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<<<< 886 >>>>

Topic: Peter Jones

Message 1 / 10
Barry FowdenMay 16, 2007

In the early days there was the 4 'regulars'...

Kenneth..outrageous, hilarious, obnoxious..etc etc

Clement...clever, witty, always listing..getting in with one second to go

Derek...always been somewhere exotic...telling stories of his
experiences..insulting the chairman..

and there was Peter Jones...making up the numbers...

and to be honest..in the early days he was always the weakest link..

But as the years progressed..he developed...his dry humour, wonderful
one-liners between starts...he was never going to talk on any subject
for a minute.....unless the others were lenient..and in later years
his 'eerrs' & ummms' increased with age,..
But...
I, for one, grew to appreciate what wonderful contribution he brought
to the show....

Regards

Barry

<<<< 887 >>>>

Topic: Re: Peter Jones

Message 2 / 10
DaveMay 16, 2007

--- In just-a-minute@..., "Barry Fowden"
<Barry.soulbrother.fowden@...> wrote:

>
> In the early days there was the 4 'regulars'...
>
> and there was Peter Jones...making up the numbers...
>

In fact, in the early years he wasn't actually there at all. As I've
commented previously, I wonder why we often call them the 4 originals
when PJ didn't make his debut until series 6; that's 4 years in.

Interesting to note that Clement Freud says of him "Jones was a
brilliant counter-puncher - never tried to win but was basically
funnier and read the game better than any of us. His one-liners
shone."

After listening and re-listening to his contributions over the last
four of five years since I re-discoverd J.A.M. I cannot argue
with the above statement. I personally find Freud very funny -
but after listening to over 600 shows several times you realise his
humour limited to a certain repertoire where as Jones was the
genuine creative wit of the original foursome.

I also believe that of all those who have ever appeared the
genuine warmth and affection from the audience felt for Peter
is unparalleled.

Dave.

<<<< 888 >>>>

Topic: Re: Peter Jones

Message 3 / 10
cymroMay 16, 2007

I can honestly say - that he is one of my firm favourites. He never
truly 'played the game' but his replies were fantastic - and you would
always be guaranteed of a few of these in each episode - even towards
the end! One of favourite episodes (I forget which one it is) but
basically it ends with both Paul Merton and Clement Freud trying to
give points to PJ after NP declared that he had no hope at all of
winning!! Classic!

--- In just-a-minute@..., "Barry Fowden"
<Barry.soulbrother.fowden@...> wrote:

>
> In the early days there was the 4 'regulars'...
>
> Kenneth..outrageous, hilarious, obnoxious..etc etc
>
> Clement...clever, witty, always listing..getting in with one second

to go

>
> Derek...always been somewhere exotic...telling stories of his
> experiences..insulting the chairman..
>
> and there was Peter Jones...making up the numbers...
>
> and to be honest..in the early days he was always the weakest link..
>
> But as the years progressed..he developed...his dry humour, wonderful
> one-liners between starts...he was never going to talk on any subject
> for a minute.....unless the others were lenient..and in later years
> his 'eerrs' & ummms' increased with age,..
> But...
> I, for one, grew to appreciate what wonderful contribution he brought
> to the show....
>
> Regards
>
>
> Barry
>

<<<< 889 >>>>

Topic: Re: Peter Jones

Message 4 / 10
Robert TorresMay 17, 2007

I agree, Peter was an exceptional talent, someone that brought a great deal to the show, and often paved the way for others to poke fun at the overall 'established' rules of the game, because he was the one that saw the inconsistenceis and more often than not challenged those inconsistencies, and often dared the chairman to go against something, often reminding him of something he had done earlier in the program, like in one episode that featured Libby Purves, Nicholas makes mention of the fact that she had just had a baby, and any time a challenge was being made against her, or if she made a challenge and didn't seem to have any support Peter piped up and said 'And she's just had a baby'.

or another time I think during an appearance by Graham Garden, he questioned the notion of Nicholas saying that someone had one fifth of a second left to speak as opposed to 55 and four fifteenths of a second' left to speak.

Peter was definitely a great presence on the show.
Dave <j_a_m_fan@...> wrote:

--- In just-a-minute@ yahoogroups. com, "Barry Fowden"
<Barry.soulbrother. fowden@.. .> wrote:
>
> In the early days there was the 4 'regulars'.. .
>
> and there was Peter Jones...making up the numbers...
>
In fact, in the early years he wasn't actually there at all. As I've
commented previously, I wonder why we often call them the 4 originals
when PJ didn't make his debut until series 6; that's 4 years in.

Interesting to note that Clement Freud says of him "Jones was a
brilliant counter-puncher - never tried to win but was basically
funnier and read the game better than any of us. His one-liners
shone."

After listening and re-listening to his contributions over the last
four of five years since I re-discoverd J.A.M. I cannot argue
with the above statement. I personally find Freud very funny -
but after listening to over 600 shows several times you realise his
humour limited to a certain repertoire where as Jones was the
genuine creative wit of the original foursome.

