A Scare at Bedtime
Encyclopedia
A Scare at Bedtime was an Irish television show, produced by Double Z Enterprises and broadcast by RTÉ, featuring the two puppets Podge and Rodge
as the hosts of a spooky tales and urban myths comedy show. It ran from 1997 until January 2006.
A Scare at Bedtime was originally commissioned by RTÉ
to fill a ten minute gap that was left before the 23:00 News
due to the short running times of American shows that preceded it. This show took its name from the nightly RTÉ
1 show called A Prayer at Bedtime, which overlaid the text of a Roman Catholic prayer over serene images with choral music playing. A Scare at Bedtime, first aired in 1997, is close to being the polar opposite of this, with extremely adult content, lewd jokes and slightly obscene anecdotes being related by the two puppets and 'Tales of Caution' acted out in live action segments. Podge's origins on The Den
is ignored, as the backstory gradually established on A Scare at Bedtime, presents Podge and his identical twin brother Rodge to be both in their sixties, and living in Ballydung Manor, a converted insane asylum for most of that time, with a lunatic nurse that they call "Granny" who practices the dark arts (since she is dating Satan, whom they refer to as the "quare fella" throughout the series) . They were also then given full names also: Padraig Judas O'Leprocy and Rodraig Spartacus O'Leprocy.
Each episode follows the same pattern: Rodge, the dumber of the two, arrives home. Originally the pair would get into bed but in later seasons they sat at the kitchen table. They talk about what Rodge was doing, with Podge usually insulting him. This leads Podge on to telling a story (acted out by live actors) about some people (whose names are usually sexual innuendos, e.g. Chris Peacock, Ulick McGee, Neil Down, Mickey Scratcher and Inspector Bush) who inevitably come to an unpleasant end. Rodge interrupts the story with stupid comments and/or reference to masturbation
. It ends with Podge punishing Rodge for no reason.
Podge and Rodge
have mimicked Irish folk duo Foster and Allen. The characters are called "Fester and Ailin'" and were seen on An Audience with Podge & Rodge satirically arguing with Foster and Allen, with each claiming the other copied their act. Fester states: "Ailin' here came out of the womb with that accordion on him". Fester and Ailin' also claim that Foster and Allen's song "Bunch of Thyme" was in fact a stolen copy of their original work "Bunch of Lesbians". Fester and Ailin's songs featured in the series included "Tropical Diseases", "The Monkey Song" and "Doing the Wife's Sisters on the Sly" as well as the classic yuletide number "There's a Dead Man Up The Chimney".
The show has run for nine series as of January 2006. The programme has aired in both the UK and Ireland on RTÉ Two
, Tara TV, UK Play and the Paramount Comedy Channel. A Scare at Bedtime was nominated in the Best Entertainment Programme category of the Irish Film and television Academy Awards in both 1999 and 2000. Winning the IFTA
for Best Entertainment Programme in 2000.
'A Scare at Bedtime Collection' is an eight disc DVD box set of all nine seasons of 150 episodes (including fifty never for sale before) that is scheduled for release to coincide with Halloween 2010.
An Audience with Podge & Rodge: An hour long precursor to The Podge and Rodge Show
was broadcast on RTÉ 2 on 26 December 2005 with guests Ray D'Arcy
and Amanda Brunker
. Music from Ding Dong Denny O'Reilly and VT inserts from various Irish personalities including Gerry Ryan
, Nell McCafferty
, Foster and Allen, PJ Gallagher
, Mary Black
with their memories and opinions of Podge and Rodge. There were also clips from A Scare at Bedtime. The show was filmed in front of a studio audience of skeletons and one man and his dog.
:
Podge and Rodge
Pádraig Judas O'Leprosy and Rodraig Spartacus O'Leprosy are the two central characters on A Scare at Bedtime, an Irish adult comedy televised puppet show. Created and performed by Ciaran Morrison and Mick O'Hara, more recently, the brothers have presented The Podge and Rodge Show, a chat show in...
as the hosts of a spooky tales and urban myths comedy show. It ran from 1997 until January 2006.
A Scare at Bedtime was originally commissioned by RTÉ
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
to fill a ten minute gap that was left before the 23:00 News
News
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
due to the short running times of American shows that preceded it. This show took its name from the nightly RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
1 show called A Prayer at Bedtime, which overlaid the text of a Roman Catholic prayer over serene images with choral music playing. A Scare at Bedtime, first aired in 1997, is close to being the polar opposite of this, with extremely adult content, lewd jokes and slightly obscene anecdotes being related by the two puppets and 'Tales of Caution' acted out in live action segments. Podge's origins on The Den
The Den (television)
The Den was the brand of the children's television strand on Irish public broadcaster RTÉ Two. It first broadcast on 29 September 1986 on RTÉ One, before moving to RTÉ Two in September 1988. The strand began to diversify throughout the late 1990s and the 2000s...
is ignored, as the backstory gradually established on A Scare at Bedtime, presents Podge and his identical twin brother Rodge to be both in their sixties, and living in Ballydung Manor, a converted insane asylum for most of that time, with a lunatic nurse that they call "Granny" who practices the dark arts (since she is dating Satan, whom they refer to as the "quare fella" throughout the series) . They were also then given full names also: Padraig Judas O'Leprocy and Rodraig Spartacus O'Leprocy.
