History Radio / TheMaryWhitehouseExperience

* BlackComedy: The sixth "Things People Say to the Television" sketch features the main four watching ''Series/DadsArmy'' and repeatedly muttering "He's dead... he's dead... he's dead..." every time a cast member who had died before or since the series ended in 1977 appeared on screen, a sardonic comment on the fact that just ''two'' of the core seven cast members (Creator/CliveDunn and Creator/IanLavender) were still alive by 1991.[[note]] James Beck died of pancreatitis in 1973, Creator/JohnLaurie of emphysema in 1980, Creator/ArthurLowe of a stroke in 1982, Creator/JohnLeMesurier of a heart attack brought on by cirrhosis in 1983, and Arnold Ridley of injuries sustained in a fall in 1984.[[/note]]

* BlackComedy: The sixth "Things People Say to the Television" sketch features the main four watching ''Series/DadsArmy'' and repeatedly muttering "He's dead... he's dead... he's dead..." every time a cast member who had died before or since the series ended in 1977 appeared on screen, a sardonic comment on the fact that just ''two'' of the core seven cast members (Clive Dunn and Creator/IanLavender) were still alive by 1991.[[note]] James Beck died of pancreatitis in 1973, Creator/JohnLaurie of emphysema in 1980, Creator/ArthurLowe of a stroke in 1982, Creator/JohnLeMesurier of a heart attack brought on by cirrhosis in 1983, and Arnold Ridley of injuries sustained in a fall in 1984.[[/note]]

* BlackComedy: The sixth "Things People Say to the Television" sketch features the main four watching ''Series/DadsArmy'' and repeatedly muttering "He's dead... he's dead... he's dead..." every time a cast member who had died before or since the series ended in 1977 appeared on screen, a sardonic comment on the fact that just ''two'' of the core seven cast members (Clive Dunn and Creator/IanLavender) were still alive by 1991.[[note]] James Beck died of pancreatitis in 1973, Creator/JohnLaurie of emphysema in 1980, Creator/ArthurLowe of a stroke in 1982, John Le Mesurier of a heart attack brought on by cirrhosis in 1983, and Arnold Ridley of injuries sustained in a fall in 1984.[[/note]]

* BlackComedy: The sixth "Things People Say to the Television" sketch features the main four watching ''Series/DadsArmy'' and repeatedly muttering "He's dead... he's dead... he's dead..." every time a cast member who had died before or since the series ended in 1977 appeared on screen, a sardonic comment on the fact that just ''two'' of the core seven cast members (Clive Dunn and Creator/IanLavender) were still alive by 1991.[[note]] James Beck died of pancreatitis in 1973, John Laurie of emphysema in 1980, Arthur Lowe of a stroke in 1982, John Le Mesurier of a heart attack brought on by cirrhosis in 1983, and Arnold Ridley of injuries sustained in a fall in 1984.[[/note]]

''The Mary Whitehouse Experience'' was a British SketchComedy that ran on TV and radio in the late 1980s and early 1990s, named of course after the famous MoralGuardian. The format consisted of a number of sketches called 'The ''Something'' Experience' (for example, The Family Experience) and would feature one the performers making comments about a subject before cutting to a sketch revolving around the subject. Frequently, no attempt was made to disguise the studio nature of the show and props and costumes tended to be minimal. The team consisted of two writer performer duos, Rob Newman & David Baddiel (whose material tended to be about up to the minute trendy indie bands) and Stephen Punt & Hugh Dennis (whose material tended towards more mundane observational comedy). Newman and Dennis tended to be the more surreal and bizarre performers, while Baddiel and Punt acted as their StraightMan.

Frequently occurring characters included Hugh Dennis's 'Mr Milky' (a weirdo with a strange fascination for past its sell-by-date milk), Rob Newman's Ray who is permanently stuck in SarcasmMode (except when he's actually being sarcastic) and the History Today professors (two old men who trade YourMom type insults).

* CatchPhrase: Ray's "Oh no what a personal disaster." (said in a very sarcastic tone of voice obviously) as well as "That's you that is."

* {{Fetish}}: Hugh Dennis's character Mr Strange has an unhealthy obsession with milk that's gone off, leading to lots of PervertedSniffing.

* SpiritualSuccessor: ''Radio/TheNowShow'' for Punt and Dennis's take on current events.

* SoundtoScreenAdaptation: the show began on Creator/{{BBC}} radio, as a rare digression into the spoken word for the music station Radio One.

