[JenBurdoo] Recognition

[JenBurdoo]

Something that its fans should not have known helped make a show popular. What was this, and how?

[GalFisk]

TV show? Gameshow? Theatre? Musical? Magic show? Did the fans know? If so, relevant how? Did they make a lucky guess? Did information leak?

[Earnest]

popular toward the same fans?
Is it something embarrassing? Revealing something about the functioning of the show? Something behind scenes?
Are votes relevant during the show?

[JenBurdoo]

TV show? This. Gameshow? Theatre? Musical? Magic show? Did the fans know? Yes. If so, relevant how? Yes. Did they make a lucky guess? No. Did information leak? … in a sense.

popular toward the same fans? Commonly.
Is it something embarrassing? Could be. Revealing something about the functioning of the show? Something behind scenes? No to both.
Are votes relevant during the show? No.

[Earnest]

Did it reveal something about some person in the show? Does the show involve: dancing? singing? answering to questions? making offers? making bets? guessing the age? guessing in general? guessing the price? reality show ?talk show?

Was the show falsified? previously recorded relevantly? is playback relevant? Something that was spotted by fans? Something that was spotted during the tv show? In an episode? During more episodes? during replicas? Outside of the tv show (i.e. a scandal involving the presenter)?

[JenBurdoo]

Did it reveal something about some person in the show? With an ish. Does the show involve: dancing? singing? answering to questions? making offers? making bets? guessing the age? guessing in general? guessing the price? reality show ?talk show? No to the rest.

Was the show falsified? It is fiction. previously recorded relevantly? Yes. is playback relevant? Yes. Something that was spotted by fans? Yes. Something that was spotted during the tv show? Yes. In an episode? During more episodes? Every episode. during replicas? Outside of the tv show (i.e. a scandal involving the presenter)? It could have been an external scandal, but was not - or at least was never such as to shut down the show. It was not made public.

[Earnest]

same actor playing the role of different characters? spoiler relevant? something not coherent with the time period of the fiction?

[JenBurdoo]

same actor playing the role of different characters? spoiler relevant? No to both. something not coherent with the time period of the fiction? Yope.

[irishelk]

This was something that was visible on screen in every episode? Was it the case that more people watched in order to spot this thing? Did it get a revival in popularity after its initial airing, because this thing was spotted?

Did it have to do with a particular character? The actor portraying a character? A prop? A certain setting? Some part of the dialogue? A physical item that shouldn't be in the show?

Is the show animated? A period/historical piece? Fantasy? Sci-fi?

[JenBurdoo]

This was something that was visible on screen in every episode? It was present, yes. Was it the case that more people watched in order to spot this thing? Yes. Did it get a revival in popularity after its initial airing, because this thing was spotted? OTRT.

There is a relevant false assumption here, btw.

Did it have to do with a particular character? No, but relevant. The actor portraying a character? A prop? A certain setting? This. Some part of the dialogue? A physical item that shouldn't be in the show?

Is the show animated? No. A period/historical piece? This. Fantasy? Sci-fi?

[GalFisk]

Is the thing deliberate? A mistake? An Easter egg?

[JenBurdoo]

Is the thing deliberate? Yes. A mistake? An Easter egg? Ish.

[Earnest]

so is it something too modern for the time period of the plot's story? too old?

There is a relevant false assumption here, btw. --> was the something spotted a thing? an animal? a human being? a use? a tradition? a language? something intangible? More than a thing? is it a technological device? a phone? a pc? a clock? a digital clock? a car? musical instrument? a piece of clothing? medicines? an accent? the language? a use?

Are cultural elements relevant? apartheid? Second World War? KKK? Racism? religion? others?
Is the time period of the fiction. relevant? WWI?WWII? before? after? war time? Different periods? are flashbacks relevant? plot holes?

helped make a show popular --> would the show have been less popular without the fans spotting the something that they should not have known? Does it (the something) make the fiction not coherent? does it change the plot of the story? does it lead to another chapter of the story? Did it provide the inspiration for a sequel? a prequel? Does it contradict apparently something? Does it in fact contradict something? maybe It gave the opportunity to the authors to remake the fiction (and remove something)?

[JenBurdoo]

so is it something too modern for the time period of the plot's story? This. But not in the sense of an anachronism. too old?

