Rigor Mortis (radio)
Encyclopedia
Rigor Mortis is a BBC Radio 4
black comedy
set in the pathology
department at an NHS
hospital
. It centers around the working lives of the pathologists and attendant staff who work in the department.
and their contrasting beliefs about the relative importance of their work. The show often derives humor from the fact that the characters are not primarily forensic pathologists
. Davison's character, Anthony Webster, is frequently at pains to explain that he is a histopathologist
, for example. Their case load therefore infrequently verges into the more "exciting" area of crime-related death
. Nevertheless, one of the running gags of the programme was that the character originally played by Tracy-Ann Oberman, the anatomical pathologist
Ruth Anderson, was secondarily credentialed as a forensic pathologist, but had so rarely used these skills that her deductive reasoning skills were faulty.
Two other major themes can be seen throughout the history of the programme. One is the desire, especially on the part of Donaldson and Webster, to educate the public about pathology. Various schemes, notably including the first radio broadcast of an autopsy, are hatched to accomplish this goal. Another predominant theme is the effect of a career
in pathology on the personal lives
of its practitioners. This is especially evident in Series 3 where every character has at least a subplot revolving around the issue. Chief among these is the series-long arc in which Ruth and Anthony try to conceive a child non-sexually
—he, because his relationship with his naturally-conceived daughter has fallen into ruin, and she, because of an inability to sustain a meaningful romantic relationship with a man.
Because of the inclusion of several recurring characters who are not practicing pathologists, but rather administrative or laboratory
staff
, the programme can also be classed as an office comedy in the vein of the television programmes, 30 Rock
, The Thin Blue Line
and NewsRadio
.
structure, with the majority of the narrative
surrounding the actions of the three pathologists, and the other recurring characters being used to further the actions of the main three characters. This structure is confirmed by the announced credits
, which mention only the actors playing the pathologists during the opening title sequence
.
, typically at the rate of one episode each Friday night for six weeks. Little, if any, post-production
work was applied to the recording. It was produced in three series over the course of four years. Each series contained six episodes. Series 1 was broadcast from 12 June to 17 July 2003. Series 2 went out from 11 November to 16 December 2004]]. Series 3 hit the airwaves from 26 January to 2 March 2006. Series 1 was subsequently rebroadcast on Radio 7 prior to the start of each subsequent series on Radio 4. Series 2 was not rebroadcast until mid-2007.
The sixth episode of series 3 was purported to be the programme's last.
Individual episodes were not titled, either by the voice-over
announcer or the programme guide listings.
The character of Dr. Ruth Anderson was recast after the end of the first series.
. The Sunday Times
said Rigor was "wonderfully funny . . . the wit flashes as brightly as the scalpels", while Sue Arnold of The Observer
wrote that it was "the sharpest, blackest and most original sitcom I've heard in years"
website. When the show was rebroadcast on BBC Radio 7 in 2007
, it was again made available on the BBC Radio Player and re-broadcast in 2011 on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
According to writer Laurence Howarth's agent, a script was in development for a televised version, as of 2006. The project seemed to still be in development as of 25 March 2007, with Tiger Aspect Productions
now attached.
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
black comedy
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
set in the pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
department at an NHS
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
. It centers around the working lives of the pathologists and attendant staff who work in the department.
Themes
Much of the humour of the show springs from the characters' varying views on deathDeath
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
and their contrasting beliefs about the relative importance of their work. The show often derives humor from the fact that the characters are not primarily forensic pathologists
Forensic pathology
Forensic pathology is a branch of pathology concerned with determining the cause of death by examination of a corpse. The autopsy is performed by the pathologist at the request of a coroner or medical examiner usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some...
. Davison's character, Anthony Webster, is frequently at pains to explain that he is a histopathologist
Histopathology
Histopathology refers to the microscopic examination of tissue in order to study the manifestations of disease...
, for example. Their case load therefore infrequently verges into the more "exciting" area of crime-related death
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
. Nevertheless, one of the running gags of the programme was that the character originally played by Tracy-Ann Oberman, the anatomical pathologist
Anatomical pathology
Anatomical pathology or Anatomic pathology is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the gross, microscopic, chemical, immunologic and molecular examination of organs, tissues, and whole bodies...
Ruth Anderson, was secondarily credentialed as a forensic pathologist, but had so rarely used these skills that her deductive reasoning skills were faulty.