I also believe that of all those who have ever appeared the
genuine warmth and affection from the audience felt for Peter
is unparalleled.

Dave.

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<<<< 890 >>>>

Topic: Re: Peter Jones

Message 5 / 10
Robert TorresMay 17, 2007

the funny thing is Peter Jones once did that for Kenneth Williams, along with Ray Alan and Clement Freud.

cymro <cymrogwirion@...> wrote:

I can honestly say - that he is one of my firm favourites. He never
truly 'played the game' but his replies were fantastic - and you would
always be guaranteed of a few of these in each episode - even towards
the end! One of favourite episodes (I forget which one it is) but
basically it ends with both Paul Merton and Clement Freud trying to
give points to PJ after NP declared that he had no hope at all of
winning!! Classic!

--- In just-a-minute@ yahoogroups. com, "Barry Fowden"
<Barry.soulbrother. fowden@.. .> wrote:
>
> In the early days there was the 4 'regulars'.. .
>
> Kenneth..outrageous , hilarious, obnoxious..etc etc
>
> Clement...clever, witty, always listing..getting in with one second
to go
>
> Derek...always been somewhere exotic...telling stories of his
> experiences. .insulting the chairman..
>
> and there was Peter Jones...making up the numbers...
>
> and to be honest..in the early days he was always the weakest link..
>
> But as the years progressed.. he developed... his dry humour, wonderful
> one-liners between starts...he was never going to talk on any subject
> for a minute.....unless the others were lenient..and in later years
> his 'eerrs' & ummms' increased with age,..
> But...
> I, for one, grew to appreciate what wonderful contribution he brought
> to the show....
>
> Regards
>
>
> Barry
>

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<<<< 891 >>>>

Topic: Re: Peter Jones

Message 6 / 10
Dean BedfordMay 18, 2007

On Thursday, May 17, 2007, at 03:15 AM, Barry Fowden wrote:

> In the early days there was the 4 'regulars'...
>
> Kenneth..outrageous, hilarious, obnoxious..etc etc
>
> Clement...clever, witty, always listing..getting in with one second to
> go
>
> Derek...always been somewhere exotic...telling stories of his
> experiences..insulting the chairman..
>
> and there was Peter Jones...making up the numbers...
>
> and to be honest..in the early days he was always the weakest link..
>
> But as the years progressed..he developed...his dry humour, wonderful
> one-liners between starts...he was never going to talk on any subject
> for a minute.....unless the others were lenient..and in later years
> his 'eerrs' & ummms' increased with age,..
> But...
> I, for one, grew to appreciate what wonderful contribution he brought
> to the show....

Peter himself said a year or so before he died that in 30 years of
playing JAM he had never really got any good at playing it. I think
that's true.

But I also think if he hadn't come along when he did, JAM wouldn't still
be on. The competitive nature of the early shows wouldn't have worn well
for 40 years. Peter from the start poked fun at himself, the show and
brought out its inherent silliness which is part of the show's appeal.

Peter's gentle humour and ability to take the piss out of the show was a
huge contribution. About the time he died, Linda Smith came along and
took over that role. We're now waiting for someone else to take on that
job.

I think the shows for the past couple of years haven't been as good and
they are sometimes getting too tied up in trivial challenges - and it's
not coincidental that that's since the loss of Linda...

<<<< 896 >>>>

Topic: Re: Peter Jones

Message 7 / 10
MiriamMay 19, 2007

( sorry crazy work schedule interferring with my JAM time arggh!)
I really enjoy Peter Jones on JAM-now I only started listening to
the show in the late 90's so what I had heard of Peter was the last few
yrs of his life so maybe my conception is abit off ( and add the fact
that I am an american and so other than the Hitchiker's guide I had not
been exposed to his other work )-- so when I listen to Peter in those
last yrs I can't help but picture the character of Mr Granger from Are
You Being Served-he had that kind of delivery and befuddlement that
Peter often had on JAM. I like that towards the end of his life the
other players would be easy on him with his 'ers' as what he had to say
was often quite funny.
After listening to more of "early" days of JAMS I can apprecitate his
humor even more. Strangely I think the first time I actually Saw peter
perform was on Paul Merton's Galton & Simpsons- "The Lift". Miriam

<<<< 897 >>>>

Topic: Re: Peter Jones

Message 8 / 10
Dean BedfordMay 19, 2007

Peter was not a big star in the UK and his looks and voice were very
"average" compared with say Kenneth's distinctive looks and sound. It's
surprising how often I'm watching someone in a bit part in an old TV
series or movie and I think "he is so familiar" and eventually it dawns
on me that it's Peter.

I think the befuddlement is partly an act - but only partly!