There is a relevant false assumption here, btw. --> was the something spotted a thing? an animal? a human being? a use? Thisish. a tradition? a language? something intangible? Thisish. More than a thing? is it a technological device? a phone? a pc? a clock? a digital clock? a car? musical instrument? Related. a piece of clothing? medicines? an accent? the language? a use? None of the rest.

Are cultural elements relevant? Yes. apartheid? Second World War? KKK? Racism? religion? others? Others. Continue thinking along these lines.
Is the time period of the fiction. relevant? Yes. WWI?WWII? before? This. after? war time? Different periods? are flashbacks relevant? plot holes? No to the rest.

helped make a show popular --> would the show have been less popular without the fans spotting the something that they should not have known? Yes. Does it (the something) make the fiction not coherent? does it change the plot of the story? does it lead to another chapter of the story? Did it provide the inspiration for a sequel? a prequel? Does it contradict apparently something? Does it in fact contradict something? maybe It gave the opportunity to the authors to remake the fiction (and remove something)? No to all.

[JenBurdoo]

Hint: The popular element was not visible.

[Earnest]

The popular element was not visible. --> was it audible? or in the sense that its absence is what made the fiction popular (e.g. absence of beard/accent/music/signal/king...)?


Before WWII = 1800's? 1700's? Before During a war? Discovery of America relevant?

Is an invention/discovery important?

Is an experiment going on? (e.g. the fiction was part of a social experiment; fans became aware of it and everyone wanted to be part of it?)

musical instrument? Related. --> background music? Music played in the fiction? Words said? Song? maybe a song sung by a famous singer? Or by a singer that became famous afterward (e.g. through a talent show)?

Are cultural elements relevant? Yes. apartheid? Second World War? KKK? Racism? religion? others? Others. Continue thinking along these lines. --> are we talking about "positive" cultural elements (e.g. a dialect /the nationality of someone/a musical instrument employed...) or "negative" ones (e.g. maybe gender discrimination?) ? Did it make the show popular in a specific country? Everywhere in the world? In a country where that cultural element was particularly present? Is the independence of a state relevant? (e.g. independence of Tibet from China?)

[JenBurdoo]

The popular element was not visible. --> was it audible? Yes. or in the sense that its absence is what made the fiction popular (e.g. absence of beard/accent/music/signal/king...)? No.


Before WWII = 1800's? Turn of 20th Century. 1700's? Before During a war? Discovery of America relevant?

Is an invention/discovery important? No.

Is an experiment going on? (e.g. the fiction was part of a social experiment; fans became aware of it and everyone wanted to be part of it?) Not precisely, but this is an excellent question and you may wish to explore.

musical instrument? Related. --> background music? Theme tune. Music played in the fiction? No. Words said? No. Song? No. maybe a song sung by a famous singer? Or by a singer that became famous afterward (e.g. through a talent show)?

Are cultural elements relevant? Yes. apartheid? Second World War? KKK? Racism? religion? others? Others. Continue thinking along these lines. --> are we talking about "positive" cultural elements (e.g. a dialect /the nationality of someone This. /a musical instrument employed...) or "negative" ones And this. (e.g. maybe gender discrimination? But not this.) ? Did it make the show popular in a specific country? Yes. Everywhere in the world? In a country where that cultural element was particularly present? Yesish. Is the independence of a state relevant? (e.g. independence of Tibet from China?) No to the others.

[Earnest]

May I invoke the list of countries to discover where it took place? If so, please, I invoke it.

dialect /the nationality of someone This. --> is he/she relevantly part of the fiction? Is her nationality known? Is her dialect?

Minority discriminations relevant? Game of thrones. relevant?

background music? Theme tune --> is a dialect relevant? a saying? the language of a minority (e.g. Gaelic)? a totally different language from the country one? a word that made no sense? a word that if said/pronounced on reverse say something negative (e.g. the "start to smoke marijuana in "Another Brick in the Wall")? Pronunciation of words relevant? a voice? a woman voice? a man voice? a word instead of another?
was the popular element audible in background? As main voice? as part of a choir? For a second? For the time to say a word? Was it confused between other words/voices? As a background noise? Or was it clearly audible? If the latter, is the sound relevantly meaningful (e.g. a word)? Again, if so, was it interpreted by most of the people as a meaningful word (i.e. with the meaning that the author wanted too give to such a word)?

