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95-526: The Two Ronnies is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett . It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from 10 April 1971 to 25 December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo sections, serial stories and musical finales. Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett met in 1963 at the Buckstone Club in the Haymarket , London, where Corbett

190-457: A self-addressed stamped envelope , allowing one to receive a reply without burdening the addressee with postage fees. Return postcards consist of a single double-size sheet, and cost double the price of a usual postcard – one addresses and writes one half as a usual postcard, writes one's own address on the return card, leaving the other side blank for the reply, then folds and sends. Return postcards are most frequently encountered by non-Japanese in

285-439: A dozen of so episodes a year. Following the success of Hancock's Half Hour and Steptoe and Son , sitcoms became a part of some television schedules. The BBC has generally been dominant in television comedy , but the commercial stations have also had some successes. Other formats have also been popular, such as with sketch shows , stand-up comedy , impressionists , and puppet shows . Notable satirical comedies are

380-465: A feather tonight?" ( sotto voce ) "I beg your pardon?" (outraged) "Particularly grotty weather tonight" Some of the show's material contained elements of surreal or left field humour, in the vein of Monty Python , and was considered edgier and more sophisticated than the more traditional routines of Morecambe and Wise . The duo had formed some time after their peers by which time the comedy world had moved on to satire , absurdist surrealism and

475-403: A few options including free, government-issued field postcards, cheap, picture postcards, and embroidered cards meant as keepsakes. Unfortunately, censors often disapproved of picture postcards. In one case, French censors reviewed 23,000 letters and destroyed only 156 (although 149 of those were illustrated postcards). Censors in all warring countries also filtered out propaganda that disparaged

570-419: A foil for Barker, but remained an important part of the chemistry. Many of the jokes revolved around his lack of height, with him delivering many of them himself: when Barker said that the next part "does suit Ronnie C. right down to the ground", Corbett replied "Mind you, that's not far is it?". Other jokes could be of a sexual nature of the sort found on seaside postcards : for example: "Tickle your botty with

665-838: A large postal system spanning India resulted in unprecedented postal access: a message on a postcard could be sent from one part of the country to another part (often to a physical address without a nearby post office) without additional postage affixed. This was followed in April 1880 by postcards meant specifically for government use and by reply postcards in 1890. The postcard facility continues to this date in independent India . Official postcards were introduced in December 1873, shortly after stamps were introduced to Japan. Return postcards were introduced in 1885, sealed postcards in 1900, and private postcards were allowed from 1900. In Japan, official postcards have one side dedicated exclusively to

760-510: A major feature of comedy in the British Isles for centuries. The pictorial satire of William Hogarth was a precursor to the development of political cartoons in 18th-century England. The medium developed under the direction of James Gillray from London, who has been referred to as the father of the political cartoon. In early 19th-century England, pantomime acquired its present form, which includes slapstick comedy and featured

855-537: A meal straight after the recording, keeping it a very low-key affair. The Two Ronnies was regularly screened in Australia on ABC Television , and was repeated several times. In 1986 the series was reported as being into its second or third airing, and being broadcast in a respectable time slot. In 1979, a series was made for the Nine Network in Australia under the title of The Two Ronnies in Australia . It

950-645: A new type of card, PHQ Cards , popular with collectors, especially when they have the appropriate stamp affixed and a first day of issue postmark obtained. In 1894, British publishers were given permission by the Royal Mail to manufacture and distribute picture postcards, which could be sent through the post. It was originally thought that the first UK postcards were produced by printing firm Stewarts of Edinburgh but later research, published in Picture Postcard Monthly in 1991, has shown that

1045-514: A note, and the duo are sent in search of the formula for the Clumsy Drug, alongside Cyd Hayman as Madame Eloise Coqoutte. Corbett and Barker also play the two villains, the notorious Mr Greensleeves and his Japanese henchman Bobjob. In the end the mystery is solved as the formula is revealed on a pair of women's knickers. The endings for Death Can Be Fatal were based on more, as Corbett put it, 'exaggerated Dick Barton lines', such as "Is this

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1140-479: A number of advertisements that appeared on ITV , including for British Leyland (Austin/Morris) in 1979 where Corbett played a villain on the run and, "needing some wheels", gets salesman Barker to show him round the Austin Morris range. They did a second ad in 1981, for the "BL Double Bonus" campaign, which featured Corbett playing a tax inspector inquiring as to why Barker is running four cars. They also did

