The Innes Book of Records

- Season 1

(1979)

A man in a spacesuit enters a dusty, rat-infested suburban house and recovers an artefact: The Innes Book of Records. Inside, he discovers songs including "How Sweet To Be An Idiot" and "Let's Go Crazy", along with poetry by John Betjeman.

The spacesuited man sits down to hear tales of disenchantment from a farmer, a tired married couple and a shoe factory quality control manager. Also features an exercise dance class with Nick Cabaret, and the Marx Brothers in the jungle.

A lonely sentient flower is interrupted by the bird calls of Percy Edwards, while the Alligator Jug Thumpers put on a show, as does a man who can regurgitate cigarettes. However, none of them are as enlightening as some toilet graffiti.

Frying tips from a chef, votes for the Apathy Party, how to draw a leader, the nature of freedom, and the illicit thrills of late night fish and chips are this week's subjects from the Innes Book of Records.

The female gender gets dissected, be it Jake Thackray's song about being nagged, Nick Cabaret's wishes for love, a protest singer dedicating a track to Melissa, or the art of romance being disrupted by the return of Godzilla.

The man in the spacesuit sits down to listen to the Innes Book of Records for the final time. There, he learns about the simplicity of Shangri-La, hears organ music from Robin Richmond, and some more poetry from Sir John Betjeman.