title: The Cosby Show

text: Another main cast member pregnancy, that of Bonet, almost caused the actress to be fired, especially coming in the wake of appearing in the film "Angel Heart", which contained explicit sexual scenes with actor Mickey Rourke. Cosby strongly disapproved of Bonet's role, but allowed her to continue on "World" until returning to "Cosby" after her pregnancy. Tensions remained, however, and Bonet was eventually fired in April 1991.


title: The Cosby Show

text: The show's theme music, "Kiss Me", was composed by Stu Gardner and Bill Cosby. Seven versions of this theme were used during the run of the series, making it one of the few television series to use multiple versions of the same theme song over the course of a series. For season four, the theme song music was performed by musician Bobby McFerrin.


title: The Cosby Show

text: Due to legal complications regarding the background mural, the opening for season seven was filmed on August 17, 1990, at Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York City, New York was replaced with the one from the previous season. The original season seven opening, with slight modifications, returned to use in the beginning of season eight.


title: The Cosby Show

text: The show's portrayal of a successful, stable black family was praised by some for breaking racial stereotypes and showing another part of the African-American experience. However, it was criticized by others, including Henry Louis Gates Jr., for allowing white audiences to think that racism and poverty were problems of the past. As a result of the Bill Cosby sexual assault cases, Malcolm-Jamal Warner has stated that the show's legacy is "tarnished".


title: The Cosby Show

text: "The Cosby Show" had generated in television revenue, including from television advertisement, and from syndication.


title: The Cosby Show

text: "The Cosby Show" aired on Thursdays at 8:00 pm for all eight seasons. In its first season, the show was the beginning of a Thursday NBC schedule that was followed by "Family Ties", "Cheers", "Night Court", and "Hill Street Blues".


title: The Cosby Show

text: "The Cosby Show" is one of three television programs ("All in the Family" and "American Idol" being the others) that were number one in the Nielsen ratings for five consecutive seasons.


title: The Cosby Show

text: The Carsey-Werner Company handles domestic distribution, while ViacomCBS' Unit CBS Media Ventures handles international distribution of the series, and has done so since 1997. In the United States, "The Cosby Show" began its television syndication run in September 1988 in broadcast syndication, shortly before the show's fifth-season premiere, and was at the time distributed by Viacom; many stations that carried the series were Big Three television networks affiliates. As time went on, this moved to lower-profile timeslots, independent station and minor network affiliates.


title: The Cosby Show

text: Fort Worth, Texas–based independent station KTVT carried the series until 1995, when it ceased operating as a regional cable superstation and became an affiliate of CBS. TBS, then a national cable superstation, carried the series for nearly a decade beginning in 1999. Fellow superstation WGN America began carrying the series shortly thereafter, and continued to until September 2010. Viacom's Nick at Nite began airing reruns of the series in March 2002, and its sister network TV Land began airing reruns in 2004, making "The Cosby Show" one of the few series that were shown on both Nick at Nite and TV Land at the same time. The series was also available to stream on Hulu.


title: The Cosby Show

text: In the Italian version of the show, the family name is not Huxtable but Robinson. The whole show is named "" ("The Robinsons") airing on Canale 5 & K2 from 1986 until 1993.


title: The Cosby Show

text: Reruns of "The Cosby Show" have been pulled from several networks and venues as a result of the Bill Cosby sexual assault cases. In November 2014, TV Land pulled the series from its lineup. "(E)pisodes have been pulled immediately for the foreseeable future ... TV Land even removed references to "The Cosby Show" from its website on Wednesday afternoon as the scandal accelerated." In December 2014, the Magic Johnson–owned network Aspire removed the show from its lineup.


title: The Cosby Show

text: BET's Centric (another Viacom unit), along with Bounce TV, ceased airing reruns of "The Cosby Show". At the same time, barter syndicator The Program Exchange ceased distributing the show. Bounce TV resumed airing the series in December 2016 but pulled the show on April 26, 2018 — the day Cosby was convicted of sexual assault. TV One began airing reruns of the show in May 2017. It is currently the only American network to offer the series. The series is also available on FilmRise, Amazon Prime Video, and Sling TV.


title: The Cosby Show

text: "The Cosby Show"s producers created a spin-off series called "A Different World" that was built around the "Denise" character (portrayed by actress Lisa Bonet), the second of the Huxtables' four daughters. Initially, the new program dealt with Denise's life at Hillman College, the fictional historically black college from which her father, mother, and paternal grandfather had graduated.


title: The Cosby Show

text: Denise was written out of "A Different World" after its inaugural season, due to Bonet's pregnancy, and the following season was revamped, with the addition of director Debbie Allen (Phylicia Rashad's sister) and new characters. Denise later became a recurring character on "The Cosby Show" for seasons four and five, and a regular again in seasons six and seven.


title: The Cosby Show

text: Two albums were produced that included various theme and background music from the show. The albums were presented by longtime Cosby collaborator Stu Gardner. They were:


title: The Cosby Show

text: In The Philippines The Show aired on GMA Network, in 1985-1991 PTV-4 in 1992-1996 & ABC-5 in 1997-2001 (Tagalized)


title: The Cosby Show

text: All eight seasons of "The Cosby Show" have been released on DVD in Region 1. Seasons one and two were released by UrbanWorks which was subsequently acquired by First Look Studios, who then released the remaining six seasons. Seasons One and Two contain special features, including the ninety minute retrospective documentary entitled "The Cosby Show: A Look Back", which aired on NBC in May 2002.


title: The Cosby Show

text: It contains interviews with cast members, bloopers, deleted scenes and audition footage. In December 2010, First Look Studios filed bankruptcy, and all its assets were subsequently acquired by Millennium Entertainment, who also took over distribution of "The Cosby Show" DVD releases. As of 2013, these releases have been discontinued, and are now out of print.


title: The Cosby Show

text: On November 5, 2013, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to the series. They have subsequently re released all eight seasons on DVD. On September 1, 2015, Mill Creek released a sixteen disc complete series set entitled "The Cosby Show – The Complete Series".


title: The Cosby Show

text: In Region 4, Magna Pacific has released all eight seasons on DVD in Australia and New Zealand. The first two seasons have similar artwork to the North American copies, although season two is red rather than blue. Each Australian cover also features the tagline "In a house full of love, there is always room for more".


title: The Cosby Show

text: Note: The Millennium Entertainment release of season one contains the edited versions of the episodes aired in syndication. However, all subsequent DVD releases (including the complete series set) contain the original, uncut broadcast versions. In 2011, Millennium quietly released season one uncut in Region 1, which featured the special features from "The Complete Series" set.


