Spike Milligan's Q8 - Episode 1

djjoff | Nov 19, 2010 |

Q was a surreal television comedy sketch show from Spike Milligan which ran from 1969 to 1982 on BBC2. The first and third series ran for seven episodes, with the remainder running for six episodes, each of which was 30 minutes long. Each series was numbered, starting with Q5 — possibly because the project to construct the Cunard liner QE2, launched in September 1967, was dubbed Q4 — and continuing in ascending order, through to Q9.

Another theory is that Spike was inspired by the BBC technical quality scale of the time where Q5 was severe degradation to picture or sound. The follow up series Q6 would have been complete loss of sound or vision in technical terms but by then was probably just an appropriate title choice for a sequel. The 6-point scale was extended by some engineering departments to a 9-point scale which may partly explain the cessation of the naming of the Q series at Q9. The final series was renamed There's a Lot of It About, after, according to Milligan's autobiography, the BBC felt the public might find Q10 too confusing.

While Flying Circus had four series between 1969–1974, because of Milligan's tempestuous relationship with the BBC, he had to wait until 1975 for his second series to be commissioned. The series continued sporadically after this. Q7 appeared in 1977, Q8 shortly after in 1978, Q9 in 1980 and There's a Lot of It About in 1982. Milligan resented the BBC for the cold attitude they took towards the series in comparison with series like Flying Circus, and always maintained that, given the opportunity, he would have produced more.

Q gave centre stage to Milligan's freeform surreal wit. The sketches came thick and fast, running into one another, making outrageous leaps from one subject or location to another and often stopping with no apparent conclusion. Even the costumes were madcap and contradictory—each of them still bore its BBC Wardrobe Department tag, and Milligan seemed to have a fondness for large noses and hats.

However, Milligan was criticised for his tendency to make racially charged jokes, especially regarding Jews and Pakistanis, and the series as a whole was decidedly politically incorrect, even by the standards of the 1970s—almost every episode featured an appearance by the scantily-clad, huge-breasted "glamour stooge" Julia Breck.

Some of the material has been wiped.