Each episode follows the same pattern: Rodge, the dumber of the two, arrives home. Originally the pair would get into bed but in later seasons they sat at the kitchen table. They talk about what Rodge was doing, with Podge usually insulting him. This leads Podge on to telling a story (acted out by live actors) about some people (whose names are usually sexual innuendos, e.g. Chris Peacock, Ulick McGee, Neil Down, Mickey Scratcher and Inspector Bush) who inevitably come to an unpleasant end. Rodge interrupts the story with stupid comments and/or reference to masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
. It ends with Podge punishing Rodge for no reason.
Podge and Rodge
Podge and Rodge
Pádraig Judas O'Leprosy and Rodraig Spartacus O'Leprosy are the two central characters on A Scare at Bedtime, an Irish adult comedy televised puppet show. Created and performed by Ciaran Morrison and Mick O'Hara, more recently, the brothers have presented The Podge and Rodge Show, a chat show in...
have mimicked Irish folk duo Foster and Allen. The characters are called "Fester and Ailin'" and were seen on An Audience with Podge & Rodge satirically arguing with Foster and Allen, with each claiming the other copied their act. Fester states: "Ailin' here came out of the womb with that accordion on him". Fester and Ailin' also claim that Foster and Allen's song "Bunch of Thyme" was in fact a stolen copy of their original work "Bunch of Lesbians". Fester and Ailin's songs featured in the series included "Tropical Diseases", "The Monkey Song" and "Doing the Wife's Sisters on the Sly" as well as the classic yuletide number "There's a Dead Man Up The Chimney".
The show has run for nine series as of January 2006. The programme has aired in both the UK and Ireland on RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
, Tara TV, UK Play and the Paramount Comedy Channel. A Scare at Bedtime was nominated in the Best Entertainment Programme category of the Irish Film and television Academy Awards in both 1999 and 2000. Winning the IFTA
IFTA
IFTA may refer to:*Ifta, a German municipality*International Federation of Technical Analysts*Independent Film & Television Alliance*International Fuel Tax Agreement*Irish Film and Television Awards*The Internet Tax Freedom Act...
for Best Entertainment Programme in 2000.
'A Scare at Bedtime Collection' is an eight disc DVD box set of all nine seasons of 150 episodes (including fifty never for sale before) that is scheduled for release to coincide with Halloween 2010.
TV Specials
Podge & Rodge's Christmas Log: A half hour Christmas Special featuring clips from the series broadcast on RTÉ 2 in December 2002.An Audience with Podge & Rodge: An hour long precursor to The Podge and Rodge Show
The Podge and Rodge Show
The Podge and Rodge Show is an Irish chat show, broadcast and produced by RTÉ, featuring the popular Podge and Rodge as hosts...
was broadcast on RTÉ 2 on 26 December 2005 with guests Ray D'Arcy
Ray D'Arcy
Raymond 'Ray' D'Arcy is an Irish television and radio presenter. He currently presents a weekday morning radio programme, The Ray D'Arcy Show, on Today FM...
and Amanda Brunker
Amanda Brunker
Amanda Brunker is a novelist, journalist/columnist with the Irish Sunday World newspaper, and former Miss Ireland....
. Music from Ding Dong Denny O'Reilly and VT inserts from various Irish personalities including Gerry Ryan
Gerry Ryan
Gerard "Gerry" Ryan was an Irish presenter of radio and television employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann...
, Nell McCafferty
Nell McCafferty
Nell McCafferty is an Irish journalist, playwright, civil rights campaigner and feminist. In her journalistic work she has written for The Irish Press, The Irish Times, Sunday Tribune, Hot Press and The Village Voice....
, Foster and Allen, PJ Gallagher
PJ Gallagher
PJ Gallagher is an Irish stand-up comedian, perhaps better known for his television show Naked Camera. His various characters in the programme include a mentally unstable taxi driver, ladies man Jake Stevens and a "Dirty Auld One", an old woman who makes sexual comments. PJ's performances on T.V...
, Mary Black
Mary Black
Mary Black is an Irish singer. She is well known as an interpreter of both folk and contemporary material which has made her a major recording artist in her native Ireland, and in many other parts of the world....
with their memories and opinions of Podge and Rodge. There were also clips from A Scare at Bedtime. The show was filmed in front of a studio audience of skeletons and one man and his dog.
Awards
Irish Film and Television Academy AwardsIFTA
IFTA may refer to:*Ifta, a German municipality*International Federation of Technical Analysts*Independent Film & Television Alliance*International Fuel Tax Agreement*Irish Film and Television Awards*The Internet Tax Freedom Act...
:
- Best Entertainment Show - 1999 Nomination
- Best Entertainment Show - 2000 WON
DVD releases
| DVD Name | Release Date | Ep # | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series One | 2003 | 20 | Non - broadcast pilot, Outrageous Outtakes |
| Series Two | 2004 | 20 | Uncensored version of 'Phone Home', Promotional Ads, Fester 'n' Ailin's crappy Jukebox, Outrageous Outtakes, Hidden Easter Eggs |
| Series Three | 2005 | 20 | More Outrageous Outtakes, Spunky ' the smoking' Monkey Easter Egg, Fester 'n' Ailin's crappy jukebox Version 2.0 |
| Series One and Two boxset | 2005 | 40 | Non - broadcast pilot, Outrageous Outtakes, Uncensored version of 'Phone Home', Promotional Ads, Fester 'n' Ailin's crappy Jukebox, More Outrageous Outtakes, Hidden Easter Eggs |
| Series Four and Five boxset | May 4, 2007 | 40 | Outrageous Outtakes, Commentaries, Hidden Easter Eggs |
| A Scare at Bedtime Complete | Oct 15, 2010 | 150 | This eight disc boxset will contain the complete Nine Series of 150 'Scares' (including 50 never before released), a range of extras all in a special box set |