title: Inside No. 9

text: Inside No. 9 is a British black comedy anthology television programme that first aired in 2014. It is written by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton and produced by the BBC. Each 30-minute episode is a self-contained story with new characters and a new setting, and all star Pemberton or Shearsmith (usually both). Aside from the writers, each episode has a new cast, allowing "Inside No. 9" to attract a number of well-known actors. The stories are linked only by the number 9 in some way, typically taking the form of a door marked with the number 9, and a brass hare statue that is in the background of all episodes. Pemberton and Shearsmith took inspiration for "Inside No. 9" from an episode of "Psychoville", a previous project, which was filmed in a single room - this in turn was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's "Rope".


title: Inside No. 9

text: Themes and tone vary from episode to episode, but all have elements of comedy and horror or perverse humour, in addition to a plot twist. The first series was shown in 2014 and featured six regular episodes and a special online-only episode. The second series, again consisting of six episodes, was shown in 2015. Series three began with a Christmas special in December 2016, followed by five more episodes starting February 2017. The fourth series followed in 2018. There was a one-off Halloween special in 2018, and the fifth series was shown in 2020. The sixth series aired in 2021, followed by the seventh series which premiered on 20 April 2022. After the finale, the BBC announced that they had commissioned two further series of the show, bringing it to nine series with series 9 set to be the show's final series.


title: Inside No. 9

text: "Inside No. 9" as a whole has been very well received by critics, who have praised the humour and creativity of the scripts, as well as the talent of the featured actors. Commentators have described it as "never less-than-captivating" and "consistently compelling", offering particularly strong praise for "The 12 Days of Christine", "The Riddle of the Sphinx" and "Dead Line". "Inside No. 9" won the Sketch and Comedy prize at the 35th annual Banff World Media Festival Rockie Awards, and won the comedy prize at the 2016 Rose d'Or ceremony. It was nominated for the Best TV Sitcom prize at the 2014 Freesat Awards, the Broadcast Award for Best Original Programme, and at the 2014 British Comedy Awards for both the Best New Comedy Programme and the Best Comedy Drama. In the Comedy.co.uk Awards it was voted "Best TV Comedy Drama" in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017, and was named "Comedy of the Year" in 2017 and 2018. The series has received three nominations at the British Academy Television Awards. In 2019, Pemberton won Best Male Comedy Performance. In 2021, Shearsmith was nominated for the same award and the show won Best Scripted Comedy.


title: Inside No. 9

text: The scripts of the first three series were released by Hodder & Stoughton in 2020. A book detailing the production history of Series 1 to 5, 'The Insider's Guide To Inside No. 9' by Mark Salisbury, was released in 2021.


title: Inside No. 9

text: "Inside No. 9" is an anthology series, with each episode featuring a new story, with a new setting and new characters. Episodes run roughly thirty minutes each, with the self-contained story reaching a conclusion. The stories are linked primarily by the fact that each has an element of the story linked to the number 9, be that a mansion, a dressing room or even a shoe, size 9. Every episode stars Reece Shearsmith or Steve Pemberton, and regularly both. Each episode is effectively a short play. Some episodes take place in real-time, following half an hour in the lives of the characters. Every episode of "Inside No. 9" features an ornamental hare somewhere on-screen. According to Pemberton, "Because each episode is so wildly different there was nothing really linking them other than the fact they were all inside a Number Nine, I just thought it would be nice to have an object that you could hide and just have there on every set." There is, however, no particular significance to the hare itself.


title: Inside No. 9

text: As is typical of Shearsmith and Pemberton's work, the scripts address dark topics, with, for instance, the first episode touching upon incest, child sexual abuse and murder. The plotlines make use of twists and surprises of various sorts, though in some cases the surprise is the lack of twist. In an interview, Pemberton said that "there is always a desire to wrong-foot the viewer. That's what you strive to do". The tone varies episode-by-episode. For example, while gothic horror was a major component in one case, other times slapstick comedy was used extensively; the humour, however, is typically dark and British. The episodes generally begin with scenes of "utter banality", before the darker elements are revealed. Despite the various episodes featuring unrelated plots and characters, one reviewer said that they are all linked "by a mercurial synthesis of morbid comedy, wicked social commentary and a genuine creepiness".


title: Inside No. 9

text: "Inside No. 9" is somewhat more grounded and realistic than the writers' previous work, such as "Psychoville" and "The League of Gentlemen". Pemberton said that he and Shearsmith decided not to mix the worlds of "Inside No. 9" and their previous projects, but nonetheless include the occasional reference; for example, a character called "Ollie" is mentioned in one "Inside No. 9" episode, and the writers imagined that this was Ollie Plimsoles of Legz Akimbo, a character from "The League of Gentlemen". Similarly, "Inside No. 9" was referenced in the 2017 reunion specials of "The League of Gentlemen". Tubbs and Edward are seen living in flat number 9, and the "Inside No. 9" hare is visible on their shop counter. In the 2018 Halloween special, in which Pemberton and Shearsmith play versions of themselves, both the League of Gentlemen and its third writer, Mark Gatiss, are directly referred to in the dialogue. The 2020 episode "Death Be Not Proud" directly referenced "Psychoville" by featuring various characters from the series in that particular episode.


title: Inside No. 9

text: In 2012, after finishing their previous show, "Psychoville", writers Pemberton and Shearsmith were commissioned to produce two series for the BBC by controllers Janice Hadlow and Cheryl Taylor, partially in response to Sky beginning to produce comedy. At the time, it was unclear whether this would be two series of "Inside No. 9", then known by the working title "Happy Endings", or a series of "Inside No. 9" and a series of some other programme. "Inside No. 9" was to be produced by a BBC team, which was later revealed to be David Kerr (director), Jon Plowman (executive producer) and Adam Tandy (producer).


title: Inside No. 9

text: Pemberton and Shearsmith took inspiration for "Inside No. 9" from "David and Maureen", episode 4 of the first series of "Psychoville", which was in turn inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's "Rope". This episode took place entirely in a single room, and was filmed in only two shots. The writers were keen to explore other stories in this bottle episode or TV play format, and "Inside No. 9" allowed them to do this. At the same time, the concept of "Inside No. 9" was a "reaction" to "Psychoville", with Shearsmith saying that the two of them had "been so involved with labyrinthine over-arcing, we thought it would be nice to do six different stories with a complete new house of people each week. That's appealing, because as a viewer you might not like this story, but you've got a different one next week." Elsewhere, Shearsmith explained that the pair returned to writing macabre stories as they "always feel slightly unfulfilled if [they] write something that's purely comedic, [as] it just feels too frivolous and light". The first story that the pair wrote specifically for "Inside No. 9" was about a birthday party. BBC producers felt that this story would work as the opening episode of a sitcom, but, given the script's events, Pemberton and Shearsmith were not happy to develop the idea into its own programme. The script was consequently shelved and revisited during the planning process for the second series, becoming "Nana's Party", the fifth episode of the series and eleventh overall. During the filming "Inside No. 9", Shearsmith professed excitement to be working on the programme, saying that "[b]eing in the middle of filming a third series of "Psychoville" would be utterly depressing". Pemberton and Shearsmith aimed for a simpler experience with "Inside No. 9" than they had experienced with "Psychoville", describing "Sardines", "Inside No. 9"<nowiki>'</nowiki>s first episode, by saying that it was "just about some good actors in a wardrobe with a good story."


