Do Not Adjust Your Set

Do Not Adjust Your Set
source
Show name	Do Not Adjust Your Set
Genre	Comedy, Satire, Sketch
Starring	Eric Idle, David Jason, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Denise Coffey, Humphrey Barclay
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Num episodes	54
Executive producer	Humphrey Barclay
Runtime	25 minutes
Company	Rediffusion, Thames Television
Channel	ITV
First aired	1967
Last aired	1969

Do Not Adjust Your Set is a British television sketch comedy series produced for independent television that combined surreal sketches, musical interludes, and animated inserts. The programme served as an early screen platform for performers who later became prominent in British and international comedy, and it was broadcast during a period of rapid change in British broadcasting regulation and cultural life. The series is noted for linking television sketch traditions with emerging forms of satire and music television.

Overview

The series was commissioned by ITV and produced by Rediffusion and later Thames Television during the late 1960s alongside contemporaneous programmes such as That Was the Week That Was, Monty Python's Flying Circus, and Beechgrove. The show blended short-form comedy sketches, musical performances by acts appearing on Top of the Pops and other variety shows, and animated sequences created by artists associated with the London cartooning and graphic design scenes. Broadcast amid debates involving the Pilkington Report, the series reflected changing tastes evident in venues like the Royal Court Theatre and festivals such as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Cast and Characters

Core performers included future Monty Python members Eric Idle, Michael Palin, and Terry Jones, alongside comic actor David Jason, impressionist Denise Coffey, and writer-producer Humphrey Barclay. Recurring supporting players and guest artists featured figures linked to the British music hall and emergent pop music circuits, with appearances that connected the show to acts promoted on BBC Radio 1 and via managers associated with Brian Epstein and Andrew Loog Oldham. Characters and recurring items anticipated later personas seen in productions by Python collaborators and stage companies such as the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.

Production and Format

Produced in studio facilities used by Rediffusion and later transitioned to Thames Television technical resources, the programme used multi-camera production standards contemporary with drama and variety shows like Z-Cars and The Avengers (1961 TV series). Episodes typically ran approximately 25 minutes and combined pre-recorded inserts, live studio sketches, and animated interludes by artists whose work aligned with publications including Private Eye, Oz, and The Spectator. The format exploited crossover opportunities with pop promotion outlets such as Ready Steady Go! and technical innovations originating in studios that hosted BBC Two experimental broadcasts.

Broadcast History and Reception

The series originally aired on ITV regions including London Weekend Television franchise areas and was scheduled alongside regional programming and networked offerings competing with BBC Television Service slots. Contemporary critical reception appeared in periodicals like The Times, The Guardian, and Melody Maker, and fan response intersected with youth culture documented in works about the Swinging London scene. The show’s ratings and critical profile contributed to discussions at the Independent Television Authority and influenced commissioning choices made by executives connected to Lew Grade and Sir John Woolf.

Legacy and Influence

The programme is widely credited with feeding performers and writers into Monty Python's Flying Circus, influencing sketch conventions deployed later in Saturday Night Live, and informing the aesthetics of televised satire later adopted by series commissioned by BBC Two and independent producers. Its alumni went on to work on film projects at production companies associated with figures like George Harrison and collaborate with institutions such as the Royal Court Theatre and festivals including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The show’s blend of music and comedy prefigured hybrid formats later seen on programmes linked to John Peel, Pepsi-Cola sponsored specials, and international adaptations shaped by producers connected to NBC and ABC Television Network.

Home Media and Archival Status

Archival holdings are fragmented due to wiping practices that affected many programmes of the era, policies exemplified by decisions at ITV plc archives and archival practices discussed by the British Film Institute. Surviving episodes and clips appear in institutional collections and private holdings, with fragments screened at retrospectives hosted by venues such as the National Film Theatre and included in compilations organized by broadcasters like Channel 4. Releases on commercial home video and streaming have been selective and region-specific, reflecting rights issues involving production companies and performers represented by agencies including Equity and music licensing bodies such as PRS for Music.

Category:1960s British television series Category:British sketch comedy television series