As every comedy schoolboy should know by now, the Not The Nine O'Clock News "pilot" is something of a misnomer. It was in fact originally intended as the first show of what would have been their first series, recorded on the 31st of March 1979 and scheduled for broadcast on BBC2 on the 2nd of April 1979, but pulled at the eleventh hour due to elections.

Sketches: Clapperboard / Tinker, Tailor / Kenny Everett Sketch / Britt Ekland's car / National Wealth Beds / Wilson's Memoirs / Inflatables / Aliens / Vivisection Sketch / On The Moov / Spinning Head / Man With Ten Legs / Tory Conference / Maori Sketch

Sketches: Apology to Princess Margaret / News Headlines / Nicest flag in the EEC / Inflation / Kennedy / Gravity / Equal Opportunities / Blind beggar / Phone Bill Sketch / Forgetful Priests / St Vincent / Rowan's Rant 1 / Suburbs at War / Gay Christian / Keep Fit / Milk Tray

Sketches: John Cleese / Suicide / Stringmakers' strike / National Laundromat Week / Murder Scene Sketch / Vote For Jimmy Carter / Hospital Stores / Ayatollah Sketch / Blue Peter / Preacher / The Dead Crocodile / Hole Sculptor / Restaurant / Restrictive Practices Suite / Irish Football

Sketches: Plane Crash / Mission Ineffable / Scunthorpe strangler / Football Replay / Final Demands / Lifeboatmen / Craftsman's Kitchen / I can't feel my legs / Neurotica / Song: Gob On You

Sketches: Baby on the bus / Nativity Sketch / New Jeans / Religious fanatic / Nativity II / Hot Gossip / Church Advertising / Medieval Christmas / Ranting Frenchman / Miss World / Amputation / Trial By Egg / ""Probe"" / Bingo / Rowan Rants Again / Nanny Service / Christmas Carol

Sketches: Royal car visor / Whale delivery / Aliens / John Cleese / General Synod's Life Of Python / Disco For Dentists / Licence fee / Milk float visors / Simultaneous Translation / Donald Sinden / Self-defence / Spies / Sex Shop / Poped / Careers Teacher / Oh! Bosanquet

Highlights from the first series.

Sketches: Grand National Skit / Pinball / Helicopter / Alidair Milne / Wimpy Burgers / Non-Diet Pepsi / Car Vandals / The Cost Of A sketch / Dolphin for President / The lesson I learned from Chappaquiddick / Parkinson Meets Parkinson / Maternity Ward / Perfect evening / Lifeboats / The Nancy Boys / Cottage In Wales

Sketches: Airline Terrorists / Film Certification / Space Invaders / Dinner Party / Awards Ceremony (Sofas) / Alabammy Bound / Prestel / Kleptomania / Vegtarian Hunting Season / Stereoids / Rowan Rants On / Milkman / Ford Cortina / Lead Poisoning / Kiss of life / Government Training Film / Hairdressers / School of archaeology / Aeroplane toilet / Arianna Advert / Boxing in Johannesburg / Rowan Apologises / Clint Eastwood / Debating Point

Sketches: Russian Army / FIAT Advert / Postman / Railway Announcement / Stout Life / Talking to daffodils / Crime Figures / Out-of-touch Judge / Train cancellation/Announcer breaks down / Glue Sniffing / Suicide / Loud Reporter / James Burke / American Express / President Tito / I Like Bouncing / Abu Ben Adhem

Sketches: International Darts / Milkman's Note / Beat The Cliché / One-man bus / Gone With The Wind / Superman / Cinema Age Restrictions / Tramp / Time Out Lonely Hearts / Late Abortion / Jean Paul Satre / Shop Assistants / Euthanasia / Thoucht For The Day / Confessional / Gob Of The Month / And all because the lady loves...