title: Inside No. 9

text: At the time of "Inside No. 9" production, the anthology series was a rare genre for British television programmes. Previous horror anthologies include "Tales of the Unexpected", "The Twilight Zone" and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"; while these would sometimes use comedic elements, they are more prominent in "Inside No. 9". "Murder Most Horrid" followed a similar format, but was far more comedic than horrific. Other anthology-like series on British television include "Seven of One" and "Comedy Playhouse", though these programmes lacked horror elements, and, unlike "Inside No. 9", served as pilots for potential series. However, the British anthology show "Black Mirror", which also features elements of comedy and horror, was very popular around the time of "Inside No. 9". For Pemberton, the 1970s and 1980s were "full of" anthology shows; other examples included "Play for Today", "Beasts" and "Armchair Thriller". More recently, anthologies have become less popular with television executives, but the writers hope that they may be able to contribute to a "renaissance" for the genre. According to journalist and broadcaster Mark Lawson, this is because anthologies can fail to motivate viewers to stay with a series, and, further, new sets and casts must be paid for each episode, meaning that a six-part anthology series will generally be more expensive than a six-part series in a more standard format. For Lawson, "Inside No. 9" was able to overcome these problems through the "pleasing coherence" offered by the fact each episode was set in a number 9, and "the wit and inventiveness" of the opening episodes, which could sufficiently engage viewers. Pemberton and Shearsmith had originally considered alternative ways to link the stories, such as all the settings having a shared post man, but then decided that such a strong relationship between stories was not needed.


title: Inside No. 9

text: Inspiration and production varied from instalment to instalment, and each was filmed separately, taking less than a week per episode. After Shearsmith and Pemberton had decided that each episode would be about confinement, and having written some of the later episodes, they were inspired by a wardrobe in their working space for "Sardines". The writers were keen to see how confined they could make the characters, aiming to induce feelings of claustrophobia in viewers. The anthology format allowed Pemberton and Shearsmith to revisit prior ideas, which is what they did with "A Quiet Night In" and "Tom & Gerri". The former was inspired by the writers' efforts to include a long segment without dialogue in an episode of "Psychoville". Both episodes followed break-ins. The Pinteresque "Tom & Gerri" was based upon a play written by Pemberton and Shearsmith while the pair were living together and job seeking. The setting was based upon their own flat, while the character Tom's development evoked the experience of job-hunting. "Last Gasp" was inspired by a person Pemberton had seen on "Multi-Coloured Swap Shop" who collected jars of air, as well as the death of Michael Jackson and the death of Amy Winehouse. "The Understudy", the plot of which is partially based upon and concerns "Macbeth", took longer to write than any other episode; the writers rewrote the script several times, as they were unsure of whether the characters should be amateur or professional actors. "The Harrowing" was the writers' attempt to produce a gothic horror episode. They made use of more horror tropes than previous episodes, but the setting allowed them to include modern elements.


title: Inside No. 9

text: The BBC ordered a second series of "Inside No. 9" before the first episode had aired. The second series was written in 2014, and then filmed from the end of 2014 into early 2015. The writers were permitted two sets for the second series, and so a fake train compartment and a fake flat (for "La Couchette" and "The 12 Days of Christine" respectively) were built at Twickenham Studios. The other episodes were filmed on location; for example, "The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge" was filmed in a barn at the Chiltern Open Air Museum. David Kerr was unable to stay on as director for the second series. Guillem Morales and Dan Zeff each took on directorial duties for two episodes, and Pemberton and Shearsmith, in addition to continuing to write and star in the episodes, jointly directed the other two. The writers had hoped to direct for some time, and this represented a good opportunity to make their directorial debut. While writing for the series, the pair did not know which episodes they would be directing; in an interview, Shearsmith said that the pair had considered directing episodes in which they did not appear much, but scheduling concerns left them with "Cold Comfort" and "Nana's Party"; the episodes feature the writers quite heavily.


title: Inside No. 9

text: The six episodes of the second series derived inspiration from a variety of sources. "La Couchette" aimed to explore the intimacy of sleeper carriages; specifically, the unusual problems associated with sleeping in close proximity to strangers. "The 12 Days of Christine" follows a woman over the course of 12 years, with scenes displaying key moments in her life. "The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge" was inspired by genuine witch trials, some transcripts of which Pemberton and Shearsmith had read as part of the writing process. "Cold Comfort" began with the idea of a call centre, and was filmed in the style of a CCTV feed. With "Nana's Party", the writers aimed for a feeling of suburban darkness, reminiscent of the work of Alan Ayckbourn. "Séance Time" began with the idea of a séance, an idea the writers had wanted to explore for some time.


title: Inside No. 9

text: A third series began broadcasting in February 2017, with a Christmas special, "The Devil of Christmas", airing on 27 December 2016. Settings for the third series include an art gallery, a restaurant and an alpine cabin, while guest stars include Keeley Hawes, Jessica Raine, Felicity Kendal, Tamzin Outhwaite, Fiona Shaw, Jason Watkins, Mathew Baynton, Rula Lenska, Philip Glenister, Sarah Hadland, Javone Prince, Montserrat Lombard, Morgana Robinson, and Alexandra Roach. A fourth series was confirmed after the airing of "The Devil of Christmas", and began broadcast in 2018. Pemberton has said that he would be interested in an online spin-off, perhaps called "No. 9A", with less experienced comedy writers. In an interview, he said "The format has so many opportunities and can incorporate so many styles, as long as you stick to the small cast, single location constraint. I think it's really important to bring through fresh voices."


title: Inside No. 9

text: A 2018 live special received particular praise for its unusual and creative format. The episode, described as "astonishingly bold and ambitious" by reviewer Sean O'Grady, appeared to suffer technical difficulties within its first 9 minutes of broadcast. The difficulties, including the continuity announcer's voiceover, were in-fact part of the programme's plot, which centred on the premise that the studios in which the episode were being filmed were haunted. Around 20% of the audience reportedly switched off before the deception became apparent. The plot included a number of features playing with the live format, including Shearsmith and Pemberton watching the live broadcast, and Shearsmith sending a Tweet during the show.


