The New Statesman (1987 TV series)
| The New Statesman | |
|---|---|
Series title card | |
| Genre | Sitcom Political satire |
| Created by | Laurence Marks Maurice Gran |
| Starring | Rik Mayall Marsha Fitzalan Michael Troughton |
| Theme music composer | Modest Mussorgsky arrangement by Alan Hawkshaw |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 26 + 3 specials |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | John Bartlett Allan McKeown Michael Pilsworth David Reynolds |
| Running time | Approx. 24–25 minutes (excluding adverts) |
| Production companies | Yorkshire Television (1987, 1989–1992) Alomo Productions (1992 & 1994) |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV (1987, 1989–1992) BBC One (specials, 1988 & 1994) |
| Release | 13 September 1987 – 30 December 1994 |
The New Statesman is a British sitcom made in the late 1980s and early 1990s satirising the United Kingdom's Conservative government of the period. It was written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran at the request of, and as a starring vehicle for, its principal actor Rik Mayall.
The show's theme song is an arrangement by Alan Hawkshaw of part of the Promenade from Pictures at an Exhibition by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky.
The programme was made by the ITV franchise Yorkshire Television between 1987 and 1992, although the BBC made two special episodes; one in 1988, the other in 1994. It won the BAFTA Award for Best Comedy Series in 1991.