Saturday 19 January 2013

Uskerty





Thank you for all the messages I've had about Uskerty - I'm really glad people seem to like it so much. If you haven't heard it, it's available to listen to here for a week, and will then immediately be available to buy here.

So, back when I was writing Ottery St Mary, I thought it would be nice to see the crew split into the only combination of pairs we haven't seen yet. Obviously they are often split pilots / cabin crew; and in Johannesburg they're split Martin and Arthur / Carolyn and Douglas; so that just leaves Martin and Carolyn / Douglas and Arthur. It didn't work out in Ottery, because it seemed a shame not to see Martin in his van, but that meant I still had it as an option for this series.

The Martin and Carolyn plot came unusually easily - the notebook page at the bottom of this post is of the day I came up with it, and it's very unusual that so many of the elements, and even lines of dialogue, are essentially unchanged from then right through to the final script. I knew that if M and C were going to spend time together I would want to revisit the unresolved payment question from Qik, and if I was going to do that without it being too treacly I'd need to undercut it by having Carolyn give Martin as hard a time as possible otherwise. Which lead me to the tree, which lead me to the hitch-hiking, which lead me to the geese, which lead me to the ring… it was all strangely easy. 'Maybe I've finally cracked this writing business!' I thought to myself 'Maybe from now on I'm going to be one of  those writers you hear about who can just sit at the keyboard, and let the story flow unbidden from their fingertips…'

...No. I hadn't, and I'm not. Getting the Douglas and Arthur story right was blue murder. In fact, I went through three completely different ones before I found one I was happy with. First, the one in the notebook photo, about them inventing a sport to distract their delayed passengers, which I rejected as being too 'wacky' ( I hate the word 'wacky'), given that there was so much slapstick already going on in the Carolyn  / Martin plot. Then came one which combined elements of what turned into Uskerty with elements of what turned into Vaduz (next week's episode), which worked better, but had no real thematic connection to the C/M plot. Then there was one in which the 'Gerry' character was an antagonist, and Douglas and Arthur teamed up to get the better of him. But like the invented sport one, it was just too frantic, and left no room to actually find out what Douglas and Arthur would be like one on one, which was supposed to be the whole point of the split. 

So finally, I stripped out all the running around, and just wrote a list of simple things they might do whilst waiting in an airport. And as soon as I put down 'D and A 'get drunk' together (without drinking)', I knew I finally had something I wanted to write. Once I had that, it was obvious (and a relief) that Gerry should be a friendly character, and from there came the whole film noir thing, which I really like. I don't often make myself laugh when I'm writing, but I did when I wrote 'Between the dames and the horses, sometimes I don't know why I put my hat on.'  And at the recording, it was glorious when after a frenetic Martin and Carolyn scene, the jazz would start again, and Roger and I would mooch nonchalantly up to the mike... I really am very lucky in my job.

NOTES AND QUERIES

'Is the goose thing a reference to the Blue Carbuncle?'

Yes and no. At the beginning of the series, I decided that I'd had my Sherlock referencing fun in Paris, and that to do it any more would be milking it. However, once I realised I needed an animal to eat Martin's ring, it seemed a shame not to make it a goose… To be honest, I didn't think many people would notice. I was wrong. 

'…so, does Martin get his ring back?' AND: 'It ends a bit suddenly, doesn't it?'

Ah. Yes, I'm sorry about that. As always, the episode was overlong, and several minutes had to be cut in the edit. Essentially, once the obvious things had gone, we were left with the choice of either cutting lots of little bits which were funny, but didn't move the plot along, for instance Arthur's airport announcement… or to cut the final scene entirely, and trust that Douglas' plan and Gerry' and Martin's agreement to it would convey that they then went ahead and did it. In the end, I think we made the right choice, especially as I think 'Always, the extra mile' is a stronger final line than the one I had; but there's no getting away from the fact that it does cut the episode off a little abruptly. However, if you're interested in how it would have ended...


DELETED SCENE



ATMOS                       AIRPORT

ARTHUR                     And… contestant 21!

FX                                 GOOSE CARRIED THROUGH GATE.

GERRY                        …No.

MARTIN                       (SIGHS) Ok. So it has to be this one then…

DOUGLAS                  It’s always the way when you lose something, isn’t it? It’s always in the last goose you look.

CAROLYN                   You are sure the goose swallowed it, are you?

MARTIN                       I … was sure. Alright… come here…

FX                                 GOOSE COMPLAINS.

FISHER                       No, remember, support her body…

MARTIN                       I’m trying!

ARTHUR                     Contestant 22!

FX                                 FOOTSTEPS

FX                                 SECURITY GATE BEEP

GERRY                        There it is! That’s her!

ALL                               RAGGED CHEERS

CAROLYN                   Now for God’s sake hold on to her!

