25 Years of 22 Minutes: An Unauthorized Oral History of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, As Told by Cast Members, Staff, and Guests

by Angela Mombourquette

Overview

“A great read for anyone who is a fan of the long-running Canadian comedy series—or just TV comedy in general.” —Brioux.tv
 
The final chaotic season of Codco had just wrapped when Mary Walsh sat down at a Toronto bistro with George Anthony, then creative head of CBC TV’s arts programming. She’d been thinking about a news-based comedy show—did he think that would fly? He did. That was the early ‘90s. Twenty-five seasons later, hundreds of thousands of Canadians continue to tune in weekly to This Hour Has 22 Minutes for its unashamedly Canadian, biting satirical take on politics and power. 
 
25 Years of 22 Minutes takes readers backstage to hear first-hand accounts of the show’s key moments—in the words of the writers, producers and cast members who were there. Readers will have a front-row seat to the birth of the show—including a crisis that had producers scrambling in the very first episode—and offer an insider’s take on the highs, the lows, and the daily grind behind the scenes at 22 Minutes. 
 
“A book that stands as a shining testament to the many ‘behind-the scenes’ figures who’ve made the show tick for 25 years.” —Halifax Examiner
 
“The book includes unvarnished accounts of cast rivalries, off-air pranks, fast food with prime ministers and satirical moments that influenced the real Canadian news cycle . . . an inside look at the people, characters and moments they’ve come to know intimately through their screens.” —Atlantic Books Today

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771085434
Publisher:	Nimbus Publishing
Publication date:	10/29/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Angela Mombourquette is an award-winning freelance writer, a former magazine editor, and a part-time journalism instructor at the University of King's College in Halifax. Her work has appeared in The Walrus, the Chronicle Herald, Halifax Magazine, Saltscapes and many other publications. In a previous life, she worked at CBC television in Halifax, where she often filled in as an associate director on the set of This Hour Has 22 Minutes.

Table of Contents

Preface v

Introduction 1

Cast of Characters 3

1 The Pioneers - 1979-1992 13

2 Series Concept Created By… - 1992-1993 29

3 Countdown to Launch - 1993 57

4 Season One: Hot, Sweaty, and Energized - 1993 68

5 A Place in the TV Universe - 1993-1994 89

6 The Road - 1993-2001 107

7 A Tight Ship - 1993-1999 143

8 Passing the Torch - 2000-2007 174

9 Making the News - 2008-2017 224

10 Twenty-five Years and Counting 268

Video Links 279

Acknowledgements 281