''Double Exposure'' was a Canadian

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

comedy series which satirized contemporary Canadian politics. The show starred the married couple of Linda Cullen (born 1958) and Bob Robertson (1945-2017), and focused primarily on the stars' voice impersonations of Canadian political and cultural figures. In addition CBC staff announcer Bob Sharples provided the introductions and conclusions to ''Double Exposure'' shows and provided narraration for many ''Double Exposure'' skits. It played on CBC Radio (now known as

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of Ca ...

) at 11:33 on Saturday mornings, and on CBC Stereo (now known as

CBC Music CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

) Saturday evenings at 6:32 (one half-hour later in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

). Unlike many previous CBC radio comedies, such as ''

The Royal Canadian Air Farce The Royal Canadian Air Farce was a comedy troupe that was active from 1973 to 2019. It is best known for their various Canadian Broadcasting Corporation series, first on CBC Radio and later on CBC Television. Although their weekly radio series ...

'' or '' Frantic Times'', the show would be recorded wholly in a studio without a live audience. The duo made the jump to television with an initial satirical special in 1994, and became a television series in 1997.

Radio show

The radio version of the show ran from 1986 to 1997 on

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

. Prior to the launch of their own show, Robertson and Cullen were known as regular contributors of comedic sketches to Jack Farr's ''

The Radio Show ''The Radio Show'' was a Canadian radio show, which aired on CBC Radio from 1983 to 1992. The show incorporated some aspects of a conventional radio talk show, filtered through the warped comedic sensibilities of host Jack Farr. John Doyle, "The Ra ...

''. It satirized contemporary Canadian politicians such as

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney ( ; born March 20, 1939) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studied political sci ...

Joe Clark Charles Joseph Clark (born June 5, 1939) is a Canadian statesman, businessman, writer, and politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Canada from 1979 to 1980. Despite his relative inexperience, Clark rose quickly in federal polit ...

Preston Manning Ernest Preston Manning (born June 10, 1942) is a Canadian retired politician. He was the founder and the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance in 2000 which in tur ...

Barbara McDougall Barbara Jean McDougall (born November 12, 1937) is a former Canadian politician. She served as a Member of Parliament from 1984 to 1993, and as Secretary of State for External Affairs from 1991 to 1993. She did not run again in the 1993 Canadian ...

, Bill Vander Zalm and others, as well as international figures such as

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...

. Robertson specialized in such impersonations as

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

Ross Perot Henry Ross Perot (; June 27, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was an American business magnate, billionaire, politician and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He ran an inde ...

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...

, and Queen Elizabeth, and Cullen could do imitations of

Sandie Rinaldo Sandra Brycks "Sandie" Rinaldo (born 16 January 1950) is a Canadian television journalist and anchor for CTV News. Youth and education She was born in Toronto, and was first seen on television as a dancer during the mid-1960s on CBC Television y ...

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

Julia Child Julia Carolyn Child (née McWilliams; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American cooking teacher, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, '' ...

and

Sister Wendy Wendy Mary Beckett (25 February 1930 – 26 December 2018), better known as Sister Wendy, was a British religious sister and art historian who became known internationally during the 1990s when she presented a series of BBC television documenta ...

, among others. Typical sketches on the radio show would include over-the-top impersonations of Brian Tobin rescuing frozen

turbot The turbot (''Scophthalmus maximus'') is a relatively large species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae. It is a demersal fish native to marine or brackish waters of the Northeast Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is an ...

from the dinner plate, or Preston Manning "ee-lim-inating" everything possible. Broadcaster

Adrienne Clarkson Adrienne Louise Clarkson (; ; born February 10, 1939) is a British Hong Kong, Hong Kong-born Canadian journalist who served from 1999 to 2005 as Governor General of Canada, the List of Governors General of Canada#Governors General of Canada, 1 ...

was mocked by a dead-on parody of her precise diction and haughty demeanour with the recurring catchphrase "I'm Adrienne Clarkson, and you're not", derived from Chevy Chase's early ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' refrain. (Clarkson subsequently became

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...

near the end of ''Double Exposure'''s television run.) In 1994 the show was named the best weekly network program on CBC Radio and Stereo. They also occasionally did special radio shows targeting specific Canadian political events, such as the

2000 Canadian federal election The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 37th Canadian Parliament, 37th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister of Canada, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Pa ...