1235-491: A paper for public postings. According to the same state standards, cards are classified according to the type and kind. Depending on whether or not the image on the card printing postage stamp cards are divided into two types: Depending on whether or not the card illustrations, cards are divided into two types: Cards, depending on the location of illustrations divided into: Depending on the walking area cards subdivided into: In Britain, postcards without images were issued by

1330-564: A post correspondence card with an image of a man with a cannon, signaling the looming Franco-Prussian war. In the following year the first known picture postcard in which the image functioned as a souvenir was sent from Vienna . The first advertising card appeared in 1872 in Great Britain and the first German card appeared in 1874. Private advertising cards started appearing in the United States around 1873, and qualified for

1425-466: A postcard is usually printed and sold by a private company, individual or organization, a postal card is issued by the relevant postal authority (often with pre-printed postage). Production of postcards blossomed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As an easy and quick way for individuals to communicate, they became extremely popular. The study and collecting of postcards is termed deltiology (from Greek deltion , small writing tablet, and

1520-400: A practical joke on the postal service, since the image is a caricature of workers in the post office. In 2002 the postcard sold for a record £31,750. In the United States, the custom of sending through the mail, at letter rate, a picture or blank card stock that held a message, began with a card postmarked in December 1848 containing printed advertising. The first commercially produced card

1615-647: A primary source, postcards are incredibly important to the types of historical research conducted by historians, historic preservationists, and genealogists alike. They give insight into both the physical world, and the social world of the time. During their heyday postcards revolutionized communication, similar to social media of today. For those studying communication, they highlight the adoption of media, its adaptation, and its ultimate discarding. Postcards have been used to study topics as diverse as theatre, racial attitudes, and war. Libraries, archives, and museums have extensive collections of picture postcards; many of

1710-539: A recipient address, and the other for a brief message. His proposal was denied on grounds of being too radical and officials did not believe anyone would willingly give up their privacy. In October 1869, the post office of Austria-Hungary accepted a similar proposal, also without images, and 3 million cards were mailed within the first three months. With the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in July 1870,

1805-457: A second murder during an unusual gathering. Also featuring are secretary Miss Whizzer and the rest of the Brimstone family, through which the detectives narrow down the culprit. The first seven episodes of Done to Death ended with the words "Only one thing was for certain. There would be very little sleep for anyone that night." Piggy and Charley's second serial begins when a frogman delivers

1900-543: A series of ads for Hertz car rentals in the 1980s. The show resurfaced in 1999 for a Two Ronnies Night . Ronnie Corbett also presented a Two Ronnies at the Movies special that same year. In 2000 A Tribute to the Two Ronnies was hosted by Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett themselves. In 2004, Barker announced that he and Corbett would return to make new episodes, entitled The Two Ronnies Sketchbook . This involved

1995-505: A showing of The Picnic and By the Sea . The BBC Archives retains all episodes of The Two Ronnies in their entirety that were originally transmitted. In April 2007 (18 months after Barker's death), 2 Entertain began releasing The Two Ronnies on DVD in Britain. Series One and Two, including a definitive collection of their Christmas specials with segments from Christmas Night with

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2090-547: A significant economic and cultural aspect of British seaside tourism. Sold by newsagents and street vendors, as well as by specialist souvenir shops, modern seaside postcards often feature multiple depictions of the resort in unusually favourable weather conditions. John Hinde used saturated colour and meticulously planned his photographs, which made his postcards of the later twentieth century become collected and admired as kitsch . Such cards are also respected as important documents of social history , and have been influential on

2185-449: A special postage rate of one cent. Private cards inspired Lipman's card were also produced concurrently with the U.S. government postal in 1873. The backs of these private cards contained the words "Correspondence Card", "Mail Card" or "Souvenir Card" and required two-cent postage if they were written upon. Cards showing images increased in number during the 1880s. Images of the newly built Eiffel Tower in 1889 and 1890 gave impetus to

2280-518: A squabbling upper-class family with a 1920s feel about them. The very first serial of The Two Ronnies was written by Barker, and began as a pastiche of costume dramas about a governess called Henrietta Beckett, played by Madeline Smith . Barker played a sex-starved aristocrat called Sir Geoffrey, and Corbett played his son Edward, but further into the serial, the Ronnies portrayed a wide variety of other characters, including pick-pockets and royals. At

2375-525: A way for the general public to keep in touch with their friends and family, and required little writing. Anytime there was a major event, a postcard photographer was there to document it (including celebrations, disasters, political movements, and even wars). Commemorating popular humor, entertainment, fashion, and many other aspects of daily life, they also shed light on transportation, sports, work, religion, and advertising. Cards were sent to convey news of death and birth, store purchases, and employment. As

