The People vs. Jerry Sadowitz
Encyclopedia
The People vs. Jerry Sadowitz was a late night British TV show which ran from 1998 to 1999 on Channel Five
. It featured comedian Jerry Sadowitz
talking to members of the public. The idea being that the person Sadowitz found most deserving would win the prize of £10,000. Contestants could talk about any subject they liked except "No politics, no religion!". The show featured a lot of strong language.
The programme later went onto become known as The Beast of Jerry Sadowitz.
People would have to explain their case until Sadowitz pushed a bell as a sign that they should stop and leave. Contestants refusing to do so were escorted off by Jerry's minder, played for one series by Dave Courtney
. The minder had a non-speaking part in the show, and when a female contestant's statement "It leaves a bad taste in my mouth" prompted Courtney to ad-lib, "That's spunk" he received a furious dressing down from Sadowitz. Contestants were seldom allowed to talk for long before being interrupted and verbally abused. The prize money was never given out.
People wishing to appear on the show would have to accept that the recording footage could be edited as the producers saw fit, used in any way they saw fit and waive any moral rights.
Due to the usual nature of Jerry Sadowitz and his material, this programme would never become mainstream comedy and only be popular with certain people.
Channel Five
Channel 5 is a television network that broadcasts in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1997, it was the fifth and final national terrestrial analogue network to launch. The station was branded as Five between 2002 and 2010...
. It featured comedian Jerry Sadowitz
Jerry Sadowitz
Jerry Sadowitz is an American-born Scottish stand-up comic and card magician, known for his frequently controversial "sick humour". An accomplished practitioner of sleight of hand, he has written several books on magic and invented many conjuring innovations. He is widely acclaimed as one of the...
talking to members of the public. The idea being that the person Sadowitz found most deserving would win the prize of £10,000. Contestants could talk about any subject they liked except "No politics, no religion!". The show featured a lot of strong language.
The programme later went onto become known as The Beast of Jerry Sadowitz.
People would have to explain their case until Sadowitz pushed a bell as a sign that they should stop and leave. Contestants refusing to do so were escorted off by Jerry's minder, played for one series by Dave Courtney
Dave Courtney
Dave Courtney is a self-proclaimed British former gangster who has become both an author and celebrity-gangster figure...
. The minder had a non-speaking part in the show, and when a female contestant's statement "It leaves a bad taste in my mouth" prompted Courtney to ad-lib, "That's spunk" he received a furious dressing down from Sadowitz. Contestants were seldom allowed to talk for long before being interrupted and verbally abused. The prize money was never given out.
People wishing to appear on the show would have to accept that the recording footage could be edited as the producers saw fit, used in any way they saw fit and waive any moral rights.
Due to the usual nature of Jerry Sadowitz and his material, this programme would never become mainstream comedy and only be popular with certain people.