FISHER                        You can have that one for twenty euros.

MARTIN                       Ok, er… let me see…

CAROLYN                   I’ll get it, Martin.

MARTIN                       Oh… you don’t have to do that.

CAROLYN                  Well, I’ve already spent 85 euros on a dead sheep today – I may as well stand you a live goose as well. Now, Gerry, I don’t suppose there’s any way you can still clear us to leave?

GERRY                        Carolyn, I’m sorry, I really can’t. They’d have my license off me.

CAROLYN                   Well, then. It looks like we’re here for the night.

ARTHUR                     Brilliant! Oh, and Douglas and I can teach you a great game with the security gate!

GERRY                        And the bar’s open as long as you want it. Can I get you anything now, in fact? Carolyn?

CAROLYN                   A large gin and tonic.

GERRY                        Martin?

MARTIN                       A small red wine.

GERRY                        And gentlemen… two shots of the usual?

DOUGLAS                  Thank you, Gerry. Oh, and Gerry?

GERRY                        Yes?

DOUGLAS                  Leave the carton.

GRAMS                       SIG AND CREDITS








136 comments:

Michele said...

Have to say, I spent much of Uskerty literally crying with laughter... Sometimes I couldn't breathe properly either! I LOVE your brain - it's a thing of beauty and a joy forever.

(Though I worry that Carolyn's comments about the airline folding soon, and the rapidly approaching end of the alphabet means this series'll be the last. And that would be a HUGE shame!)

Unknown said...

We had the pleasure of listening to this episode as the finale of my best friend's birthday. He was actually rather drunk, but refused to be taken home until we'd all gathered around the iPlayer to listen.

It was the perfect end to the evening. With the sheep for Herc's birthday, it was like you were delivering an extra gift.

Sparrow said...

Mr. Finnemore,
Unlike so many shows, your writing keeps getting better and better every episode. We truly enjoy them, and always buy the season when it's over.

Thank you for bringing a weekly smile to our hectic lives!

Vanda said...

I agree with you, the 'Always, the extra mile' is a much stronger endling than the original one.

You should post more pages of your notebook, it's really interesting to see how your ideas come up.
Keep up the amazing work, John! I don't know how you're going to impress us next time, but I'm sure you will! :)

Excellent drawing skills btw!

Unknown said...

Uskerty was.. well, it was brilliant. I was doing that "laughing so hard no more noise comes out" thing through a good deal of it, and it's one of the most deliciously quotable episodes. "Between the dames and the horses" will turn up on many a t-shirt, I predict (and I'll make it my goal to own all of them).

Thanks for doing these after-show posts. It's really fascinating to hear more about how you work.
I'm such a huge fan; your brain should be declared a national treasure.

Unknown said...

I think you made a good decision with leaving Arthur's airport scene and cutting the end. "an extra mile" is very powerful ending :)
I was reading all the lines in characters voices... xD

Luna said...

I really thought you were starting to balance out Martin's luck after T - he'd had a good plan, Douglas and Carolyn had gone with it and it wasn't him who let it slip - but now he's had to carry a dead sheep around Ireland drenched in rain, had to ride in the truck with geese, had his hand stung by bees and lost his ring to a goose... it's really not going well for him is it? That said, I found myself feeling more sorry for Douglas...

The entire film noir scene was so fantastic, I love it.

Will we see Herc's reaction, I wonder? I really want to know how Carolyn would set it up for her, er, 'man she knows'.

Also you win the Best Worst Irish Accent Award and you need to not be so good at everything (even the /goose drawings/!) Okay bye

Maren De Simone said...

Thank you for the deleted scene; it´s a nice one, but I agree about the other line, which was a very fitting ending (but then I didn´t think it was too abrupt in the first place).

I loved the entire episode, but the tree scene had me in stitches the whole evening.
I still can't think of "now I'm up a tree" and "slightly more reliable landmarks" without starting to snort with laughter. Honestly, people are starting to give me funny looks...

Sharon said...

you have no idea how much I've been waiting for this port Mr. Finnemore <3 I'm glad Martin got his ring back (somewhat)
this is one of the best CP episodes, IMO

Anonymous said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your brilliant show ! Thank you so much for telling us what happened with the ring!

Btw. Is there some reference behind Milo the custom officer, because Milo isn´t a familiar finnish name?

Unknown said...

I was lucky enough to be at this recording, and while I liked the final scene, I'm glad you chose to keep the funny bits.
What I particularly love about Cabin Pressure is that it is so very funny but interspersed with moments of real poignancy. I hope there will be many more.

Anonymous said...

