The plastic macs being handed out as we went in were the first indication that this was no ordinary show.

Thankfully, the protection was only needed by those in the front row.

But it was always going to get messy, as it recreated the anarchic days of a 1970s Saturday morning TV series very much like the Birmingham-made Tiswas.

The fictional show Shushi was known for its catchphrases like ‘‘Look out, it’s the Pie-RA!’’, ‘‘Kick a vicar’’ and ‘‘Nobby’s Tool Time’’.

It ended in 1979 with a controversial episode in which an obsessive fan (Okorie Chukwu) got out of control and presenter Petra ‘‘something for the dads’’ Massey tried to hang herself live on air.

The team are reunited by presenter Naill Ashdown for his TV series Looking Back (Together), as he points out how sexist and racist it was.

The talented, versatile cast play several roles in many wigs and include Stephen Harper, Dudley Rees and Ged Simmons.

We also get live music from young band The.Future.B from Holyhead School in Handsworth.

It starts off well and there are lots of laughs in the first half, especially when it makes fun of the more restrained rival BBC show with its ‘‘exchangeathon’’.

And there’s a great slow motion custard pie fight.

But when matters take a darker turn, it doesn’t seem to know where to go.

We never really got to know the characters, some of the jokes are more miss than hit and I kept waiting for a punchline which never arrived.

Still, Never Try This At Home is a creative, fun reminder of the days of proper Saturday morning telly, before it was taken over by men cooking.