Ham Radio

This is another all-star script, played masterfully by all characters. When the 50th anniversary of he station comes around, Frasier is given the task of reprising a murder mystery first aired way back when. Of course, he has to totally take over the whole thing, driving away his best actor, over-directing Niles, and not allowing for situations that occur. It is a hoot from beginning to end. What a great, great cast this was.

Absolutely brilliant!

This is 'Frasier' at its best, not to mention the sitcom genre.

There are so many wonderful moments and gags here, with the whole cast on top form.

Surely this has to be one of the best episodes of 'Frasier' ever?

This episode is wonderful to watch. The premise is straightforward: Frasier is producing a radio play and uses his colleagues and friends to help him achieve this reality. As anticipated by Niles, chaos ensues and cue the hilarity. Once the play begins, the jokes come in thick and fast and 90% get at least a chuckle out of me and my family watching with me with many jokes having us laughing loudly. For an episode that clearly was produced cheaper than other episodes, it works so well and the disaster of the play is a great idea for a comedic episode of television. Grammer and Pierce are great in this episode with Pierce standing out during one particularly humourous scene.

While not one of the more innovative or original episodes, "Ham Radio" has to stand as one of my all time favourite episodes not only of "Frasier" but probably of any series. Containing some of the more traditional elements of farce they are utilised to such great effect in a story using the very simplistic premise of Kelsey Grammar's titular protagonist attempting to celebrate a major milestone in the radio stations history. This is to be achieved by recreating a hammy radio murder mystery play with staff members playing each role.

What marks this out in it's brilliance is not only the always top notch performances and the inspired hilarity that ensures but they manage to pull off such farcical comedy in a relatively small, compact running time and to such great effect. Everyone is practically flawless and is given their own individual intricate comical moments but for me David Hyde Pierce and Edward Hibbert who plays the stations camp, upper-crust Chef are just given that bit more edge in the hilarity stakes. What makes it all the more amusing is that Niles has been more or less thrown in the deep end and that is just the beginning of what he has to contend with. But to say any more more would be to give too much away, I defy practically anyone not to be wiping away the tears by the end of this episode. If you ever loved "Fawlty Towers" then chances are you will love this.

At first glance of the premise, one might think this a variation on the 'Lucy, Ricky, Fred & Ethel Put on a Show' formula, (which is usually a primary symptom of Shark-Jumping) however this episode is anything but that. Frasier & Friends stage a radio re-creation of a 1940's-type murder mystery ("Nightmare Inn") for KACL's 50th anniversary, however Frasier's Orson Welles complex takes over and he's soon directing, starring, and re-writing the script. Not to digress, but while living in Orlando, Florida, you could get the audio from the local CBS affiliate (WCPX Channel 6) on your car radio at 87.7FM, and that's where I first experienced this episode. I didn't see it on TV until years later, and the amazing thing, for me anyway, is that it completely works as a stand-alone radio play. Very tightly paced, and packed with great development moments for each character, "Ham Radio" goes like Gang-Busters, so don't blink, or you'll miss something great. Wonderful farce, with lots genuinely big laughs, this should make just about anybody's top list of great TV half-hours.