KYTV (TV series)

"KYTV" is a British television comedy show about a fictional television station that ran on BBC2 from 1989 to 1993, which satirised satellite television in the UK at the time.

History

The show was effectively the TV version of Radio Active, which spoofed local radio stations, and was developed by the same team.

It was written by Angus Deayton and Geoffrey Perkins, produced by Jamie Rix, directed by John Kilby and John Stroud, and with music by Philip Pope. The majority of the program's scripts had already aired on Radio Active.

The five key actors all performed various roles, some multiple, others on a single occasion. Their main characters as presenters were:
* Angus Deayton as Mike Channel
* Helen Atkinson-Wood as Anna Daptor
* Michael Fenton Stevens as Martin Brown
* Geoffrey Perkins as Mike Flex
* Philip Pope simply as The Continuity Announcer (not named)

The pilot show was broadcast on 12 May 1989, and a series of 6 programmes began on 3 May 1990. A second season of 6 began on 17 March 1992, and a final 6 episodes were broadcast between 17 September and 22 October 1993, plus an additional Children in Need special, for a total of 19 episodes.

In 1992 the series won the Silver Rose and the Special Prize of the City of Montreux at the Festival Rose d'Or for the "Good Morning Calais" episode. Also, in the DVD commentary for The Micallef Programme, lead writer and performer Shaun Micallef cites this series as an inspiration for his show's format.

Format

KYTV combined irreverent sketches and variety elements (such as song and dance routines) with a broad-based satire of the public perception of UK satellite television - that of opportunistic entrepreneurs producing cheap, low quality television in order to exploit viewers.

KYTV was supposedly a low-budget satellite television station named after its alleged owner Sir Kenneth Yellowhammer, and bore a suspicious similarity to Sky Television. The name KYTV is actually a joke itself which becomes more apparent when it is pronounced in full, i.e. KY Telly to sound like KY Jelly (a lubricant used for sexual purposes).

In the second series KYTV merged with "BSE Television", just as Sky merged with BSB. Curiously enough, the channel's new name was also KYTV: it was decided to take the first two letters of KYTV, the last two of BSETV, and the result was: KYTV. The third series featured parodies of Carlton Television's early logos.

Each episode featured a central theme (for example, a terrorist siege, the Channel Tunnel, or a costume drama) which sketches could revolve around.

Comedic elements included:
* malfunctioning equipment
* rolling news channels with little content or analysis (a similar technique to that later used in Brass Eye)
* sensationalist and dumbed down shows ("Murder. Gruesome, bloody murder. Coming right up, after the break. Tell your neighbours.")
* underpaid, incompetent and amateurish staff
* lavish "showcase sequences" compared to shoddy, makeshift visuals or unfinished sets
* endless repeats of imported or old (and therefore cheap) programmes as an attempt to fill yawning gulfs of airtime
* relentless commercial intrusions, including plugs for shopping channels ("By the way Mike, that's a very smart tie you have on!" "Yes, and it's only £18.99 at Sofa Shop!")

There was also an unacknowledged political element; terrestrial television was in the early stages of competing with companies such as Rupert Murdoch's British Sky Broadcasting and BSB, and the series can be read as indirect criticism of satellite programming.

Interestingly, in following years the BBC expanded into the arena of digital television, and using similar strategies to that lampooned in the programme. In parallel Angus Deayton started out poking fun at comedy game shows, but eventually ended up hosting Have I Got News For You.

Episodes

Pilot - Siege Side Special

eries 1

*1 - Launch
*2 - Big Fight Special
*3 - The Green Green Show
*4 - Those Fabulous War Years
*5 - It's a Royal Wedding
*6 - Challenge Anna

Series 1 was released on DVD in 2006.

eries 2

*1 - KY Tellython
*2 - God Alone Knows
*3 - Good Morning Calais
*4 - Crisis Special
*5 - Speak For Yourself
*6 - Talking Head

Series 2 was released on DVD in 2006.

eries 3

*1 - The Making of David Chizzlenut
*2 - Those Sexciting Sixties
*3 - Fly on the Walls
*4 - 2000 and Whither?
*5 - Hot Crimes
*6 - Get Away With You

Series 3 was due to be released in January 2007 but has been delayed till further notice.

External links

*bbc.co.uk|id=comedy/guide/articles/k/kytv_7774065.shtml|title="KYTV' Comedy Guide
* [http://epguides.com/kytv/ Episode guide]
* [http://mikefs.co.uk/KYTVphotos.html Various pictures]