Uskerty was excellent (not that we'd expect anything less from you) and the idea of Carolyn giving Herc a stuffed sheep was pure genius.
On a related note, you were fabulous of this week's International Waters, although it did leave me craving black pudding. (The Americans don't know what they're missing out on.) It has also resulted in me going and watching all the Gold Blend adverts that I can find. Man, the drama!

Anonymous said...

Sheep was brilliant, airport was brilliant, everything was brilliant but the Winnie-The-Pooh-like Benedict's voice was the BRILLIANTEST ;) thing ever heard! Love from Warsaw,

Jo

Julian Burnell said...

I loved it, and seeing the notes is an additional joy, even if your artistic talent seems increasingly unfair on top of everything else...

However, I would have given about a week of my life to hear the excuse about the takeoff delays being caused by the lemon-scented wipes delivery, although that could have turned into a Doctor Who - type cross story event linkup...

Anonymous said...

It's a shame that ending had to be cut, but what was aired was hilarious and brilliant!

The actors did the whole episode justice. I didn't know Martin/Cumberbatch's voice could go so high. Can't wait for next week's episode!

You really are a genius!

Anonymous said...

Your geese are so beautiful...

Anonymous said...

Mr finnemore, you'rea very good artist. And at the moment, cb is the only thing that makes me laugh. Thank you for writing such a consistently funny programme that's the highlight of my week.

Paige H. said...

This episode. I sometimes couldn't tell whether to laugh or cry at Martin's numerous misfortunes but laughter seemed to win more often than not. Rather sadistic of me, if you ask me.
There were so many good points to this episode (that I don't have to tell you seeing as you wrote it) but I especially liked the different crew split this time and it was nice getting to listen to it after my government class. Even if said class ran over the first airing of the show.

Congratulations on another hilarious episode, I can't wait for next week!

Leila said...

Dear Mr. Finnemore,

Uskerty was the highlight of my week! My favourite lines were the brilliant 'the bees might forget about me' and Arthur's splendid line about damn dames, horses and hats.

Thank you for making me laugh so very much!

Martina Schroeder said...

I have to say that apart from all the brilliant writing / ideas my favourite is still the dead sheep. Just the image of Martin carrying the dead sheep, trying to squeeze it in the taxi... I was laughing my whole way through.
I never thought there was any possible scenario that would make me love Carolyn's character even more but her making this whole trip to get one up on Herc with a stuffed sheep as a present made my day :D 'What a ridiculous sheep...' Now all I can think of is Herc eyeing it suspiciously whenever nobody is looking because I just imagine him keeping it. It was a present after all ;)

Unknown said...

While I am a little disappointed that it had to end so abruptly, I do think cutting out the last scene rather than any of the others was the best choice.

This week's episode was definitely one of my favorites! Not only was I constantly laughing out loud, but I loved the exploration of the dynamics between Martin and Carolyn and then between Arthur and Douglas. Pairing them up showed different aspects of them (naturally), and I love being able to take a character and look at them from another angle, so this was brilliant!

And as someone who writes as a little hobby, I love being able to have a peek into your process. It just reminds me that even professional writers go through the same challenges I do. It's a comforting thought.

I can't wait for Vaduz next week, and of course the rest of the season along with it. :)

Anonymous said...

I've been listening to rotterdam and does anyone else get goosebumps when Douglas calls Arthur "mancub""?

Marianne said...

John... Brilliant as always. I'm so looking forward to next week! Found out about because of Benedict, keep coming back because I can't stop laughing. Thank you so much!

Coming from the wet coast of Canada

Minuialeth said...

Thank you for posting the ending! Cuting this was a good idea as I think the ending on "Always, the extra mile" was great! And frankly, it would have been heresy to cut Arthur's airport announcement. It made me cry with laughter.
Also thank you for including your writing struggles. Makes me feel less alone in my hair pulling!

Claire A said...

I was lucky enough to be at the recording for this and I thought it one of the funniest episodes I'd had the pleasure of listening to. It just seemed to have everything. Cabin Pressure is a sheer pleasure to listen to and it never fails to bring a smile to my face. Thank you for writing it, John. It's genius!

Julian Burnell said...

Actually, thinking about the lemon-scented wipes thing, there might be mileage in a whole 'Marvel Team-Up' style genre of Radio 4 comedies. Cabin Pressure meets Hitch-Hikers; Bleak Expectations meets Claire In The Community, Miranda's Joke Shop meets The Museum Of Everything...

Annie said...

Uskerty now ranks among one of my favorite episodes of all time! Brilliant work again Mr. Finnemore, I love reading these posts and I can't wait till Vaduz!

The Real Emily said...

Uskerty was a masterpiece! Maybe it should have ended with a certain chaacter named John Finnemore saving the day and then suavely waltzing away with a voiceover going:
As we watch our brave, handsome, rich, intelligent, classy, astoundingly graceful, good- looking hero walk slowly away in the snow, leaving The Real Emily to wonder if she would ever look as amazing as him, we think to ourselves: does the author of this comment have way too much time on her hands? And the answer to this is-Yes. Yes she does.