. They also won an

ACTRA Award The ACTRA Awards were first presented in 1972 to celebrate excellence in Canada's television and radio industries.

for best comedy, and were the highest-rated radio comedy program of the time.

Television show

The duo did New Year's Eve television specials for several years beginning in 1994. In 1997, ''Double Exposure'' moved permanently to television, moving from

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

to rival network CTV until 2000. On radio, the show consisted of comedic sketches and monologues; on its CBC television specials, their voice impersonations were often set to actual film clips of the politicians being satirized. The weekly series on CTV featured the pair in live sketches as well.

Other projects

In 2000, ''Double Exposure'' returned to CBC for a rare special radio program on the evening of the federal election. In 2002, Cullen and Robertson joined with other comedians in the new satirical comedy series ''

Point Blank Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm can hit a target without the need to compensate for bullet drop, and can be adjusted over a wide range of distances by sighting in the firearm. If the bullet leaves the barrel paral ...

'', which aired on

The Comedy Network CTV Comedy Channel (often shortened to CTV Comedy and formerly known as The Comedy Network) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Bell Media which focuses primarily on comedy programming. The channel first launched on Octo ...

. In November 2004, Cullen and Robertson were inducted into the

BC Entertainment Hall of Fame The BC Entertainment Hall of Fame in Vancouver was founded on 24 July 1992 to honour British Columbians that have made outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry. Star Walk inductees are featured with a plaque on the Walk of Fame on ...

. On December 16, 2005, the Double Exposure team appeared on

Lorne Elliott Christopher Lorne Elliott, known by his stage name Lorne Elliott is a Canadian comedian, musician, author, and award-winning playwright. He is best known for his 11 years as host of the CBC Radio program ''Madly Off in All Directions''. Career Elli ...

's show ''

Madly Off in All Directions ''Madly Off in All Directions'' was a Canadian radio comedy show that aired for several years on CBC Radio One, featuring comedian Lorne Elliott. It formerly aired on Sunday afternoons at 1PM (1:30PM in Newfoundland and Labrador), as well as on Sa ...

'' on CBC Radio One. This was their first appearance on CBC Radio in five years. In 2008, Cullen and Robertson launched Gross National Product, a website which features satirical

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid ...

animations.Gross National Product
In May 2009, they started blogging and podcasting. From 2016 until Robertson's death in 2017, Cullen and Robertson produced and starred in ''Double Exposure's Newzapalooza'', a weekly program for

AMI-audio AMI-audio is a Canadian 24-hour English language non-profit audio broadcast television service. AMI-audio offers a variety of content to Canadians who are blind, partially sighted or otherwise print restricted. AMI-audio produces two daily liv ...

. Cullen and Robertson's daughter

Jennifer Robertson Jennifer Robertson (born November 24, 1971) is a Canadian actress, writer, and comedian. She is known for her starring role as Jocelyn Schitt in the CBC Emmy Award-winning sitcom ''Schitt's Creek'' (2015–2020), for which she was nominated fo ...

is a comedian and actress, most noted for her role as Jocelyn Schitt in the situation comedy ''

Schitt's Creek ''Schitt's Creek'' (stylized as ''Schitt$ Creek'') is a Canadian television sitcom created by Dan Levy and his father, Eugene Levy, that aired on CBC Television from 2015 to 2020. It consists of 80 episodes spread over six seasons. Produced ...

''.

Discography

References

External links

Official site

Official podcast site
featuring new content

* ttp://www.freedb.org/freedb_search_fmt.php?cat=misc&id=2f0d2e16 Track listing for their first album on freedb.org, accessed on November 15, 2005
Transcript of another ''Double Exposure'' skit, accessed on November 15, 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Double Exposure (Comedy Series) 1990s Canadian sketch comedy television series Canadian radio sketch shows CBC Radio One programs CBC Music programs 1986 radio programme debuts 1997 radio programme endings 1997 Canadian television series debuts 2000 Canadian television series endings Satirical radio programmes CTV Television Network original programming Canadian political satire Canadian comedy duos CTV Comedy Channel original programming Television shows filmed in Vancouver Radio programs adapted into television shows Canadian news parodies Canadian political comedy television series