Two other major themes can be seen throughout the history of the programme. One is the desire, especially on the part of Donaldson and Webster, to educate the public about pathology. Various schemes, notably including the first radio broadcast of an autopsy, are hatched to accomplish this goal. Another predominant theme is the effect of a career
Career
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
in pathology on the personal lives
Personal life
Personal life is the course of an individual's life, especially when viewed as the sum of personal choices contributing to one's personal identity. It is a common notion in modern existence—although more so in more prosperous parts of the world such as Western Europe and North America...
of its practitioners. This is especially evident in Series 3 where every character has at least a subplot revolving around the issue. Chief among these is the series-long arc in which Ruth and Anthony try to conceive a child non-sexually
Artificial insemination
Artificial insemination, or AI, is the process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse or natural insemination...
—he, because his relationship with his naturally-conceived daughter has fallen into ruin, and she, because of an inability to sustain a meaningful romantic relationship with a man.
Because of the inclusion of several recurring characters who are not practicing pathologists, but rather administrative or laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
staff
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
, the programme can also be classed as an office comedy in the vein of the television programmes, 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, The Thin Blue Line
The Thin Blue Line (TV series)
The Thin Blue Line is a British sitcom starring Rowan Atkinson set in a police station that ran for two series on the BBC from 1995 to 1996...
and NewsRadio
NewsRadio
NewsRadio is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from 1995 to 1999. The series was created by executive producer Paul Simms, and was filmed in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio Center and Sunset Gower Studios...
.
Characters
Rigor Mortis employs a two-tiered ensembleEnsemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
structure, with the majority of the narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
surrounding the actions of the three pathologists, and the other recurring characters being used to further the actions of the main three characters. This structure is confirmed by the announced credits
Motion picture credits
-Opening credits:Opening credits, in a television program, motion picture, or video game, are shown at the beginning of a show and list the most important members of the production. They are usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in...
, which mention only the actors playing the pathologists during the opening title sequence
Title sequence
A Title Sequence is the method by which cinematic films or television programs present their title, key production and cast members, or both, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound...
.
Pathologists
- Dr. Anthony Webster (Peter DavisonPeter DavisonPeter Davison is a British actor, best known for his roles as Tristan Farnon in the television version of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small and the fifth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, which he played from 1982 to 1984.-Early life:Davison was born Peter Moffett in Streatham,...
) — Webster is the one person in the office who's completely happy with his job. He's dreamed of being a pathologist since his youth, and indeed was mentored in his craft by his father. He has no illusions about what the job is or could be, and is never happier than when performing autopsies. So keen is his love for his specialty in histopathology, that he has been known to examine his own tissue samples, solely because there's nothing good on TV. For all of his scientific brilliance, he has great difficulty with the parts of life that occur outside the mortuary. This is exemplified by his relationship with his teenaged daughter, around whom he is extremely awkward. His zeal for pathology has instilled in him a sense of detachment from life, to the extent that he cannot form what many would consider "normal" interpersonal relationships. He is the nominal chief pathologist, although since there are ostensibly only two practicing pathologists in the department, this title has little practical relevance. His ex-wife is not a featured character, although she does finally appear in the penultimate episode of Series 3.
- Dr. Ruth Anderson (Tracy-Ann ObermanTracy-Ann ObermanTracy-Ann Oberman is an English television, theatre and radio actress, known for her role as Chrissie Watts in the BBC soap opera Eastenders...
, Matilda ZieglerMatilda ZieglerMatilda Ziegler is a British television, stage and film actress best known for her roles as Irma Gobb in Mr. Bean and as Donna Ludlow in the long-running BBC1 serial EastEnders and Ruth in the BBC Three sitcom Swiss Toni.-Television career:Matilda Ziegler's first screen role remains her most...
) — Ruth's approach to pathology is decidedly more relaxed than that of Dr. Webster. She is frequently portrayed as bored by the overwhelming number of cases that come into her mortuary, as they generally reveal only natural causes of death. She is the only licensed forensic pathologist on staff, but this credential has gone mostly unused. Where Webster was drawn to pathology for serious scientific and familial reasons, she chose the career path apparently because of its romanticization in popular culture. When the odd forensic case does arrive, she's quick to dust off her credentials, and equally quick to draw the wrong conclusions. Her search for romance has also been the subject of various subplotSubplotA subplot is a secondary plot strand that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance...
s. - Professor Graeme Donaldson (Geoffrey WhiteheadGeoffrey WhiteheadGeoffrey Whitehead is an English actor. He has appeared in a huge range of television, film and radio roles. In the theatre, he has played at the Shakespeare Globe, St...