Anonymous said...

Forget the Blue Carbuncle, you included bees. BEES.

AM said...

I was fortunate to be at this recording and it was amazing. Benedict Cumberbatch looking like he was trying to climb the tree and the peels of laughter that greeted Roger Allum as he just stood at the microphone before making his airport announcement.
Truly excellent stuff.
My 4 yr old plays yellow car (& now has her own variant - yellow front door - I hope Arthur approves).
I adore CP & am hoping (against the odds?) that the end of the alphabet isn't the end if MJN.

Unknown said...

The girls and I sat around the tv listening to Uskerty. It was like Listen with Mother. Brilliant.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Andrew Bossom said...

I'm quite proud of myself for getting to the "Winnie-the-Pooh" line before Carolyn. But then I had recently listened to an episode of I've Never Seen Star Wars in which Benjamin Zephaniah had given "reading Winnie-the-Pooh" 9 out of 10, so I'm only quite proud.

I think the ending was perfect as broadcast. It was obvious to me that the ring would be found once Martin had put his foot down and insisted on putting the geese through the machines.

Of course, had it actually been young swans and not geese, it would have been a "cygnet ring"... I'll get my coat...

Justine said...

Thanks a million for the deleted scene. People who had been at the recording reported it (after broadcast of course) but that's not the same as your words.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I so want one of these every single week for the rest of my life. They are priceless. To create such vivid images and characters I feel so much for is truly a sensational talent and gift. Thank you with sharing it with all of us.

"individual insects" is probably one of my favorite lines but, as always, too many from which to really make a choice.

It's clever beyond reason and I love that there is no pretension, just pure brilliant and witty writing and so much fun. Kind of reminds of when television shows couldn't have any sexual innuendo or jokes but yet still managed to be very funny.

Same with movies. This is like a great throw back to the days when writers found much to write about, be funny about without resorting to lazy, obvious topics.

Cannot stop listening. Thanks for joy and pleasure.

Holly said...

Thank you, John! I loved everything about this episode, but especially Arthur's address as the airport. The delivery of that little monologue was just so perfect.

(Sad to be nearing the end of the alphabet...)

Valerie_S said...

Mr. Finnemore,

I rushed home to hear Cabin Pressure properly on the radio for the first time (have listened to it in the States and the first of this series here in London over the internet), and it made my day! Laughed out loud so many times with "Uskerty"

My seven and four year old nieces laugh whole-heartedly when Arthur tries to imitate Douglas's song that was stuck in his head in "Fitton". It's wonderful!

Wish I could have made it to the recordings. Can't wait until next week!

SJ Howitt said...

Days on I'm sill laughing, this episode was just superb!

Oh and John, those geese! You should do Cabin Pressure Xmas Cards with those geese!

xxx

Anonymous said...

Very good episode - an instant classic.
I hoped, as was answered above, that BC really did try to climb a tree at the recording as he sounded like he was trying so hard - and the accent (after his attempt at French) was inspired (and has embarrassingly stuck in my head).
I am wondering, though if Martin climbing a tree to get a phone signal was referring in some small way to Roger Allam climbing a slide in The Thick of It?

Caroline said...

Thanks for sharing a little of your writing process yet again - fascinating.
I loved reading the deleted scene - and could hear the exact intonation you would all have used.
I think you definitely chose the right bits to keep though - a strong ending, and we knew the machine would 'see' the ring, as Douglas had tried to explain to Arthur earlier.And we had to hear Arthur's tannoy fun.
I'm off to try and insert a few more letters at the end of the alphabet.......

Anonymous said...

Just noticed on your page of notes MGN "Martin's Goose Now" - was this a slip up in the recording as I'm sure Martin refers to MGN, not MJN, in Timbuktu?

Lisa said...

I loved this episode - I have listened to it 4 times and laughed out loud every time! I loved Arthur and Douglas in the bar, and the comparison with gremlins, and Douglas describing Martin as 'the master' at being teased.

Can't wait for next Wednesday!

Elizabeth Eldridge said...

This has to be my new favorite episode! You're an incredible writer!(:

Anonymous said...

If Herc doesn't want the dead sheep, they can send it to Dennis Healey!

Gordiana17 said...

Loved the episode. I love Arthur! The tannoy annoncement was simply brilliant!

Please, when you finish with Z, start all over again. There are Aberdeen/Amsterdam, Bratislava/Beijing, Canberra (Australia!)/Copenhagen, Dublin/Dresden, etc...

enigel said...

Heh, I have to admit, having been one of the few, the happy few, present at the Vaduz try-out in the pub, I had fallen in love with it as it was.

