1995-11-12)17 December 1995 (1995-12-17)
Special24 December 1995 (1995-12-24)
3Special24 December 1996 (1996-12-24)
614 February 1997 (1997-02-14)28 March 1997 (1997-03-28)
Specials10 April 1997 (1997-04-10)24 April 1997 (1997-04-24)
4Special27 December 1997 (1997-12-27)
626 February 1998 (1998-02-26)2 April 1998 (1998-04-02)

Pilots

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No.
overall		TitleOriginal air date
P."YTV Pilot"Unaired (Unaired)
1991: Mrs Murton's Nightcap. Chris Donald, Liz Kershaw and Andy Kershaw
P."Granada Pilot"5 December 1993 (1993-12-05)
Guests: Carol Thatcher, Mark Porter and Terry Christian

Series 1 (1995)

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No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleOriginal air date
11"Episode 1"10 February 1995 (1995-02-10)[22]
Guests: Kriss Akabusi, Debbie McGee, Chris Greener and Steve Coogan.
22"Episode 2"17 February 1995 (1995-02-17)[23]
Guests: Drusilla Beyfus, Kevin Kennedy, Ken Livingstone and Mandy Smith
33"Episode 3"24 February 1995 (1995-02-24)[24]
Guests: Jilly Goolden, Cynthia Payne, Arthur Tomlinson (UFO expert) and Dave Lee Travis
44"Episode 4"3 March 1995 (1995-03-03)[25]
Guests: Dale Winton, Mary Whitehouse (not in the studio), Royal butler Peter Russell and Derek Jameson
55"Episode 5"10 March 1995 (1995-03-10)[26]
Guests: Russell Grant, Countess Bienvenida Sokolow (former wife of Antony Buck) and Fred Talbot
66"Episode 6"24 March 1995 (1995-03-24)[27]
Guests: Ned Sherrin, Mr Motivator, Terry Major-Ball and Nick Owen

Series 2 (1995)

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No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleOriginal air date
Series
71"Episode 1"12 November 1995 (1995-11-12)[28]
Guests: Jo Brand, Lorraine Kelly and Chris Eubank
82"Episode 2"19 November 1995 (1995-11-19)[29]
Guests: Matthew Kelly, Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer and George Best
93"Episode 3"26 November 1995 (1995-11-26)[30]
Guests: Germaine Greer, PJ and Duncan and Michael Parkinson
104"Episode 4"3 December 1995 (1995-12-03)[31]
Guests: Jimmy Hill, Andrew Neil and Paul Daniels
115"Episode 5"10 December 1995 (1995-12-10)[32]
Guests: Peter Stringfellow, Des Lynam and Rolf Harris
126"Episode 6"17 December 1995 (1995-12-17)[33]
Guests: Patrick Lichfield, Carol Vorderman and Barbara Windsor
Special
13S."Christmas Special"24 December 1995 (1995-12-24)[34]
Guests: Johnny Briggs and Amanda Barrie, Glenys Kinnock and Gary Rhodes

Series 3 (1996–97)

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No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleOriginal air date
Special
14S."Christmas Special"24 December 1996 (1996-12-24)[35]
Guests: Noddy Holder, Clive James and Daniel O'Donnell
Series
151"Episode 1"14 February 1997 (1997-02-14)[36]
Guests: Jeff Banks and Jonathan Ross
162"Episode 2"21 February 1997 (1997-02-21)[37]
Guests: Michael Winner and Teresa Gorman
173"Episode 3"28 February 1997 (1997-02-28)[38]
Guests: Sacha Distel and Jeremy Clarkson
184"Episode 4"7 March 1997 (1997-03-07)[39]
Guests: Boy George and Vinnie Jones
195"Episode 5"21 March 1997 (1997-03-21)[40]
Guests: Keith Chegwin and Ian Botham
206"Episode 6"28 March 1997 (1997-03-28)[41]
Guests: Joanna Lumley and Martin Clunes

Mrs Merton in Las Vegas (1997)

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No.
overall		TitleOriginal air date
21"Episode 1"10 April 1997 (1997-04-10)[42]
Guests: Tony Curtis and Patrick Duffy
22"Episode 2"17 April 1997 (1997-04-17)[43]
Guests: Engelbert Humperdinck and Bo Derek
23"Planes, Trains and Zimmer Frames"24 April 1997 (1997-04-24)[44]
A mockumentary of Mrs Merton's visit to Las Vegas with her audience

Series 4 (1997–98)

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No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleOriginal air date
Special
24S."Christmas Special"27 December 1997 (1997-12-27)[45]
Guests: Edwina Currie and Max Bygraves
Series
251"Episode 1"26 February 1998 (1998-02-26)[46]
Guests: Keith Floyd and Melinda Messenger
262"Episode 2"5 March 1998 (1998-03-05)[47]
Guests: Shane Richie and Wayne Sleep
273"Episode 3"12 March 1998 (1998-03-12)[48]
Guests: Garry Bushell and Lisa Stansfield
284"Episode 4"19 March 1998 (1998-03-19)[49]
Guests: Richard Wilson and Bernard Manning
295"Episode 5"26 March 1998 (1998-03-26)[50]
Guests: Barry McGuigan and Nigel Kennedy
306"Episode 6"2 April 1998 (1998-04-02)[51]
Guests: Richard Whiteley and Jimmy Tarbuck

