Provides examples of:
- Award Snub (In-Universe): Michael Caine wins an Oscar for producing despite Steven Spielberg being nominated for four separate films in the same category.
- Bait-and-Switch: We see Brian Walden interviewing Terry Waite about how he plans to resolve a delicate hostage crisis, only for the camera to pull back and reveal that he's standing outside the offices of The Sun.
- Dance Sensation: "The Chicken Song" is a parody of this with the chorus consisting of increasingly absurd instructions:
Skin yourself alive.
Learn to speak Arapahoe.
Climb inside a dog
And behead an Eskimo.
Eat a Renault Four.
Wear salami in your ears.
Casserole your gran.
Disembowel yourself with spears
Learn to speak Arapahoe.
Climb inside a dog
And behead an Eskimo.
Eat a Renault Four.
Wear salami in your ears.
Casserole your gran.
Disembowel yourself with spears
- Ear Worm:
- This is the episode that features "The Chicken Song". It's so catchy that the characters start singing it in other sketches before the episode ends.
- The movement from Ronnie Hazlehurst's plinky-plonky Jingle-style requiem, "Guess That Funeral, Missus" is also pretty catchy.
- Foreign Culture Fetish: David Bowie talks to Sting about his love of Japanese culture while sitting at a kotatsu and using chopsticks with his toes.
- The Merch (In-Universe): The Queen Mother starts selling tat for Andrew and Fergie's wedding to try and help pay for it.
- Public Service Announcement: Middle-aged Pete Townsend tries to front a campaign against drug use, only to realise that he's hopelessly out of touch with young people.
- Remember the New Guy?: Thatcher's Cabinet meeting starts with her asking Howe to remind her who all her new ministers are.
- Special Edition Title: The opening credits are played in "EDDIESHAHVISION" with distorted pictures and sound as a Take That! at the poor printing quality of Shah's newspapers.
- Truck Driver's Gear Change: "The Chicken Song" includes a final-chorus key change.