title: Inside No. 9

text: In December 2022, it was revealed that "Inside No. 9" would pause after the ninth series airs. Pemberton said, We feel it is a good time to pause Inside No. 9 after we finish filming season 9 next year [...] We’re not saying it’s over for good [...] but we won’t be looking to make any more episodes for the time being."


title: Inside No. 9

text: This episode was a live broadcast, rather than a pre-recorded episode. The music, by Christian Henson, was also performed live.


title: Inside No. 9

text: As each episode of "Inside No. 9" features new characters, the writers were able to attract actors who may have been unwilling or unable to commit to an entire series. The writers' reputation also helped attract actors, with journalist David Chater saying that they "have developed such a track record over the years that many of the finest actors in the country jump at the chance to appear in their dark imaginings". The fact that Pemberton and Shearsmith only played a single character in each story was a change for them; in "The League of Gentlemen", the pair have played some 30 characters each, while, in "Psychoville", they had played around five each. Though Pemberton and Shearsmith generally starred in each episode, they did not necessarily take on the main roles. Shearsmith explained this by saying that they "didn't write this for us to be in. We wrote the stories first then thought, could we be in them?" Pemberton appears in all episodes other than "The Harrowing", while Shearsmith appears in all episodes other than "Last Gasp".


title: Inside No. 9

text: The first series of "Inside No. 9" was shown in the UK on BBC Two (and BBC Two HD) between 5 February and 12 March 2014. It was aired in Australia on BBC First, premiering on 5 January 2015. The second series aired in the UK from 26 March to 29 April 2015, and aired in Australia from 27 July 2015.


title: Inside No. 9

text: The first series was released on DVD on 17 March 2014. In addition to the six episodes, the DVD featured the making of feature "Inside Inside No. 9", including unseen interviews with Pemberton, Shearsmith and Kerr, and a photo gallery with previously unreleased photos. Published by 2 Entertain, the DVD was rated 18 by the British Board of Film Classification. To publicise the DVD, the writers appeared at the Oxford Street, London, branch of HMV for a signing event on 20 March. The DVD was reviewed by David Upton for webzine PopMatters, who gave the main feature an 8/10 rating, and the extras a 5/10 rating, and Ben Walsh for "The Independent", who gave the DVD overall 4/5. Phelim O'Neill, reviewing the release for "The Guardian", described the boxset as "very lendable", suggesting that it would help "Inside No. 9" reach a wider audience. South African newspapers "The Sunday Times" and "The Star" both published positive reviews of the DVD, with "The Star"s anonymous review saying the DVD "makes a great prezzie for cynics, so if you know any lawyers or journalists...". The second series was released on DVD on 4 May 2015. A review in the "Leicester Mercury" awarded it four out of five stars. The advent of Series 3 saw Series 1&2 released on Blu-ray on 13 February 2017. Series 3 has a 27 March 2017 release on DVD and Blu-ray. The complete series 4 was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 12 February 2018, while series 5 was released only on DVD 23 March 2020, there is no Blu-ray release as of now for series 5.


title: Inside No. 9

text: Many critics responded very positively to "Inside No. 9". After the final episode of the first series, the comedic critic Bruce Dessau said on his website that it had "really set an early benchmark to beat for comedy of the year. It has been consistently compelling as each week we entered an entirely different world." On the same day, David Chater, writing in "The Times", said of the series as a whole that "[i]t's hard to know which to admire more – the rich and perverse imaginations of Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith or the extraordinary range of acting talent that has brought this strange and memorable series to life." Chater had previously described "A Quiet Night In", the second episode of "Inside No. 9", as "the funniest, cleverest, most imaginative and original television I have seen for as long as I can remember – one of those fabulous programmes where time stands still and the world around you disappears". Mark Jones ("The Guardian") considered the whole series, saying that the "Inside No. 9" was "never less-than-captivating", while a review in the "Liverpool Echo" described every episode as "intriguing and lovingly-crafted", though it was felt that the first three episodes were stronger than the latter three. In December 2014, "Metro" television critic Keith Watson named "Inside No. 9" the twentieth best television programme of 2014, and in January 2015, "Daily Star Sunday" columnist Garry Bushell named "Inside No. 9" the best comedy TV programme of 2014.


title: Inside No. 9

text: Writing before "Inside No. 9" was televised, broadcaster and journalist Mark Lawson suggested that, among anthology series, the programme possessed "the potential to be remembered as a singular achievement". Commending both the acting and writing of "Inside No. 9", "New Statesman" television critic Rachel Cooke offered a positive verdict of the programme after seeing the first half of the series. Cooke expressed particular admiration of Pemberton and Shearsmith's ability to squeeze "perfectly formed narratives – characters with proper backstories, scenarios that are complicated and unwind relatively slowly – into just 30 minutes". Also writing mid-series, journalist Gareth Lightfoot called "Inside No. 9" "hands down the best, freshest thing on [television] at the moment" in the "Evening Gazette", though he doubted whether it could truly be considered comedy.


title: Inside No. 9

text: Donal Lynch, of Irish newspaper the "Sunday Independent", suggested that, like the previous work of Pemberton and Shearsmith, "Inside No. 9" may be something of "a cult hit/acquired taste". Barry Didcock, of "The Herald", expressed a similar sentiment, calling "Inside No. 9" "probably the most Marmitey programme on television". "The Times" published a response to a complaint received from a viewer, who was unhappy with Chater's positive reviews of "Inside No. 9", suggesting that "A Quiet Night In" was more traumatic than humorous. Sam Wollaston, television critic for "The Guardian", noted that humour is extremely personal, and though he could appreciate much about "Inside No. 9", he had never liked Pemberton and Shearsmith's work: "I'm sure I'll be crucified – probably quite rightly – but I don't love Inside No 9." Some tabloid columnists also expressed dissatisfaction with the programme. Virginia Blackburn, of the "Daily Express", wrote a highly critical review of "Last Gasp". Blackburn considered "Inside No. 9" an example of the weakness of contemporary television comedy, saying that the episode is "not funny, it's not clever and is so utterly, irredeemably, naffly silly that it ends up being incredibly irritating and nothing else". Another journalist unimpressed was the "Daily Mirror" columnist Kevin O'Sullivan, who dismissed the programme by saying simply "BBC2's alleged comedy Inside No. 9: didn't even smile".