2470-410: Is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard , typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope . Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. In some places, one can send a postcard for a lower fee than a letter . Stamp collectors distinguish between postcards (which require a postage stamp ) and postal cards (which have the postage pre-printed on them). While

2565-489: Is measured in centuries. Shakespeare incorporated many chase scenes and beatings into his comedies, such as in his play The Comedy of Errors . Punch and Judy made their first recorded appearance in Britain in 1662, when Samuel Pepys noted a "pretty" puppet play being performed in Covent Garden, London . The various episodes of Punch and Judy are dominated by the anarchic clowning of Mr. Punch. Satire has been

2660-528: Is renamed Barbara Castle and the Union Jack becomes the Union Jill. The watching of chauvinistic films is prohibited, so upset duo Janet and Betty prepare to escape to Wales. The last serial to include Piggy Malone and Charley Farley, in which an all-girls orchestra is sold into white slavery by a demented Chinaman. Elizabeth Larner plays Mrs Bumstead, who notices a mysterious blind man appearing on

2755-702: The London Palladium in 1971. In the audience was Bill Cotton , the Head of Light Entertainment for the BBC, and Paul Fox , the Controller of BBC1. Cotton was so impressed by the duo that he turned to Fox and asked: "How would you like those two on your network?" Unknown to the pair, the renewal of their contract had just been declined by London Weekend Television of rival network ITV , freeing them to change channels. Barker and Corbett were given their own show by

2850-548: The Post Office in 1870, and were printed with a stamp as part of the design, which was included in the price of purchase. These cards came in two sizes. The larger size was found to be slightly too large for ease of handling, and was soon withdrawn in favour of cards 13mm ( 1 ⁄ 2 inch) shorter. 75 million of these cards were sent within Britain during 1870. In 1973 the British Post Office introduced

2945-405: The "Anti-Shoddy Goods Committee"). Likewise, Corbett always had a discursive solo monologue in each show, when he sat in a chair, facing the camera, attempting to tell a simple joke, but constantly distracting himself into relating other humorous incidents. The joke itself was normally deliberately corny; the humour came from Corbett's wild tangents, as well as the anticlimax when he finally reached

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3040-547: The 1890s, and Chaplin and Laurel were among the young comedians who worked for him as part of "Fred Karno's Army". Radio comedy in Britain has been almost exclusively the preserve of the BBC . In the 1940s and 1950s, variety dominated the schedules, and popular series included It's That Man Again and Much Binding in the Marsh . In the 1950s, the BBC was running Hancock's Half Hour starring Tony Hancock . Hancock's Half Hour

3135-465: The 1960s series That Was The Week That Was , the 1980s series Not the Nine O'Clock News , and ITV 's puppet show Spitting Image . The show of the 1980s and early 1990s, Spitting Image , was a satire of politics, entertainment, sport, and British culture of the era, and at its peak, it was watched by 15 million people. British satire has also gone over into quiz shows ; popular examples include

3230-410: The BBC in 1978, The Two Ronnies became the BBC's flagship light entertainment programme, regularly gaining the top viewing figures in the critical Christmas Day audience battle. A memorable Radio Times cover for the extended Christmas issue in 1973 had both double acts appearing side by side. In 1986, a multi-part compilation series titled Twenty Years of the Two Ronnies was aired, which featured

3325-609: The BBC. The show was based on the complementary personalities of Barker and Corbett, who never became an exclusive pairing, but continued to work independently in television outside of the editions of the Two Ronnies . The show was produced annually between 1971 and 1987. It had many notable writers including Ray Alan , John Cleese , Barry Cryer , Spike Milligan , David Nobbs , David Renwick , Terry Ravenscroft, Eric Idle , John Sullivan , Michael Palin , Bryan Blackburn, Terry Jones , and Laurie Rowley . In addition, Barker used

3420-567: The Commander of the State Police in this spoof piece of dystopian fiction set in 2012 in which women rule England. Male and female gender roles are completely reversed, even down to men having women's names and vice versa. Men are housekeepers and wear women's clothes, and law and order is managed by female guards in boots and hot pants. Big Ben is renamed Big Brenda, the Tower of London

3515-705: The Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden introduce their own postals. Algeria, Chile, France and Russia did so in 1872, and were followed by France, Japan, Romania, Serbia, Spain and the United States between 1873 and 1874. Many of these postals included small images on the same side as the postage. Postcards began to be sent internationally after the first Congress of the General Postal Union , which met in Bern, Switzerland in October 1874. The Treaty of Bern

