It takes more than 22 Minutes to amass 700 episodes of a Canadian TV series — or any North American series for that matter. Saturday Night Live, after 50 years, is inching towards 1000 episodes. (It’s at 991.) The Ed Sullivan Show, from 1948 – ’71, was a really big variety shew for 1,068 Sundays.
The This Hour Has 22 Minutes election special is a lot like the Federal election itself. There’s the advance poll — watch the special now on CBC Gem (where it started streaming on Thursday) — or wait for the broadcast premiere date — Saturday, April 26. Look for it right after Game Four in the
CBC held their annual programming pep rally for members of the press Thursday in Toronto. This kicks off what is still called “Upfront” season in Canada, which refers more to broadcasters putting their wares before advertisers in an attempt to sell commercials “upfront” of a coming season. For CBC it is more about getting upfront
Monday night, the cast and crew of This Hour Has 22 Minutes took over the Glenn Gould Theatre at the CBC Broadcast Centre. The occasion was the first-ever Toronto taping of the sketch series, which normally is based each week in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Toronto episode airs tonight at 8/7c on CBC and CBC
Canada’s longest-running scripted entertainment series is not The Beachcombers or Wayne & Shuster or even Murdoch Mysteries. It is This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Premiering in 1993, the Halifax-based sketch comedy made stars out of brash Newfoundlanders Mary Walsh, Cathy Jones, Greg Thomey and Rick Mercer. Turnovers in the cast and writing talent – a
I had heard rumblings that there wasn’t going to be a Royal Canadian Air Farce special this New Year’s Eve. What? No F-bomb adios? No splatter fiesta all over Doug Ford’s noggin? Thought I’d better go directly to the source on this one: Don Ferguson. The always engaging Farce co-founder met me for lunch late
Justin Trudeau and Cardi B steal the show in the annual Air Farce New Year’s Eve special. It airs tonight, Dec. 31 at 8 pm (8:30 pm in Newfoundland) on CBC and will be repeated just after midnight. Younger sketch mates Chris Wilson and Isabel Kanaan shine in this slick “Farce Film” which borrows Justin
This Dec. 31st marks 25 years of Air Farce New Year’s Eve specials. Canada’s most famous comedy troupe goes even further back on CBC Radio, debuting 44 years ago in 1973. Founding members Don Ferguson (who also executive produces the annual New Year’s Eve specials) and Luba Goy started out as part of a four