11:32am Friday 26th January 2007
Never go back, they say. The conveyer belt of rock and pop bands who try to recreate the old magic serve as proof of this (Take That, Happy Mondays, I'm looking at you). But comedy troupe The Ornate Johnsons have bucked the trend by looking pretty hot second time round.
Okay, they didn't set the world alight with their sketches in the early 90s, but still, the phone is ringing now, critics and punters are buzzing about their new tour - which takes in the Epsom Playhouse next Tuesday - and a BBC4 series is in the pipeline.
That big break was so close but yet so far 15 years ago, as Dave Mounfield explains: "We were an industry secret back then, but we were in the same sketch troupe in London as Matt Lucas and David Walliams. We went one way and screwed up, they went another way and the rest is history.
"At Edinburgh in 91, we had Harry Hill before us and Steve Coogan behind us. But we only had about 10 people and they had a packed house!"
So what's changed? Dave, 37, says that, firstly, they were "very young and very stupid", and lacked the life experience to be intelligently cynical (a key component to British humour). And secondly? Timing. That capricious harlet.
"You can bang away at a closed door for years and get nowhere and that's what we did. Things have come full circle because we are influenced by things like Not The Nine O' Clock News and The Two Ronnies.
"We have a beginning, middle and end, punchlines, set-ups. We don't experiment with form - we get a funny idea and present it as it is.
"It's become more timely as people are crying out for back-to-basics comedy. Young people like it as they haven't seen it before and old people are reminded of the old days."
The OJs - comprising Dave, Brian Mitchell, Clea Smith, Laurence Relton and Glen Richardson - played their first gig in 1991 and parted ways in 93. They reformed in 98 and are now grasping the moment.
"There's a lot of focus on brand loyalty', which leads to programmes like Catherine Tate and Little Britain. They have call-back characters and catchphrases and you only really get 10 sketches which are repeated, only with a twist each time," says Dave.
"The Two Ronnies were on television for 20 years as they had a freedom and looseness that meant they could evolve with the times. By common consent Little Britain ran out of steam after two series."
You can't argue with the OJs latest results: pick of the week in virtually all the national and London papers, Best Comedy Award at the Brighton Festival, plus comedy bible chortle.co.uk dubbing their Only Fools and Horses in the style of a bloody Italian opera' sketch "a mini-masterpiece".
So maybe things can work out second time around. As Gary Barlow sang: "Just have a little patience."
The Ornate Johnsons; Epsom Playhouse, Ashley Avenue, Epsom; Tuesday, January 30, 8pm; £12.50/£10. 01372 742555 or visit epsomplayhouse.co.uk.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/trade_directory/