3610-496: The Nolan Sisters , Elton John , New World , Elaine Paige and Phil Collins , the last of whom also took part in a few sketches. The programme became one of the most successful and long running light entertainment shows on British television, broadcast in the prime-time slot of 8 p.m. on a Saturday night, and at its peak, was watched by 18.5 million viewers a show. Following the departure of Morecambe and Wise from

3705-1006: The Promulgation of Post Cards , and the Post Card Union sprang up to facilitate postcard exchanges, each having thousands of members. Postcard albums were commonly seen in Victorian parlors, and had a place of prominence in many middle and upper class households. Today, postcard collecting is still a popular and widespread hobby. The value of a postcard is mainly determined by the image illustrated on it. Other important factors for collectors can be countries, issuers, and authors. Online catalogs can be found on collector websites and clubs. These catalogs provide detailed information about each postcard alongside their picture. In addition, these websites include collection management tools, trading platforms, and forums to assist with discussions between collectors. The oldest continuously run club in

3800-529: The San Antonio post office processed more than 75,000 letters, of which they controlled 77 percent (and held 20 percent for the following week). Soldiers on the front developed strategies to circumvent censors. Some would go on "home leave" and take messages with them to post from a remote location. Those writing postcards in the field knew they were being censored, and deliberately held back controversial content and personal matters. Those writing home had

3895-924: The Stars , the Old-Fashioned Christmas Mystery and three other Christmas shows, were released on 30 April, 2 July and 29 October 2007. As of 24 September 2012, with the release of The Picnic , By the Sea and The One Ronnie as part of The Complete Collection , every single episode has now been released on DVD. The Two Ronnies were released in Region 4 (Australia) on the following dates: The Best of The Two Ronnies Volume 1 on 4 March 2002, The Best of The Two Ronnies Volume 2 on 17 March 2003, Series 1 on 4 July 2007, Series 2 (two discs) on 8 May 2008, Series 3 on 5 March 2009, Series 4 (two discs) on 4 August 2009, Series 5 on 4 March 2010 and Series 7 on 3 March 2011. The Two Ronnies in Australia

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3990-538: The United States Postal Service would only allow the delivery of postcards showing a back view of naked men from Britain if their posteriors were covered with a black bar. Early postcards often showcased photography of nude women. Illegal to produce in the United States, these were commonly known as French postcards , due to the large number of them produced in France. Other countries objected to

4085-487: The United States government changed the postage rate for private cards from two cents to one in May 1898. Spanning from approximately 1905 to 1915 in the United States, the golden age of postcards stemmed from a combination of social, economic, and governmental factors. Demand for postcards increased, government restrictions on production loosened, and technological advances (in photography, printing, and mass production) made

4180-554: The United States, which banned the publication of "obscene matter as well as its circulation in the mails". In 1908, §3893 was added to the Comstock Act, stating that the ban included material "tending to incite arson, murder, or assassination". Although this act did not explicitly ban lynching photographs or postcards, it banned the explicit racist texts and poems inscribed on certain prints. According to some, these texts were deemed "more incriminating" and caused their removal from

4275-506: The United States. They required less ink and had lower production standards than fine German cards. These were later replaced by "linen" postcards in the 1930s and 1940s, which used a printing process popularized by Curt Teich . Finally, the modern era of Photochrom (often shortened simply to "chrome") postcards began in 1939, and gained momentum around 1950. These glossy, colorful postcards are what we most commonly encounter today. Postcard sales dropped to around 25% of 1990s levels, with

4370-418: The acquisition of souvenir postcards from the world's fairs, which were produced specifically with the collector (souvenir hunter) in mind. Later, during the golden age of postcards, collecting became a mainstream craze. The frenzy of purchasing, mailing, and collecting postcards was often referred to as "postcarditis", with up to half purchased by collectors. Clubs such as The Jolly Jokers , The Society for

4465-445: The address, and the other side for the content, though commemorative picture postcards and private picture postcards also exist. In Japan today, two particular idiosyncratic postcard customs exist: New Year's Day postcards ( 年賀状 , nengajō ) and return postcard s ( 往復はがき , ōfuku-hagaki ) . New Year's Day postcards serve as greeting cards , similar to Western Christmas cards , while return postcards function similarly to

4560-401: The also Greek -logy , the study of). Cards with messages have been sporadically created and posted by individuals since the beginning of postal services. The earliest known picture postcard was a hand-painted design on card created by the writer Theodore Hook . Hook posted the card, which bears a penny black stamp, to himself in 1840 from Fulham (part of London). He probably did so as

