Round the Horne - Unseen and Uncut

Synopsis

With its ground-breaking mix of innuendo, camp caricature and word-play, Round The Horne captured a record-breaking regular listenership of more than 15 million and remains one of the best-loved programmes in radio history. Its unique blend of humour is even more infectious today as its bizarre collection of characters come to life on stage from the brilliantly inventive and often outrageous scripts, created by zany duo Barry Took and Marty Feldman. Who can resist the charms of J. Peasemould Gruntfuttock, Rambling Syd Rumpo, the heart-stopping Dame Celia Molestrangler, fiendish mastermind Chou En Ginsberg M.A. (failed) and his common-as-muck concubine Lotus Blossom, those two 'resting professionals' Julian and Sandy and many more... Whether you are a fan of the original radio series or new to this special recipe of comedy, we guarantee the tears of laughter will be rolling down your cheeks with this brand new selection of material.

Our Review:

Anne Morley-Priestman - 3 September 2009

If Robin Sebastian's over-the-top Kenneth Williams steals the show, it's because that's what actually happened at the time. From his initial appearance wooing the audience to be on his side (because he's otherwise so very vulnerable) through the perfectly judged reactions to the other cast members' scenes, this is a very finely judged performanc.

That goes also for Jonathan Rigby as Kenneth Horne. Height and build suggest the captain of his team, playing up to off-script flashes and somehow always bringing them all back to where he wants them to be. The balance between listening to the words and watching how they're given life is never upset. We're seeing a very subtle form of anarchy at work, though it is most correctly dressed in a three-piece suit with a tie and highly polished shoes.

So many of the show's 1960s targets are with us still – the pretentious Sunday newspaper supplement, the chat-show host who's tongue-tied away from hi...

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