title: Inside No. 9

text: Cooke observed the difficulty in reviewing "Inside No. 9" as a whole due to the fact that each episode is different from the last. "Sardines" was commended for its cast and acting, as well as the scripting, but critics had a mixed response to the twist ending. "A Quiet Night In" was a change in approach, relying on physical comedy, but it was well received as funny, and inventive. "Tom & Gerri" was less comedic but darker than previous episodes; critics commended the plot, but disagreed about the portrayal of mental illness in the episode. Less horrific than other episodes in the series, "Last Gasp" dealt with themes of celebrity culture and fandom, and was considered a weaker instalment. Critics called "The Understudy" a "return to form". While it was based upon "Macbeth", a knowledge of the play was not necessary for enjoyment, and the plot's divergence from the play was praised. "The Harrowing" was the most horrific episode of the series, and was considered genuinely scary by critics.


title: Inside No. 9

text: "La Couchette" was characterised by critics as strong and funny, with praise directed at the cast and script. "The 12 Days of Christine" was hailed as "masterpiece" and "a quiet elegy, terse and polished, in many ways perfect". The emotional script, poignancy of the ending and performance of the cast, especially Smith, was highly praised. "The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge" was compared unfavourably with the previous two episodes by some critics, though the writers were characterised as having displayed their versatility and ability with the atypical setting and language. Critics had a mixed response to the episode's humour, but praised the performance of the cast. "Cold Comfort" was generally praised, though also characterised as weaker than other episodes in the series. The unusual filming style was commended, but there was a mixed response to the episode's ending. "Nana's Party" received high praise for its script and characters, and for the cast's performances. "Séance Time" was praised as well written and genuinely frightening, while Alison Steadman's performance being picked out for commendation by many critics.


title: Inside No. 9

text: In a 2018 article for "Salon", American writer Mary Elizabeth Williams described the series as "the best show you’re not watching" and "brilliant, black-humored, taut format horror for people who enjoy the occasional potty-joke". In 2019, "Inside No. 9" was ranked 66th on "The Guardian"'s list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century.


title: Inside No. 9

text: Despite the generally positive reception among critics and viewers, the viewing figures for the first series were poor. The average viewing figures for the series were 904,000 people, or 4.9% of the audience, lower than the slot average of 970,000 (5.1% of the audience). The series had a strong start, with 1.1 million viewers, which was 5.6% of the audience, watching "Sardines". The series low was the fifth episode, "The Understudy", which attracted 720,000 viewers (4.1% of the audience).


title: Inside No. 9

text: Thanks to their work on "Inside No. 9", Pemberton and Shearsmith jointly won the 2014/2015 Royal Television Society Programme award for best comedy performance. The other nominees were Harry Enfield, for his performance in "Harry and Paul's Story of the Twos", and Sarah Hadland, for her performance in "The Job Lot". The pair were also jointly nominated for the 2015 British Academy Television Craft Award for comedy writer for their work on "Inside No. 9", but lost to Mackenzie Crook for his work on "Detectorists". Arthur Matthews and Matt Berry ("Toast of London") and Mathew Baynton and James Corden ("The Wrong Mans") were the other nominees. The following year, Guillem Morales was nominated for the Television Craft Award for Breakthrough Talent for his work on "The 12 Days of Christine", but lost to Michaela Coel, who wrote "Chewing Gum". The other nominees were D. C. Moore ("Not Safe for Work") and Marcus Plowright ("Muslim Drag Queens").


title: Inside No. 9

text: At the 2013/2014 Royal Television Society Craft and Design Awards, Lisa Cavalli-Green was nominated for the "Make Up Design – Drama" award for her work on "Inside No. 9", but lost to Davy Jones, for his work on "In the Flesh". Loz Schiavo ("Peaky Blinders") was the other nominee. Due in part to her role in "The Harrowing", Aimee-Ffion Edwards was shortlisted for WalesOnline's "Daffta" award for best actress, but lost to Eve Myles. The Dafftas celebrate Welsh television talent and prizes are awarded based on a public vote.


title: Inside No. 9

text: At the 2018 Writers' Guild Awards, administered by the Writers' Guild of Great Britain, Shearsmith and Pemberton won the Best TV Situation Comedy award for their work on "The Bill". The award was presented by Brenda Gilhooly. The other nominees were Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper, the writers of "This Country", and Simon Blackwell, for his work on "Back".


title: Inside No. 9

text: At the 2019 British Academy Television Awards, Pemberton won for Best Male Comedy Performance, while at the 2019 British Academy Television Craft Awards, Barbara Wiltshare won for Best Director: Multi-Camera.


title: Inside No. 9

text: At the 2021 British Academy Television Awards, Shearsmith was nominated for Best Male Comedy Performance.


title: Inside No. 9

text: "Inside No. 9" won the award for "Best TV Comedy Drama" at the Comedy.co.uk Awards in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, beating "Cold Feet", "Flowers", "Fresh Meat", "Jonathan Creek" and "Stag" in 2016, "Cold Feet", "Doc Martin", "Eric, Ernie and Me", "Murder on the Blackpool Express" and "No Offence" in 2017, and "Click & Collect", "Dave Allen At Peace", "Death on the Tyne", "Flowers" and "No Offence" in 2018. In 2017, "Inside No. 9" was named the Comedy.co.uk "Comedy of the Year". The show retained the award in 2018.


title: Inside No. 9

text: "Inside No. 9" won the Sketch and Comedy prize at the 35th annual Banff World Media Festival Rockie Awards. The other nominees were "Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?", "It's a Date", "Tiny Plastic Men", "Gangsta Granny" and "The Revolution Will Be Televised". In response to the nomination, Shearsmith tweeted that he was "[t]hrilled", joking that the programme was "in 'Comedy'. I knew it was one". "Inside No. 9" was also nominated for Best TV Sitcom at the 2014 Freesat Awards, which celebrate the best of free British television. The programme lost to BBC2's "The Wrong Mans", as determined by a panel made up of television experts and commentators. The other nominees were "Birds of a Feather", "Mrs. Brown's Boys" and "Toast of London". In November 2014, it was announced that "Inside No. 9" had been shortlisted for the 2015 "Broadcast" Award for Best Original Programme. The other nominees were "Crackanory", "Glasgow Girls", "Release the Hounds", "Suspects" and "The Island with Bear Grylls". At the award ceremony in London on 4 February 2015, "Glasgow Girls" was granted the award, but "Inside No. 9" was highly commended. "Inside No. 9" won the TV award at the 2015 Chortle Awards. The programme was longlisted for the Best Comedy prize in the 2015 "TV Choice" Awards. The programme won the 2016 comedy Rose d'Or, beating the Finnish "Pyjama Party" and the German "Crime Scene Cleaner" ("Der Tatortreiniger").


