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Geoffrey Perkins Is Dead At 55
Dynamoo writes "Legendary comedy writer and producer Geoffrey Perkins has died in a road accident in London. Perkins was until recently the head of comedy for BBC TV. Earlier in his career he produced the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series, and was a writer, director, and producer of many comedy shows including Spitting Image, The Fast Show, and several others. He also invented the game of Mornington Crescent. The world will be a less joyful place without him."
The Slashdot editors do realize they've posted a British-centric story at 3:44 AM London time...
Perkins was until recently the head of comedy for BBC TV. Earlier in his career he produced the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series, and was a writer, director, and producer of many comedy shows including Spitting Image, The Fast Show, and several others. He also invented the game of Mornington Crescent.
HTH, HAND.
... someone explain all the rules to me again?
The Independent is reporting that he might have fainted and stumbled onto the road before getting hit.
Also, Anyone else wonder how someone managed to hit him, drive away and not realize it? I understand he was hit by a lorry and not a smart car, but I remeber a few years ago I hit a cat and I sure felt it.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/police-seek-new-evidence-on-death-of-comedy-guru-geoffrey-perkins-913928.html
The BBC Hitch-hiker radio broadcasts were far and away the best versions of Douglas Adams' story of Arthur Dent, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the destruction/creation of Earth, and the search for the question. While I enjoyed the books somewhat, the original radio series was a spectacular production that couldn't be topped.
Geoffrey Perkins will be missed.
Hey, you neglected to say what road! It is, of course, quite relevant that it was Marylebone High Street, as that of course is rather high for him to have shifted over from Town Hall Approach Road.
Hammond had a crash in a jet-car...injured, sure... lived, walks, basically fine...
He did develop a taste for celery though so it's not all a bed of roses ;)
some guy who drives to and from work, maybe the odd venture out on the weekends... is far more likely to fuck-up, and when the shit hits the fan they panic, unlike a professional driver who can stay relatively aware of whats happening, and prepair...etc...
I think there's something to say for people pointing and laughing at danger and stealing its lunch money. Clarkson, Hammond and May (well maybe less so for Captain Slow) have cavalier attitudes (which appeals to my sense of 'ah, screw it') and being of a less panicky, laugh in the face of danger disposition may help cope when things go wrong (to a degree) because you may prevent yourself making it worse.
To quote Red Dwarf:
KRYTEN: Good god! Emergency, emergency! Adopt crash procedure!
RIMMER: (Runs back to rear compartment.) Where's the card? Who's got the
card?!
LISTER: What card?
RIMMER: The plastic card, the plastic card with the cartoons of the crash
procedure on it!
LISTER: Don't panic, man!
RIMMER: It should be in the netting behind the seats. Haven't we got to
sit behind a woman clutching a baby? What's the drill?!
LISTER: Look, I know what is it!
RIMMER: What?
LISTER: Sit down, tuck your head between your legs and brace yourself.
RIMMER: (Bracing) Now what?
LISTER: Then you open the in-flight magazine and start reading. Thing
is*, the articles act as a sedative. I mean, look at this: "Contents
List: Salt, an Epicure's Delight; Classic Wines of Estonia; Flemish
Weaving the Traditional Way." (To the CAT, whose head is lolling) Don't
fight it, man, let it take you.
RIMMER: How can you be so mind-bogglingly flippant? Don't you know
what's going to happen? We're going to crash!
LISTER: You've got to stay calm! It's a well-known fact, the more
relaxed you are, the less likely you are to be injured.
KRYTEN: Good luck, everybody, here it comes!
Wishful thinking maybe, but as far as wishful thinking goes, I like it.
"Three eyes are better than one" -- Lieutenant Columbo
Ah now come on. You *know* you can't open with Bond Street unless you're playing under the King Alfred (amended) rules and it's well known that that isn't recognised as an official version. So maybe I could suggest the alternative of Baker Street, which is a more generally accepted opener?
Wow, I think I need a cup of tea.
We are the Borg...
Hammond can also remember phone numbers now, something he never used to be able to do.
Recent studies have shown that celery actually contains chemicals which help the brain repair itself in the case of an injury, making Hammond's taste for celery very interesting.
The world will be a less joyful place without him
The world is a more joyful place because of him.
Somehow along the way I made a bad choice in life and now must live with 0 Karma.
I remember Geoffrey Perkins from the days of the radio series Radio Active. Geoffrey played the gleeful and shameless bully Mike Flex, who was always making the life of Mike Channel (Angus Deaton) a living hell.
The series itself was a spoof of the low-budget and lower-standards private radio, the personality defects of the characters, and the toxic atmosphere they created. Each program was also a spoof on a particular genre of programme series, for instance: Round Your Parts (local interest), Probe Round the Back (consumer affairs) and God Alone Knows. After a few series on Radio 4 the show transferred to TV for it's swan song KYTV "You'll never be stuck with KY Telly".
Hold on, I think we should check with the lovely Samantha on this one. After all, she's used to handling enormous figures.
And the shorter and more apt version:
DON'T PANIC.
"Kill 'em all and let Root sort 'em out"