Your Mother Wouldn't Like It

infobox television
show_name = Your Mother Wouldn't Like It
format = Comedy
runtime = 30 mins


caption = Loaf (Ian Kirkby) in the Christmas edition
starring = Ian Kirkby
Paul Stark
Tom Anderson
Karen Murden
Christina Norris
Steven Ryde
Simon Schatzberger
Karl Collins
Pui Fan Lee
Tessa Harrison
country = United Kingdom
network = ITV
imdb_id = 0159228|

"Your Mother Wouldn't Like It" was a children's sketch show broadcast on ITV between 1985 and 1988. A unique aspect of the show was that the performing cast were almost entirely children.

The show was produced by Central Television at their Lenton Lane studios in Nottingham. The children used on the show were part of the Central Junior Television Workshop, an initiative founded by Central Television. The show won a BAFTA award but has never been issued on DVD or VHS tape release.

Among the cast were Steven Ryde, who went on to produce "Dick and Dom In Da Bungalow" for the BBC, Ian Kirkby, who also performed on "Dick and Dom In Da Bungalow", and Karen Murden. who went on to play Beverly Grice in ITV soap opera "Crossroads".

Overview

It is thought that a TV producer asked members of the Central Junior Television Workshop what type of show they would like to make, and the majority decision was comedy. However, another theory is that Lewis Rudd (Central Television's director of children's programmes at the time) saw the success of Canadian children's comedy sketch show "You Can't Do That On Television" over on American network Nickelodeon and decided to replicate the formula of anarchic sketch-based humour played almost entirely by children. It is ironic that "You Can't Do That On Television" was created and produced by British television executive Roger Price, who had actually created the concept in 1975 for British broadcaster Thames Television with "You Must Be Joking!".

The first two series of "Your Mother Wouldn't Like It" were mainly based on the conceit of a few of the children - Loaf, Lonnie, Cans, Mary Rose and Pam - running and writing the show itself, interspersed with sketches. The third series did away with most of this narrative, but retained Loaf as an essential linking device.

Loaf (played by Ian Kirkby) was a dogsbody character, with Cans (Tom Anderson) as the main boss to everyone. A puppet worm - "Tapeworm" - would interrupt proceedings now and then with a sneery comment. On the last episode, it was revealed to the audience that Loaf was the puppeteer and voice behind Tapeworm, although the puppet's voice really belonged to performer Karl Collins throughout the show's life.

Familiar concepts from anarchic children's programmes were present, such as slapstick humour featuring custard pies and gunge as visual punchlines, and a healthy disrespect towards authority.

There were roughly 100 members in the Central Junior Television Workshop, which was split into two branches, one based in Birmingham, the other based in Nottingham. With a wide range of talent, different kids could be focused on each week for their own comedy routines. Impressions were quite popular, as were parodies of television programmes of the time.

Regular sketches

Some of the regular sketches are detailed below.

Palace Hill

"Palace Hill" was a spoof of the BBC's long-running children's drama "Grange Hill" with characters based on members of the British Royal Family. This proved so popular that it became a spin-off show, also broadcast on ITV, running for three series, and targeted politicians such as Margaret Thatcher for satire.

The Wimp Reports

The Wimp was a socially inadequate and unpopular character, played by Simon Schatzberger, who would investigate a different youth trend each week, only to be humiliated by his peers. The sketches were written by Sue Townsend, best known as author and creator of the "Adrian Mole" books.

Twee Man

A parody of American action cartoon "Masters of the Universe" but played in 'real life' by costumed actors on the more realistic (and cheaper) setting of present-day Earth. As the title suggests, Twee-Man is a more cowardly and feeble version of "He-Man".