History Series / DropTheDeadDonkey

[[SequelInAnotherMedium A stage adaptation]] called ''Drop the Dead Donkey: The Reawakening!'', written by Hamilton and Jenkin and starring the original cast (save for the late David Swift and Haydn Gwynne), is set to premiere in January 2024.

''Drop the Dead Donkey'' was a 1990s British TV comedy by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin, set in the newsroom of Globelink news, recently acquired by megalomaniacal billionaire Sir Royston Merchant, who has installed the [[PointyHairedBoss sycophantic Gus Hedges]] (Robert Duncan) as chief executive. The station is nominally run by nervous editor George Dent (Jeff Rawle), assisted by Alex Pates (Haydn Gwynne) in Series 1-2 and Helen Cooper (Ingrid Lacey) in Series 3-6. In front of the camera are two bitter rival newsreaders, grumpy veteran Henry Davenport (David Swift) and snobbish newcomer Sally Smedley (Victoria Wicks), and [[ImmoralJournalist amoral star field reporter Damien Day]] (Stephen Tompkinson). Other office staff include sub-editor Dave Charnley (Neil Pearson) and, from Series 2-6, sociopathic office assistant Joy Merryweather (Susannah Doyle). Aside from attacking politicians across the political spectrum, the show centred on the war of egos between newsreaders, the inability of editors to avoid the tabloidisation of their programme and the wickedly black banter and office terrorism between the rest of the staff.

'''Damien:''' Well, you've got to understand Hussein's position. I mean, first of all, he urgently needs higher oil revenues to pay off his massive debts. Second, the Kuwaiti islands are of vital strategic importance to him so he can protect the Sharm el-Sheikh waterway.[[note]] Presumably a line flub by Stephen Tompkinson; Sharm el-Sheikh is on the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt, whereas the waterway near Basra is called the Shatt al-Arab.[[/note]] And then, of course, there's the single most important political factor.\\

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: [[invoked]] Absurdly pretentious modern art abounds as Joy mixes with artists who love her sketches. The regular characters (Joy included) think it's all a ridiculous con, and a critic at a showing of her work suggests she's too naive to understand. When she knocks him out, [[AllPartOfTheShow someone else assumes he's an installation]], and this happens again later when [[spoiler:Joy discovers that the artist promoting her is just out to screw her, in both senses, and ends up hog-tied and naked as part of an exhibition - bottom line, ''do not'' mess with Joy]].

** George is much more competent as an editor during the first series, but becomes less so as pressures both personal and work-related begin to wear him down as the show continues.

* MrFanservice: The Chippendales episode had this.

[[SequelInAnotherMedium A stage adaptation]] called ''Drop the Dead Donkey: The Reawakening!'', written by Hamilton and Jenkin and starring the original cast (save for the late David Swift), is set to premiere in January 2024.

[[SequelInAnotherMedium A stage adaptation]] with the original cast (save for the late David Swift) is set to premiere in 2023.

''Drop the Dead Donkey'' was a 1990s British TV comedy by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin, set in the newsroom of Globelink news, recently acquired by megalomaniacal billionaire Sir Royston Merchant, who has installed the [[PointyHairedBoss sycophantic Gus Hedges]] (Robert Duncan) as chief executive. The station is nominally run by nervous editor George Dent (Jeff Rawle), assisted by Alex Pates (Haydn Gwynne) in Series 1-2 and Helen Cooper (Ingrid Lacey) in Series 3-6. In front of the camera are two bitter rival newsreaders, grumpy veteran Henry Davenport (David Swift) and snobbish newcomer Sally Smedley (Victoria Weeks), and [[ImmoralJournalist amoral star field reporter Damien Day]] (Stephen Tompkinson). Other office staff include sub-editor Dave Charnley (Neil Pearson) and, from Series 2-6, sociopathic office assistant Joy Merryweather (Susannah Doyle). Aside from attacking politicians across the political spectrum, the show centred on the war of egos between newsreaders, the inability of editors to avoid the tabloidisation of their programme and the wickedly black banter and office terrorism between the rest of the staff.

''Drop the Dead Donkey'' was a 1990s British TV comedy by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin, set in the newsroom of Globelink news, recently acquired by megalomaniacal billionaire Sir Royston Merchant. Aside from attacking politicians across the political spectrum, the show centred on the war of egos between newsreaders, the inability of editors to avoid the tabloidisation of their programme and the wickedly black banter and office terrorism between the rest of the staff.

* HypocriticalHumour: A constant feature.
** In one episode, Joy refers to Sally as a "cold-hearted bitch from Hell", which could apply at least equally to herself.

* ImmoralJournalist: Damien is the sort of reporter who would happily do unethical practices if it would make for a better news story, be it abusing the EmpathyDollShot, making a woman recount her traumatizing experience over and over again, or lacing the foodstuff of cows with fairy liquid in order to highlight the incidence of mad cow disease amongst them, all to the point that he's even started a war to get a news story. This is {{Deconstructed}} as the show goes on - George tries to fire him for his practices and he struggles to get another job in Series 6 thanks to his actions.

* MeaningfulName: Inverted with the dark, rude, sarcastic, downbeat PA Joy Merryweather.

* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Alex and later Helen.

* RippedFromTheHeadlines: Each episode included up-to-the-minute topical gags that meant a opening narration was included in repeats to give them context.

* The special features of ''Series/InPlainSight,'' Mary and Marshall use the suggestion box for dueling suggestions, driving Stan crazy to the point he actually puts suggestions in his own box.

Came twenty-sixth in ''Series/BritainsBestSitcom''.

* CrapsackWorld: The team have ''so much'' to report…

** George takes a high class callgirl to his manipulative ex wife's wedding to make her jealous and pays her to seduce the groom, which results in the groom being punched in the face.

* AshesToCrashes: Sally's grandmother's ashes are spilt off her desk while she is out of the room, so the others try to cover it up with nicotine.

->'''Gus Hedges:''' Morning, hotshots. Are we cooking with napalm? You bet.\\\
'''Gus Hedges:''' There is just something I'd like to pop into your percolator, see if it comes out brown.\\\
'''Gus Hedges:''' Yes, well, publicity-wise, this is a rather regrettable gonads-in-the-guillotine situation.

In case you were wondering, the title refers to a filler article that's been lined up to pad out the bulletin falling foul of a real story breaking.