title: Inside No. 9

text: At the 2014 British Comedy Awards, "Inside No. 9" was nominated in the Best New Comedy Programme and the Best Comedy Drama categories. In the former category, it lost to "Toast of London". The other nominees were "The Wrong Mans" and "Man Down". In the latter category, it lost to "Rev", and the other nominees were "The Wrong Mans" and "Uncle". For Chater ("The Times"), the comedy drama category was the strongest of the awards, but for Ben Williams ("Time Out"), "Inside No. 9" should have won. Writing in "The Independent", journalist Alice Jones said she was "sorry to see the relentlessly innovative "Inside No 9" go unrewarded".


title: Amy Jo Johnson

text: Amy Jo Johnson (born October 6, 1970) is an American actress, musician and filmmaker. As an actress, Johnson is known for her roles as Kimberly Hart on "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers", Julie Emrick on "Felicity", and Jules Callaghan on "Flashpoint".


title: Amy Jo Johnson

text: Johnson has directed short films including "Bent" (2013) and "Lines" (2014), along with two feature-length films, "The Space Between" (2017) and "Tammy's Always Dying" (2019).


title: Amy Jo Johnson

text: Amy Jo Johnson was born on October 6, 1970, in Hyannis, Massachusetts, the daughter of Greig Johnson Sr., a car salesman, and Christine Johnson (d. 1998), a clothing store manager. She has two siblings, a brother and a sister. Though born in Hyannis, Johnson grew up in Dennis, Massachusetts, and attended Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School. As a child, she studied gymnastics.


title: Amy Jo Johnson

text: Johnson moved to New York City at 18 to pursue an acting career. She attended the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She later moved to Los Angeles to audition for her first part.


title: Amy Jo Johnson

text: Johnson's breakthrough role came less than a month after she moved to Los Angeles, when she was selected to portray Kimberly Hart, the Pink Ranger, in "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers", the first installment of the Power Rangers franchise. Despite the series being a huge success and having brought Johnson international recognition as an actress, the show brought her little financial security, as she and the others were paid only $600 a week for their work on the show, which included stunt work and public appearances; none of the cast received any royalty payments from re-runs of episodes they appeared in. During Johnson's time with the franchise, whose productions were non-union and not subject to safety codes standardized in union contracts, Johnson faced multiple instances of danger of physical harm; while filming "", she was almost set on fire during a stunt and, during "", she was almost electrocuted. Johnson ultimately made the decision to leave the show in 1995, passing the role of the Pink Ranger to Australian actress Catherine Sutherland. In an appearance on "I Love the '90s", Johnson jokingly stated that having been the Pink Power Ranger was something she would "never live down." In later years, Johnson stated that becoming famous from the show was at times overwhelming and had given her nightmares, but that overall, she learned many things and is grateful to the show and her fans. In all, Johnson's character has appeared in 138 episodes in the franchise. She, alongside former co-star Jason David Frank, made a cameo appearance in the 2017 film "Power Rangers", though not as Power Rangers themselves.


title: Amy Jo Johnson

text: After she left the series in November 1995, Johnson went on to star in Disney Channel's "Susie Q" and in the "" episode "Backstage Pass." In 1997, she starred in NBC's adaptation of Lois Duncan's novel "Killing Mr. Griffin" and played a gymnast with an eating disorder in "Perfect Body". Johnson also participated in the film "Without Limits". She also reprised her role as Kimberly Hart in "".


title: Amy Jo Johnson

text: In September 1998, Johnson was invited to play Julie Emrick in The WB series "Felicity". She held a main role on "Felicity" for three seasons and was a special guest in its fourth and final season.


title: Amy Jo Johnson

text: In the early 2000s, Johnson had roles in "Interstate 60", "Pursuit of Happiness", and "Infested", as well as television film "Hard Ground". She also had guest starring roles on "Spin City" and "ER". In 2004, she starred as Stacy Reynolds in the fourth season of "The Division". In the latter half of the decade, she had recurring roles in "Wildfire" and "What About Brian", and she starred in television films "" on Syfy and "Fatal Trust" on Lifetime. In addition, Johnson took parts in a few independent films: "Veritas, Prince of Truth" and "Islander".


title: Amy Jo Johnson

text: Beginning in 2008, Johnson became a series regular on "Flashpoint" as Constable Jules Callaghan, a member of the fictional Strategic Response Unit of the Toronto Police service. She was nominated for a Gemini Award for her performance. The show aired new episodes through 2012.


title: Amy Jo Johnson

text: Since 2012, Johnson has had guest roles on a few shows including a recurring role as Hayley Price in the Universal spy drama series "Covert Affairs".


title: Amy Jo Johnson

text: Johnson has directed and produced two acclaimed short films: "Bent" (2013) and "Lines" (2014). She then went on to direct the feature film "The Space Between". In 2018, she began working on her next film, "Tammy's Always Dying". The movie received praise from critics, particularly for Huffman's and Phillips' performances. It is available at video on demand release on May 1, 2020.


title: Amy Jo Johnson

text: She is a member of Film Fatales, a non-profit organization that advocates for women's parity in the entertainment industry. In mid-2021, she announced she would be directing an episode of "Superman & Lois" for the show's second season.


title: Amy Jo Johnson

text: Johnson is a singer-songwriter and has released three albums: "The Trans-American Treatment" (2001), "Imperfect" (2005), and "Never Broken" (2013). She has performed in the Los Angeles area with the Amy Jo Johnson Band. In December 2007, she contributed guest vocals to Koishii & Hush's cover of The Cars track "Since You're Gone", which was released as a single. The song is also part of the album "Souvenirs", released in 2008.


title: Amy Jo Johnson

text: Some of Johnson's music has been featured on television shows. Johnson's character in "Felicity" was originally described as a dancer, but with Johnson's input, the producers rewrote the character as a singer and guitarist. As a result, Johnson was able to perform her own song, "Puddle of Grace", on the show. This song was included in the album "Felicity Soundtrack" (1999) successfully released by Hollywood Records. As a result of the reception of the song, another Johnson song, "Clear Blue Day", was also featured on the show. In "The Division", her song "Cat in the Snow" is the theme song from one of the episodes. In "Flashpoint", her songs "Dancing In-Between" and "Goodbye" were featured.


title: Amy Jo Johnson

text: In 2013, she performed the song "God" in her movie "Bent". In 2014, her song "Lines" had featured in her short film "Lines". Her 2017 song "Cracker Jacks" was the theme song from the movie "The Space Between".


