| Rigor Mortis | |
 Radio 4's promotional shot
of Peter Davison as Dr. Anthony Webster |
|
| Genre | sitcom |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Languages | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Syndicates | BBC Radio 7 |
| Starring | Peter Davison Geoffrey Whitehead Tracy-Ann Oberman series 1 Matilda Ziegler series 2-3 co-starring Marianne Levy Tom Price Gus Brown |
| Creators | Laurence Howarth |
| Writers | Laurence Howarth |
| Producers | Dawn Ellis |
| Air dates | 12 June 2003 to 2 March 2006 non-consecutively[1] |
| No. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Peter Davison (born Peter Moffett 13 April 1951 is an English Actor, best known for his roles as Tristan Farnon in the television version of Geoffrey Whitehead (born 1 October 1939 in Sheffield) is a highly regarded English Actor. Tracy-Ann Oberman (born August 1966 in London) is an English television theatre and radio Actress, best known for her role as Chrissie Watts Matilda Ziegler (born 1964) is an English television stage and film actress best known for her roles as Donna Ludlow in the long-running BBC1 Tom Price is a British actor and one of the stars of the Five comedy sketch show Swinging. Gus Brown (b 1974 Gravesend, Kent) is an English actor and comedian Laurence Howarth is an English comic actor and writer He has appeared in one episode each of the TV series After You've Gone (2007 Hyperdrive Laurence Howarth is an English comic actor and writer He has appeared in one episode each of the TV series After You've Gone (2007 Hyperdrive Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. of series | 3 (+1 episode in 2007) |
| No. of episodes | 19 |
| Audio format | Stereophonic sound Recorded live in front of a studio audience |
| Opening theme | Paul Mottram with vocals by Stephanie Benavente[2] |
| Ending theme | same |
| Website Radio 4 |
|
Rigor Mortis is a BBC Radio 4 black comedy set in the pathology department at an NHS hospital. Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of Sound, using two or more independent audio channels through a Symmetrical Black comedy, also known as black humor or dark comedy, is a sub-genre of Comedy and Satire where topics and events that are usually regarded Pathology (from Greek grc πάθος pathos, "fate harm" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study and A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for It centers around the working lives of the pathologists and attendant staff who inhabit the department.
Contents |
Themes
Much of the humor of the show springs from the characters' varying views on death and their contrasting beliefs about the relative importance of their work. Death is the termination of the biological functions that define living Organisms It refers both to a specific The show often derives humor from the fact that the characters are not primarily forensic pathologists. Forensic pathology is a branch of Pathology concerned with determining the Cause of death by examination of a cadaver Davison's character, Anthony Webster, is frequently at pains to explain that he is a histopathologist, for example. Histopathology (from the Greek histos (tissue and pathos (suffering refers to the microscopic examination of tissue in order to study the manifestations Their case load therefore infrequently verges into the more "exciting" area of crime-related death. Murder is the unlawful killing of another human person with Malice aforethought, as defined in Common Law countries Nevertheless, one of the running gags of the programme was that the character originally played by Tracy-Ann Oberman, the anatomical pathologist Ruth Anderson, was secondarily credentialed as a forensic pathologist, but had so rarely used these skills that her deductive reasoning skills were faulty. The running gag is an often amusing Joke or reference that appears repeatedly throughout a work or series of works Pathology; please do not remove --> (
Two other major themes can be seen throughout the history of the programme. One is the desire, especially on the part of Donaldson and Webster, to educate the public about pathology. Various schemes, notably including the first radio broadcast of an autopsy, are hatched to accomplish this goal. Another predominant theme is the effect of a career in pathology on the personal lives of its practitioners. Career is a term defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as an individual's "course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life" Personal life (or everyday life or human existence) is the course of an individual Human 's life especially when viewed as the sum of personal choices This is especially evident in Series 3 where every character has at least a subplot revolving around the issue. Chief among these is the series-long arc in which Ruth and Anthony try to conceive a child non-sexually—he, because his relationship with his naturally-conceived daughter has fallen into ruin, and she, because of an inability to sustain a meaningful romantic relationship with a man. AIH redirects here For the indie rock band abbreviated AIH see Architecture in Helsinki Artificial insemination (AI is the process by which
Because of the inclusion of several recurring characters who are not practicing pathologists, but rather administrative or laboratory staff, the programme can also be classed as an office comedy in the vein of the television programmes, 30 Rock, The Thin Blue Line and NewsRadio. In Business, administration consists of the performance or management of business operations and thus the making or implementing of major decisions A laboratory (informally lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific Research, Experiments and Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. 30 Rock is an American Television comedy Series created by Tina Fey. The Thin Blue Line was a British sitcom starring Rowan Atkinson set in a Police station that lasted for two series from 1995 NewsRadio is an American sitcom, originally broadcast from 1995 to 1999 on NBC.
