A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A YEAR
Created written, directed and produced by Rhys Thomas
A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A YEAR
Created written, directed and produced by Rhys Thomas
Written, presented, directed and produced by Rhys Thomas
“It’s random, rude… and wickedly funny.”
— Radio Times
A Year in the Life of a Year was a deliberately unreliable review of the previous twelve months, transforming real news, television and film into an alternative account of what had happened. Moving from January to December, each special combined manipulated archive, dubbed dialogue, specially filmed sketches and solemn narration to make familiar events look increasingly absurd.
The programme frequently featured among critics’ highlights of the Christmas schedules, with Radio Times selecting it for its “very best of TV and Film this Christmas” and describing it as “the annual antidote to festive tweeness”.
Background and format
Following Brian Pern, Rhys applied his approach to documentary parody and archive manipulation to the annual television review. Real interviews, broadcasts and drama were rearranged to create stories that had never happened, while newly filmed performances slipped into the footage.
Working closely with editor Christopher Bird, Rhys developed sequences ranging from tiny alterations that changed the meaning of an interview to elaborate collisions between unrelated programmes and films. Highlights included combining Paddington 2 with A Very English Scandal, and House of Cards with the talking-cat film Nine Lives.
A particular highlight was guest star Sir Derek Jacobi reading Trainspotting in a spoof CBeebies bedtime story, delivering decidedly unsuitable material with reassuring gravitas.
The humour came as much from the editing as the performances: a pause, a reaction shot or a carefully placed cut could turn an ordinary piece of television into something entirely different.
Cast and guest stars
Rhys presented and narrated the specials, with Lucy Montgomery and Tony Way among the regular performers. Guest appearances across the four programmes included Simon Day, Christopher Eccleston, Sir Derek Jacobi and Martin Jarvis.
Christopher Bird edited all four specials, with the collaboration between Rhys and Christopher central to the programme’s distinctive style.
Four annual specials
The programme ran for four editions, covering 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
The first special aired on BBC Four on 30 December 2016, followed by the 2017 edition. The programme subsequently moved to BBC Two, with the final special, reviewing 2019, broadcast on 1 January 2020. Rhys decided to bring the programme to an end in 2020 to concentrate on The Kemps and Dodger. The workload was considerable. The specials were essentially made by Rhys and Christopher Bird, without a team of other writers, and required extensive work finding, writing, filming and editing material. After four editions, Rhys felt the format was beginning to become repetitive and that it was the right moment to move on.
Reviews and press coverage
Radio Times — 2017
Mark Braxton described the programme as:
“Irreverence incarnate, it’s a flat-out bonkers look back at 12 months of cultural highlights.”
Calling Rhys “our architect of anarchy”, the review highlighted the programme’s manipulation of familiar television faces and formats, concluding:
“In either guise, this is hilarious.”
A separate Radio Times recommendation captured the tone neatly:
“It’s random, rude… and wickedly funny.”
Radio Times — Christmas 2018
The programme was selected for the magazine’s “The very best of TV and Film this Christmas”, chosen by television editor Alison Graham and film editor Andrew Collins:
“Rhys Thomas’ rude, rambunctious round-up of cultural highlights, from Bodyguard to Charles at 70.”
Radio Times — 2019
Mark Braxton called the final edition:
“The annual antidote to festive tweeness.”
The review singled out royal Gogglebox, Christopher Eccleston demonstrating radiator bleeding, David Attenborough performing Glastonbury jazz poetry and Shaun Ryder appearing on Mastermind.
Braxton also recognised the editing behind the programme:
“Rhys (Brian Pern) Thomas is our alchemist of the clips, and once again, the editor deserves some kind of award.”
Comedy To Watch — 2018
Alex Finch praised the special as:
“Beautifully funny and inventive comedy.”
The review highlighted the film mash-ups and Derek Jacobi’s Trainspotting bedtime story, concluding:
“It’s unpredictable, unexpected, and hilarious in all the best possible ways.”
The Guardian — 2016
David Stubbs described the first special as:
“An alternative and welcome take on a wretched annus.”
The Guardian — retrospective appreciation
Writing in 2023, Jack Seale singled out A Year in the Life of a Year as some of Rhys’s most underrated work, saying it:
“Showcased his talent for the lightly silly and the purely funny.”
Radio Times — 2016
The first programme was recommended as:
“Half an hour of mashed-up, manipulated and slyly re-edited news footage.”
The preview answered its own question:
“Will it be funny? … Yes.”
TV Choice — 2016
“No one is safe in this one-off spoof review of the year from Rhys Thomas.”
Further information
Programme overview — British Comedy Guide
Episode guide
Full cast and credits