) — Donaldson is the administrative head of the department, and therefore the bossManagementManagement in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
of Webster and Anderson. Though he is a qualified pathologist, he rarely gets involved in actual autopsiesAutopsyAn autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
. He is generally used to introduce new staff policies or NHS directives, which Webster and Anderson must then implement.
Supporting staff
- Gordon (Tom PriceTom Price (actor)Tom Price is a British actor, voice over artist and stand up comedian. He is married to TV producer Beth Morrey, who is most noted for being the creator of hit Channel 4 quiz format Wogan's Perfect Recall.-TV and Film Career:...
) — Gordon is the lab assistantMedical Laboratory AssistantMedical Laboratory Assistants prepare, and in some cases process samples within a pathology laboratory. They also utilise pre-analytical systems in order for biomedical scientists or Medical Laboratory Scientific Officers to process the biochemical tests requested on the sample. The majority of...
, who's stayed with the department long beyond his six month training rotation. He is frequently depicted as an over-user of alcohol, though it's not implied that he is, in fact, an alcoholic. Rather, he's just seen as enjoying a good party. However, he frequently has memory loss after a serious bender, including one incident where he began receiving threatening notes from an anonymous enemy, only to find that he wrote the notes himself during a blackout. He is often portrayed as somewhat afraid of the staff secretary, Chloe. His relationship with Webster is complex, at once admiring of the pathologist's professional skills, but somewhat dismissive of him personally. He almost always refers to his seniors by their titles and the first letter of their last name, as in, "Dr. W." or "Dr. A." - Chloe (Marianne Levy) — Chloe is the secretarySecretaryA secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
at the department and openly dismissive of the educational gulf between herself and the pathologists. She frequently gives advice on personal matters to all the other characters, but takes affront if the advice isn't followed. She is somewhat catty with Ruth. - Simon (Gus BrownGus BrownGus Brown is an English actor and comedian.He is half of the double act Laurence & Gus, alongside fellow comedian and writer Laurence Howarth...
) — Simon is the local police officer with whom the pathology department are in most regular contact. He has a bit of a crush on Chloe. His fear of death and the dead make him utterly unsuited to be his department's liaison to the pathology laboratory.
Production and broadcast
Rigor Mortis was recorded live in front of a studio audience at London's Drill HallThe Drill Hall
The Drill Hall is a theatrical venue in Bloomsbury in the London Borough of Camden, just to the east of Tottenham Court Road. It contains rehearsal rooms and meeting rooms, and two small theatres - the 200-seat Drill Hall 1 and a 50-seat studio space, known as Drill Hall 2. Its name derives from...
, typically at the rate of one episode each Friday night for six weeks. Little, if any, post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
work was applied to the recording. It was produced in three series over the course of four years. Each series contained six episodes. Series 1 was broadcast from 12 June to 17 July 2003. Series 2 went out from 11 November to 16 December 2004]]. Series 3 hit the airwaves from 26 January to 2 March 2006. Series 1 was subsequently rebroadcast on Radio 7 prior to the start of each subsequent series on Radio 4. Series 2 was not rebroadcast until mid-2007.
The sixth episode of series 3 was purported to be the programme's last.
Individual episodes were not titled, either by the voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
announcer or the programme guide listings.
The character of Dr. Ruth Anderson was recast after the end of the first series.
Reception
The first series of Rigor Mortis was well-received, cited as "brilliantly funny" and selected as the radio "Pick of the Day" by The IndependentThe Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
. The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
said Rigor was "wonderfully funny . . . the wit flashes as brightly as the scalpels", while Sue Arnold of The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
wrote that it was "the sharpest, blackest and most original sitcom I've heard in years"
Availability in other media
Rigor Mortis has never been released on CD or audio cassette. For a time after the initial broadcast of each episode, it was available for replay on the Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
website. When the show was rebroadcast on BBC Radio 7 in 2007
2007 in radio
The year 2007 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*January 8: Nanci "The Fabulous Sports Babe" Donnellan returns to radio after a six-year absence, filling in for local hosts in Florida....
, it was again made available on the BBC Radio Player and re-broadcast in 2011 on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
According to writer Laurence Howarth's agent, a script was in development for a televised version, as of 2006. The project seemed to still be in development as of 25 March 2007, with Tiger Aspect Productions
Tiger Aspect Productions
Tiger Aspect Productions is a British television production company, particularly noted for its situation comedies. Co-founded by producer Peter Bennett-Jones, its productions have included popular hits such as The Vicar of Dibley and Mr. Bean...
now attached.