h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Vic and Bob participated in an effort to spawn a new situation comedy on ITV. Their contributions was "The Weekenders" in the pilot (and only) episode "The Meat Festival". Vic and Bob essentially played themselves, a couple of ludicrous layabouts who seemed to spend a lot of time in the local pub. While in the pub Vic sees in a newspaper that there is a local Meat Festival and so he and Bob head off on a bus to a field in the middle of no where. There are several stalls and Vic purchases a large sausage, just before these oddly dressed visitors with poorly fitting wigs.

Vic refuses to part with the meat and heads off with Bob, followed closely by the strangers. Ultimately, Bob - who has been left to look after the meat - is convinced to hand over the sausage in return for some temporary slavey from the three men, but an angry Vic forces them to reveal their true identity - they are in fact green skinned, portly aliens from another planet who need the sausage to feed their Queen to allow her to birth. After a bizarre chase scene with the Police following an incident with a stolen vehicle they reach a hut in a field where the growling Queen awaits the arrival of her meat. In the end everyone lives happily ever after.

The pilot clearly didn't allow Vic and Bob to connect with the wishy-washy viewing public and fostered a lot of the weirdness of "Big Night Out" concentrated into a single half hour.

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A forgotten classic that I've still got on video somewhere. Can't be 100% sure about the date, but reasonably certain.

I've checked and it was in fact 1991. The show included an early appearance of Paul Whitehouse, had a Boiled Onion Seller (to continue a theme) and the aliens all spoke with a painfully strong Newcastle accent. They had red, rubbery crests on their head that gave them the appearance of bizarre, alien chickens.

Oh, and it was a Channel 4 feature - five different pilot shows that included Frank Skinner's "My Blue Heaven", that went on to become a short-lived series.

Oh yeah, I've got that. Well, I used to, the tape seems to have gone walkabout somewhere... anyway yeah, it's really good, but I didn't think I'd include it as it's only a pilot, so it didn't seem to belong in the list of series.

Any ideas how I can get a copy of the Weekenders...? I remember laughing a lot and I'd like to see if I do again. I'll send you a tape / blank DVD and pay for postage and a beer if anyone can help.

I have a copy