Even though I wasn't living in the UK when Drop the Dead Donkey was screened, it is one of my favorite series about the news and politics. Originally DTDD had the novelty of featuring very recent news events (the scripts were re-written at the last minute to incorporate big news items). Over time though the episodes focused on relationships within the newsroom, which I liked.The final episode was bittersweet with the characters going their own way, and I really miss DTDD. I guess a reunion is unlikely but it was good to see a reunion of sorts where Neil Pearson, Haydn Gwynne and Jeff Rawles appear in a Midsomer Murders episode "Dark Secrets", although I don't think all three shared screen time at once, but still.Around this time, you had Canada with The Newsroom which was very dark in tone, and Australia had "Frontline" which was sort of mid- way between DTDD and The Newsroom regarding the level of satire.

Channel 4's 'Drop The Dead Donkey' was a classic sitcom set in an office that managed to be funny without any assistance whatever from Ricky Gervais. It centred around the day-to-day goings on at 'GlobeLink', a television news station owned by the mysterious Sir Roysten Merchent. Staff fears that the news will be dumbed down are confirmed when Sir Royston hires as its new anchorwoman the pretty but vacuous Sally Smedley. Immediately she clashes with veteran anchorman Henry Davenport, who calls her "Tightarse". Then there's the appalling Gus Hedges, fluent in two languages - English and rubbish. "Let me drop some descaler into your think-tank." is one of his many favourite sayings. And Joy Merryweather, a woman so bad-tempered as to be borderline psychotic. The show won plaudits at the time for being recorded close to transmission, so as to enable the writers to be topical in their humour. Unfortunately, this has resulted in the show now looking dated.'Drop' had the good fortune to be running during the dark days of the last Conservative administration, when John Major was in Downing Strret. The endless procession of political mistakes, cash and sex scandals were a godsend to Hamilton and Jenkin. One episode cast Stephen Moore as a thinly-disguised Steve Norris. However, the final series went out after Tony Blair's 1997 election win, and came across as strangely muted. 'GlobeLink' was finally closed down to make way for a home shopping channel. A mercy killing. 'Drop' was immeasurably funnier than 'The Office', and why it is not as well regarded is a mystery.

An extremely magnificent newsroom comedy featuring a terrific ensemble cast brought together long before David Brent was in charge of "the Office" (2001) came long. As poor deluded Gus has to preside over a motley crew of colleagues made great (I think) by Sally's shallowness, Joy's cynicism, and Henry's crusty old-fashioned attitudes. The brainchild of comedy writers Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkins, the series was created at a time when Margaret Thatcher was on her way out as the Prime Minister, and John Major (the Grey Man) was on his way in. As the time was right for launching a topical newsroom satire series which is why the episodes might appear as being dated since the scripts were always written at the last minute to include bits of real news stories.All in all … a fantastic caper of good fun making light of those in the news, picking up several comedy awards in the process. One series that we are much better off for having.

"Drop the Dead Donkey" ran in six series from 1990 to 1996. The bulk of the humour deals with then-topical British news, so the program doesn't really travel well, or last more than a week (a long time in politics). Best of all the episodes released on video was the award-winning "The Christmas Party", which had hardly any up-to-date content.The central characters are all exaggerated caricatures of office and media stereotypes. Robert Duncan was good as jargon-spouting executive Gus Hedges, and Jeff Rawle as ineffectual editor George Dent. Haydn Gwynne played the cool, competent editor with a messy private life almost too well, so that the lighter Ingrid Lacey didn't have the same impact when she later filled the same role.Stephen Tompkinson's acting was probably the best although he was mainly used for the slapstick scenes. (Listen for the inimitable voice of Andy Hamilton playing luckless cameraman Jerry, screaming "Damien!!!" as Tompkinson's suicidally reckless reporter leads them into imminent danger, in almost every episode.)Susannah Doyle was a good "PA from Hell", but Sara Stewart's portrayal of a vapid blonde in the same slot in series 1 was also a delight.David Swift's portrayal of a vain newsreader must have been uncomfortably close to some real life newsreaders, with his booming delivery, ruined liver, and his obvious "syrup of figs".The series may have been killed off, but some of its highlights deserve to be remembered for a long time. Well done everybody, Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin in particular.