Not precisely, but this is an excellent question and you may wish to explore. --> subliminal advertisement relevant? product placement? propaganda? something like looking at how people react to offenses to a relevant minority? How people react to something? If the series had success though the element had been inserted? If the people notice the element?

[JenBurdoo]

May I invoke the list of countries to discover where it took place? If so, please, I invoke it. The show is Russian.

dialect /the nationality of someone This. --> is he/she relevantly part of the fiction? Is her nationality known? Is her dialect? His, and yes to all.

Minority discriminations relevant? Game of thrones. relevant? No to both.

background music? Theme tune --> is a dialect relevant? a saying? the language of a minority (e.g. Gaelic)? a totally different language from the country one? a word that made no sense? a word that if said/pronounced on reverse say something negative (e.g. the "start to smoke marijuana in "Another Brick in the Wall")? Pronunciation of words relevant? a voice? a woman voice? a man voice? a word instead of another? No to all; the theme is instrumental.
was the popular element audible in background? As main voice? as part of a choir? For a second? For the time to say a word? Was it confused between other words/voices? As a background noise? Or was it clearly audible? This. If the latter, is the sound relevantly meaningful (e.g. a word)? Again, if so, was it interpreted by most of the people as a meaningful word (i.e. with the meaning that the author wanted too give to such a word)? The showrunners did intend a particular meaning to a relevant piece of music.

Not precisely, but this is an excellent question and you may wish to explore. --> subliminal advertisement relevant? Ish. product placement? No. propaganda? Is relevant. something like looking at how people react to offenses to a relevant minority? How people react to something? Yes. If the series had success though the element had been inserted? If the people notice the element? The series would have been successful without the music, but that just made it even better.

[Earnest]

Is the russian anthem relevant?
Ok from the fact that you replied with the adjective Russia rather than saying that the country is Russia, the suspect emerges...are we talking about Russia or URSS? Or maybe Eastern part of Berlin? Berlin Wall relevant? Is the instrumental music the same in each part of Russia/URSS?

Is the nationality of the relevant charachter: russian? Siberian? Ukraine? German (eastern part of Berlin?)? Of one of the minorities in Russia?

Is the relevant instrumental part known by any russian? Is it an anthem? A popular song? Pop music? Western music?

[JenBurdoo]

Is the russian anthem relevant? No.
Ok from the fact that you replied with the adjective Russia rather than saying that the country is Russia, the suspect emerges...are we talking about Russia or URSS? Or maybe Eastern part of Berlin? Berlin Wall relevant? Is the instrumental music the same in each part of Russia/URSS? The Soviet Union. Berlin is irrelevant.

Is the nationality of the relevant charachter: russian? Siberian? Ukraine? German (eastern part of Berlin?)? Of one of the minorities in Russia? None of these. The show is Russian (or Soviet, rather); the character is not.

Is the relevant instrumental part known by any russian? Yope. Is it an anthem? A popular song? Pop music? Western music? Yope.

[Earnest]

Western music? Yope --> a genre that is both soviet and western but it's better known as western? Maybe rock? Pop? Others? A rebellion song? were the producers the authors of the piece of song inserted? Relevant who was the author (if it had one)? Was the song contemporary to the fiction? Contemporary to the time of the plot? Relevant the title of the song? Maybe they used a microphone/recorder/western tool for the time? playback? Recorder voice? Juke box? Other?

the theme is instrumental --> relevant that people might whistling the theme? use it in relevant contexts?...I was thinking about something that was audible only with CDs (i.e. with a stereo, which was a western tool), but this has nothing to do with music properly...

Western = American? Is competition USA vs Soviet Union relevant?

The showrunners did intend a particular meaning to a relevant piece of music. --> making a point about western music? About Russian people? About music unifying people? Was the popular element a song originally instrumental? Sung? Relevant? Maybe Russian fictions did not have to instrumental songs as main themes and transformed originally sung music into instrumental? Relevant that the theme was instrumental?

propaganda? Is relevant. --> soviet propaganda? Can we say that producers made soviet propaganda through the popular element?

The show is Russian (or Soviet, rather); the character is not. --> relevant his nationality? American? European? Dubbing relevant? subtitles?

