Last New Year's Eve, the "Royal Canadian Air Farce" was grounded after 16 seasons on CBC-TV and an even longer run on radio. The seven-member comedy troupe disbanded, props and sets were donated and sold, and the chicken cannon was corked and decommissioned.
So how hard was it to get airborne again?
Harder than you might think, said founding "Air Farce" trouper Roger Abbott. He returned to CBC's broadcast centre earlier this month along with five of his colleagues to shoot a new hour-long "Air Farce New Year's Eve" special, which airs at 8 p.m. and repeats at midnight.
Abbott swore last Dec. 31 was his final flight with the Farce.
"I said to myself, 'That's it ... we're not going to do any comebacks or reunions - I hate that stuff."'
But CBC programmers thought otherwise and called on the Farce for another New Year's Eve salute. The comedy troupe's annual specials have always been popular, with over 1.5 million Canadians tuning in last season.
Once talked into it, the Farce vowed to keep it "familiar but fresh." And they pretty much had no choice. The old doughnut shop set had been donated to the CBC archives; many wigs, props, costumes and other souvenirs were donated to university and community theatre companies; and other props were sold off internally to CBC staffers, with proceeds going to the actor's fund.
But new props and costumes were ordered and the Farce has a new secret weapon: the F-Bomb. "F as in farce," clarified Abbott.
With the show's old chicken cannon, photos of politicians, celebrities and other newsmakers stood at the receiving end of rotten tomatoes and other goo. This time, the nasty guck is packed into "F-Bombs" and hurled off the 10th floor balcony of the CBC broadcast centre's gigantic atrium, where they smack into flat photo targets on the floor below.
"We always had this fantasy of dropping things down the atrium," said Abbott. "It's amazing - things you would never be allowed to do in real life, all you have to do it prove you've got a script to do it."
Getting the old gang back together proved to be Abbott's biggest challenge. One member, Jessica Holmes, was committed to appearing in the holiday "Robin Hood" musical in Toronto and could not wiggle out of that schedule. Craig Lauzon had been performing out west in a play with "Corner Gas" alumni Lorne Cardinal, but that run ended in time for him to make the Farce show. Alan Park was able to move around some stand-up gigs in time to get back into makeup as Michael Ignatieff and Vince the "ShamWow" guy. The most recent recruit, Penelope Corrin, came back to do a bang-on impression of Sarah Palin, complete with twirling baton.
Abbott's longtime Farce friends, Don Ferguson and Luba Goy, both answered the call. Abbott and Ferguson were honoured this past summer with honorary degrees from Concordia University in Montreal.
"I walked away without my degree all those years ago," said Abbott. "I guess all is forgiven."
Veteran director Perry Rosemond also returned to helm the show.
Also sitting this one out are veteran "Air Farce" writers Gord Holtham and Rick Olsen, although three other writers from the TV series pitched in. The special features guest appearances from all five "Dragons' Den" stars, as well as CBC News anchor Peter Mansbridge, and recent "Battle of the Blades" champions Jamie Sale and Craig Simpson.
Abbott said he quite enjoyed his year off and was reminded how much he didn't miss producing and performing a weekly series as the hours he put into the new special piled up.
"The kind of things I missed were the days the Tiger Woods stuff was happening and I thought, 'Oh boy, if we were only on the air tonight..."'
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Bill Brioux is a freelance TV columnist based in Brampton, Ont.