As far as Vaduz is concerned, I'm going to have to wait to hear how it turns out without the goose.

As far as the goose is concerned, I must admit I liked it more (the story, not the individual fowl) when it also involved the other bits... that I can't mention because there may yet be a spoiler for Vaduz. Although they probably won't. (I should have known, it was suspicious that there was one good thing to balance out all the bad things happening to Martin...)

(Although looking at the notebook, I'm thankful Martin got away with only as much maiming as he did!)

I had been hoping for some Douglas - Arthur interaction though, because there's not a lot of it in the series, but whenever they were interacting, it just made me wish for more. :-) It's the best part of the ep for me.

And you finally gave Douglas a canonical age! :D

...Although now it sort of contradicts the "old enough to be your father" / "not unless you started very young" exchange from Abu Dhabi. Twenty-one is not very young! Just... fairly young? Sorry. Pedantry is bad for my health.

Elwing said...

I'm so glad you decided to make Gerry a friendly character. I loved him. He was like an Irish Arthur.

Martin and Carolyn's exchange was poignant. Especially Martin's loyalty to MJN. I do worry about their future now though.

This biggest laugh I had was when Finn MacCool (?) was revealed to be a sheep. Carolyn has the best sense of humor!!

Thanks for this. It was lovely and there will be many re-listenings that will lighten dreary days. Can't wait for next week!

Julia said...

Once again a fantastic episode! My favorite moment was the ending where Martin goes "I have to X-ray these geese" and you just knew Douglas was going to point out the "extra mile" thing, and when he did it was just perfect! Laughed so hard.

THANK YOU!

Anonymous said...

You are absolutely brilliant! I love seeing how you write out things with the picture of your notebook. I really want to be a writer and seeing how you plan everything out/write it out makes me feel at home to say the least. Thank you so much for putting a smile on all our faces!

Eva said...

I absolutely loved this episode! And I was wondering... is the signet ring a reference to the ring Benedict uses in a lot of his other roles? And (I'm probably over-thinking it) but I've seen it mistakenly spelled as 'cygnet' ring in an article somewhere, which leads to the question: is Martin's mistaking the geese for swans a play on words?

beth.sobel said...

As always, thank you for a wonderful episode. And I love that you draw in your notes.

Unknown said...

The "Between the dames and the horses..." line still makes me laugh at random intervals throughout the day. I've been needing some cheering up for a while now and Cabin Pressure has been just the thing. Thanks for that. :)

S.Butterfield said...

I got into listening to Cabin Pressure quite recently, and I absolutely died laughing when I listened to "Uskerty" this past Wednesday. It was brilliant. :) Martin's Irish accent was priceless.

Looking forward to hearing the next episode on Wednesday!

Anonymous said...

I loved this episode. So far this season is simply amaaaazing! Douglas' summing up Martin being the "master" of being teased had me crying with laughter.

I also worry about the approaching end of the alphabet...I really don't want Cabin Pressure to ever end...

Thanks for another awesome episode, Mr. Finnemore!

Amandha said...

I like the "Always the extra mile" line better to finish the episode, I think that was a good choice. Plus, I couldn't live without Arthur's "airport announcement", one of the best moments of the whole show.

Scarlett-Raven said...

I kind of like that it ended where it did. And I'm glad to know that Martin found the goose with the ring. Cabin Pressure is so unbelievably funny, I can't help but laugh.

It does make me a bit sad that with Carolyn and Martin talking about MJN may fold in the future. Because the show is so funny. But I can see why Cabin Pressure may end sooner or later.

I haven't been able to hear Season 3, so there are a few things I'm missing out on. (I want to buy the discs)

Tracy S. said...

I might be the first to say that Cabin Pressure may have saved my life. "What's that?" you say? Well, it was like this: I was coming home from a family dinner not so very far from where I live, and despite the fact that a Cabin Pressure episode is longer than than the distance from my mom's house to home, I couldn't resist finally getting the chance to hear Uskerty in the car.

As I approached my apartment, I just couldn't bear to leave wet Martin in the tree with the bees and Arthur and Douglas with their airport shenanigans, and so I opted to keep driving through the duration of the episode (Best ever by the way!!!:D)

When I returned home 10 minutes later, there were blinking lights and police activity at the parking garage at my apartment. If I hadn't opted to continue driving to finish my hilarious episode of Cabin Pressure, I might have walked into something dreadful! It's just as well, as the raucous laughter emanating from the car in the dark may well have attracted the attention of the police.

So thank you, Mr. Finnemore! I owe you my life ;), and miles of thanks for sharing your incredible talent!

Anonymous said...

I knew already that you're a writing genius. But I didn't know that you also can draw so good :-) the geese are hilarious

Fangirlish said...

