Bio[]
Meeting People With Hugh Paddick is a British TV talk show hosted by TV personality Hugh Paddick replacing Nicholas Parsons. The format seems to be venue for meeting and interviewing interesting people and entreprenuers. In this episode, Paddick meets Colonel Eatwell of the Royal Army Catering Corps of North Africa. However, Eatwell acts as if he doesn't know where he is and frequently lapses into brief periods of cherence as he tries to describe his exploits in the field. Still, Paddick tries to remain courteous and patient, allowing the Colonel a lot of free reign as his thoughts wander in and out (mostly out) of consciousness.
His second guest is Mrs. Smiley (Benny), the ITV Network's most loyal viewer, who hasn't missed a program since its inception in 1955. She confuses "The Comedian" series with "Party Political Broadcast," confessing she needs to see a show several times to be fluent on it. She is also attracted to commericials, thinking them as mini-TV shows without titles. Her husband likes a show with "that lady in the castle eating a chocolate." Not naming many titles, she describes the shows by their characters and what they do. She confesses she doesn't like the shows with "occult situations."
Paddick's last guest is Butch Cafferty, a loud and boisterous drinking cowboy actor. Appearing with two glasses of tequila (one in each hand), he starts talking and practically never stops, talking about London, his film in Italy, an actress in his current movie and other topics, slurring some words and sounding effeminate on others. Paddick strains to remain interested and struggles to get his questions in but still manages to stay a gentleman. Talking about his wife and son, he tells Paddick to never get married, even calling his father a female impersonator and his mother a principal for boys. When Paddick finally gets a word in, Cafferty suddenly passes out drunk with 43½ minutes left on the show.
Trivia[]
- The film of driving along Piccadilly Circus as seen during the opening titles was shot before 1964, as one of the signs mentions "Associated-Rediffusion," which was the name of London's weekday ITV franchise from its 1955 start until that year, when after a round of franchise renewals it was rebranded "Rediffusion London." (This was the company that in 1968 was merged by ITV with former weekend Midlands franchise ABC Television to form Thames Television.)
- Colonel Eatwell is essentially the same character as Humphrey Bumphrey from Phone in With Ludovic Kennedy.
- Mrs. Smiley is essentially the same character as Rita Fripp from 1969.
- Butch Cafferty is a take on the name of 1890s outlaw Butch Cassidy. Benny eventually parodies the 1969 film, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" in 1980.
- Butch Cafferty's films include "Man Of Steel," "Boss Man" and "Ramrod."
- This talk show parody was later picked up by Henry McGee under several names, such as "At Home With Henry McGee" in 1973 and "Film Talk" in 1975.
