Beginning in 1979 Not the Nine O’Clock News quickly became a big hit, airing on BBC2 in the same timeslot as the main channel’s news headline show The 9 O’Clock News (hence the comedy show’s title).

Starring the then rising Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith, Griff Rhys Jones and Australia’s own Pamela Stephenson the show was a mixture of Monty Python style subversion and straight ahead skit comedy.

Songs were always a vital part of the show too and this single disc 95 minute round up of the shows prime moments (subtitled volume one - lets hope there’s a volume two) contains such fake pop video moments as Baronet Oswald Ernold Mosley (the punk classic celebrating the life of the fascist politician) and the Abbatastic Supa Dupa (“One of us is ugly, one of us is cute, one of us you’d like to see in her birthday suit”) sung to the tune of Super Trouper of course.

The sketches are generally very quick fire and never outstay their welcome, included here are the hilarious Gerald the Gorilla (one very educated Gorilla gets interviewed on TV), Cut off their Goolies (the football hooligan problem), the pyscho cop Constable Savage and The Devil - Is He All Bad?

Also a vital element of NTNON was the satirical poking fun at the politician of the day, taking footage of them and revoicing it to make Margaret Thatcher or David Heseltine look stupid or mixing in scenes with the politicians with unsavoury footage to similar effect, several of these moments are included on the disc and serve to plant the show firmly in its time.

Some high quality writers also worked on the series including the likes of Richard “Four Weddings, Blackadder” Curtis, David “One Foot in the Grave” Renwick, Clive Anderson, Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin.

Another highly recommended release from Roadshow continuing with their slate of classic BBC TV releases.