* BlackComedy: The sixth "Things People Say to the Television" sketch features the main four watching ''Series/DadsArmy'' and repeatedly muttering "He's dead... he's dead... he's dead..." every time a cast member who had died before or since the series ended in 1977 appeared on screen, a sardonic comment on the fact that just ''two'' of the core seven cast members (Clive Dunn and Ian Lavender) were still alive by 1991.[[note]] James Beck died of pancreatitis in 1973, John Laurie of emphysema in 1980, Arthur Lowe of a stroke in 1982, John Le Mesurier of a heart attack brought on by cirrhosis in 1983, and Arnold Ridley of injuries sustained in a fall in 1984.[[/note]]

* ImprobablePilotingSkills: The team subverted this trope. A sketch noted that as the skills required to pilot a modern jet fighter in combat were converging more and more with those necessary to succeed in air-fighting computer games, the next generation of RAF aces were not going to be craggy manly ''Literature/{{Biggles}}'' types. Oh, no. A sketch followed through the recruitment and training of UpToEleven spotty, geeky, teenage nerds into the Royal Air Force (played by Baddiel and Punt), who all became fighter aces in an unspecified war somewhere.

* LighterAndSofter: Parodied. Goth band Music/TheCure's attempts to go in this direction were parodied by Rob Newman who would portray lead singer Robert Smith singing novelty songs (such as "The Sun Has Got Its Hat On") in the same doom laden style as he always has done.

[[caption-width-right:350:L-R: Robert Newman, Steve Punt, David Baddiel, Hugh Dennis.]]

L-R: Robert Newman, Steve Punt, David Baddiel, Hugh Dennis.

!!Tropes:

* MrFanservice: Rob Newman

* UnpluggedVersion: A nice in-universe invocation. ''Newman and Baddiel In Pieces'' had a series of sketches in which they would pretend to be a techno or synthpop band doing an Unplugged concert. They'd come on, shout the line from the band's big hit, and then shuffle off again in embarrassment.

You know the sort of people who want to know what ''The Mary Whitehouse Experience'' was? That's you that is.

* BreakupBreakout: Baddiel and Newman went on to become comic superstars, regularly filling ten thousand seater venues and being treated like rock royalty. Punt and Dennis fell into relative obscurity, although these days Hugh Dennis is a star of several comedy sitcom series. Rob Newman has retired from comedy and Steve Punt makes a living, out of the direct limelight, doing commercial voiceovers.[[note]]Since 2002, Punt and Dennis are back together again on topical comedy show ''Radio/TheNowShow''[[/note]]

* BreakupBreakout: Baddiel and Newman went on to become comic superstars, regularly filling ten thousand seater venues and being treated like rock royalty. Punt and Dennis fell into relative obscurity, although these days Hugh Dennis is a star of several comedy sitcom series. Rob Newman has retired from comedy and Steve Punt makes a living, out of the direct limelight, doing commercial voiceovers.[[note]]In December 2016, Punt and Dennis are back together again on topical comedy show ''Radio/TheNowShow''[[/note]]

* BritishNewspapers: "How's your son Nigel, twenty six?" "Oh, he's 'To Wed'"

* BreakupBreakout: Baddiel and Newman went on to become comic superstars, regularly filling ten thousand seater venues and being treated like rock royalty. Punt and Dennis fell into relative obscurity, although these days Hugh Dennis is a star of several comedy sitcom series. Rob Newman has retired from comedy and Steve Punt makes a living, out of the direct limelight, doing commercial voiceovers.[[note]]In December 2016, punt and Dennis are back together again on topical comedy show ''Radio/TheNowShow''[[/note]]

* BreakupBreakout: Baddiel and Newman went on to become comic superstars, regularly filling ten thousand seater venues and being treated like rock royalty. Punt and Dennis fell into relative obscurity, although these days Hugh Dennis is a star of several comedy sitcom series. Rob Newman has retired from comedy and Steve Punt makes a living, out of the direct limelight, doing commercial voiceovers.

* {{Jerkass}}: Baddiel told an newspaper interviewer that he finally fell out with Newman after doing a similar joke to him on tour and Newman aggressively calling him a "cunt" for doing so. Sean Hughes also told ''100 Greatest Stand Ups'' about how he's an anti-capitalist who berates friends for owning cars, and adding as an afterthought "move to China ya cunt!"

* LighterAndSofter: Parodied. Goth band TheCure's attempts to go in this direction were parodied by Rob Newman who would portray lead singer Robert Smith singing novelty songs (such as "The Sun Has Got Its Hat On") in the same doom laden style as he always has done.

* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Hugh Dennis plays the embarrassing dad: "Hey what's this? It's got a good a beat!"