Sir Trevor McDonald

Classic sketch comedy The Real McCoy arrives on BBC iPlayer

Originally broadcast between 1991 and 1996, the sketch show was one of the first to feature a primarily Black and Asian cast, exploring matters of relevance to their communities.

Shane Allen, controller of comedy commissioning at the BBC, added: “This seminal sketch show broke down barriers and gave diverse comedy a crucial mainstream platform in the early 90s.

“It laid the foundations for inclusiveness and representation that we’re continuing to build on today.”

Sir Trevor McDonald and Julie Etchingham mark the 20th anniversary of Tonight at RTS North West

Sir Trevor McDonald and Julie Etchingham (Credit: Claire Harrison)

Many of the show’s team past and present, together with some of its legions of fans, packed the Lowry’s Compass Room at an RTS North West event in early April to celebrate – alongside Tonight’s first host Sir Trevor McDonald – the show’s 20th anniversary.

ITV news chief Michael Jermey outlined “the alchemy which makes the show so successful”. Tonight, which has always been made in the North West, “has never been part of the ‘London bubble’,” he argued. “Its roots [are] in the ITV heartland.”