[JenBurdoo]

Western music? Yope --> a genre that is both soviet and western but it's better known as western? Maybe rock? Pop? Others? A rebellion song? Yes, but irrelevant. No to the others. were the producers the authors of the piece of song inserted? Yes. Relevant who was the author (if it had one)? No. Was the song contemporary to the fiction? No. Contemporary to the time of the plot? No. Relevant the title of the song? No. Maybe they used a microphone/recorder/western tool for the time? playback? Recorder voice? Juke box? Other? None relevant.

the theme is instrumental --> relevant that people might whistling the theme? It is memorable, which may be relevant. use it in relevant contexts?... There is a particular context with which listeners would be familiar. I was thinking about something that was audible only with CDs (i.e. with a stereo, which was a western tool), but this has nothing to do with music properly... Not relevant.

Western = American? No. Is competition USA vs Soviet Union relevant? Not specifically, but explore.

The showrunners did intend a particular meaning to a relevant piece of music. --> making a point about western music? About Russian people? About music unifying people? None of these. Was the popular element a song originally instrumental? Yes. Sung? Based on a song. Relevant? No. Maybe Russian fictions did not have to instrumental songs as main themes and transformed originally sung music into instrumental? Irr. Relevant that the theme was instrumental? Yes.

propaganda? Is relevant. --> soviet propaganda? Can we say that producers made soviet propaganda through the popular element? No to both.

The show is Russian (or Soviet, rather); the character is not. --> relevant his nationality? Yes. American? European? This. Dubbing relevant? subtitles? Both irr.

[Earnest]

To be sure --> is the fiction silent? Not sure about that, but was television introduced in the Soviet Union and this is a fiction seen in TV by people? Or just by people who could afford a television? Or was it seen after his launch? It grew in popularity afterwards (e.g. it was produced in 1920's ad became popular with the spread of television in Soviet Union?)? Or maybe it was a radio-fiction? Soviet censorship relevant? Relevant at which time the fiction was seen/listened by people? After (or before) something relevant?

To clarify --> Before WWII = 1800's? Turn of 20th Century = are we talking about the time of the plot-fiction? The time in which the fiction became popular?

Communism relevant? slavery? civil war (reds vs whites?)? October revolution? Marxism? Stalinism? Lieninism? Proletariat? History of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union between 1900–1920? History of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union between 1920–1930? Later?

Was the theme a prohibited song? an abolished song? a song in favor of URSS? In favor of communism? anti-URSS? anti Soviet? In open rebellion with the regime? In conflict with Europe? Was something false said by dictatorship's propaganda to Russian people about Europeans that the song contributed to disprove (e.g. European could not play instruments/did not speak Russian/ did not understand good music?...)?

European? This --> relevant his precise nationality? German? English? Finland? Scandinavian? Italian? Spanish? French? Others? From a country which would have been included in URSS?
Does the European character relevantly play an instrument in the fiction (if so the same one played in the main heme of the fiction?)? Play a relevant role? A politician?

There is a particular context with which listeners would be familiar --> work? assembly? familiar life? Relationship with foreign people?

Is the relevant part of the song: a relevant noise? a prohibited noise? The union of particular noises? notes? a reference to the European character? a piece of music that was popular also I other European states? a religious song? a sound headed every day by soviet people? A siren? associated to the sound of a weapon? to sport? to a political party? was it an acute noise? a grave noise? did it come from a trumpet? a piano? a guitar? an electronic instrument? a violin? a flute? drums? a combination of instruments? others? Was it evident and clear that the sound came from musical instrument(s)? or it resembled something else (e.g. water flushing/applauses/war sounds/others)?
Was it relevantly at the beginning of the song? at the end? in the middle? It changed from one episode to the other? was it a solo? Is the rest of the song relevant? Memorable? Is the relevant part the refrain?

Maybe too elaborate but I'll try anyhow --> is it something like an instrumental part of the song was put in a way such that if sung, it would have lead to the pronunciation of a word with an accent instead of another? Or maybe such that people could have said a word or another revealing something relevant about themselves (e.g. their political view)?

[JenBurdoo]

To be sure --> is the fiction silent? No. Not sure about that, but was television introduced in the Soviet Union and this is a fiction seen in TV by people? Yes. Or just by people who could afford a television? Yes. Or was it seen after his launch? It grew in popularity afterwards (e.g. it was produced in 1920's ad became popular with the spread of television in Soviet Union?)? It was produced for television. Or maybe it was a radio-fiction? No. Soviet censorship relevant? Yes. Relevant at which time the fiction was seen/listened by people? Mildly - this wouldn't have happened under Stalinism. After (or before) something relevant? No.