Characters
Rigor Mortis employs a two-tiered ensemble structure, with the majority of the narrative surrounding the actions of the three pathologists, and the other recurring characters being used to further the actions of the main three characters. An ensemble cast is a cast in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance in a dramatic production A narrative or story is a construct created in a suitable format (written spoken poetry prose images song Theater, or Dance) that describes a sequence of For the daytime equivalent see Recurring status. A recurring character is a Fictional character, usually in a Prime time This structure is confirmed by the announced credits, which mention only the actors playing the pathologists during the opening title sequence. Title sequence generally refers to the method by which cinematic films or television shows present their title key cast and/or production members utilizing conceptual visuals
Pathologists
- Dr. Anthony Webster (Peter Davison) — Webster is the one person in the office who's completely happy with his job. Peter Davison (born Peter Moffett 13 April 1951 is an English Actor, best known for his roles as Tristan Farnon in the television version of He's dreamed of being a pathologist since his youth, and indeed was mentored in his craft by his father. He has no illusions about what the job is or could be, and is never happier than when performing autopsies. So keen is his love for his specialty in histopathology, that he has been known to examine his own tissue samples, solely because there's nothing good on TV. For all of his scientific brilliance, he has great difficulty with the parts of life that occur outside the mortuary. This is exemplified by his relationship with his teenaged daughter, around whom he is extremely awkward. His zeal for pathology has instilled in him a sense of detachment from life, to the extent that he cannot form what many would consider "normal" interpersonal relationships. He is the nominal chief pathologist, although since there are ostensibly only two practicing pathologists in the department, this title has little practical relevance. His ex-wife is not a featured character, although she does finally appear in the penultimate episode of Series 3.
- Dr. Ruth Anderson (Tracy-Ann Oberman, Matilda Ziegler) — Ruth's approach to pathology is decidedly more relaxed than that of Dr. Tracy-Ann Oberman (born August 1966 in London) is an English television theatre and radio Actress, best known for her role as Chrissie Watts Matilda Ziegler (born 1964) is an English television stage and film actress best known for her roles as Donna Ludlow in the long-running BBC1 Webster. She is frequently portrayed as bored by the overwhelming number of cases that come into her mortuary, as they generally reveal only natural causes of death. She is the only licensed forensic pathologist on staff, but this credential has gone mostly unused. Where Webster was drawn to pathology for serious scientific and familial reasons, she chose the career path apparently because of its romanticization in popular culture. When the odd forensic case does arrive, she's quick to dust off her credentials, and equally quick to draw the wrong conclusions. Her search for romance has also been the subject of various subplots. A subplot, sometimes referred to as a "B story" or a "C story" and so on is a secondary plot strand that is auxiliary to the main plot
- Professor Graeme Donaldson (Geoffrey Whitehead) — Donaldson is the administrative head of the department, and therefore the boss of Webster and Anderson. Geoffrey Whitehead (born 1 October 1939 in Sheffield) is a highly regarded English Actor. ManaGeR ( MGR) is a graphical Window system. The MGR server provides a builtin Window manager and windowed graphics Terminal emulation on color Though he is a qualified pathologist, he rarely gets involved in actual autopsies. An autopsy, also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy, or obduction, is a Medical procedure that consists of a thorough Examination He is generally used to introduce new staff policies or NHS directives, which Webster and Anderson must then implement.
Supporting staff
- Gordon (Tom Price) — Gordon is the lab assistant, who's stayed with the department long beyond his six month training rotation. Medical Laboratory Assistants (MLAs prepare and in some cases process samples within a Pathology laboratory He is frequently depicted as an over-user of alcohol, though it's not implied that he is, in fact, an alcoholic. Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions Rather, he's just seen as enjoying a good party. He is often portrayed as somewhat afraid of the staff secretary, Chloe. His relationship with Webster is complex, at once admiring of the pathologist's professional skills, but somewhat dismissive of him personally. He almost always refers to his seniors by their titles and the first letter of their last name, as in, "Dr. W. " or "Dr. A. "
- Chloe (Marianne Levy) — Chloe is the secretary at the department and openly dismissive of the educational gulf between herself and the pathologists. A secretary is either an administrative assistant in business office administration, or a certain type of mid- or high-level governmental position such as a She frequently gives advice on personal matters to all the other characters, but takes affront if the advice isn't followed. She is somewhat catty with Ruth.
