Not with a Bang

Not with a Bang
This article is about the TV show. For the short story by Damon Knight, see Not with a Bang (short story).
Not with a Bang
Genre Situation comedy
Written by Tony Millan
Directed by Robin Carr
Starring Mike Grady
Josie Lawrence
Ronald Pickup
Stephen Rea
Country of origin  United Kingdom
No. of series 1
No. of episodes 7
Production
Producer(s) Robin Carr
Running time 30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel ITV
Original run 25 March – 6 May 1990

Not with a Bang was a short-lived British television sitcom produced by London Weekend Television in 1990. It ran for seven episodes, each 30 minutes long, before being cancelled due to poor ratings and a stagnant plot.[1] The show was a dark science fiction comedy, focusing on the end of the human race on Earth. The title comes from the last line of T. S. Eliot's poem The Hollow Men "not with a bang, but a whimper".

Contents

Premise

The pilot episode of Not with a Bang begins with a spoof episode of the iconic BBC show Tomorrow's World, where Judith Hann is presenting a story on how scientists have apparently isolated the hormone that causes aging in humans. The chemical is then accidentally released from a vial and the effect spreads almost instantly, annihilating virtually all human life on Earth, turning people into little piles of an ash-like compound, before dissipating harmlessly.

The show then follows the plight of the four human survivors - three male, one female - who survive due to various far-fetched reasons - for example being sealed in a sound-proof booth during a pub quiz when the agent strikes the vicinity. The four characters are united by chance about one year after the event, and set up a base of operations in a country cottage. They then spend the next six episodes looking for other survivors, adjusting to life after the end of the world, and deliberating over the repopulation of the human race.

The show relies heavily on a small cast of esoteric characters, including: rugby league fanatic Colin; everyman Brian, who comes closest to being the group's leader; and Graham and Janet, a bland couple who struggle over the issue of having children. Conversation between Graham and Janet frequently features Graham's reluctance and Janet's determination to have children, as well as Graham's extraordinarily low sperm count.

The pub name is never mentioned in the show, but the shots from the outside are of the White Hart in the village of Bouth in Cumbria.[citation needed]

Cast

References

  1. ^ "Not With A Bang - Sitcom - British Comedy Guide". Comedy.org.uk. http://www.comedy.org.uk/guide/tv/not_with_a_bang/. Retrieved 2009-07-19. 

External links


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • not with a bang but with a whimper — (not) with a bang but with a whimper literary if something ends not with a bang but with a whimper, it ends in a disappointing way. The concert ended not with a bang but with a whimper, the rain forcing the performance to stop fifteen minutes… …   New idioms dictionary

  • Not with a Bang (short story) — Not with a Bang Author Damon Knight Country United States Language English Genre(s) Science fiction short story …   Wikipedia

  • not with a bang but a whimper — To end on a muted note most likely in a situation where one would have expected a more spectacular finish. This expression was coined by T.S. Elliot in his 1925 poem, The Hollow Men, which ends: This is the way the world ends This is the way the… …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • with a bang but with a whimper — (not) with a bang but with a whimper literary if something ends not with a bang but with a whimper, it ends in a disappointing way. The concert ended not with a bang but with a whimper, the rain forcing the performance to stop fifteen minutes… …   New idioms dictionary

  • bang — (v.) 1540s, to strike hard with a loud blow, from a Scandinavian sourse akin to O.N. banga to pound, hammer of echoic origin. Slang meaning have sexual intercourse with first recorded 1937. Bang up excellent, first rate, 1820, probably shortened… …   Etymology dictionary

  • come back to earth (with a bang) — come back/down to ˈearth (with a ˈbang/ˈbump) | bring sb (back) down to ˈearth (with a ˈbang/ˈbump) idiom (informal) to return, or to make sb return, to a normal way of thinking or behaving after a time when they have been very excited, not very… …   Useful english dictionary

  • come down to earth (with a bang) — come back/down to ˈearth (with a ˈbang/ˈbump) | bring sb (back) down to ˈearth (with a ˈbang/ˈbump) idiom (informal) to return, or to make sb return, to a normal way of thinking or behaving after a time when they have been very excited, not very… …   Useful english dictionary

  • bring somebody (back) down to earth (with a bang) — come back/down to ˈearth (with a ˈbang/ˈbump) | bring sb (back) down to ˈearth (with a ˈbang/ˈbump) idiom (informal) to return, or to make sb return, to a normal way of thinking or behaving after a time when they have been very excited, not very… …   Useful english dictionary

  • bang — bang1 [ bæŋ ] verb * 1. ) intransitive or transitive to hit something hard, making a loud noise: I banged on the window to get her attention. We could hear them banging their drums in the next street. bang something on/against something: She… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • bang — bang1 S3 [bæŋ] n 1.) a sudden loud noise caused by something such as a gun or an object hitting a hard surface ▪ There was a loud bang outside the kitchen door. 2.) a painful blow to the body when you hit against something or something hits you …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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