4655-620: The arms of the Duchy of Brittany and the inscription "War of 1870. Camp Conlie. Souvenir of the National Defence. Army of Brittany" (in French). While these are certainly the first known picture postcards, there was no space for stamps and no evidence that they were ever posted without envelopes. In Germany, the bookdealer August Schwartz from Oldenburg is regarded as the inventor of the illustrated postcard. On July 16, 1870, he mailed

4750-432: The beginnings of alternative humour . Furthermore, there was more comedic parity between the show's two stars, with the diminutive Corbett less of a foil to Barker than Ernie Wise was to Eric Morecambe – they were clear comedic equals. Both Barker and Corbett had their own solo sections on each show. Barker would have his own heavily wordplay-based sketch, often as the head of a ridiculous-sounding organisation (for example,

4845-507: The boom possible. In addition, the expansion of Rural Free Delivery allowed mail to be delivered to more American households than ever before. Billions of postcards were mailed during the golden age, including nearly a billion per year in United States from 1905 to 1915, and 7 billion worldwide in 1905. Many postcards from this era were in fact never posted but directly acquired by collectors themselves. Despite years of incredible success, economic and government forces would ultimately spell

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4940-558: The context of making reservations at certain locations that only accept reservations by return postcard, notably at Saihō-ji (moss temple). For overseas purposes, an international reply coupon is used instead. In the State Standard of the Russian Federation "GOST 51507-99. Postal cards. Technical requirements. Methods of Control" (2000) gives the following definition: Post Card is a standard rectangular form of

5035-411: The cruise ship. Location filmed on board P&O SS Canberra cruise out of Southampton. This concluded The Two Ronnies' serials collection, as the last three series did not include any. Apart from Corbett and Barker, several actors from television appeared multiple times in the series, most notably John Owens and Claire Nielson , who appeared in twenty-one and seventeen episodes respectively throughout

5130-497: The early 1930s, cartoon-style saucy postcards became widespread, and at the peak of their popularity the sale of saucy postcards reached 16 million a year. They were often bawdy in nature, making use of innuendo and double entendres , and traditionally featured stereotypical characters such as vicars, large ladies, and put-upon husbands, in the same vein as the Carry On films. A notable artist of seaside postcards, often saucy,

5225-566: The end for our two heroes? What of Madame Cocotte? Is she in some bedroom somewhere, lying in wait with a silencer? Or lying in silence with a waiter? Find out next week in another exciting episode, Villa of Villainy ." Written by Spike Milligan and Ronnie Barker but credited as "Spike Milligan and a Gentleman". Set in Victorian times, it is a Jack the Ripper parody in which a mysterious figure goes around blowing raspberries at members of

5320-499: The end it is revealed to be just a dream when she wakes up in Hampton Wick Cottage Hospital after having an accident. Piggy Malone (Barker) and Charley Farley (Corbett) are private detectives who investigate a mystery about a murdered family, featuring Sue Lloyd as Blanche Brimstone. As soon as Piggy finds out about the murder in the newspaper, a decision's made that means a trip to the country, and there's

5415-546: The end of each show: Corbett: That's all we've got time for, so it's "Goodnight" from me. Barker: And it's "Goodnight" from him. Both: Goodnight! The show featured comic sketches in which Barker and Corbett appeared both together and separately, with various additions giving the programme the feeling of a variety show. The sketches often involved complex word-play, much of it written by Barker, who also liked to parody officialdom and establishment figures, as well as eccentrics. Corbett appeared quieter, more often acting as

5510-764: The end of the golden age. The peak came sometime between 1907 and 1910 for the United States. In 1909, American publishers successfully lobbied to place tariffs on high quality German imports with the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act . The effects of tariffs really started to make a large impact, and escalating hostilities in Europe made it difficult to import cards and ink into the United States. The fad may have also simply run its natural course. The war disrupted production efforts in Europe, although postcard production did not entirely stop. Cards were still useful for propaganda, and for boosting troop morale. After

5605-477: The enemy or approved of atrocities. For example, German censors prevented postcards with hostile slogans such as " Jeder Stoß ein Franzos " ("Every hit a Frenchman") among others. Postcards document the natural landscape as well as the built environment—buildings, gardens, parks, cemeteries, and tourist sites. They provide snapshots of societies at a time when few newspapers carried images. Postcards provided