title: Amy Jo Johnson

text: Johnson was previously married to Olivier Giner. The two divorced in 2017 and have one child together, a daughter born in 2008. Johnson resides in Toronto, Canada, and became a Canadian citizen on June 23, 2015, making her a dual citizen of the United States and Canada.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan and North America in November 1998, and in PAL regions the following month. "Ocarina of Time" is the first game in "The Legend of Zelda" series with 3D graphics.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: It was developed by Nintendo EAD, led by five directors including Eiji Aonuma and Yoshiaki Koizumi, produced by series co-creator Shigeru Miyamoto, and written by Kensuke Tanabe. Veteran "Zelda" series composer Koji Kondo created the musical score. The player controls Link in the fantasy land of Hyrule on a quest to stop the evil king Ganondorf, by traveling through time and navigating dungeons and an overworld. The game introduced features such as a target-lock system and context-sensitive buttons that have since become common in 3D adventure games. The player must learn to play numerous songs on an ocarina to progress.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: "Ocarina of Time" received acclaim from critics and consumers and won several awards and accolades, who praised its visuals, sound, gameplay, soundtrack, and writing. It has been ranked by numerous publications as the greatest video game of all time, and is the highest-rated game of all time on the review aggregator Metacritic. It was commercially successful, with more than seven million copies sold worldwide. In the United States, it received more than three times more pre-orders than any other game at the time and became the best-selling game of 1998.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: A direct sequel, "", was released in 2000. "Ocarina of Time" has been re-released on every one of Nintendo's home consoles since and on the iQue Player in China. An enhanced version of the game for the Nintendo 3DS, "", was released in 2011. "Master Quest", an alternative version of the game including new puzzles and increased difficulty, is included in one of the GameCube releases and the "3D" version.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" is a fantasy action-adventure game set in an expansive environment. The player controls series protagonist Link from a third-person perspective in a three-dimensional world. Link primarily fights with a sword and shield, but can also use other weapons such as projectiles, bombs, and magic spells. The control scheme introduced techniques such as context-sensitive actions and a targeting system called "Z-targeting", which allows the player to have Link focus and latch onto enemies or other objects. When using this technique, the camera follows the target and Link constantly faces it. Projectile attacks are automatically directed at the target and do not require manual aiming. Context-sensitive actions allow multiple tasks to be assigned to one button, simplifying the control scheme. The on-screen display shows what will happen when the button is pushed and changes depending on what the character is doing. For example, the same button that causes Link to push a box if he is standing next to it will have him climb on the box if the analog stick is pushed toward it. Much of the game is spent in battle, but some parts require the use of stealth.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Link gains abilities by collecting items and weapons found in dungeons or in the overworld, including several optional side quests and minor objectives. Side quest rewards include new weapons or abilities. In one side quest, Link trades items he cannot use among non-player characters. This trading sequence features ten items and ends with Link receiving an item he can use, the two-handed Biggoron Sword, the strongest sword in the game. In another side quest, Link can acquire a horse. This allows him to travel faster but attacking while riding is restricted to arrows.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Link is given an ocarina near the beginning of the game, which is later replaced by the Ocarina of Time. Throughout the game, Link learns twelve melodies that allow him to solve music-based puzzles and teleport to previously visited locations. The Ocarina of Time is also used to claim the Master Sword in the Temple of Time. When Link takes the sword, he is transported seven years into the future and becomes an adult. Young Link and adult Link have different abilities. For example, only adult Link can use the Fairy Bow, and only young Link can fit through certain small passages. After completing certain tasks, Link can travel freely between the two time periods by replacing and taking the sword.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: "Ocarina of Time" is set in the fictional kingdom of Hyrule, the setting of most "Legend of Zelda" games. Hyrule Field serves as the central hub connected to several outlying areas with diverse topography and the races of Hyrule.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: The fairy Navi awakens Link from a nightmare in which he witnesses a man in black armor pursuing a young girl on horseback. Navi brings Link to the Great Deku Tree, who is cursed and near death. The Deku Tree tells Link a "wicked man of the desert" cursed him and seeks to conquer the world, and that Link must stop him. Before dying, the Great Deku Tree gives Link the Spiritual Stone of the Forest and sends him to Hyrule Castle to speak with Hyrule's princess.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: At the Hyrule Castle garden, Link meets Princess Zelda, who believes Ganondorf, the evil Gerudo king, is seeking the Triforce, a holy relic that gives its holder godlike power. Zelda asks Link to obtain the three Spiritual Stones so he can enter the Sacred Realm and claim the Triforce before Ganondorf reaches it. Link collects the other two stones: the first from Darunia, leader of the Gorons, and the second from Ruto, princess of the Zoras. Link returns to Hyrule Castle, where he sees Ganondorf chase Zelda and her caretaker Impa on horseback, like in his nightmare, and unsuccessfully attempts to stop him. Inside the Temple of Time, he uses the Ocarina of Time, a gift from Zelda, and the Spiritual Stones to open the door to the Sacred Realm. There he finds the Master Sword, but as he pulls it from its pedestal he is incapacitated and Ganondorf, having snuck into the Temple after Link, appears and claims the Triforce.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Seven years later, an older Link awakens in the Sacred Realm and is met by Rauru, one of the seven Sages who protects the entrance to the Sacred Realm. Rauru explains that Link's spirit was sealed for seven years until he was old enough to wield the Master Sword and defeat Ganondorf, who has now taken over Hyrule. The seven sages can imprison Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, but five are unaware of their identities as sages. Link is returned to the Temple of Time, where he meets the mysterious Sheik, who guides him to free five temples from Ganondorf's control and allow each temple's sage to awaken. Link befriended all five sages as a child: his childhood friend Saria, the Sage of the Forest Temple; Darunia, the Sage of the Fire Temple; Ruto, the Sage of the Water Temple; Impa, the Sage of the Shadow Temple; and Nabooru, leader of the Gerudos in Ganondorf's absence, the Sage of the Spirit Temple. After the five sages awaken, Sheik reveals herself to be Zelda in disguise, and the seventh sage. She tells Link that Ganondorf's heart was unbalanced, causing the Triforce to split into three pieces. Ganondorf acquired only the Triforce of Power, while Zelda received the Triforce of Wisdom and Link the Triforce of Courage.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Ganondorf appears and captures Zelda, imprisoning her in his castle. The other six sages help Link infiltrate the stronghold; Link frees Zelda after defeating Ganondorf, who destroys the castle in an attempt to kill Link and Zelda. After they escape the collapsing castle, Ganondorf emerges from the rubble and transforms into a boar-like beast named Ganon using the Triforce of Power, knocking the Master Sword from Link's hand; with Zelda's aid, Link retrieves the Master Sword and defeats Ganon. The seven sages seal Ganondorf in the Dark Realm; still holding the Triforce of Power, he vows to take revenge on their descendants. Zelda uses the Ocarina of Time to send Link back to his childhood. Navi departs and young Link meets Zelda in the castle garden once more, where he retains knowledge of Hyrule's fate, starting with Hyrule's decline.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: "Ocarina of Time" was developed concurrently with "Super Mario 64" and "Mario Kart 64" for the Nintendo 64 by Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis & Development (EAD) division, for more than $12 million with a staff of more than 200.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Development was migrated from the 64DD disk drive peripheral to cartridge due to the high data throughput of streaming 500 motion-captured character animations throughout gameplay. Initially targeting 16-megabytes, it was increased to 32 megabytes, as Nintendo's largest game ever. Early in development, the team had concerns about the data storage constraints of the cartridge; in the worst-case scenario, "Ocarina of Time" would follow a similar structure to "Super Mario 64", with Link restricted to Ganondorf's castle as a central hub, using a portal system similar to the paintings that Mario uses to traverse the realm. An idea that arose from this stage of development, a battle with a doppelganger of Ganondorf that rides through paintings, was used as the boss of the Forest Temple dungeon.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: While series co-creator Shigeru Miyamoto had been the principal director and producer of "Super Mario 64", he was involved in the game's production and now in charge of five directors by acting as a producer and supervisor of "Ocarina of Time". Different parts were handled by different directors, a new strategy for Nintendo EAD. Four or five initial teams grew over time, each working on different basic experiments, including scenario and planning, Link's actions, transforming classic 2D items into improved 3D form, camera experiments, motion capture, sound, special effects, and the flow of time.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Although the development team was new to 3D games, assistant director Makoto Miyanaga recalled a "passion for creating something new and unprecedented". Despite the setting being a "medieval tale of sword and sorcery", Miyamoto used the chanbara (samurai) genre of Japanese sword fighting as a model for the game's combat and was content with the positive worldwide reception. The development involved more than 120 people, including stunt performers used to capture the effects of sword fighting and Link's movement. Miyamoto initially intended "Ocarina of Time" to be played in a first-person perspective to enable players to take in the vast terrain of Hyrule Field better and let the team focus more on developing enemies and environments. The concept was abandoned once the idea of a child Link was introduced, and Miyamoto believed it necessary for Link to be visible on screen. Originally Z-targeting involved a generic marker, but Koizumi changed the design to that of a fairy to make it less "robotic". The fairy gained the name of the "Fairy Navigation System" amongst staff, and ultimately, this turned into the nickname "Navi", which in turn resulted in the "birth" of Navi's character. The "birth" of Navi was a pivotal point in the story's development.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Some of Miyamoto's ideas were instead used in "Super Mario 64", since it was to be released first. Other ideas were not used due to time constraints. "Ocarina of Time" originally ran on the same engine as "Super Mario 64", but was so heavily modified that Miyamoto considers the final products different engines. One major difference between the two is camera control; the player has a lot of control over the camera in "Super Mario 64", but the camera in "Ocarina of Time" is largely controlled by the game AI. Miyamoto said the camera controls for "Ocarina of Time" are intended to reflect a focus on the game's world, whereas those of "Super Mario 64" are centered on the character of Mario. Miyamoto wanted the difficulty to be easy enough to make the game accessible to all players, and said in particular he wanted it to be easier than "Super Mario 64".


