It's That Man Again (ITMA) was a radio comedy programme that was broadcast by the BBC for twelve series from 1939 to 1949, featuring Tommy Handley in the central role. ITMA was a character-driven comedy whose satirical targets included officialdom and the proliferation of minor wartime regulations. Parts of the scripts were rewritten in the hours before the broadcast, to ensure topicality. ITMA was an important contributor to British morale during the war, with its cheerful take on the day-to-day preoccupations of the public, but its detailed topicality—one of its greatest attractions at the time—has prevented it from wearing well on repeated hearing. Handley died during the twelfth series, the remaining programmes of which were immediately cancelled: ITMA could not work without him, and no further series were commissioned. ITMA's innovative structure was successfully continued in comedy shows of the 1950s and 1960s, such as Take It from Here, The Goon Show and Round the Horne.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_That_Man_Again
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1913:
At a ceremony at Kurrajong Hill, Lady Denman, wife of Governor- General Lord Denman, announced that Canberra would be the name of the future capital of Australia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canberra
1930:
Mahatma Gandhi (pictured with Sarojini Naidu) began the Salt March, a 24-day nonviolent walk to defy the British salt tax in colonial India. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_March
1934:
Supported by the Estonian army, Konstantin Päts staged a coup d'état, beginning the Era of Silence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konstantin_P%C3%A4ts
2014:
A gas leak caused an explosion in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City, destroying two apartment buildings and causing eight deaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_East_Harlem_gas_explosion
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
high jinks: 1. (Scotland, games, historical) An old Scottish parlour game in which people were chosen, usually by throwing dice, to perform some humorous act or drink a large amount of an alcoholic beverage, with a forfeit if they were unable to do so. 2. (by extension) 3. Boisterous activity or behaviour; lively fun. 4. Tricky or waggish behaviour; mischief. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/high_jinks
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
A play is fiction — and fiction is fact distilled into truth. --Edward Albee https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edward_Albee