Hat Trick Productions
Encyclopedia
Hat Trick Productions is a British
independent production company
that produces television programmes, mainly specialising in comedy
.
, Jimmy Mulville
and Denise O'Donohue
. Its first commission was Chelmsford 123
, a situation comedy
for Channel 4
. Two years later, Geoffrey Perkins
became company director, and helped to produce shows such as Father Ted
, Whose Line Is It Anyway?
and Have I Got News for You
. McGrath was sacked from the company in 1992, for allegedly "not pulling his weight". Perkins left the organisation in 1995, to become head of comedy for BBC Television
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
independent production company
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
that produces television programmes, mainly specialising in comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
.
History
Hat Trick Productions was founded in 1986 by Rory McGrathRory McGrath
Patrick Rory McGrath is an English comedian and writer. He is best known for roles in Who Dares Wins, Chelmsford 123, Three Men in a Boat and its successors. He was also a regular panellist on They Think It's All Over....
, Jimmy Mulville
Jimmy Mulville
James Thomas "Jimmy" Mulville is an English comedian, comedy writer, producer and television presenter. Jimmy Mulville is best known for co-founding in 1986 the British independent television production company Hat Trick Productions with Denise O'Donoghue and Rory McGrath...
and Denise O'Donohue
Denise O'Donohue
Denise O'Donoghue OBE is a British television production company executive. She graduated in 1979 with a BA in Politics from University of York....
. Its first commission was Chelmsford 123
Chelmsford 123
Chelmsford 123 is a British television situation comedy produced for Channel 4 by Hat Trick Productions. It ran for two series, of six and seven episodes, in 1988 and 1990....
, a situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. Two years later, Geoffrey Perkins
Geoffrey Perkins
Geoffrey Howard Perkins was a comedy producer, writer and performer, and an important figure in British comedy broadcasting. This was recognised in December 2008 when he was awarded with an Outstanding Contribution to Comedy Award...
became company director, and helped to produce shows such as Father Ted
Father Ted
Father Ted is a comedy series set in Ireland that was produced by Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan and starring a predominantly Irish cast, it originally aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May...
, Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Whose Line Is It Anyway? is a short-form improvisational comedy TV show. Originally a British radio programme, it moved to television in 1988 as a series made for the UK's Channel 4, for a 10 series run...
and Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
. McGrath was sacked from the company in 1992, for allegedly "not pulling his weight". Perkins left the organisation in 1995, to become head of comedy for BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
.
Current programmes
- EpisodesEpisodes (TV series)Episodes is a British/American television sitcom serial created by David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik and produced by Hat Trick Productions. It premiered on Showtime on January 9, 2011 at 9:30 pm and began airing on BBC Two on 10 January 2011 at 10 pm...
- FacejackerFacejackerFacejacker is a Channel 4 comedy series which started on 16 April 2010. It follows the similar show Fonejacker. Kayvan Novak adopts various disguises , including several characters heard in Fonejacker...
- Have I Got News for YouHave I Got News for YouHave I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
- It's Only a TheoryIt's Only a TheoryIt's Only a Theory is a British television panel game show, first aired on BBC Four in 2009. It was conceived by and starred Andy Hamilton and featured Reginald D. Hunter as a regular panelist...
- Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of FireKröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of FireKröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire is a British-American comedic sword and sorcery series created by Peter A. Knight, co-produced by Hat Trick Productions and Media Rights Capital for Comedy Central and BBC Two, which premiered on April 9, 2009 in the USA and on June 11 in the UK. It began...
- OutnumberedOutnumberedOutnumbered is a British sitcom. Airing on BBC One since 2007, it stars Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner as a father and mother outnumbered by their three children...
- Room 101Room 101 (TV series)Room 101 is a BBC comedy television series based on the radio series of the same name, in which celebrities were invited to discuss their pet hates and persuade the host to consign them to a fate worse than death in Room 101, named after the torture room in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, which is...
- The Armstrong and Miller ShowThe Armstrong and Miller ShowThe Armstrong and Miller Show is a British sketch comedy television show produced by Hat Trick Productions for BBC One. It features the double act Armstrong and Miller and a number of notable scriptwriters including Andy Hamilton and The League of Gentlemen's Jeremy Dyson.The series followed four...
- The BubbleThe Bubble (UK TV series)-Further reading:*...
- What Are You Looking At?What Are You Looking At?What Are You Looking At? is a forthcoming BBC comedy show, hosted by Jimmy Carr and produced by Hat Trick Productions. It is a clip show looking back at the week's television. A pilot was recorded starring Carr and the BBC plans to make a full series. However, the programme has already been...
- SpySpy (2011 TV series)Spy is a British television comedy series created and written by Simeon Goulden. It is one of the few new television comedy series that has been comissioned and aired on a digital only channel Sky1.-Premise:...
Former programmes
- BodiesBodies (TV series)Bodies is a BAFTA-nominated British television medical drama produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. Created by Jed Mercurio, the series began in 2004 and is based on his book Bodies. The first series debuted on BBC Three as the channel at this time was trying to break out into hour-long...
- Bike Squad
- Bromwell HighBromwell HighBromwell High is an animated series about a British high school in South London. It first aired on Teletoon in Canada and Channel 4 in the UK . It is a co-production between Hat Trick Productions in the UK and DHX Media in Canada. According to the Website , it was originally to be entitled...
