IMDb > "Drop the Dead Donkey" (1990)

"Drop the Dead Donkey" (1990) More at IMDbPro »TV series 1990-1998


Overview

User Rating:
8.9/10   212 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 9% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Contact:
View company contact information for Drop the Dead Donkey on IMDbPro.
Seasons:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 full episode list
Release Date:
9 August 1990 (UK) more
Genre:
Comedy more
Plot:
Political satire about a TV news company.
Awards:
9 wins & 8 nominations more
User Comments:
An all time classic more (10 total)

Cast

 (Series Cast Summary - 9 of 27)
Neil Pearson ... Dave Charnley (66 episodes, 1990-1998)
Jeff Rawle ... George Dent (66 episodes, 1990-1998)
David Swift ... Henry Davenport (66 episodes, 1990-1998)
Stephen Tompkinson ... Damien Day (66 episodes, 1990-1998)
Robert Duncan ... Gus Hedges (65 episodes, 1990-1998)

Victoria Wicks ... Sally Smedley (65 episodes, 1990-1998)
Susannah Doyle ... Joy Merryweather (55 episodes, 1991-1998)
Ingrid Lacey ... Helen Cooper (42 episodes, 1993-1998)
Haydn Gwynne ... Alex Pates (24 episodes, 1990-1991)
more

Additional Details

Country:
UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The series was originally to be called "Dead Belgians Don't Count", inspired by a deadly train accident in Belgium which received no attention in the British news. This title was deemed too offensive by Channel 4, and they renamed it "Drop the Dead Donkey". A fortuitous decision, as it turned out, since one of the first international stations to buy this series was the VRT, the Flemish public radio and television. more
Quotes:
Gus Hedges: Today is tomorrow's tadpole of opportunity. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in 30 Greatest Political Comedies (2006) (TV) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful.
An all time classic, 31 December 2007
10/10
Author: moviebuff74 from United States

As an Irish observer, this comedy has to be one of the high points of 1990's comedy.

While the main talking point of the series initially was it's topicality (being written and filmed in the week before filming so as to include observations and jokes about breaking news stories), later series were far less dependent on the topicality angle and more on funny honest and sharp character development.

It was immeasurably superior both to other office based comedy (viz the overrated IMHO "office") and to the likes of other newsroom comedies viz Murphy Brown. DTDD's humour was sharp acidic and right on the money. No-one was spared it's barbs.

On reruns and DVD releases a brief voice-over identifies the week each particular episode was shown and what the major stories breaking that week were.

More interestingly a lot of what was clearly the target of DTDD's humour (the dumbing down and tabloidisation of news reporting promoted by TV newstations) are even more in evidence today 10-15 years later as witnessed by the likes of FOX News and Sky News I wonder who Sir Royten Merchant was really based on....

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (10 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for "Drop the Dead Donkey" (1990)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
One season 1 episode that doesn't fit in epa101
Awesome BeansOffofToast
Help with a song plz TheSorrow
Most fanciable cast member? ScottishHelen
For anyone else who was watching 'The Lightning Kid' yesterday: Samanfur
name of show? makeuplover69
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
"The New Statesman" Bob Roberts The Second Civil War Man of the Year Crossing the Floor
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Episode guide Full cast and crew Company credits
External reviews IMDb TV section IMDb Comedy section
IMDb UK section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.

You may add a new episode for this TV series by clicking the 'add episode' button