Drop the Dead Donkey

Drop the Dead Donkey was a situation comedy that ran on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1998. It was set in the offices of "Globelink News", a fictional TV news company. It tried to match news events in the programme with what was in the news at that time. It was created by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkins. The series made stars of Haydn Gwynne, Stephen Tompkinson and Neil Pearson.

Related Topics:
Situation comedy - Channel 4 - United Kingdom - 1990 - 1998 - Andy Hamilton - Guy Jenkins - Haydn Gwynne - Stephen Tompkinson - Neil Pearson

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The series started with the acquisition of Globelink by media mogul Sir Royston Merchant.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The major characters in the series were:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Gus Hedges (Robert Duncan), the unctuous chief executive, and yes man to Sir Royston Merchant. A management stereotype, complete with clichés and clumsy metaphors, he transformed GlobeLink from a serious news network to a ratings-chasing tabloid channel. He precedes most of his comments with phrases like "Now, I'm not here..." or "I'd never interfere with editorial policy, but...". He is disliked by the staff who are unafraid to treat him with contempt.
• George Dent (Jeff Rawle), the chief editor. A nervous wreck and hypochondriac who is never able to argue with Gus, even when he knows he's in the right. He suffers from a number of anxiety disorders, but doesn't like to complain about it. Earlier scripts made much of his denial that his wife was having an affair, and following their divorce, the focus of his references to his homelife switched to his daughter, a terrifying juvenile delinquent.
• Alex Pates (Haydn Gwynne), George's second-in-command. The token normal person, she left to join the BBC.
• Helen Cooper (Ingrid Lacey), who replaced Alex as assistant editor from the third series onwards. A single mother, she was briefly an object of desire for George, until she explained she was a lesbian, though this didn't stop her having a drunken one-night stand with Dave. Dedicated to bringing people proper news, she often clashes with Gus, while George offers moral support from the outer office. She often takes charge in the office if George is feeling too delicate to do so himself.
• Henry Davenport (David Swift), one of the news anchors. A veteran reporter and wig-wearer, he is deeply contemptuous of Gus, Sally and everything about "modern news values" and spends his spare time drinking and womanising, often in cahoots with Dave.
• Sally Smedley (Victoria Wicks), the other news anchor, handpicked by Sir Royston and noted for her snobbishness and vapidity. She is disliked by everyone else, though Helen occasionally tries to sympathise with her.
• Damien Day (Stephen Tompkinson), the field reporter who tries to make his stories as sensational as possible, often by using untruths or stunts. When filming a firing-squad execution in a South American dictatorship, asked the officer for a retake so it would look better. Mildly sociopathic.
• Gerry, Damien's (unseen) cameraman, occasionly voiced by Andy Hamilton. Damien's reports would usually end with something unpleasant happening to Gerry, while Damien yelled at him to keep filming. He appears in one episode, at the station's Christmas party, but is covered in bandages.
• Dave Charnley (Neil Pearson), the deputy sub-editor and general dogsbody. As a compulsive womaniser and gambler, he gets on very well with Henry, owning to these shared interests, and Damien, owing to his willingness to bet on outrageously tasteless things. After seducing a drunken Helen, he finds his feelings for her and takes time to recover when she tells him their fling just helped her confirm her homosexuality further.
• Joy Merryweather (Susannah Doyle), the terrifyingly outspoken PA who is utterly cynical, completely unafraid and prone to threatening violence. She gets away with this owing to being very good at her job, and the fact that even Gus is afraid of her. Her main role in the series is to offer sarcastic commentary on anything anyone does, and predict disaster, usually accurately.

Unusually for a sitcom, the show was topical, and was usually written and filmed in the week before broadcast. Typically the last scene, or a voiceover for the ending credits was filmed either the day before or sometimes on the day of broadcast. The most frantic rewrite occurred when, on the day of filming, British media mogul Robert Maxwell drowned.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The humour, like that in a real newsroom, was often very black, as the writers did not shy away from sensitive subjects. A typical line (from Henry): "The 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland. What a bloody stupid phrase. Do they think these people are dying of stress?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The series ended with GlobeLink being closed down. This contradicted the already thoroughly contradicted novel Drop The Dead Donkey 2000 by Hamilton and Alistair Beaton (1994) ISBN 0316912360, which had predicted its destruction at the turn of the millennium.

Related Topics:
Alistair Beaton - 1994 - Millennium

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~