Ian Hislop’s tale of deadlines on the front line is a tonic for the troops . . . almost
THE Wipers Times has been a labour of love for Private Eye editor Ian Hislop and co-writer Nick Newman.
The story of the satirical pamphlet published under fire in the trenches started as a BBC TV film to commemorate the centenary of World War I.
It took ten years of rejections just to reach that stage; but even after getting the film made, Hislop and Newman had more material they wanted to air. The result is a touring play, full of good intentions and interesting anecdotes, but short on laughs.
Founded by Captain Fred Roberts and Lieutenant Jack Pearson, The Wipers Times got its name from the fact that the troops who discovered a functioning printing press in the ruins of Ypres couldn’t pronounce the name of the town.
The publication was full of soldiers’ gallows humour advising anyone wanting to go home to hail a taxi ... the ones with the red cross on the side; as well as limericks, cartoons and poetry.
While it’s possible to admire the wit and spirit of the men who made it; and the importance of the paper in maintaining morale; the jokes on stage can be quite creaky and probably need a stronger dramatic device to command attention over two-and-aquarter hours.
The set-up — cynical editors and jolly contributors taking satirical pot shots at top brass — gets repetitive, and is more documentary than drama.
Nor is this helped by reminding us of the horrors of the Somme, or presenting trivia about the printing press itself. Which is not to say that Caroline Leslie’s spirited production is not enjoyable — it is.
But it’s comparatively predictable sitcom fare, reminiscent of Blackadder, Dad’s Army or even ’Allo ’Allo; with variety acts thrown in to illustrate gags in lieu of cartoons (so, echoes of Monty Python, too).
James Dutton as the Times’ editor Captain Roberts does a likeable and cheeky spoof of Hislop, with his staccato diction and jolly demeanour.
I suspected there must be something, too, of co-writer Newman in George Kemp as his cheerfully phlegmatic deputy. But while their show works as a satirical history lesson, it is less successful as comedy.