Gold commissions a million jokes, 'Bob Monkhouse: The Million Joke Man’

Gold commissions a million jokes, 'Bob Monkhouse: The Million Joke Man’

UKTV continues its investment in originations with a brand new commission, Bob Monkhouse: The Million Joke Man, for flagship comedy channel Gold.

This brand new 3 x 60' series takes a retrospective look at the extraordinary career of Bob Monkhouse that spanned over 50 years. Known to millions as a game show host, he was also an extremely popular stand-up comedian and skilled joke writer. A skill he took so seriously he meticulously catalogued thousands of jokes in twelve beautifully handwritten and illustrated volumes.

Presented by Paul O' Grady and with a whole host of famous faces past and present, Paul, equipped with the original joke books, will attempt to discover the secret of Bob's success. From the books, to his fellow professionals, to a fascinating array of unseen footage, the audience will get a real insight into the extraordinary talent of Bob Monkhouse and the man with a million jokes.

General Manager of Gold, Steve North said

Bob Monkhouse is a true great of British comedy. He was often seen as just a presenter and host but really he was a great stand up first and foremost. Bob was a prolific writer, so it is incredibly exciting to have gained access to the enormous volume of work that he produced and it is a privilege for Gold to have the opportunity of crafting a show around these tomes.

Commissioning Editor, Simon Lupton added

I've always been fascinated by how Bob seemed to have a joke for every occasion, and when I saw the books I realised that it was the result of the hard work of a genius. These books are an extraordinary legacy and a compelling insight into one of the finest comedians this country has ever produced. We are very privileged that Bob's family and the person Bob entrusted the books to, Colin Edmonds, have for the first time granted such access to the books and his extensive archive. The Gold audience is in for a rare, enthralling and hilarious treat.

Executive Producer, Rain Media Entertainment, Mark Wells, commented

We were extremely honoured that Bob Monkhouse's estate chose to give us total and unrestricted access to Bob's huge personal archive for this UKTV series. Bob's legendary joke books in particular have never properly been seen by a television audience, and Paul O'Grady has loved leafing his way through them and the other wonderful discoveries he's come across during the making of these programmes.

The series, produced by Rain Media Entertainment, marks Gold's continued, bold commissioning strategy, investing in fresh and unique content and is the latest in a line of an original series.