To clarify --> Before WWII = 1800's? Turn of 20th Century = are we talking about the time of the plot-fiction? Yes. The time in which the fiction became popular? No.

Communism relevant? Yes. slavery? civil war (reds vs whites?)? October revolution? Marxism? Stalinism? Lieninism? Proletariat? History of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union between 1900–1920? History of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union between 1920–1930? Later? None of these.

Was the theme a prohibited song? For SVV of "prohibited." an abolished song? a song in favor of URSS? In favor of communism? anti-URSS? Thisish. anti Soviet? Thisish. In open rebellion with the regime? No. In conflict with Europe? No. Was something false said by dictatorship's propaganda to Russian people about Europeans that the song contributed to disprove (e.g. European could not play instruments/did not speak Russian/ did not understand good music?...)? No.

European? This --> relevant his precise nationality? Yes. German? English? This. Finland? Scandinavian? Italian? Spanish? French? Others? No. From a country which would have been included in URSS?
Does the European character relevantly play an instrument in the fiction (if so the same one played in the main heme of the fiction?)? He does play an instrument, but it's irrelevant to the puzzle. Play a relevant role? Yes. A politician? No.

There is a particular context with which listeners would be familiar --> work? assembly? familiar life? Relationship with foreign people? Thisish.

Is the relevant part of the song: a relevant noise? a prohibited noise? Thisish. The union of particular noises? notes? a reference to the European character? Yes. a piece of music that was popular also I other European states? Yes. a religious song? No. a sound headed every day by soviet people? Yope. A siren? No. associated to the sound of a weapon? No. to sport? No. to a political party? No. was it an acute noise? a grave noise? No to both. did it come from a trumpet? a piano? a guitar? an electronic instrument? a violin? a flute? drums? a combination of instruments? This. others? Was it evident and clear that the sound came from musical instrument(s)? Yes. or it resembled something else (e.g. water flushing/applauses/war sounds/others)? No.
Was it relevantly at the beginning of the song? The entire tune is relevant. at the end? in the middle? It changed from one episode to the other? No. was it a solo? It can be. Is the rest of the song relevant? No. Memorable? Yes. Is the relevant part the refrain? Irr.

Maybe too elaborate but I'll try anyhow --> is it something like an instrumental part of the song was put in a way such that if sung, it would have lead to the pronunciation of a word with an accent instead of another? Or maybe such that people could have said a word or another revealing something relevant about themselves (e.g. their political view)? No to both.

[Earnest]

Espionage relevant? Comrafes relevant? Communist greeting? Communist regime? Communist culture? 5 years plans? Proletariat? Communist songs? Money? Rich people? Others? Role played by the english charachter = a spy? A sport man? A turist? A military man? Is his political belonging relevant? Communist? Anti-communism? Musician? Artist? An author (were the authors of the fiction russian? Was the plot oroginally made by soviet people? Adapted by soviet authors? Changed?)? Free artist (i.e. publishing not censored pieces of art)? Is it something like "music or art normally censored was made public using the english charachter"? (i.e. formally it was a critique to Western culture, but practically it was allowed by censorship since it came from an english charachter and fiction producers hidden it as a critique)
Could it have been another regime rather than the communist one theoretically? Or it only worked with communism?

Could the theme be easily exchanged for another version of the song? A communist-approved one? Is the fact that the song does not have words relevant in the sense that authors could easily say that the song was not the same as the one known in the rest of Europe? Or maybe they could say that European copied the song? Or that it was the Russian version of the song?

Did people know that the song was known in the rest of Europe? If so relevant how? Did they have access to western music? Or maybe the song was part of russian culture? Something like a discussion about who composed the song first?! Is it a song that is popular all over the world (i.e. with the same melody all over the world but different words, like "happy birthday"?)? Is the song known nowaday? Is it sung every day in the world? Is it a song sung in a particular context? Church? During festivity? During Christmas? All together? While doing something prohibited in soviet union? While celebrating something?

