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First of all, yes I've seen one of the fishing films by Toshiyuki Nishida - the actor who played Pigsy #1 - the official web site for the films is http://www.tsuribaka-movie.jp/

I've heard from Channel 4 that approx. 1/5 million viewers tuned in to watch the Monkey episode 14 at 1.40am last Friday night!!!!

If more and more people watch it, you never know, Channel 4 may move it to a better timeslot ;)

So if you can, please spread the word...

This week's episode "Monkey Meets the Demon Digger" will be shown:
- Channel 4, Friday 15 August night, after midnight, at 01:50am - 02:45am.

It's an absolute classic, and a little-known fact is that this episode features 2 songs sung by Masaaki Sakai, Monkey himself! (one of them is his Japanese version of the classic Godiego ballad "Thank You, Baby")

Here's my synopsis of this episode, that I wrote for the Monkey videos and DVDs...

Episode 15 - Friday 15 August 2003 night: 01:50am - 02:45am
(i.e. after midnight on *Friday night*)
Monkey Meets the Demon Digger
While climbing a mountain, the pilgrims discover a man who's been digging a tunnel through the mountain for the past twenty-two years, to provide an easier route for travellers. Ever-helpful Tripitaka tells his reluctant disciples that they must all stay and help dig the tunnel until it's finished. When Monkey uses his magic to help speed things up, Tripitaka is furious and dismisses him. Without Monkey around, the pilgrims fall into grave danger.

Don't miss it!

To keep up with the latest Monkey news & info, including any updates to the Monkey screening schedule on Channel 4, keep checking http://www.monkeyheaven.com/

Link: http://www.monkeyheaven.com/" target="_blank">Monkey Heaven

Hi Jim,
You're not paranoid ;)
I'm the webmaster of the Monkey Heaven web site http://www.monkeyheaven.com/
When the rerun started back in January, I got some referrals from this message board, and found out there's lots of Monkey fans who read it.
I'm very keen to spread the word about the Monkey rerun, so that eventually more fans will visit my site, the show gets more and more popular than ever etc., it may get a better timeslot if the ratings are very high, who knows, if demand gets high enough, there may even be justification to bring Masaaki Sakai (Monkey himself) over to the UK to do interviews etc. - that would just be TOO COOL!
Spread the word ;)

Taken from http://www.monkeyheaven.com/ -

In the early 1980s, the BBC showed the cult Japanese TV show Monkey every Friday at 6pm on BBC2.
In January 2003, after an absence of over 17 years, Monkey returned to UK terrestrial TV.
The first 13 episodes of Monkey were shown on Channel 4 on Thursday nights between January and April 2003.

These episodes were hugely popular, with up to 500,000 people tuning in each week!
In response to public demand, Channel 4 have decided to screen the next 26 episodes of Monkey. It will be shown on Friday nights, after midnight (i.e. early hours of Saturday morning).

Monkey episode 14 will be shown on Channel 4 on Friday 8 August 2003 night, after midnight, at 01:40am - 02:30am (i.e. early hours of Saturday 9 August 2003)

Note: The screening slots at that time of night are very flexible, so it's very possible that the slot will change during the 26 weeks, so keep checking TV guides every week to make sure you don't miss any Monkey episodes because of any rescheduling!

Please spread the word and help make these episodes as popular as they can possibly be!

Here's a synopsis of Monkey episode 14 to whet your appetite...

Monkey episode 14: Catfish, Saint and the Shape-Changer
The pilgrims enter a volcanic land that is plagued by earthquakes caused by the frequent quarrelling of two local demons; a catfish demon and a faceless shape-changer demon, who can take on the shape of anyone. The holy priest San-Chung tells Monkey, Pigsy, Sandy and Tripitaka that one of them is the shape-changer. Unable to cope with this revelation, they go their separate ways.

Other Monkey news:
- Awesome new dance remixes of the theme song from Monkey, "Monkey Magic", will be released in the UK later in 2003! Go to http://www.grebeau.co.uk/ to hear preview clips from these remixes.
- Following rave reviews in New York, a stage version of the Monkey story hits this year's Edinburgh Festival between Monday 4 - Saturday 9 August 2003
- Monkey has been nominated in this year's International Cult TV awards, to be presented at the UK's annual Cult TV festival (http://www.cult.tv/)
- All the episodes of Monkey ever made are now available on DVD in the UK!

Keep checking out http://www.monkeyheaven.com/ for the latest Monkey news & information, the OFFICIAL MONKEY SCREENSAVER for Windows, Monkey e-cards, and more.

