Trivia for
"Not the Nine O'Clock News" (1979)

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• The original pilot episode had a different cast: Rowan Atkinson and Chris Langham were joined by Chris Emmett, Christopher Godwin, John Gorman, Willoughby Goddard and Jonathan Hyde. The pilot was due to air on 2nd April 1979, but was cancelled due to BBC fears over its political content just before a General Election, and has never been broadcast.
  
  
• The pilot episode was due to replace the last episode of "Fawlty Towers" (1975) in the schedules ("Basil the Rat", which was postponed due to a BBC strike). John Cleese filmed a short skit to open the pilot, explaining why he hadn't produced a show that week. Although the pilot was then canceled, the sketch was used during the first full series of Not the Nine O'Clock News, the week after "Basil the Rat" was finally broadcast.
  
  

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