The first episode of the third series of The Harry Hill Show was an untitled story broadcast in 2000. The story's sketches included an officially-licensed crossover with Doctor Who.
It featured the return of Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart on screen for the first time since Downtime, as well as the outside of a UNIT HQ.
Synopsis[]
The Brigadier congratulates Clare Short for her casting as the Doctor and later joins in with a singalong on Space Station Badger.
Plot[]
Channel 4 News reports that Clare Short has been cast as the new Doctor. The news goes to a reaction from "Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart of UNIT" for a reaction. Lethbridge-Stewart says they're thrilled and offers Short a cut-glass vase on behalf of UNIT until a Cyberman deliberately bumps into him, causing the glass vase to smash. The Brig despairs, "You can't keep anything nice around here!"
Channel 4 News moves on to a report from a punch-up between the Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker and Jamiroquai's Jay Kay at the Brit Awards' playground, where the reporter says "we understand Doctor Who is on her way" before she arrives on the scene to stop them fighting on a bouncy castle.
Later, during the Space Station Badger segment, the Brigadier arrives without warning to rescue the space station from the nefarious Darth Camembert, who has taken it over while pretending to be a salesman. He arrives firing a warning shot (that blasts part of Stouffer's wig prop off) to cow the fiend. When the characters question why Lethbridge-Stewart's there, he states UNIT had a tip off about a rouge Betterware salesman: "I came as quickly as I could." A crying Darth Camembert says they can't "leave me like this", which abruptly segues into a cover of Thelma Houston's Don't Leave Me This Way.
Don't - leave me - this way. I don't understand. I'm at your command.
Cast[]
- Harry Hill
- Al Murray
- Burt Kwouk
- Barrie Gosney
- Clive Rowe
- Sheila Dunn
- Steve Bowditch
- Barry Cryer
The Caterers[]
- Steve Brown
- Mark Alliss
Dancers[]
- Angie O'Connell
- Missy Mukit
Special Guest[]
Uncredited cast[]
Crew[]
- Writer - Harry Hill
- Script editor - Stewart Lee
- Musical director - John Collins
- Titles - Andy Spence
- Graphics - Andy Carroll
- Costumes - Leah Archer
- Make-up - Jane Walker
- Production buyer - Maura Laverty
- Art director - Clara Morland
- Stage manager - Jane Denholm
- Floor manager - Christopher Miles
- Prop master - Chris Eytle
- Puppets by - Tracey Lilley
- Puppeteers - Rebecca Nagan, Mike Bayliss
- Choreographer - Jenny Arnold
- Production co-ordinator - Vivienne Pheysey
- Production Secretary - Joyce Cope
- Assistant floor manager - Mark Dandridge
- Production runner - Dan Trelfer
- Production accountants - Lee Tucker, Norman Clarke
- Recording at Teddington Studios
- Editor - Richard Halladey
- Script supervisor - Kendall Anderson-Mut
- Vision mixer - Barbara Hicks
- Camera - Tony Keene
- Sound - Paul Gartrell
- Lighting directors - Chris Clayton, Jared Clayton
- Designer - Harry Banks
- Line producer - Nick Badham
- Head of production - Janet McBride
- Executive producers - Richard Allen-Turner, Jon Thoday
- Producer - Charlie Hanson
- Director - Robin Nash
Worldbuilding[]
- Clare Short was the Secretary of State for International Development at the time.
- Cocker attacking Jay Kay at the playground is a play on the 1996 Brit Awards, where he tried to confront Michael Jackson.
- The logo for Space Station Badger is a parody of the one for Blake's 7.
- Betterware is a door-to-door sales company.
Story notes[]
- In Thelma Houston's American accent, "understand" and "command" rhyme. They very notably don't rhyme when Nick Courtney sings it.
- Doctor Who is both a TV role (even though UNIT is real) and a real person who arrives to help in the same sketch.
- The costumes were lent by the BBC for the story.
- The Cyberman is a CyberNeomorph.
External links[]
to be added