Reference to the english charachter --> was it a direct and evident reference? A reference "by exclusion" (i.e. since russian/communists were not allowed to do something, the only one who could be referred the song was the english person. Or maybe he could be the only one singing it explicitly?)? Reference = dedicated to him? Revealed the importance of the english charachter to the plot?

[GalFisk]

Is it something irreverent? Pro-western? Pro-English? It it something they shouldn't have known because it referenced something that was banned in their country?

[JenBurdoo]

Is it something irreverent? Noish. Pro-western? Inadvertently. Pro-English? Inadvertently. It it something they shouldn't have known because it referenced something that was banned in their country? Yes! So how were they familiar with it?

[Earnest]

Missed mines

[JenBurdoo]

Espionage relevant? No. Comrafes relevant? Assuming you meant "comrades," there is a relevant friendship. Communist greeting? No. Communist regime? Yes. Communist culture? 5 years plans? Proletariat? Communist songs? Money? Rich people? Others? No to the rest. Role played by the english charachter = a spy? Occasionally. A sport man? A turist? A military man? There are two relevant characters, one of whom has military experience. Is his political belonging relevant? Communist? Anti-communism? No to the rest. Musician? Yes. Artist? No. An author. Yes. (were the authors of the fiction russian? No. Was the plot oroginally made by soviet people? No. Adapted by soviet authors? Only slightly. Changed? Only slightly.)? Free artist (i.e. publishing not censored pieces of art)? Slight censoring was involved, but surprisingly little. Is it something like "music or art normally censored was made public using the english charachter"? No. (i.e. formally it was a critique to Western culture, but practically it was allowed by censorship since it came from an english charachter and fiction producers hidden it as a critique) No.
Could it have been another regime rather than the communist one theoretically? Yes. Or it only worked with communism? At the time, I believe it was only used in Europe, which would limit it to communist countries.

Could the theme be easily exchanged for another version of the song? Yes, but... A communist-approved one? Yes, but... Is the fact that the song does not have words relevant in the sense that authors could easily say that the song was not the same as the one known in the rest of Europe? No. Or maybe they could say that European copied the song? No. Or that it was the Russian version of the song? It was.

Did people know that the song was known in the rest of Europe? Yes. If so relevant how? Yes. Did they have access to western music? Yes. Or maybe the song was part of russian culture? No. Something like a discussion about who composed the song first?! No. Is it a song that is popular all over the world (i.e. with the same melody all over the world but different words, like "happy birthday"?)? Not in that sense. Is the song known nowaday? Yes. Is it sung every day in the world? It can be heard in certain contexts. Is it a song sung in a particular context? Yes. Church? During festivity? During Christmas? All together? None of these. While doing something prohibited in soviet union? Oh, yes. While celebrating something? No.

Reference to the english charachter --> was it a direct and evident reference? No, indirect. A reference "by exclusion" No. (i.e. since russian/communists were not allowed to do something, the only one who could be referred the song was the english person. Or maybe he could be the only one singing it explicitly?)? Reference = dedicated to him? No. Revealed the importance of the english charachter to the plot? Not exactly.

Definitely some progress here!

[Earnest]

So...I did not check yet but let's try to figure out what could be prohibited in a communist regime basing also on nowaday regimes. Is one of the following relevantly prohibited: private property? religion? Polygamy? Restrictions to private life?Drinking in pubs? Drugs? Free information? Parties? Concerts? Hearing music from not russian authors? Simply listening to foreign music? Satire? Critiques to the regime? Maybe something that was prohibited ubder particular conditions? I.e. it was not prohibited in absolute terms but only if done in a particular context (E.g. singing was allowed if done privately but not if done in public. Or maybe, going to bed later than a certain hour was not allowed if not under particular circumstances and the song incentivized to go to bed later...)
Is the relevant prohibited context usually associated to a specific country (e.g. UK?)? Or is it something general that russian could not make?

Can the prohibited thing be done on the street? While walking? E.g. whistling in public? Inside one house? In offices? While working? While making a toast?
Does the song resemble an official communist song?

Was the music prohibited per se? Or maybe it was banned just because it was associated to a relevant context? Maybe sport (e.g. basketball/baseball or football chorus)? Radio? A child game?


Did the music reproduce a sound usually associated to an object? If so a prohibited object? Or maybe an qllowed object that was prohibited with theat sound on? E.g. a bell ringing? A phone ringing? A carillon? A clock?

