Top 5 Episodes Of The Goes Wrong Show

I really liked The Goes Wrong Show, still do, and personally think it’s a real tragedy that it’s been cancelled! My first interaction with the show, was a brief few seconds of the Christmas Carol adaptation they did one Christmas. When the full show started about a year later, didn’t think much of it, but then a couple of weeks later, I was laughing my entire head off!

For those unaware as to what I am talking about here: The Goes Wrong Show was a comedy series produced for the BBC, featuring the stars of the Mischief Theatre company, which ran for two seasons, each containing six episodes. Each week, the fictional Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, would put on a different live play, that was simultaneously broadcast to the nation. During the course of the play however, things would frequently go wrong, like lines getting mixed up, production issues, and more frequently, major accidents. The stars of the production company all played fictional characters, with Chris Bean (Henry Shields) usually directing the show. Other characters included:

• Robert Grove (Henry Lewis),
• Dennis Tyde (Jonathan Sayer),
• Sandra Wilkinson (Charlie Russell),
• Vanessa Wilcock-Wynn-Carroway (Bryony Corrigan),
• Annie Twilloil (Nancy Zamit),
• Max Bennett (Dave Hearn),
• Trevor Watson (Chris Leask),
• Jonathan Harris (Greg Tannahill),
• and Lucy Grove (Ellie Morris).

At first I thought the show looked a bit odd/ridiculous/stupid, and didn’t really think about it, then came the 90 Degrees episode, and I just couldn’t stop laughing. From then on I wanted to see more and more of this show, and was super excited when the second series started. From then on I hoped another series would be broadcast, but it never was, with the show being cancelled in 2024. Personally I think the BBC owes me and everyone else another two full series at least, as they chose to cancel it over two years after the second series. If they wanted to cancel it, they should have done it in 2021, but as they waited over two years to cancel it, they therefore owe us two years worth of Goes Wrong productions!

Anyway, as I have become a big fan of this show, and hope one day some other channel will see sense and recomission it, I thought I would share with you my Top 5 Episodes of The Goes Wrong Show in the intermediate time. As usual though, there are some other episodes unlucky to make it into the Top 5, but are still worthy of a mention, and those episodes are:

The Pilot (Not The Pilot), A Trial to Watch, The Lodge, The Most Lamentable…, The Cornley Drama Festival Part 2.

And so, without further ado, here are My Top 5 Favourite Episodes of The Goes Wrong Show; Enjoy!

5. The Cornley Drama Festival Part 1 – Feels a bit of a let down that the last two episodes of the show, weren’t full plays, but a selection of sketches, but the sketches produced were still very funny. The first episode featured an in-depth acting masterclass from Robert Grove, which involved hints as to the correct way to say the famous line “To be, or not to be!”, why he believes he can carry a gun on stage at all times, and the true definition of the term ‘Sub-plot’. Also, Vanessa puts on an Improv performance, which frequently goes horribly wrong!

4. Summer Once Again – The only full play not to be directed by Chris Bean, as he was forced out in a Coup led by Robert Grove. Hoping to put on a perfect, and epic play, Robert won’t allow any mistakes, which involves re-running the very first scene three times, and then quickly rushing through the rest as they run out of time!

3. The Nativity – This is by far the best Nativity play I have ever watched. Due to the BBC (fictionally) cutting off their funding, the The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society has had to find sponsorship, and then plaster it all over the play. Things of course go wrong, from the piano catching fire during a performance of Silent Night, to issues presented by two fire alarm tests, to the gloriously hilarious scene where an inn-keeper forgets his lines, followed by the introduction of a brand new character, in the form of an ‘old-lowly manager’!

2. The Spirit of Christmas – The Spirit of Christmas follows the story of a young girl (played by a 26 year old), who is finding it hard to get into the christmas spirit, so is visited by Santa, and two of his elves, one of whom gets stuck in the chimney. As the story plays out, Robert Grove who is playing Santa gets more and more heavily drunk, as he is provided with real Sherry, which leads to situations such as telling the live audience off for singing in the wrong key, attacking the stage manager, before then having a rant about Christmas!

1. 90 Degrees – 90 Degrees, was the first full episode I saw, and to this day is still the funniest. Basically the set builder (Dennis’s Dad, who up til now has only ever made Jack-in-the-Boxes) saw the words 90 Degrees, and thought that meant the whole set should be turned 90 degrees vertically. Luckily the stars have turned the cameras around too, so it all works out, except for the 100+ near accidents in the full episode. Although for me personally, it’s the Dog that steals the show, especially when we see him in the main room, but at the same time hear him steal Wine Gums from the canteen!