Former disc jockey Kenny Everett was one, and undoubtedly still is, one of the funniest comedians ever to appear on British Television, however like Freddie Starr and Victoria Wood, he may never have made it if he had not been given the correct vehicle. Without shadow of a doubt, the worst thing he ever did was this horrible Thames Television show which made 'O.T.T' look like 'Russ Abbot's Madhouse'. 'The Kenny Everett Video Cassette' was a mush-up of threadbare sketches, over-the-top musical segments and crude animations. The show was not recorded in front of a studio audience, nor was a canned laughter track used, instead the laughter from the production crew was used. It did the show absolutely no favours at all.'Video Cassette' seemed not so much a comedy show but more an excuse to showcase musical artists such as Kate Bush, Suzi Quattro, Freddie Mercury, Cliff Richard and Rod Stewart. Billy Connolly also made regular appearances but like I said, this still did nothing to benefit the show. It beggars belief that this show managed to run for four series. Luckily, Kenny ended the show in 1981 to cross over to the BBC for the much funnier 'The Kenny Everett Television Show'.

Disc jockey Kenny Everett was a busy fellow in 1970, with not one but three series on air ( not at the same time, naturally ). 'Ev', 'Making Whoopee', and 'The Kenny Everett Explosion' enjoyed cult status amongst the young, but mainstream success eluded him until 1978, when Jeremy Issacs of Thames T.V. commissioned 'The Kenny Everett Video Show'. It went out at 6.45 P.M. on Monday nights, the old 'Opportunity Knocks!' slot. In complete contrast to the ancient Hughie Green and his sick-making attempts at sincerity, Cuddly Ken was irrepressibly zany and lovable. He could read 'The Yellow Pages' and be funny.Kenny presented the show from in front of a bank of television screens ( "let's push the button marked 'idiot' and see what comes out!" ). It had the same mindset as his radio work, only now the goggle box was finally able to do his wacky humour justice. It interspersed sketches by Barry Cryer and Ray Cameron ( father of Michael McIntyre ) with songs by pop acts of the day. Stars of the calibre of Freddie Mercury, Rod Stewart and Cliff Richard were happy to be ridiculed by Everett ( though he managed to tee Barry Gibb off one week by impersonating 'The Bee Gees'! ). Kenny's characters included biker 'Sid Snot', saucy Frenchman 'Marcel Wave', and 'Brother Lee Love', an evangelist with giant hands. Kenny would show clips of foreign programmes, anticipating Clive James' later L.W.T. series. There was no canned laughter, instead the cameramen's reactions were used. Then of course there was the dance troupe 'Hot Gossip' ( choreographed by Arlene Phillips ) whose erotic gyrations frequently had Mrs.Mary Whitehouse in need of smelling salts.Animation played a big part in the show too. Cosgrove Hall's 'Captain Kremmen' was a spoof on 'Dan Dare' in which 'Captain Elvis Brandenburg Kremmen' travelled the cosmos with his sexy sidekick 'Carla'. Voiced by Kenny, these proved popular, and a movie version later hit the big screen.When it first debuted, audience reaction was mixed. Two letters in 'The Sunday People' went as follows: 'The new Kenny Everett show is hysterical, and I congratulate I.T.V. for having the nerve to show it instead of the usual rubbish." and "What rubbish the much-heralded Kenny Everett show has turned out to be. He should stick to radio because his barmy antics ruin what has the makings of a decent pop show'. The former view became the prevailing one. Even Benny Hill tried to copy Kenny by bringing in his own version of 'Hot Gossip' - 'Hill's Angels'.But, after three successful seasons, things started to go wrong. Firstly, as a cost-cutting measure, the Cosgrove Hall cartoons were dropped, and 'Kremmen' subsequently appeared in short, live action sketches with Kenny as the Captain and Anna Dawson making a fetching 'Carla'. It just was not the same. Secondly, Thames' decision to move the show to Thursday nights ( so that it clashed with 'Top Of The Pops' on B.B.C.-1 ) angered the star so much that, at a showbiz bash, he allegedly called Philip Jones ( Thames' head of light entertainment ) a rude name. The star then accepted an offer to join the B.B.C. The result was 'The Kenny Everett Television Show'. It reduced the music in favour of comedy, and was, if anything, even more successful.Apart from some repeats on U.K. Gold back in the '90's and on the now-defunct 'Granada Plus', Kenny's Thames show has been totally forgotten. A D.V.D. compilation exists, but that's about all. Music rights would seem to be the main obstacle to a full release. Given how influential it was ( Kenny's jibes at celebrity culture were ahead of the alternative comedy brigade's by a couple of years ), it seems a great shame.