You, sir, are awesome.

Thank you for giving us that last scene, this look at your notebook, and the answer to the Sherlock Holmes reference question.

Patrick Wirbeleit said...

Dear John Finnemore,
Uskerty is definitely one of my favourite episodes now! I agree a lot with all the other kind comments so far.
But I must admit I was a little shocked by the idea Arthur produces "new Arturs" from his own body when he had schnaps! Because that`s what happens if you pour water over a gremlin.
What a horrible thought!
Or were you/Douglas by any chance thinking of the way a lovely fluffy MOGWAI can turn into an evil GREMLIN creature when you feed it after midnight?
Anyway I can`t wait for the next episode!
Sincerely yours,
Patrick

The crazy Frog said...

Thank you so much for showing us the end of the episode !

Pivli said...

Dear John, is an absolute joy to listen to all the episodes of Cabin Pressure. You can brighten even the darkest day! Thank you for that! I can not wait for more episodes. Greetings from Prague!

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr Finnemore,

Please will you marry me? No? Ah well, the social pitfalls of asking complete strangers to marry you! Anyway, thought it'd be worth asking, just so that now I've got your (if rather surprised, or possibly not at all surprised) attention I can say, in my most Arthur-like voice, I think you're Brilliant! We all do!Please write many, many more episodes for us to enjoy! (Oh and please can we see more of the goldfish in the next souvenir programme - they were, all flippancy aside, just...well... Brilliant!)

Sherlock Kittel said...

Thank you so much for the deleted scene :) You were right, of course, to end it with "Always the extra mile" but it is simply so nice to know Carolyn bought the goose for Martin :D A brilliant episode and please, please, please don't end the series, we so do not want MJN to fold :)

Kaś said...

Uskerty was so much better than Timbuktu! I have never thought before about Carolyn coming somewhere with Martin, but it was a great challenge for them both. And for me. I was literally crying with laughter.
Cannot wait for next episode!

Anonymous said...

Thank God and the BBC for iPlayer! When Uskerty aired on Wednesday I was laughing so hard that I couldn't understand everything. Had to re-listen to it a couple of times now...

No need to tell you that again it was brilliant. I especially like that Martin has gained some confidence after five years at MJN and stands up to Carolyn. And the historian in me loves "the black-and-white times". I keep embarrassing myself by laughing out loud in public for no other reason than being reminded of something funny you wrote. Therefore, thank God for other people being unable to read my mind (hopefully).

I agree, the ending sent is the better (and not so abrupt) one. Thanks for sharing your notes and thus giving us the alternative and thanks for everythinge else. Our lives would be miserable without you.

Tara said...

Dear John Finnemore,

you ARE one of those writers, period.

This episode reminds me a lot of my vacation in Ireland, although apart from the rain there are no immediate parallels. I liked it a lot, it felt like a "huis clos", even with the external characters.
Thank you! My sister was coming up with an interesting question, though: How can Arthur be so nice with two so horrible parents (I know that Carolyn might have a good heart, but Gordon clearly doesn't - and C. conceals hers quite well with doing things like buying her "man she knows" a dead sheep)? And all that Martin-abuse - it was good to hear that Douglas is full of baffled admiration at Martin's ability of being teased. Who isn't anyway?
Hooray for you! Looking forward to Vaduz, which fortunate me knows and loves already.

Anonymous said...

By the way, great choice of picture for the Uskerty-entry!

Tessa said...

I look forward to these blog posts almost as much as the episodes. They're so interesting and entertaining.
I got so excited while listening when I realized this episode was the other character split, and it definitely did not disappoint!!

Unknown said...

Well, the Douglas/Arthur bits may have been a pain to write, but they came out wonderfully...some of the funniest, natural-sounding writing in Cabin Pressure, in my opinion. The up a tree scene was brilliant as well. And I thought the ending was perfectly fine - I'd much rather have Arthur making the airport speech than hear them putting the geese through the gate!

Anonymous said...

I'm very glad you liked the 'what with the dames' line as much as we did. I've listened to that part 3 times and I can't stop laughing :)
(obviously, didn't stop laughing for pretty much the entire episode)

Veej said...

Aside from the hilarious comedy, what impresses me the most are the characters' three-dimensional aspects. Douglas is genuinely amused by Carolyn's suggestion "The da Vinci Cod" in their word game; Martin shows real concern when Douglas reveals his wife has had an affair; Carolyn's reaction to Martin's attachment to his father's signet ring.. and many more.
Writing "languid put-downs" is relatively simple but including touches of humanity and truth is a rare talent. You certainly have it, John, long may it continue!

Anonymous said...

Mr. Finnemore,
Have you considered leaving in the deleted scene for those who purchase the episode?
And I think your closing line in the deleted scene was just as strong as the one that aired.
Loved it regardless!
Best Wishes!!!

