That Was The Week That Was

That Was The Week That Was began on 24 November 1962. The late-night satirical show took aim at the establishment in a way that had never been seen on the BBC before, inspired by the success of the stage review Beyond the Fringe. TW3 - as it was known for the sake of convenience - was produced by Ned Sherrin, and presented live by David Frost.

The talented cast joining him for the first programme was Millicent Martin, Kenneth Cope, David Kernan, Roy Kinnear, Bernard Levin, Lance Percival and William Rushton. It quickly became essential Saturday night viewing.

Each week TW3 mixed songs with sketches and cartoons in a free-wheeling format overseen by Frost. The incredible team of writers were helped by the fact that the programmes coincided with the Profumo scandal, and were not afraid to highlight the murkier areas of political life.

TW3 only ran for two series, and was cancelled before the 1964 Election year, as the BBC Governors worried about its impact. Despite this fact, it came to symbolise the new freedom of the "permissive" Sixties. Many of the stars and writers went on to further success, with Frost in particular helping to recreate the show in the US.

Today political satire is alive and well on the BBC, with programmes like The Now Show on radio, and The Thick of it on television.