5700-615: The enthusiasm with which the new medium was embraced) raised some legal issues. Picture postcards allowed and encouraged many individuals to send images across national borders, and the legal availability of a postcard image in one country did not guarantee that the card would be considered "proper" in the destination country, or in the intermediate countries that the card would have to pass through. Some countries might refuse to handle postcards containing sexual references (in seaside postcards) or images of full or partial nudity (for instance, in images of classical statuary or paintings). For example,

5795-528: The first UK picture card was published by ETW Dennis of Scarborough . Two postmarked examples of the September 1894 ETW Dennis card have survived but no cards of Stewarts dated 1894 have been found. Early postcards were pictures of landmarks, scenic views, photographs or drawings of celebrities and so on. With steam locomotives providing fast and affordable travel, the seaside became a popular tourist destination, and generated its own souvenir-industry. In

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5890-491: The first mainstream clown, Joseph Grimaldi , while comedy routines also featured heavily in British music hall theatre which became popular in the 1850s. British comedians who honed their skills at pantomime and music hall sketches include Charlie Chaplin , Stan Laurel , George Formby , and Dan Leno . The English music hall comedian and theatre impresario Fred Karno developed a form of sketch comedy without dialogue in

5985-607: The government of the North German Confederation decided to take the advice of Austrian Emanuel Herrmann and issued postals for soldiers to inexpensively send home from the field. The period from 1870 to 1874 saw a great number of countries begin the issuance of postals. In 1870, the North German Confederation was joined by Baden, Bavaria, Great Britain, Luxembourg and Switzerland. The year 1871 saw Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland,

6080-409: The government to censor the press through the use of fines, and later any criticism of the government, army, or sale of war bonds. The Espionage Act laid the groundwork for the establishment of a Central Censorship Board which oversaw censorship of communications including cable and mail. Postal control was eventually introduced in all of the armies, to find the disclosure of military secrets and test

6175-521: The growing popularity of social media around 2007, resulting in closure of long-established printers such as J Salmon Ltd in 2017. In July 1879, the Post Office of India introduced a quarter anna postcard that could be posted from one place to another within British India . This was the cheapest form of post provided to the Indian people to date and proved a huge success. The establishment of

6270-581: The inappropriate use of religious imagery. The Ottoman Empire banned the sale or importation of some materials relating to the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 1900. Affected postcards that were successfully sent through the Ottoman Empire before this date (and are postmarked accordingly) have a high rarity value and are considered valuable by collectors. In 1873, the Comstock Act was passed in

6365-414: The kitchen and get me a glass of water.' It became a tradition of the shows to have a continuing serial story which progressed through the eight episodes of a series. These were often fairly bawdy tales with special guest stars. The Two Ronnies also starred in two spin-off silent films labelled The Two Ronnies Present... , By the Sea and The Picnic , written by Barker, mainly silent comedies featuring

6460-420: The mail instead of the photograph itself because the text made "too explicit what was always implicit in lynchings". Some towns imposed " self-censorship " on lynching photographs, but section 3893 was the first step towards a national censorship . Despite the amendment, the distribution of lynching photographs and postcards continued. Though they were not sold openly, the censorship was bypassed when people sent

6555-466: The making of the series. Ronnie Barker did not appear, but excerpts from an interview he gave in 1997 were included. In 2012, full shows of The Two Ronnies were repeated on ITV3 and Gold . Over Christmas 2006, the ITV3 channel devoted three days to the show, interspersed with Ronnie Corbett's reminiscences of the show and Ronnie Barker. On 28 May 2007 many more episodes new to ITV3 were broadcast as well

6650-603: The material in envelopes or mail wrappers. Censorship played an important role in the First World War. Each country involved utilized some form of censorship. This was a way to sustain an atmosphere of ignorance and give propaganda a chance to succeed. In response to the war, the United States Congress passed the Espionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act of 1918 . These gave broad powers to

6745-740: The morale of soldiers. In Allied countries , civilians were also subjected to censorship. French censorship was modest and more targeted compared to the sweeping efforts made by the British and Americans. In Great Britain, all mail was sent to censorship offices in London or Liverpool. The United States sent mail to several centralized post offices as directed by the Central Censorship Board. American censors would only open mail related to Spain, Latin America or Asia—as their British allies were handling other countries. In one week alone,

6840-433: The news quiz Have I Got News for You , 8 out of 10 cats , and Shooting Stars . In the 1980s, alternative comedy was spearheaded by Ben Elton and The Comic Strip group, which included Alexei Sayle , Rik Mayall , and French and Saunders . The 1990s and 2000s also have those that have used editing , surreal humour , and cultural references to great effect. Seaside postcard A postcard or post card