- ChartjackersChartjackersChartjackers is a British documentary series, produced by Hat Trick Productions and commissioned by BBC Switch. It premièred in the United Kingdom on 12 September 2009 on BBC Two...
- Chelmsford 123Chelmsford 123Chelmsford 123 is a British television situation comedy produced for Channel 4 by Hat Trick Productions. It ran for two series, of six and seven episodes, in 1988 and 1990....
- Drop the Dead DonkeyDrop the Dead Donkey- Major characters :* Gus Hedges — The unctuous Chief Executive of the company, and yes-man to Sir Roysten Merchant. A management stereotype, complete with clichés and clumsy metaphors, he swiftly transforms GlobeLink from a serious news network to a ratings-chasing tabloid channel...
- Fairy TalesFairy Tales (TV series)Fairy Tales is a British television drama anthology series produced by Hat Trick Productions for BBC Northern Ireland and broadcast on BBC One. Traditional fairy tales are adapted into modern settings, after the model of ShakespeaRe-Told and The Canterbury Tales...
- Father TedFather TedFather Ted is a comedy series set in Ireland that was produced by Hat Trick Productions for British broadcaster Channel 4. Written jointly by Irish writers Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan and starring a predominantly Irish cast, it originally aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May...
- FonejackerFonejackerFonejacker is a British comedy programme broadcast on E4 featuring a series of prank calls involving a number of different characters performed by British Iranian television actor Kayvan Novak. It first appeared in May 2006, although it did not become a full series until 2007.The first series began...
- Game On
- Harry Enfield's Television ProgrammeHarry Enfield's Television ProgrammeHarry Enfield's Television Programme was a British sketch show starring Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse...
- If I Ruled The WorldIf I Ruled the World (game show)If I Ruled the World is a television show aired in the United Kingdom in 1998 and 1999. It was a comedy panel game show, similar to Have I Got News For You but focused on parodying the behaviour of politicians...
- Jeffrey Archer - The Truth
- Miss Marie Lloyd – Queen of The Music Hall
- News Knight with Sir Trevor McDonaldNews Knight with Sir Trevor McDonaldNews Knight with Sir Trevor McDonald, more commonly referred to as simply News Knight was a British television panel show shown on ITV, at 22:00 on Sunday nights. Fronted by Sir Trevor McDonald and in a similar style to the BBC One programme Have I Got News for You, its format featured three...
- Norbert Smith - a LifeNorbert Smith - a LifeNorbert Smith – a Life is a spoof TV documentary film charting the life and career of the fictitious British actor Sir Norbert Smith. It stars Harry Enfield in the title role. It was written by Harry Enfield and Geoffrey Perkins and directed by Geoff Posner...
- The Omid Djalili ShowThe Omid Djalili ShowThe Omid Djalili Show was a British sketch comedy/stand-up comedy television show produced by Hat Trick Productions for BBC One. Writing by Omid Djalili, Will Smith, Roger Drew, Ian Stone, Ricky Grover with script editor Steve Punt...
- Paul Merton: The SeriesPaul Merton: The SeriesPaul Merton: The Series is a British sketch show that aired on Channel 4 from 1991 to 1993. The main star was Paul Merton, who co-wrote it along with John Irwin. It is not currently available on DVD but every episode is available for viewing free via Channel 4 service 4od and YouTube in the UK....
- Round the BendRound the BendRound the Bend was a British children's television series, which ran on Children's ITV for three series from 1989 to 1991. The show was a Hat Trick production for Yorkshire Television...
- The Kumars at No. 42The Kumars at No. 42The Kumars at No. 42 was a British television show. It won an International Emmy in 2002 and in 2003. It ran for seven series totalling 53 episodes.-Plot:...
- The Worst Week of My LifeThe Worst Week of My LifeThe Worst Week of My Life is a British comedy television series, first broadcast on BBC One between March and April 2004. A second series was aired between November and December 2005 and a three-part Christmas special, The Worst Christmas of My Life was shown during December 2006...
- This is David LanderThis is David LanderThis is David Lander was a TV show that parodies Roger Cook style door-stepping investigative journalism shows, starring Stephen Fry as David Lander and written by Tony Sarchet....
- Trevor's World of SportTrevor's World of SportTrevor's World of Sport began as a 2003 BBC television sitcom written and directed by Andy Hamilton and starring Neil Pearson as Trevor. Only one television series was made, and Hamilton felt mistreated by the BBC over the scheduling of the show. The first episode attracted an average of 3.4...
- Who Dares WinsWho Dares Wins (TV series)Who Dares Wins was a British television comedy sketch show broadcast between 1983 and 1988, featuring Jimmy Mulville, Rory McGrath, Philip Pope, Julia Hills and Tony Robinson...
- Worst WeekWorst WeekWorst Week is an American TV series which originally aired on CBS from September 22, 2008 to June 6, 2009. The series was based on the British sitcom The Worst Week of My Life...
- Whose Line Is It Anyway?Whose Line Is It Anyway?Whose Line Is It Anyway? is a short-form improvisational comedy TV show. Originally a British radio programme, it moved to television in 1988 as a series made for the UK's Channel 4, for a 10 series run...