Sketches: MGM Skit / Death Of A Princess (Apology To The Saudis) / Prostitute / Thatcher actor / Kosher Chewing Gum / Stamp auction / Train carriage cleaners / Multi-ligual Hotel Sign / News vendors / Remote Control / Gerald The Gorilla / Man In Post Office / Kidnapping / Tarts / Princess Anne And Mark Philips / Domino Theory / Neanderthal man / Instant Pot Meals / Bob Wellings / King Of Rock n Roll / Banging On The Ceiling / Train Drums

Sketches: Guardsmen / Blood bank sign / Morgue / Parkinson with Billy Connolly / Pottery presenter / Hi-Fi Shop / Campari and Soda / Passport Photos / News For The Deaf / Mugging / The Devil: Is He All Bad? / Contagious spots / Origami / Hitchcock Directs The News / Hidden Switch / Janet Street Porter interviews Billy Connolly

Sketches: Confrontation Song / Points Of View / Cannabis / Guinness / Defence Minister / Police station phone call / Metal detector / Restaurant revolutions / Transplant Olympics / Freddie Cosgray / Is smoking safer than crossing the road? / Ayatollah Song / Exam Guide / Police Yob

We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

Sketches: The Shining 2 / Cockerel / Punk at a urinal / That's Lies / Made In Britain / Bank pens / Sir Robert Mark / Dick Head / TV Licence Advert / Bank signs / Unemployment / Bhuddist Driving School / Loud man in sex shop / Ansaphone confessional / Vandalised Phone Kiosks / UFO Story / Workaholics / I Like Trucking / National Theatre

Sketches: Hedgehog apology / Athletics from Birmingham / Bad Language / Buffet car / Cinema Usher / Shoe Shop Theft / Constable Savage / Fly The Flag / Bath Salts / Laxatives Tested / Burns Unit / Granny's Mini Metro / Explicit Bag / Quick Service Queue / Barbarian Lager / Welsh Choir / England My Leotard / Ice cream van

Sketches: Thatcher out/Thatcher in / Pyjama case / Presidential Aide / Baboons / Walking Into A Tree / TUC Tea Break / Pop Group / Reg Varney / Sooty Surgeon / Soccer Violence / Join The Royal Family / Gay Flasher / Kendal Mint Cake / I Believe / BBC2 Closedown

Sketches: I'm on fire / Nationwide twins / Swedish film centre / ouglas Adams / London tourist board / Sleepy Firemen / Space Salvationists / Girls' Football / Roger Cook / Sir Keith Joseph / Counting Sheep / One Man And His Lion / Return Of Rowan's Rant / Soup and Cocoa / Auld Lang Syne / Controlling TV shows / Big Jobs / Last Of The Mohicans

Sketches: Ready Brek / Daily Star / Elephant Man / Thieves without stockings to put on their heads but with a pair of tights / Battered Baby / Harty Skit / Sunbed / The Obit / This Is Your Life / Tax Evaders / American Express (Masons) / Open Marriage / Schmidt Old Slag / Cocktail party / Burglar / Cold students / The New Creed / Vicar Breakdown / Lager / All-purpose Advert / Henry Cooper / Chess / Man Alive Skit / Disco which isn't really / Aural sex

Sketches: Apology to the Feemasons / Panda Crossing / Brewed By Robots / Pope's Hat / Ticket Collector / Piano / Chilean Milk Marketing Board / Gang Of Three / Windsors Greatest Hits / Crowd control / Gift Shop / Giscard / Michelangelo's David / Photo Booth / Thatcher Leaving / Headmaster and pupil / Silent Movie / Weather Forecast / Euthanasia Society

Sketches: Baronet Oswold Ernold Mosley / Punk aerosol / Queen's Visit / Loyal Apology / Iran & Iraq / Barry Manilow / Cargo Cult / Pneumatic Drills / Kidney Donor / Wimpy worker / Party Political Broadcast / Sperm Donor / Acupuncture / Not The Parrot Sketch / Karate For The Deaf / Divorce Ceremony / Nine To Five / Rolf Harris

Sketches: Announcer / Musical aeroplane / Polish cartoon / Radio controlled ospreys / University Challenge / C'est la Vie (Abba skit) / Age Of Consent / Carol Singers / Christmas Blackmail / Multiplex / Thatchula / Shirley Williams / Coffee Commerical / Sexist Cameraman / Sexism Discussion / Door sketch / SPG Man / Swag Card / Now Dry Your Hands / Ayatollah auction

