The Format of a typical program.
The first half of the program revolves round short usually linked
sketches interspersed with fast jokes, quickly delivered, and collection
of the worst puns ever broadcast, (usually about food !).
The two halves are usually separated by a song, Bill Oddie was the
`resident song-writer'.
The second half is usually a longer sketch, commonly a parody of a current
TV program or piece of cinema. Two of the series however featured a serial
in this part of the show.
Parody is central to the theme of most of the shows, usually of current Radio & TV shows and styles, many of Bill Oddie's songs are parodies of either contempary popular songs or musical styles.
During its run ISIRTA at various times focused on some standard targets, amongst them were; the OBE, gibbons, the MCC, Rolf Harris and the BBC.
A feature that developed with the show was the use of old jokes in such
a way that the audience grew to treat them (the jokes) as old friends.
By the end of the fourth series, ISIRTA had built itself a cult following, and the audience cheer the
jokes as they appear.
The jokes themselves are telegraphed by the cast because the humour lies
in the audience responding to the joke before the punch-line. Typical of
this type of humour is " people with silly
names", which still features in the BBC Radio show
I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue.