The Day Today is a spoof current affairs program presented by Christopher Morris as Chris Morris. It was a TV adaptation of radio series On the Hour.
Format[]
The Day Today was devised to parody the over-dramatic and self-important nature of current affairs programming during the 1990s. The show was divided into several segments, each presented by a different character, interspersed with general news reports. These special segments include:
- News reports from Barbara Wintergreen of fictional American broadcaster CBN, often focussing on a series of serial killers all named "Chapman Baxter"
- Speak Your Brains, a vox populi segment where Chris Morris interviews members of the public regarding vague and surreal topics
- Sport (sometimes Sports Desk), presented by Alan Partridge, where Alan demonstrates little understanding of the topics he is covering and his general ineptitude, and frequently swoons over women
- Vague political cartoons presented physically by political cartoonist Brant
- The Weather (under various titles such as "Metcast", "Weathernews" and "Foreclimate"), hosted by Sylvester Stuart, who appears exclusively as a floating head
- Enviromation, an environmental affairs segment presented by Rosy May
- Business with Collaterlie Sisters, in which economic affairs are presented frenetically and incomprehensibly, featuring bizarre monetary analogies and diagrams such as the "currency cat" and "currency kidney"
- The Pool (A Day in the Life of a Swimming Pool), a fly-on-the-wall documentary series about St. Lamb's Pool in Acton
- Travel news with Valerie Sinatra
- Clips from The Bureau, a sitcom about a 24-hour bureau-de-change
- Tomorrow's Headlines, in which absurd newpaper headlines are read by Chris Morris at the end of each episode in the style of Newsnight
Epsiodes[]
| # | Title | First brooadcast |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Main News Attack | 19th January 1994 |
| 2 | Big Report | 26th January 1994 |
| 3 | Meganews | 2nd February 1994 |
| 4 | Stretchcast | 9th February 1994 |
| 5 | Magnifevent | 16th Feburary 1994 |
| 6 | Newsatrolysis | 23rd February 1994 |
Episode titles were only visible on pre-broadcast trails.
Credits[]
Cast[]
Main Cast - Steve Coogan, Rebecca Front, Doon MacKichan, Patrick Marber, Christopher Morris, David Schneider, with the voice of Michael Alexander St. John
Supporting Cast - Jean Ainslie, Bill Bailey, Ian Barritt, Peter Baynham, Philip Bretherton, Andrew Burt, Minnie Driver, Frederic Foederer, Carl Forgione, Ian Gelder, Daniel Gilmore, Tony Haase, Armando Iannucci, Ian Kerrigan, Graham Linehan, Christopher Luscombe, Lindsey MacRae, Ian Peck, Robert Putt, Garry Roost, Michael Snelders, Crispin Somerville, Alan Stocks, John Thomson, Patience Tomlinson, Harry Towb, Darren Trendel, Albert Welling, Margery Withers, Sarah Wynter
Crew[]
Written and devised by - Armando Iannucci and Christopher Morris
Written with - Peter Baynham and The Cast
Additional material by - Andrew Glover, Graham Linehan, Arthur Mathews, David Quantick, Steven Wells
Music by - Jonathan Whitehead and Christopher Morris
Production Co-ordinator - Samantha Taylor
Production Runner - Naomi Ellwood
Production Assistants - Rebecca Havers, Sue Bayles
Costume - Marcia Stanton, Lindsey McLean
Make-up and Hair Designer - Lisa Cavelli-Green
Production Accountants - Penny Anderson, Louise Mutter
Casting - Kate Day, Rebecca Howard
Vision Mixers - Naomi Neufield, Paul Wheeler
Location Manager - Chris Wheeldon
Sound - Peter Ball, Stuart Bruce, Mike Heald
Camera - Ian Hilton, Graham K. Smith, Ron Tufnell
Studio Lighting - Mike Sutcliffe
Audio Post Production - Nigel Heath, Mathew Knights, Julian Slater
Programme Associates - Nick Canner, Susie Gautier-Smith
Film Researcher - Roobert Katz
Graphics - Richard Norley, Russel Hilliard
Production Deisgner - Dennis DeGroot, Jo Sutherland
Production Buyer - Terry Black
On-Line Editors - James Thomas, Perry Widdowson
Off-Line Editors - David Fairhead, Steve Gandolfi
Production Manager - Alison MacPhail
Executive Producer - Peter Fincham
Co-Producer - Christopher Morris Director - Andrew Gillman
Producer - Armando Iannucci
Additional credits[]
Helicpoter Pilot (Main News Attack): Alan Davis
Shepherd (Main News Attack): Charles Ralph
Horses by (Big Report) - Will Self
Thrift Funnel (Meganews) - George Clinton
Danny Baker (Stretchcast) - Hazel O'Connor
Carpets (Magnifevent) - Bono
Maps (Newsatrolysis) - Faye Dunaway
Trivia[]
- Episode 6 (Newsatrolysis) is sometimes referred to as Factgasm, although the latter, made-up term is only used by the narrator to describe the episode in the pre-broadcast trail.