The idea of being able to use words that have a different meaning did get me thinking about Jargon again.Ī while back I wrote a number of posts about Jargon. Interestingly Roger’s Profanisaurus does not appear on the list of thesauri referenced in the wikipedia article, funny that. The most well known of the thesauri, is Roget’s Thesaurus, published by Dr Peter Mark Roget in 1852. A typical Thesaurus will have words with similar meanings grouped together so that you can identify something that helps people understand more easily or has greater impact. What has a Thesaurus/Profanisaurus got to do with Jargon? The purpose of a Thesaurus is to find the words which best allow you to describe a situation or idea. The principle of Roger’s Profanisaurus, a collection of ‘words not suitable for work’, is the same as the Geriatrics Profanisaurus, but the content is rather different, which I will explain later (I told you not to look at Roger’s). Rude and offensive stuff that shouldn’t be used in the workplace (I hope you agree – I know you’ve had a quick look). The point is that Roger’s Profanisaurus is a compendium of really bad words and phrases. Not something you should be reading at work, so don’t open the link! To quote the fly sheet, “the definitive reference volume of English obscenities”. If you are wondering about the Roger Mellie picture, well, he’s the fictitious editor of ‘Rogers Profanisaurus’. Well worth reading (including the comments).ĭavid is also a Visiting Fellow at the Kings Fund and has written some impressive material for them about topics like making health and care services work better for an ageing population (also worth reading). Obviously, it’s the bleedin excellent ‘Geriatrics Profanisaurus’, written by Professor David Oliver on the British Geriatrics Society blog. He reappeared in the Channel 4 Comedy Blaps two decades later and was voiced this time by Steve Coogan.What do you get when you combine Geriatric Medicine, Profanity and a Thesaurus? One of the episodes featured Roger punching Paul Daniels, and another saw him take part in a Celebrity Golf tournament. Apart from the title character, the show has seen a bunch of other characters, some loosely based off famous real-life celebrities of the time. Roger also appeared in the 1991 Viz video game as the commentator for all the races.Įach episode featured Roger and Tom filming a show for Fulchester TV.
His catchphrase is "Hello, good evening and bollocks!", satirising David Frost's catchphrase "Hello, good evening, and welcome".Ĭoncept art of Roger Mellie in Channel 4's Comedy Blaps.Īn animated TV series was released on video tape and also broadcast on Channel 4 in 1991, with Peter Cook providing the voice of Roger, and Harry Enfield doing all of the other voices. He works alongside Tom who is his straight man. He is shown working on various TV networks and channels, the fictional Fulchester Television (FTV) and the BBC being his primary employers. A running gag is that Roger always manages to turn up extremely late to whatever appointment he is due at, whether it be a meeting with Tom or filming on a series. Despite these major faults, Roger's career always manages to survive whatever scandal or misfortune may befall him. He has had five previous wives (two 'accidentally' murdered), is undischarged bankrupt, a hopeless alcoholic, extremely sexist, right-wing bigot and a recovering cocaine addict. He 'wrote' the Profanisaurus, a dictionary of profane words and expressions. His usual outfit is a striped suit with a white tie. Roger Mellie first appeared in Issue 6 in July 1981 and (like many other Viz characters) is a foul-mouthed, obnoxious (and occasionally violent) misogynist who nevertheless manages to maintain a career as a television presenter, albeit not always a successful one, often being fired and re-hired by FTV for his performances.