It's That Man Again (ITMA) was a radio comedy programme that was
broadcast by the BBC for twelve series from 1939 to 1949, featuring
Tommy Handley in the central role. ITMA was a character-driven comedy
whose satirical targets included officialdom and the proliferation of
minor wartime regulations. Parts of the scripts were rewritten in the
hours before the broadcast, to ensure topicality. ITMA was an important
contributor to British morale during the war, with its cheerful take on
the day-to-day preoccupations of the public, but its detailed
topicality—one of its greatest attractions at the time—has prevented
it from wearing well on repeated hearing. Handley died during the
twelfth series, the remaining programmes of which were immediately
cancelled: ITMA could not work without him, and no further series were
commissioned. ITMA's innovative structure was successfully continued in
comedy shows of the 1950s and 1960s, such as Take It from Here, The Goon
Show and Round the Horne.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_That_Man_Again>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1913:
At a ceremony at Kurrajong Hill, Lady Denman, wife of Governor-
General Lord Denman, announced that Canberra would be the name of the
future capital of Australia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canberra>
1930:
Mahatma Gandhi (pictured with Sarojini Naidu) began the Salt
March, a 24-day nonviolent walk to defy the British salt tax in colonial
India.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_March>
1934:
Supported by the Estonian army, Konstantin Päts staged a coup
d'état, beginning the Era of Silence.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konstantin_P%C3%A4ts>
2014:
A gas leak caused an explosion in the East Harlem neighborhood
of New York City, destroying two apartment buildings and causing eight
deaths.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_East_Harlem_gas_explosion>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
high jinks:
1. (Scotland, games, historical) An old Scottish parlour game in which
people were chosen, usually by throwing dice, to perform some humorous
act or drink a large amount of an alcoholic beverage, with a forfeit if
they were unable to do so.
2. (by extension)
3. Boisterous activity or behaviour; lively fun.
4. Tricky or waggish behaviour; mischief.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/high_jinks>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
A play is fiction — and fiction is fact distilled into truth.
--Edward Albee
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edward_Albee>
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