We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

Sketches: Taxi in restaurant / Breathalyser / Train Driver / Job Creation Scheme / Punk badge / Air dryers / Hospital signs / Mr Bazouki / Aleebee / Cappuccino / National Bank Of Poland / Criminal driver / Nun stunt display / Polish Show / Nice Video Shame About The Song / Caber tosser

Sketches: Ivan The Awful / Game For A Laugh / Public Toilet / Wine Tasting / Home Wine Kit / Aussie Pilot / Does God Exist? / Re-Altered Images / Cricket Commetary / Snooker commentary / Home Organ / Man outside phone box / Tomorrow's World / New Glee / Holiday Habits / Commission for Racial Equality / The Not Team At Home With Their Son / Grow Up You Bastards / Hamlet Advert Skit / Ploughman's Lunch / Mannequins / Pushing a car / Suicide

Sketches: Bankrupt / Ask The Family / What's The Time Mr Wolf? / Rubik Cube / Valentine / Advert for the SDP / No dogs, smoking, bikes / Stunt cops and robbers / Bank / The Price Of Petrol / Kangaroo Meat Advert / Wildebeest / Mad Colonel / Umbrellas / Financial Times / Post Office / Roland Davies / Contac 2000

Sketches: Embarrassed woman / Question Time / Headbangers / Peep-hole / Hey Bob! / Shoplifters / Restaurant / Porn Photographer / Sommelier / One For The Birds / Roughage K / Snooker / Tomorrow's World - Microchip / Hit and run incident / Strange ID parade / Comedy Chestnuts / Shop Stewards / Jackanory

Sketches: Lawyers / Thugs on bus / Riot Police / Songs Of Praise / Failed In Wales / Choking on pills / Green man / Car crusher / Brain Death / Nurse trapped inside a patient / Riots / Rumbley's Pies / Made From Whales / What A Lot Of Willies! / Blind man crossing the road / Medical students who aren't / Ah, Come In Rawlinson! / Laid In Wales / Typical Bloody Typical

Sketches: Punk road painter / Two Ninnies/Two Ninnies Song / Marc Almond / Jogger trying to cross the road / Pub Grub / Arab identifying his wife's body / Parkinson meets Ian Botham / Zak the Alien / Pork Scratchings / Budget / Barefoot thug / Time, Gentlemen, Please / Hey Wow / Pizza Moment / The Memory Kinda Lingers

We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

The first of three programmes re-edited, reorganised, once more as re-edits and now repeated as compilations; entitled ... Not the Nine O'Clock News, providing another opportunity to savour the delights offered by that award-winning team

The second of three programmes re-edited, reorganised once more as re-edits and now repeated as compilations entitled ...

Not the Nine O'Clock News. Providing another opportunity to savour the delights offered by that award-winning team.

The third of three programmes re-edited, re-organised once more as re-edits and now repeated as compilations; entitled....

Not the Nine O'Clock News. Providing another opportunity to savour the delights offered by that award-winning team.

Highlights of the satirical series

Highlights from the classic eighties satirical sketch show

More vintage highlights from the classic 80s sketch show

More vintage comedy highlights

More comedy highlights from the classic 1980s sketch show

More comedy highlights from the classic 1980s sketch show

More comedy highlights from the 1980s sketch show

More stinging comedy from the 1980s show

We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

The inside story of the anarchic comedy sketch show, which ran on BBC Two from 1979 to 1982, and launched the careers of Rowan Atkinson, Griff Rhys Jones, Mel Smith and Pamela Stephenson, as well as writers including Richard Curtis, Andy Hamilton and Clive Anderson. This documentary reveals how the series first came about, looks at the casting of the four main players and the dynamic of the team, as well as recalling the show's key moments, its impact at the time and its legacy. Featuring interviews with Smith, Jones, Stephenson and Curtis, as well as celebrity fans including Billy Connolly and Dara O Briain