- Simon (Gus Brown) — Simon is the local police officer with whom the pathology department are in most regular contact. Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales (administration of Police matters He has a bit of a crush on Chloe. His fear of death and the dead make him utterly unsuited to be his department's liaison to the pathology laboratory.
Production and broadcast
Rigor Mortis was recorded live in front of a studio audience at London's Drill Hall, typically at the rate of one episode each Friday night for six weeks[3]. The Drill Hall is a theatrical venue in Bloomsbury in the London Borough of Camden, just to the east of Tottenham Court Road. Little, if any, post-production work was applied to the recording. See also Filmmaking Post-production occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, Videos audio recordings It was produced in three series over the course of four years. Each series contained six episodes. Series 1 was broadcast from 12 June to 17 July 2003. Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Series 2 went out from 11 November to 16 December 2004. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Events 755 - An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Series 3 hit the airwaves from 26 January to 2 March 2006. Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Series 1 was subsequently rebroadcast on Radio 7 prior to the start of each subsequent series on Radio 4. Series 2 was not rebroadcast until mid-2007.
The sixth episode of series 3 was purported to be the programme's last.
Individual episodes were not titled, either by the voice-over announcer or the programme guide listings. The term voice-over refers to a production technique where a non-diagetic voice is broadcast live or pre-recorded in Radio, Television, Film,
The character of Dr. Ruth Anderson was recast after the end of the first series.
Though little formal "behind the scenes" information about the show exists, actor Marianne Levy did post a blog entry after the recording of each episode of the second series[4]. A blog (a contraction of the term " Web log " is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary descriptions of In one such posting she answered a question of a then-blogging audience member who asked for a brief overview of how an episode of Rigor Mortis went from script to tape[5].
Reception
The first series of Rigor Mortis was well-received, cited as "brilliantly funny" and selected as the radio "Pick of the Day" by The Independent[6]. The Independent is a British compact Newspaper published by Tony O'Reilly 's Independent News & Media. The Sunday Times said Rigor was "wonderfully funny . The Sunday Times is a Sunday Broadsheet Newspaper distributed in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. . . the wit flashes as brightly as the scalpels", while Sue Arnold of The Observer wrote that it was "the sharpest, blackest and most original sitcom I've heard in years"[7]. The Observer is a British Newspaper published on Sundays In about the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The
Availability in other media
Rigor Mortis has never been released on CD or audio cassette. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a Magnetic tape sound For a time after the initial broadcast of each episode, it was available for replay on the Radio 4 website. When the show was rebroadcast on Radio 7 in 2007, it was again made available on the BBC Radio Player. The year 2007 in radio involved some significant events Events January 8: Nanci " The
According to writer Laurence Howarth's agent, a script was in development for a televised version, as of 2006[8]. The project seemed to still be in development as of 25 March 2007, with Tiger Aspect Productions now attached[9]. Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Tiger Aspect Productions is a British Television Production company, particularly noted for its situation comedies.
References
- ^ http://epguides.com/RigorMortis/ A basic guide to the broadcast of Rigor Mortis, detailing exact airdates.
- ^ http://www.radiolistings.co.uk/programmes/rigor_mortis.html More detailed cast and crew listing for Rigor Mortis
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2003/05/09/4296.shtml Coverage of series 1 recording on the BBC's Doctor Who website.
- ^ http://mariannelevy.blogspot.com/2004/09/rigor-mortis-1-170904.html Entry from Marianne Levy's blog about the recording of Series 2, episode 1.
- ^ http://mariannelevy.blogspot.com/2004/10/rigor-mortis-4-051004.html Entry from Marianne Levy's blog after the recording of Series 2, episode 4.
- ^ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20030612/ai_n12690797 Sturges, Fiona. "PICK OF THE DAY: Radio: Rigor Mortis". 12 June 2003.
- ^ http://www.comedycv.co.uk/laurencehowarth.index.htm Comedy CV's overview of Laurence Howarth
- ^ http://www.rbmcomedy.com/laurencehowarth.html Laurence Howarth's curriculum vitae, as presented by his agent.
- ^ http://www.laurenceandgus.com/?laurence.html Laurence & Gus website's bio of Laurence Howarth.
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