Media releases

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  • The Best of The Mrs Merton Show: Series One (VHS) – Released: 7 October 1996[52]
  • The Best of The Mrs Merton Show: Series Two (VHS) – Released: 4 November 1996[53]
  • The Complete Series (DVD) – Released: 25 February 2008[54]

References

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  1. ^ The Complete Series (DVD) – Released: 25 February 2008
  2. ^ "MRS Merton and Malcolm".
  3. ^ "The MRS Merton Show".
  4. ^ "Terry Christian: Raw and northern – no wonder TV's luvvies didn't get Caroline Aherne". Independent.co.uk. 3 July 2016.
  5. ^ "KFM Radio | About Us". 25 September 2022.
  6. ^ "Caroline Aherne obituary". TheGuardian.com. 2 July 2016.
  7. ^ "KFM - Stockport". 25 July 2020.
  8. ^ "I Am Kloot: 'I hope we're going to reach people who have never heard us' | Music feature". TheGuardian.com. 3 July 2010.
  9. ^ "Preview; JOHN BRAMWELLThe Kazimier. - Free Online Library".
  10. ^ "Kay dishes up best TV one-liner". BBC News. 13 August 2006. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
  11. ^ "The MRS Merton Show".
  12. ^ "Home". thats.tv.
  13. ^ "Monty Python's Flying Circus to be repeated on TV for first time in 35 years".
  14. ^ "That's Tv to Show Monty Python After Nearly 35 Years off Air".
  15. ^ "Monty Python is back on TV for the first time in 34 years | Virgin Radio UK". 11 March 2022.
  16. ^ "Entertainment | Kay dishes up best TV one-liner". BBC News. 13 August 2006. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  17. ^ "MRS Merton star Roy bows out". 28 May 2005.
  18. ^ "BBC Inside Out – North West comedy". bbc.co.uk. 17 January 2005. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  19. ^ "Harry Dowd: Fearless goalkeeper who succeeded Bert Trautmann at". Independent.co.uk. 6 July 2015.
  20. ^ "MRS Merton's Horace dies". 25 June 2009.
  21. ^ "MRS Merton's Horace shot to stardom in audience". 24 June 2009.
  22. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Fri 10th Feb 1995, 23:15". BBC Genome Project. 10 February 1995. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  23. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Fri 17th Feb 1995, 23:15". BBC Genome Project. 17 February 1995. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  24. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Fri 24th Feb 1995, 23:15". BBC Genome Project. 24 February 1995. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  25. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Fri 3rd Mar 1995, 23:15". BBC Genome Project. 3 March 1995. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  26. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Fri 10th Mar 1995, 23:15". BBC Genome Project. 10 March 1995. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  27. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Fri 24th Mar 1995, 23:45". BBC Genome Project. 24 March 1995. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  28. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Sun 12th Nov 1995, 21:30". BBC Genome Project. 12 November 1995. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  29. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Sun 19th Nov 1995, 21:30". BBC Genome Project. 19 November 1995. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  30. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Sun 26th Nov 1995, 21:30". BBC Genome Project. 26 November 1995. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  31. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Sun 3rd Dec 1995, 21:30". BBC Genome Project. 3 December 1995. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  32. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Sun 10th Dec 1995, 21:00". BBC Genome Project. 10 December 1995. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  33. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Sun 17th Dec 1995, 21:30". BBC Genome Project. 17 December 1995. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  34. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Sun 24th Dec 1995, 20:45". BBC Genome Project. 24 December 1995. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  35. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Tue 24th Dec 1996, 23:00". BBC Genome Project. 24 December 1996. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  36. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Fri 14th Feb 1997, 22:20". BBC Genome Project. 14 February 1997. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  37. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Fri 21st Feb 1997, 22:20". BBC Genome Project. 21 February 1997. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  38. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Fri 28th Feb 1997, 22:20". BBC Genome Project. 28 February 1997. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  39. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Fri 7th Mar 1997, 22:20". BBC Genome Project. 7 March 1997. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  40. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Fri 21st Mar 1997, 22:20". BBC Genome Project. 21 March 1997. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  41. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Fri 28th Mar 1997, 22:20". BBC Genome Project. 28 March 1997. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  42. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Thu 10th Apr 1997, 22:00". BBC Genome Project. 10 April 1997. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  43. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Thu 17th Apr 1997, 22:00". BBC Genome Project. 17 April 1997. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  44. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Thu 24th Apr 1997, 22:00". BBC Genome Project. 24 April 1997. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  45. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Sat 27th Dec 1997, 22:15". BBC Genome Project. 27 December 1997. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  46. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Thu 26th Feb 1998, 22:20". BBC Genome Project. 26 February 1998. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  47. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Thu 5th Mar 1998, 22:25". BBC Genome Project. 5 March 1998. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  48. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Thu 12th Mar 1998, 22:20". BBC Genome Project. 12 March 1998. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  49. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Thu 19th Mar 1998, 22:25". BBC Genome Project. 19 March 1998. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  50. ^ "The Mrs Merton SThu 26th Mar 1998, 22:30". BBC Genome Project. 26 March 1998. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  51. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show Thu 2nd Apr 1998, 22:25". BBC Genome Project. 2 April 1998. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  52. ^ "The Mrs Merton Show: The Best Of Series 1 [VHS]". amazon.co.uk. 7 October 1996. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  53. ^ "Mrs Merton - The Best Of Mrs Merton Show - Series Two [1995]". amazon.co.uk. 4 November 1996. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  54. ^ "The Mrs. Merton Show - The Complete Series". comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
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