6935-418: The pair picking some of their classic sketches. It was followed by Twenty One Years of the Two Ronnies in 1987 and Twenty Two Years of the Two Ronnies in 1988. The pair made no new shows after Christmas 1987 , following Barker's decision to retire from show business. This was unknown to the audience and even the production team – the only person Barker told was Corbett, and they and their wives all went for

7030-497: The postcard, leading to the so-called "golden age" of the picture postcard. This golden age began slightly earlier in Europe than the United States, likely due to a depression in the 1890s . Still, the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 excited many attendees with its line of "Official Souvenir" postals, which popularized the idea of picture postcards. The stage was now set for private postcard industry to boom, which it did once

7125-469: The postcards in these collections are digitized Efforts are continuously being made by professionals in these fields to digitize these materials to make them more widely accessible to the public. For those interested, there are already several large collections viewable online. Some large digital collections of postcards include: It is likely that postcard collecting first began as soon as postcards were mailed. One could argue that actual collecting began with

7220-418: The pseudonym Gerald Wiley when writing sketches. Barker and Corbett would often structure each show themselves, alongside scriptwriters Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent. The main theme music for the show was composed by Ronnie Hazlehurst . Although opening and closing credits appear to use different themes, they are respectively the first & third sections of a longer piece. Another track associated with

7315-404: The punchline. An example of Ronnie Corbett's humour is this short excerpt from a monologue: I was lying in bed with my wife last Sunday morning when she called me by a special pet name she has for me, a loving and endearing term that only she uses. 'Hey Shorty' she said, 'would you like to hear the patter of little feet?' Somewhat taken aback, I replied 'Yes, I would.' She said 'Good. Run down to

7410-621: The series gathered more popularity, the sketches began to feature more famous and well-known British actors, including John Cleese , Patrick Troughton , Stratford Johns , Joan Sims , Patricia Routledge , Jenny Agutter and Lynda Baron , Ronnie Barker's co-star in Open All Hours . Before achieving fame in the sitcom Hi-de-Hi! , Barry Howard appeared in several early episodes as an uncredited extra. Other actors who appeared as extras before their rise to fame include Andrée Bernard and John Scott Martin . Another regular feature of

7505-496: The series. Other frequent performers include April Walker , John Rutland, Michael Redfern , Jenny Logan , Alec Bregonzi , Carol Hawkins , Dilys Watling , Joyce Windsor , Julia McKenzie , Barbara New , Ian Gray, Johnnie Wade , Patricia Brake (who starred with Barker in the sitcom Porridge , which aired at the same time as the series), Josephine Tewson , Noel Dyson and Vicki Michelle . The Fred Tomlinson Singers appeared as background singers in twenty-five episodes. As

7600-465: The show is the stock track The Detectives by Alan Tew (also known as the theme to 1975 Yorkshire TV series The Hanged Man ). This was used for the Charlie Farley & Piggy Malone story Stop You're Killing Me . The Two Ronnies always opened and closed at the newsdesk, which featured the Ronnies as newsreaders, reading spoof news items. This gave rise to the famous catchphrase at

7695-552: The shows was an elaborate musical finale in which Barker and Corbett – often in drag – and company would sing a medley of songs in character, in barbershop , music hall , Gilbert and Sullivan or other styles, with the original words altered to suit whatever comic situation they were portraying. In the middle of the show, there would also be a cabaret musician or group appearing as a special guest, including Samantha Jones , Dana , Elkie Brooks , Manhattan Transfer , Pan's People , Michel Legrand , Barbara Dickson , Tina Charles ,

7790-556: The time the President of the United States. The second sketch was in Series 4 (1982) and controversially parodied them as "The Two Ninnies", a pastiche of their opening routine and a musical routine, using exaggerated innuendo, e.g. "Oh vagina, oh vagina, over Chinatown !" Barker in particular was quite offended by this sketch, while Corbett was reportedly amused by it. The latter sketch was written by John Lloyd and Nigel Planer , and

7885-533: The two sitting at the newsdesk introducing their classic sketches. A Christmas special was recorded in July 2005 due to Barker's failing health. Whilst the Sketchbook series was transmitted, The Two Ronnies was also the subject of an episode of the BBC documentary Comedy Connections . Ronnie Corbett, producers James Gilbert , Terry Hughes and Michael Hurll , as well as writers Ian Davidson , Peter Vincent, David Renwick and Barry Cryer , all spoke about