Link: http://www.monkeyheaven.com/" target="_blank">Monkey Heaven

Monkey episode 3 - "The Great Journey Begins" will be shown on Thursday night on Channel 4, 45 minutes after midnight, at 12.45am.
For viewers in Wales, episode 2 will be on S4C at 1.00am after midnight tonight!
Episode 3 will follow at the same time next Wednesday night, so they're 6 days behind Channel 4.

Following on from Monkey episode 1 getting 1/4 million viewers, this was DOUBLED for episode 2; 1/2 million viewers watched it on Channel 4 last Thursday night! So it's looking like word is getting around that Monkey is back on TV... Remember, the more viewers the show gets, the more likely Channel 4 is to screen all 52 episodes!

So keep watching it, and tell everyone you know that Monkey is back on TV!
Something to remember about Monkey is that, unlike a lot of its contemporary shows back in the 1980s, Monkey _does_ stand the test of time, and it's not just for kids - it's even better watching it again as an adult (it works on many levels).
A quote I saw in a magazine review of the show recently: "Monkey - great to watch as a kid, EVEN BETTER as an adult."

This week's episode "The Great Journey Begins" is the one where the whole gang get together and begin their journey proper. One of the highlights of this episode is when Monkey meets Pigsy for the first time on Earth (remember they met in Heaven in episode 1), and have an epic fight! This episode really illustrates just *how good* a fighter Pigsy is with his muckrake!

Here's my synopsis of this episode... (as featured on the videos & DVDs)

Episode 3 (Thursday 6 February 2003 night, after midnight): 12.45am - 01.35am
(i.e. after midnight on *Thursday night*)
The Great Journey Begins
Tripitaka and the ever-impatient Monkey begin their perilous journey. Arriving at a village terrorised by a greedy and lustful monster, Monkey thus faces the wrath of Pigsy and his deadly muckrake. To cross the Mighty River of Flowing Sands, they must first pass the cannibalistic water monster Sandy. A sandstorm, an army of tiger ghosts - will Tripitaka end up as cat food, or will Monkey save the day?

Don't miss it!

By the way, if you missed the first 2 episodes, check out the episode accounts on these pages so you can catch up with the story so far:
Episode 1: http://www.monkeyheaven.com/summaries_s1e1.html
Episode 2: http://www.monkeyzone.net/episodes/epis2.htm

For the latest news and info on Monkey, keep checking out http://www.monkeyheaven.com/
Currently, I'm featuring information on how you can get involved in a Monkey sticker campaign in the UK, to publicise the DVDs, by putting up stickers in your home town / city - visit the site to find out how you can get involved.

Also, I have an exclusive offer on http://www.monkeyheaven.com/ where you can buy some or all of the first 7 Monkey DVDs at a reduced price, and get free t-shirts, posters and postcards in the deal.

Note that I don't always get time to check out the messages in this forum, so if you have any burning questions about Monkey, please visit http://www.monkeyheaven.com/ and send me your questions directly from there.

Link: http://www.monkeyheaven.com/" target="_blank">Monkey Heaven

I've heard from Channel 4 that 1/4 million viewers tuned in to watch the first Monkey episode at 12.35am last Thursday night!!!!

If this keeps up, then Channel 4 will almost certainly buy the next 39 episodes when the first 13 has finished... and you never know, it may get a better timeslot.

So keep watching Monkey every week, and spread the word... keep spreading the word...

This week's episode "Monkey Turns Nursemaid" is an absolute classic, it's the one where Monkey and Tripitaka meet for the very first time.
Here's my synopsis of this episode, that I wrote for the Monkey videos and DVDs...

Episode 2 (Thursday 30 January 2003): 12.05am - 12.55am
(i.e. after midnight on *Thursday night*)
Monkey Turns Nursemaid
Buddha sends a messenger, the Boddhisattva Kuan-yin the Compassionate, to find a holy man to make the journey from China to India to fetch the large vehicle scriptures. She chooses the boy priest Hs?an Tsang, and bestows upon him the name Tripitaka. Joined by the irrepressible Monkey - with his magic wishing staff and magic powers - and a talking horse, this could be a journey to remember...

Don't miss it!

To keep up with the latest Monkey news & info (currently, I'm plugging where in London you can go and sing Monkey Magic, Gandhara etc. on karaoke!?!), including any updates to the Monkey screening schedule on Channel 4, keep checking http://www.monkeyheaven.com/

Link: http://www.monkeyheaven.com/" target="_blank">Monkey Heaven