GG said...

I'm pleased with your choice of what to broadcast and what to omit as Arthur's announcement was my favourite part of the episode, particularly his sign off (I never know how to finish voicemails etc so it struck a chord with me, although now I tend to clamp my mouth shut and I just think it instead). It also ties in nicely with his ending of Mr Leaman's eulogy in Boston. Carolyn was in a very ratty mood, and it was interesting that Douglas was well aware of it whilst Martin was oblivious. I wonder if the business problems are finally coming to a head?

I loved the whole episode - it gave me lots of laugh out louds and normally I don't at comedy - I usually just smile. :-)

Audrey said...

Love this episode and your write-up! I got the Pooh reference right away because that story was one of my favorites when I was little and my mom read it to me more often than I'm sure she wants to remember. Martin's dilemma is hilarious!

Is Milo a reference to The Phantom Tollbooth?

Do you think you will ever offer a bloopers reel/outtakes CD for those of us who have no opportunity to attend the try-outs or the recordings?

Thanks so much for sharing your talent with us and bringing so much laughter into our lives! Cabin Pressure is a joy and it is a wonderful thing to be able to share it with both my kids and my parents.

Unknown said...

Listening to Cabin Pressue, I've developed an abikity in which I can laugh in my inner soul. Haha XD so that I won't look too ridiculous because normalky I listen to Cabin Pressure when I'm on my way to work or when I'm bored.

But Uskert just flat out broke that ability to pieces. I just looked like a wacko for around 30mins for laughing so hard.

Uskerty was a comedic genius! I just listened to it around 7times and it never fails to break me down to laughing pieces!

I just love you John Finnemore!

Unknown said...

Listening to Cabin Pressue, I've developed an abikity in which I can laugh in my inner soul. Haha XD so that I won't look too ridiculous because normalky I listen to Cabin Pressure when I'm on my way to work or when I'm bored.

But Uskert just flat out broke that ability to pieces. I just looked like a wacko for around 30mins for laughing so hard.

Uskerty was a comedic genius! I just listened to it around 7times and it never fails to break me down to laughing pieces!

I just love you John Finnemore!

Unknown said...

Good goodness, your notebooks are absolutely amazing! I wish I had the patience to plan like that! Uskerty was a brilliant episode, as ever. I admit that, despite feeling sorry for poor Martin, I laughed often and loudly at him. And the film noir bit was amazing. Thank you for another amazing episode!

Anonymous said...

Hopper's "Nighthawks"? I tip my dented hat from "black-and-white times" to you for this, for the comments, for the deleted scene, for the whole wondrous thing!

By the way--when I was very small, I believed that olden times (anything predating my momentous arrival in the world) must have been in black and white, because that's what I saw in photos and on TV. Yep.

Cheryl from Orange County, CA

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Mandy (from Australia) said...

Loved the episode - always think your writing is greatly improved by all the dodgy accents you make everyone do :-) Can't wait for next week!

Cathy in Canada said...

Wow! Your brain is a labyrinth of jewels and magic. Seeing your notes, doodles and all, pleased me no end. Honestly, what else do you have pirated away in there... More Cabin Pressure at the very least, I hope.

Caroline said...

Have just followed your advice, above, and re-read your post on the Ottery St Mary episode - and from there, your post from 3 years earlier concerning the imagining of otters.
Wow! Some familiar lines there. Brilliant!
Made me chuckle all over again.
Thanks, as always!

Anonymous said...

I have nothing new to add to the discussion--just *thank you*. That was a delight from start to finish. I'm glad indeed that Gerry was a good guy in the final draft. His enthusiasm, surpassed only by Arthur's, was a joy to listen to. And of course, I shall never, *ever* look at those hats-from-the-black-and-white-times in quite the same way again. -Molly

Pivli said...

Dear John, I congratulate to win Best British Radio Sketch Show 2012.You are best ever!!!

Veej said...

Starting today, BBC Radio4Extra is repeating the dramatisation of Les Miserables (no singing in this one!) with Roger Allam as Jean Valjean.
A neat circle as the immensely talented Mr A played Inspector Javert in the original London production of Les Mis.
(Just mentioning for anyone who might not see BBC radio schedules, hope that's OK)

Anonymous said...

My whole family adores Cabin Pressure. Its one of the highlights of our week. We are already fretting that this might be the last series. Please continue to do more series with the cast.

Unknown said...

Too perfect!

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Anonymous said...

Thanks for another great 'behind the scenes' entry. Uskerty was really funny. I loved the new pairings of M&C and D&A--oh, and Arthur as The Airport was, well, brilliant :). I had also wondered if Martin would ever ask Carolyn about his salary situation again, and I was happy to see it brought up. Thanks as well for posting the deleted scene! I had just figured Martin got his ring back, but it was definitely nice to 'see' that. Looking forward to V's episode (Verduz?) tomorrow. Fingers crossed the end of the alphabet doesn't signal the end of the show!