7980-579: The upper classes. The raspberries were done by Barker's friend David Jason . This entire section of sketches was included in Milligan's book "I Told You I Was Ill". Piggy and Charley return as Devon 's yokels are murdered and dumped in London, with support from Kate O'Mara as the gypsy temptress, Lucy Lee. This is not so much a serial, but a series of sketches with the same characters that spanned series 7. Sid and George enjoy pints whilst discussing their wives Lily and Edie. Diana Dors guest-starred as

8075-444: The war, the production of postcards continued, albeit in different styles than before. Demand for postcards decreased, especially as telephone usage grew. There was still a need for postcards, which would be dubbed the "poor man's telephone". As tastes changed, publishers began focusing on scenic views, humor, and fashion. "White border" cards, which existed prior to the war, were produced in greater numbers from roughly 1915 to 1930 in

8170-543: The work of Martin Parr . The United States Postal Service defines a postcard as: rectangular, at least 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (88.9 mm) high × 5 inches (127 mm) long × 0.007 inches (0.178 mm) thick and no more than 4 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (108 mm) high × 6 inches (152.4 mm) long × 0.016 inches (0.406 mm) thick. However, some postcards have deviated from this (for example, shaped postcards). The initial appearance of picture postcards (and

8265-591: The writer of the song was Peter Brewis , who also wrote songs for The Two Ronnies . The show is also briefly parodied in The Fast Show during a segment of a 'chanel 9' sketch set during a BAFTA style award ceremony. One of the nominations are 'The Twelve Ronnies', and a camera pans across a group of men dressed up to look like Corbett and Barker as they utter their famous 'it's goodbye from me' line in Chanel 9's nonsense language. Barker and Corbett also made

8360-614: Was created in 1861 by John P. Charlton of Philadelphia , who patented a private postal card, and sold the rights to Hymen Lipman , whose postcards, complete with a decorated border, were marketed as "Lipman's Postal Card". These cards had no images. While the United States government allowed privately printed cards as early as February 1861, they saw little use until 1870, when experiments were done on their commercial viability. A Prussian postal official, Heinrich von Stephan , first proposed an "open post-sheet" made of stiff paper in 1865. He proposed that one side would be reserved for

8455-460: Was followed by another series in 1986 with six episodes. These episodes contain many of the original sketches done for the BBC, but reworked for an Australian audience. The show was parodied twice by the Not the Nine O'Clock News team, with Mel Smith as Barker and Griff Rhys Jones as Corbett. The first sketch was in Series 3 (1980) called "The Three Ronnies", including footage of Ronald Reagan , at

8550-468: Was later transferred to television. One of the notable radio shows was the double entendre -laden Round the Horne (1965–1968), a sequel to the earlier series Beyond Our Ken , which ran from 1959 to 1964. Later radio shows made use of the panel game format, including the long-running Just a Minute (1967–), I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (1972–), and The News Quiz (1977–), which often broadcast

8645-472: Was ratified in the United States in 1875. The first known printed picture postcard, with an image on one side, was created in France in 1870 at Camp Conlie by Léon Besnardeau (1829–1914). Conlie was a training camp for soldiers in the Franco-Prussian War . The cards had a lithographed design printed on them containing emblematic images of piles of armaments on either side of a scroll topped by

8740-500: Was released on 28 June 2008 with all-region coding. British comedy "[Pulcinella] went down particularly well with Restoration British audiences, fun-starved after years of Puritanism . We soon changed Punch's name, transformed him from a marionette to a hand puppet, and he became, really, a spirit of Britain - a subversive maverick who defies authority, a kind of puppet equivalent to our political cartoons." — Punch and Judy showman Glyn Edwards British comedy history

8835-500: Was serving drinks between acting jobs. At the time, Barker was beginning to establish himself as a character actor in the West End and on radio. They were invited by David Frost to appear in his new show, The Frost Report , with John Cleese , but the pair's big break came when they filled in, unprepared and unscripted, for eleven minutes during a technical hitch at a British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards ceremony at

8930-537: Was the illustrator Thomas Henry , most known for his portrayal of William Brown in the Just William book series by Richmal Crompton . He started drawing postcards as early as 1913, continuing well into the 1950s. In the early 1950s, the newly elected Conservative government were concerned at the apparent deterioration of morals in the UK and decided on a crackdown on these postcards. The main target of their campaign

9025-486: Was the postcard artist Donald McGill . In the more liberal 1960s, the saucy postcard was revived and later came to be considered, by some, as an art form. Original postcards are now highly sought after, and rare examples can command high prices at auction. The best-known saucy seaside postcards were produced by the publishing company Bamforths of Holmfirth , West Yorkshire . Despite the decline in popularity of postcards that are overtly "saucy", postcards continue to be

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