Brian Conley: This Way Up
Encyclopedia
Brian Conley: This Way Up was a sketch comedy
show starring Brian Conley
. It began broadcasting on 20 May 1989 on ITV
in the UK, and ran every Saturday evening until being moved to Friday evenings by its second series in 1990. This Way Up relied heavily on sketches rather than musical performances, though intervals of stand-up from Conley were featured.
The show was the predecessor to the much more popular The Brian Conley Show
, which included more stand-up and musical performances. Brian's popular sketch character, Nick Frisbee, along with his sidekick Larry The Loafer, made their debut on this show, but never gained popularity until The Brian Conley Show. Most sketches featured one-off characters, therefore allowing the show to offer much more variety, but recurring characters included Chico and his gang, and the lonely and gormless Albert Bonnet. Some material from the show was re-used for The Brian Conley Show.
Its final show ended with Brian saying "See you next year". Although a third series was never produced in 1991, The Brian Conley Show started the following year. In the end, thirteen episodes were produced. Ironically, Brian's final act was a song about bad luck throughout the series.
The show led Conley to be named the freshest face on ITV, and he was awarded the "Most Promising Artiste" title at the 1991 Variety Club Awards.
During the late 1990s, the show was repeated regularly on satellite channel Granada Plus
.
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
show starring Brian Conley
Brian Conley
Brian Conley is an English comedian, television presenter, singer and actor. At the peak of his television career, he was the highest-paid male television personality in the UK. Outside of television, he is best known for his frequent portrayals of Buttons in pantomime versions of...
. It began broadcasting on 20 May 1989 on ITV
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
in the UK, and ran every Saturday evening until being moved to Friday evenings by its second series in 1990. This Way Up relied heavily on sketches rather than musical performances, though intervals of stand-up from Conley were featured.
The show was the predecessor to the much more popular The Brian Conley Show
The Brian Conley Show
The Brian Conley Show was a comedy variety show starring Brian Conley, consisting of comedy sketches, and music. The show was commissioned following Conley's last successful comedy series, Brian Conley: This Way Up...
, which included more stand-up and musical performances. Brian's popular sketch character, Nick Frisbee, along with his sidekick Larry The Loafer, made their debut on this show, but never gained popularity until The Brian Conley Show. Most sketches featured one-off characters, therefore allowing the show to offer much more variety, but recurring characters included Chico and his gang, and the lonely and gormless Albert Bonnet. Some material from the show was re-used for The Brian Conley Show.
Its final show ended with Brian saying "See you next year". Although a third series was never produced in 1991, The Brian Conley Show started the following year. In the end, thirteen episodes were produced. Ironically, Brian's final act was a song about bad luck throughout the series.
The show led Conley to be named the freshest face on ITV, and he was awarded the "Most Promising Artiste" title at the 1991 Variety Club Awards.
During the late 1990s, the show was repeated regularly on satellite channel Granada Plus
Granada Plus
Plus was a digital channel run by Granada Sky Broadcasting. It was launched on 1 October 1996 under the original name of Granada Plus, and during its availability it underwent successive rebrands as G Plus, G+ and then simply Plus. However, it remained widely referred to by the public at large by...
.