WAG --> 1) maybe it reproduced the ringtone of a phone which was not allowed in Soviet union because it was associated to capitalism?

[GalFisk]

Did they know about it because of: smuggled media? Reception of foreign mass media? Incomplete or incompetent censorship?

[JenBurdoo]

So...I did not check yet but let's try to figure out what could be prohibited in a communist regime basing also on nowaday regimes. Is one of the following relevantly prohibited: private property? religion? Polygamy? Restrictions to private life?Drinking in pubs? Drugs? Free information? This. Parties? Concerts? Hearing music from not russian authors? Simply listening to foreign music? Depending on circumstances. Satire? Critiques to the regime? Maybe something that was prohibited ubder particular conditions? I.e. it was not prohibited in absolute terms but only if done in a particular context (E.g. singing was allowed if done privately but not if done in public. Or maybe, going to bed later than a certain hour was not allowed if not under particular circumstances and the song incentivized to go to bed later...)
Is the relevant prohibited context usually associated to a specific country (e.g. UK?)? Yes. Or is it something general that russian could not make?

Can the prohibited thing be done on the street? Yes. While walking? Yes. E.g. whistling in public? Inside one house? In offices? While working? While making a toast?
Does the song resemble an official communist song? No.

Was the music prohibited per se? No. Or maybe it was banned just because it was associated to a relevant context? Maybe sport (e.g. basketball/baseball or football chorus)? Radio? This. A child game?

Did the music reproduce a sound usually associated to an object? No. If so a prohibited object? Or maybe an qllowed object that was prohibited with theat sound on? E.g. a bell ringing? A phone ringing? A carillon? A clock?

WAG --> 1) maybe it reproduced the ringtone of a phone which was not allowed in Soviet union because it was associated to capitalism? No.

Did they know about it because of: smuggled media? Reception of foreign mass media? This.. Incomplete or incompetent censorship?

[Earnest]

singing in the rain relevant? xD

Is the relevant prohibited context usually associated to a specific country (e.g. UK?)? Yes --> Queen relevant? clothing? way of dressing? Cigars?

Radio? This --> is it maybe listened in barber shops? are there relevantly laud speaker on the streets?
Can the prohibited thing be done on the street? Yes. While walking? Yes --> is it related to an object? e.g. phone? umbrella? keys? whistling? taking the car to a walk? crossing the street (e.g. Beatles crossing the street)? say hello to someone? a gesture? a gesture associated to the song?

Ok so: newspapers relevant? reading news?

[JenBurdoo]

Singing in the rain relevant? xD No.

Is the relevant prohibited context usually associated to a specific country (e.g. UK?)? Yes --> Queen relevant? clothing? way of dressing? Cigars? None of these.

Radio? This --> is it maybe listened in barber shops? are there relevantly laud speaker on the streets? No to both.
Can the prohibited thing be done on the street? Yes. While walking? Yes --> is it related to an object? e.g. phone? umbrella? keys? whistling? taking the car to a walk? crossing the street (e.g. Beatles crossing the street)? say hello to someone? a gesture? a gesture associated to the song? None of these. Listening to the radio is the prohibited action, no matter where.

Ok so: newspapers relevant? reading news? No to both.

[JenBurdoo]

Hint: The musical theme was a reference.

[GalFisk]

A reference to something heard on foreign radio? To a song? A show? Another theme? To something political? To a news program?

[JenBurdoo]

A reference to something heard on foreign radio? Yes. To a song? A show? This. Another theme? This. To something political? This. To a news program? This.

[GalFisk]

Was it a reference to a news jingle?

[JenBurdoo]

Was it a reference to a news jingle? Yes! (For svv of "jingle.")

[GalFisk]

Some sort of signature tone or melody? Relevant which country's news? Which channel's?

[JenBurdoo]

Some sort of signature tone or melody? Relevant which country's news? Which channel's?

Yes to all.

[hominid]

So, a show produced in the Soviet Union contained an anti-Communist song? But the show took place around the turn of the century? Is it relevant where the show took place?

Is the BBC relevant?

[JenBurdoo]

So, a show produced in the Soviet Union contained an anti-Communist song? OTRT. But the show took place around the turn of the century? Is it relevant where the show took place?

