ITMA (It's That Man Again) was one of the most famous BBC Radio programmes on air during the War. Starring Tommy Handley ITMA was designed to keep up morale. Handley was the Minister of Aggravation and Mysteries at the Office of Twerps and the radio series was based in the Ministry. Such a playful 'go' at government was acceptable in the first few years of the war but as the war proceeded such take-offs were not considered good for morale. The show changed its name to "It's That Sand Again" set in the town of Foaming-at-the-Mouth. Handley played the part of the town's mayor. After 1941, the show reverted back to its original name - the darker days of the war were behind the government. ITMA continued throughout the war and ran through to 1949. The last ITMA was broadcast on January 6th, 1949, and Handley died unexpectedly just three days later. During the war, as many as 40% of the population tuned into ITMA and it is difficult to overstate the importance this radio show had on the nation's morale. This film extract comes from 1941 and proved just as popular with war time cinema audiences as on radio.
Category: Comedy Uploaded: December 15th, 2007 @ 11:38 pm Author:CraigRoyston