On Sunday, May 20, 2007, at 12:22 PM, Miriam wrote:

> ( sorry crazy work schedule interferring with my JAM time arggh!)
> I really enjoy Peter Jones on JAM-now I only started listening to
> the show in the late 90's so what I had heard of Peter was the last few
> yrs of his life so maybe my conception is abit off ( and add the fact
> that I am an american and so other than the Hitchiker's guide I had not
> been exposed to his other work )-- so when I listen to Peter in those
> last yrs I can't help but picture the character of Mr Granger from Are
> You Being Served-he had that kind of delivery and befuddlement that
> Peter often had on JAM. I like that towards the end of his life the
> other players would be easy on him with his 'ers' as what he had to say
> was often quite funny.
> After listening to more of "early" days of JAMS I can apprecitate his
> humor even more. Strangely I think the first time I actually Saw peter
> perform was on Paul Merton's Galton & Simpsons- "The Lift". Miriam
>
>
>

<<<< 898 >>>>

Topic: Re: Peter Jones

Message 9 / 10
Anthony HobsonMay 20, 2007

I downloaded some of your rare 1995 episodes and liked Peter Jones a lot. Gotta love the piss-taker!

I don’t think there’s anybody who could really take his place – I thought Tony Hawks, because he’s a bit of a piss-taker but he’s too good at the game. Then you have Charles Collingwood who admits to not being good at the game but plays it well, and when he won last year in Newcastle , we knew it was a well-deserved win. Victor Spinetti is another one in the befuddled role, but a very enjoyable turn, especially when talking about Saving Energy and Hip, his “aaaargh”s then getting challenged by Tony Hawks, then Sheila Hancock on repetition of “ah”! See what I mean about Tony being a piss-taker? :o)

Ant

From: just-a-minute@... [mailto: just-a-minute@... ] On Behalf Of Dean Bedford
Sent: 20 May 2007 01:29
To: just-a-minute@...
Subject: Re: [just-a-minute] Re: Peter Jones

Peter was not a big star in the UK and his looks and voice were very "average" compared with say Kenneth's distinctive looks and sound. It's surprising how often I'm watching someone in a bit part in an old TV series or movie and I think "he is so familiar" and eventually it dawns on me that it's Peter.

I think the befuddlement is partly an act - but only partly!

On Sunday, May 20, 2007, at 12:22 PM, Miriam wrote:

( sorry crazy work schedule interferring with my JAM time arggh!)
I really enjoy Peter Jones on JAM-now I only started listening to
the show in the late 90's so what I had heard of Peter was the last few
yrs of his life so maybe my conception is abit off ( and add the fact
that I am an american and so other than the Hitchiker's guide I had not
been exposed to his other work )-- so when I listen to Peter in those
last yrs I can't help but picture the character of Mr Granger from Are
You Being Served-he had that kind of delivery and befuddlement that
Peter often had on JAM. I like that towards the end of his life the
other players would be easy on him with his 'ers' as what he had to say
was often quite funny.
After listening to more of "early" days of JAMS I can apprecitate his
humor even more. Strangely I think the first time I actually Saw peter
perform was on Paul Merton's Galton & Simpsons- "The Lift". Miriam

<<<< 907 >>>>

Topic: Re: Peter Jones

Message 10 / 10
Robert TorresMay 21, 2007

I think you're absolutely right Dean, I have noticed this as well ever since Linda died, it has somewhat dampened my own ability to enjoy the show because there isn't anyone there that really pulls anyone else up about how inherently silly the show is, it was people like Peter and Linda that helped a great deal, especially considering they would be the ones that would more often than not pull up the chairman for his inherently ridiculous justifications and rulings on things.

Dean Bedford <dbedford@...> wrote:

On Thursday, May 17, 2007, at 03:15 AM, Barry Fowden wrote:

> In the early days there was the 4 'regulars'...
>
> Kenneth..outrageous, hilarious, obnoxious..etc etc
>
> Clement...clever, witty, always listing..getting in with one second to
> go
>
> Derek...always been somewhere exotic...telling stories of his
> experiences..insulting the chairman..
>
> and there was Peter Jones...making up the numbers...
>
> and to be honest..in the early days he was always the weakest link..
>
> But as the years progressed..he developed...his dry humour, wonderful
> one-liners between starts...he was never going to talk on any subject
> for a minute.....unless the others were lenient..and in later years
> his 'eerrs' & ummms' increased with age,..
> But...
> I, for one, grew to appreciate what wonderful contribution he brought
> to the show....

Peter himself said a year or so before he died that in 30 years of
playing JAM he had never really got any good at playing it. I think
that's true.

But I also think if he hadn't come along when he did, JAM wouldn't still
be on. The competitive nature of the early shows wouldn't have worn well
for 40 years. Peter from the start poked fun at himself, the show and
brought out its inherent silliness which is part of the show's appeal.

Peter's gentle humour and ability to take the piss out of the show was a
huge contribution. About the time he died, Linda Smith came along and
took over that role. We're now waiting for someone else to take on that
job.

I think the shows for the past couple of years haven't been as good and
they are sometimes getting too tied up in trivial challenges - and it's
not coincidental that that's since the loss of Linda...

Luggage? GPS? Comic books?
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<<<< 907 >>>>

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