Is the BBC relevant?

Yes to all else.

[hominid]

The Russian show was about the turn of the century, but included the BBC news theme which the fans were not supposed to have recognized, because they should not be familiar with the BBC? And this made the show more popular?

[JenBurdoo]

The Russian show was about the turn of the century, but included the BBC news theme which the fans were not supposed to have recognized, because they should not be familiar with the BBC? Correct. And this made the show more popular? It certainly helped.

Now why did the producers use the BBC news theme?

[hominid]

Were the show's creators trying to evoke the BBC in any way? Does the theme have any other relevant use (outside the BBC and this show)? Was it actually originally created by the BBC? For the BBC? Was it an easy song to get access to? Copyright relevant? Did the BBC give them permission to use it?Does the show take place in Russia?

Is there anything actually "anti-communist" about the song other than the fact that the UK was not communist and was on the opposite side of the Cold War?

[JenBurdoo]

Were the show's creators trying to evoke the BBC in any way? Yesish. Does the theme have any other relevant use (outside the BBC and this show)? No. Was it actually originally created by the BBC? No. For the BBC? No. Was it an easy song to get access to? Yes. Copyright relevant? No. Did the BBC give them permission to use it? No. Does the show take place in Russia? No.

Is there anything actually "anti-communist" about the song other than the fact that the UK was not communist and was on the opposite side of the Cold War? About the song itself, no.

[hominid]

Did the show take place in (LTPF list of countries)? A fictional place?

So the creators of the show were yesishly trying to evoke the BBC, but the song was not created by or for the BBC? Does the show involve news? Radios? The UK? Are the song's origins relevant?

[JenBurdoo]

Did the show take place in (LTPF list of countries)? The UK. A fictional place? Various specific locations within the UK, some of which are fictional.

So the creators of the show were yesishly trying to evoke the BBC, but the song was not created by or for the BBC?

To be clear, there are three versions of the song:
- The original, a folk tune.
- A variant of the folk tune, used by the BBC as a theme tune.
- A variant of the BBC theme, used by the Soviet show.

Does the show involve news? Radios? No to both. The UK? This. Are the song's origins relevant? Not the original one, no. The BBC version, yes.

[hominid]

Did the show feature the song: as a theme song for the show? As a song played by fictional characters in the show? As background music?

Did the creators of the show know that it was the BBC theme? Did they know it was originally a folk song? Did they record the BBC and turn that into a song for their show?

[JenBurdoo]

Did the show feature the song: as a theme song for the show? This. As a song played by fictional characters in the show? As background music?

Did the creators of the show know that it was the BBC theme? Oh, yes. Did they know it was originally a folk song? Irr. Did they record the BBC and turn that into a song for their show? No. The theme has deliberate similarities, but is original to a Russian composer.

[hominid]

Was the BBC theme used because it was associated with the UK, so it set the mood for a show that took place there? If Russians were widely familiar with the BBC theme, would they still have used it? Is it relevant what historical events the show is about? Is it fictional?

[JenBurdoo]

Was the BBC theme used because it was associated with the UK, so it set the mood for a show that took place there? Yes. If Russians were widely familiar with the BBC theme, would they still have used it? That is why they used it. Is it relevant what historical events the show is about? Not specifically. Is it fictional? Yes.

[GalFisk]

Were they mocking the failures of Soviet censorship? Was the show set in the USSR? did they ever get in trouble over this? Relevant?

[JenBurdoo]

Were they mocking the failures of Soviet censorship? Not deliberately. Was the show set in the USSR? No, it was set in the UK. did they ever get in trouble over this? No. Relevant? Not really.

[JenBurdoo]

Starting to go over questions previously answered, and I think you've assembled all the pieces, so I'm going to spoil.




SPOILER




This refers to the Soviet television series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, starring Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin. The series was extremely well received, both in the USSR and in the West (Livanov received an honorary MBE for his portrayal of Holmes). One element that increased the show's appeal within Russia was its theme music, which was deliberately based on the theme of the BBC Russian Service, which, as the West's radio propaganda arm, was forbidden, yet widely listened to. At any other time, this might have gotten the producers tossed in the gulag; they knew very well that their viewers would be (illegally) familiar with the tune. The musical theme was associated with Britain, and thus drew viewers into the setting - but only because they were listening to something they shouldn't have.