Will this post make it to the internet by 2035?!The Kenny Everett Video Show, lays down the blueprints for the zany comics later and more influential Television show, but in its own right is as funny, innovative and as welcome as anything Cuddly Ken had ever created on the airwaves or the tube. Although Everett had flirted with the medium before, most notably on TV Sketch Series like The Kenny Everett Explosion, Making Whoopee and Ev, it was only by 1978, that the technological advances of Television had found its way up to his unique level. This may sound a little too strong, but in all honesty, Everett was to Radio what the Beatles were to British music. Suddenly in 1978 it was easy for Everett to transfer the wonderous miracles he was capable of making from sound to vision. And armed with top comedy writers Barry Cryer and Ray Cameron he was able to express himself as a Grade A Comedian with a series of hilarious sketches acting as fillers to the Music acts wich ranged from the likes of Freddie Mercury, Rod Stewart, Kate Bush and Elvis Costello to David Essex and Bill Wyman. The almost campy dance act Hot Gossip provided an erotically charged yet eye candy backdrop, because as this was early days in Ev's comedy cavalcade, the shows format was really just that of a DJ's music half hour with funny links in between acts. The impact of the series was so strong from the public, and the viewing figures so great that Everett was blasted in to Superstardom, and the outcome of wich was the later and better Television Series.The Video Show is packed with wonderfully innovative visuals wich may look crude or cheap by todays standards were truly groundbreaking in the late 1970's early 1980's. All the laughter comes from the crews behind the cameras as studio audiences were not being used for an Everett show as yet. The best and funniest characters were the giant handed gospel minister Brother Lee Love, the greaser biker Sid Snot, who Freddie Mercury jump on in one sketch and the animated space looney Captain Kremmen, who was a cartoon character voiced by Everett who also voiced the Captains Busty sidekick Carla. The Kremmen adventures added to the pop culture look of the show and were animated by Cosgrove Hall Animation production who later released the Animated Captain Kremmen The Movie wich starred Everett.The Video Show is pure fun and shouldn't be overlooked. Although, it does seem as though Kenny was saving the best for The Kenny Everett Television Show, which i have also reviewed. No honestly ,i have. Seriously. Youve Gotta believe me. Go and have a look for yourself. I'll wait here while your gone.I here you brothers.

Kenny Everett had been on television for six years by the time the "Video Cassette" went into production. Although still preferring to work on radio, the public demand for new Everett shows was high, so he came up with the "Video Cassette".Essentially 30 minutes of his own brand of quickfire humour, blended with his characters, silly voices, special effects and bare faced cheek to the establishment (Prince Charles, Thames TV, and many others were the butts of his jokes), the show was self indulgent to the extreme, but his excellence as a performer and entertainer made the 30 minutes such fun viewing that you would never notice time ticking by.Celebrity guests (all were friends of Kenny) abounded (Kate Bush, Rod Stewart, Terry Wogan, Cliff Richard, et al) and all were quite happy to parody themselves before the camera. Ken had a way of making them see the lighter side of themselves.Only six shows were made, and Kenny quit Thames TV afterwards (allegedly because he was upset that Thames had scheduled the show up against the then-all powerful "Top of the Pops" on BBC1, almost guaranteeing it a low audience share)to go under contract to the BBC - to make "The Kenny Everett Television Show".Although only six were made, they total 180 minutes of some of the most original and fresh comedy ever seen on British TV.