Alas Smith and Jones

Alas Smith and Jones debuted on 31 January 1984. The comedy show was a starring vehicle for Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith, previously seen as half of the Not the Nine O'clock News team. Smith and Jones offered a modern, sometimes subversive, take on the comedy double act.

The title of the new show was taken from the western series Alias Smith and Jones, with which it bore no similarity apart from the names of the two lead characters. Alas Smith and Jones started on BBC2 but transferred to BBC1, where it became a mainstream hit, running until 1998.

The sketches in the show were punctuated by the deadpan head to head sequences, where Smith and Jones, playing dim versions of themselves, discussed a topic of interest. In the first episode it was sperm banks. Smith and Jones wrote much of the material, but the list of top writers who contributed to the programme over the years includes Clive Anderson, Rory McGrath, Jimmy Mulville, Andy Hamilton, Robin Driscoll, Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan.

Smith and Jones developed their separate careers in many directions while the show was still running and continued to do so after it ended. Smith directed several feature films including The Tall Guy and Bean. Jones showed another side to his personality presenting the heritage series Restoration. Mel Smith died in 2013.