Week Ending

Week Ending was a satirical radio current affairs sketch show, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4, usually on Friday evenings. It ran from 1970 to 1998, and was devised by writer-producers Simon Brett and David Hatch, and was originally hosted by Nationwide presenter Michael Barratt.

The show's title was always announced as "Week Ending..." followed by the broadcast date, although the ellipsis was dropped from its billed title in Radio Times during the mid-seventies. The show was written and recorded shortly before the first broadcast, and satirised events of the week. Each show concluded with "And now here is Next Week's News", although this collection of one-liners was abandoned in the early nineties. Short gags were thereafter scattered throughout the show.

Relatively few editions survive in the BBC archives, and they are rarely repeated. There is an obvious issue of topicality, but this did not prevent annual Year Ending compilations or the re-recording of sketches for a 1989 cassette release.

Week Ending was considered a "training ground" for a large number of comedy writers, performers and producers. Many young BBC production recruits were given the programme for a month or so in order to get to grips with scripted comedy and working with performers, while the writers' meetings welcomed anyone who cared to wander in off the street. The programme also accepted material by post, fax and e-mail. This open door policy, which it shared with Radio 2's long-running News Huddlines, made it a point of entry for writers who went on to successful careers in British radio and television.

Script contributors included Andy Hamilton, Mark Burton, John O'Farrell, Terence Dackombe, Guy Jenkin, Bridget Leathley, Iain Pattinson, Ged Parsons, Andy Riley, Kevin Cecil, Richard Herring, D.A. Barham, Peter Baynham, Julian Dutton, Harry Hill, Al Murray, Ben Moor, Tony Lee, Rich Johnston, Lee Barnett, David Baddiel, Rob Newman, Graeme Sutherland, Kim Morrissey, Barry Pilton, Paddy Murray, Mark Griffiths, Ivan Shakespeare, Alan Stafford, Barry Atkins, Stewart Lee, Martin Smith, Will Adams, , Peter Hickey, Craig Robins, John Random, Brendan Martin and Martin Curtis, Bob and Barbara Boulton, Nick R. Thomas, Chris Stratford and Dave Morley.

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