Einstein-a-go-go

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Originally uploaded by missinghen

So, you're based in Birmingham, filming a sketch featuring Albert Einstein. Who do you turn to who can properly convey the serious/comic vibe of this scientific genius? None other than Stephen Jackson, Solihull's finest Einstein impersonator and cartoonist. Here's a link to his site, Chuckletown.

A special prize for anyone who can work out what he's up to with those Russian dolls...

New podcast, new danger

Tonight, as it says in our very exciting Twitter feed, we're recording our first podcast (I've described the shows as video podcasts in the past, but I don't think they really are).

I've held off from recording a podcast for Missing Hen before now because I wanted to make sure it did something different from the shows - I didn't want it to just be a radio version of The News@Then or The Danger Signs (mind you, there are plenty of unused sketches for TDS that have no visual component to the jokes).

No, instead I wanted to look at how we shift Missing Hen from being a body of work that's just distributed via the Internet into something that could only be produced by using the Internet. A big task with lots of possibilities and this podcast is just the first babysteps towards opening up a bit - publishing more than just the final product.

In practical terms, we're going to use the podcast as a kind of side channel. It might be funny, but that's not its main function. It'll have more of a behind the scenes/newsy role.

That's the plan anyway. I'm looking forward to seeing how it works. Which I guess is very appropriate for the Internet - being the start of the question, rather than the closed complete answer...

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Extracurricular Hens

By complete coincidence two of the Missing Hen team are contributing to video projects tonight - in Birmingham and Dusseldorf.

Firstly, Peter's shot and edited a film of the Goodwood Revival, to be screened tonight at Stan's Cafe's 24 Hour Scalextric in a warehouse in Birmingham. The event's designed to tie into the 24 hour Le Mans driving race that takes place this weekend and films are being curated by 7inch Cinema. Brum, brum.

UPDATE: Here are some rather groovy "Through The Viewfinder" pics of the event, from Pete Ashton's blog.

Then, by way of explanation of what Phil was doing in a carpark wearing a long black ladies' evening glove a couple of week's ago (see pics), here's details of Cafe Continental, a cabaret show Phil helped film at the Kitchen Garden Cafe in Kings Heath as part of a recreation of vintage German Television for an arts festival currently running in Dusseldorf. This page has details of what's on, but it's in German, so here's the relevant paragraph from it (translated badly by Google):

21:15
The best-known entertainment television broadcast of the English is the first time by all television channels over Europe. Alexandra Taylor (Birmingham) & guests.


I trust that makes it all very clear. Thank you.

News@Then: Plague

Bring out your dead - but only once a fortnight. Council causes corpse chaos as they cut cadaver collections. In a new episode of The News@Then, we report live from the 14th century as the Black Death takes a turn for the worse.

See the episode on blip.tv, YouTube or download from iTunes.

N@T: The Apprentice

Just in time for today's final of the Apprentice - see, we can do topical gags on an historical news show - it's Lord Sir Alan Sugar in the 16th century, seeking out the finest business brains of the era.

See the sketch on YouTube, Blip.tv or download from iTunes.

Filming the Mayor of London

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Originally uploaded by missinghen

It's hot outside in Spring 2009, but it's also a bit too hot in Summer 1348 as Mayor of London Richard Whittington announces controversial changes to refuse collection services. From the new episode of The News@Then, likely to be posted in the next week.

It's amazing what you can do with Brylcreem. Hair can go down as well as up.