--ks from Illinois

Energy said...

I loved this episode. The deleted scene sounds great though. Is there any chance that you could ever produce longer 'directors cut' episodes?

I feel I may be in the minority but I would have liked this episode to end as originally planned!

Anonymous said...

To quote my favourite airline captain: Wow, that was amazing! Lie-ch-ten-stein... How sexy is that in English!

Magda said...

That was BRILLIANT!

Caroline said...

Already I'm quoting this week's crop of gems - if only in my own head for now. So much in there - what to say?
Except....there definitely is a feeling of 'End of days' settling in.....
I refuse to allow it to happen! I shall be hi-jacking GERTI, and forcing the crew to continue with their crucial word games ad infinitum.
(As this isn't Twitter, do I have to point out that that was a joke...?)

Heather said...

Mr. Finnemore, your journals are beautiful, fascinating and inspiring! Please continue to post pictures from them!

Also, as a long time fan of Cabin Pressure who is now reaching out and checking out the other things you've been involved with, I must say your writing voice is delightful!

Heather said...

Mr. Finnemore, your journals are beautiful, fascinating and inspiring! Please continue to post pictures from them!

Also, as a long time fan of Cabin Pressure who is now reaching out and checking out the other things you've been involved with, I must say your writing voice is delightful!

Heather said...

Mr. Finnemore, your journals are beautiful, fascinating and inspiring! Please continue to post pictures from them!

Also, as a long time fan of Cabin Pressure who is now reaching out and checking out the other things you've been involved with, I must say your writing voice is delightful!

cheers, from canada!

Eclectic Man said...

Please, please, please may we have a picture of Carolyn wind-surfing?

(Oh, and Martin's medals.)

Indy said...

I like that Martin is getting some love.

Anonymous said...

This American freezing in the tasteful gloom of Swedish winter is filled with existential angst (as well as delight) to realize that with Vaduz, CP Series 4 IS ALREADY HALF OVER ! Oh, how fleeting these joys as we hurtle (yellow car!) towards the noir-ish grave. . .

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Prasuna said...

i wish this part was not deleted... this part fulfills the episode. if it was due to the time constraint of 28 minutes, i felt some conversation between Douglas and Arthur at the bar,could have been trimmed a bit... is there anyway we can get to listen the complete uncut version ?

Anonymous said...

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful Vaduz! Thank you so much for your inventiveness, imagination and sense of FUN! My family and I were lucky enough to see the try-out for Vaduz - it's fascinating to see the development it has undergone. Two boys went off to school this morning happily quoting chunks already (mainly involving Duxford Air Museum and assassin-scanning!)

Veej said...

Listened in the car, myself plus daughters, (all of us CP fanatics since Series One). My husband and my younger d's friend were also with us, new to MJN and its antics but laughing just as hard.
Now, our man isn't usually a laugh-out-loud type, more the quietly amused kinda guy but he was chuckling while we girls all shrieked and I suspect he even joined us in cheering for Martin and his bobsled team at the end!
A thought: if Carolyn marries Herc, he becomes Arthur's stepfather which ties in with him (AH) already being Arthur's father in Merlin. Is that by design or serendipity?

Anonymous said...

I endorse the opinion of many others (above) that we should be able to get a "director's cut" download of Uskerty, as well as the broadcast one.

Fee said...

I must have listened to this episode 20 times, and I am still marvelling at some of the lines. I absolutely love the segment up the tree, but my favourite is the goose farmer telling Martin he can't stand up in the back of the truck.

I'm *so* sad that the BBC whip it off the iplayer after a couple of weeks. Not sure why some programmes stay on until the whole season is over and others disappear.

Thank you!

Anonymous said...

My. Goose. Now. Ugh, why are you so brilliant?!?!

QueenPaige said...

Didn't notice the little "spoiler" tag over that piece of writing until now.
Now all I want is to know what is under that sticky note. Maybe it has something to do with Vaduz and I shouldn't worry about it.
Let's go with that.

Anonymous said...

loving the new series. making what started as a horrible year a lot less horrible!
Came across this, if ever Herc is in belgium (brussels) again:
Viva M’Boma
(Rue de Flandre 17)
apparently it was once a butchers shop but now a bistro
quote: A stuffed sheep and a pig’s head meet and greet.

Martin said...

My favourite line from Arthur (quoting from memory, so please excuse any inaccuracies):
"It was in my sock! I never thought it would look in my sock!"

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But, Mr. Finnemore...We still need to know - how did Herc react to the sheep?!

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