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Miyamoto wanted to make a game that was cinematic, yet distinguished from films. Takumi Kawagoe, who creates cutscenes for Nintendo, said that his priority was to have the player feel in control of the action. To promote this instantaneous continuity of cinematic gameplay, the cutscenes in "Ocarina of Time" are completely generated with real-time computing on the Nintendo 64 and do not use prerendered full-motion video. Miyamoto's vision required this real-time architecture for the total of more than 90 minutes of cutscenes, regardless of whether the console had a vast medium like CD-ROM on which to store prerendered versions. Toru Osawa created the scenario for the game, based on a story idea by Miyamoto and Yoshiaki Koizumi. He was supported by "A Link to the Past" and "Link's Awakening" script writer Kensuke Tanabe. Miyamoto said the real-time rendering engine allowed his small team of 3 to 7 cinematic developers to rapidly adjust the storyline and to focus on developing additional gameplay elements even up to the final few months of development, instead of waiting on a repeated prerendering process. The dungeons were designed by Eiji Aonuma.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: "Ocarina of Time" music was written by Koji Kondo, the composer in charge of music for most of the games in "The Legend of Zelda" series. In addition to characters having musical themes, areas of Hyrule are also associated with pieces of music. This has been called leitmotif in reverse—instead of music announcing an entering character, it now introduces a stationary environment as the player approaches. In some locations, the music is a variation of an ocarina tune the player learns, related to that area.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Beyond providing a backdrop for the setting, music plays an integral role in gameplay. The button layout of the Nintendo 64 controller resembles the holes of the ocarinas in the game, and players must learn to play several songs to complete the game. All songs are played using the five notes available on an ocarina, although by bending pitches via the analog stick, players can play additional tones. Kondo said that creating distinct themes on the limited scale was a "major challenge", but feels that the end result is very natural. The popularity of "Ocarina of Time" led to an increase in ocarina sales.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: The official soundtrack of "Ocarina of Time" was published by Pony Canyon and released in Japan on December 18, 1998. It comprises one compact disc with 82 tracks. A U.S. version was also released, although with fewer tracks and different packaging artwork. Many critics praised the music in "Ocarina of Time", although "IGN" was disappointed that the traditional "Zelda" overworld theme was not included. In 2001, three years after the initial release of "Ocarina of Time", "GameSpot" labeled it as one of the top ten video game soundtracks. The soundtrack, at the time, was not released in Europe or Australia. In 2011, however, a 51-track limited edition soundtrack for the 3DS version was available in a free mail out through a Club Nintendo offer to owners of the 3DS edition, as an incentive to register the product. The original musical theme for the Fire Temple area was altered before release of the game, due to Nintendo's policy of not including real religious references in their products, with the altered theme simply removing the chanting samples.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: "Hero of Time", an orchestral recording of "Ocarina of Time"s score performed by the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra, was released by video game label Materia Collective in 2017. A vinyl version was published by iam8bit. It was nominated for "Best Game Music Cover/Remix" at the 16th Annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: "Ocarina of Time" was first shown as a technical and thematic demonstration video at Nintendo's Shoshinkai trade show in December 1995. Nintendo planned to release "Super Mario 64" as a launch game for the Nintendo 64 and later release "Ocarina of Time" for the 64DD, a disk drive peripheral for the system that was still in development. Issues regarding performance of the 64DD peripheral led to development being moved from disk to cartridge media, and thus the game would miss its scheduled 1997 holiday season release and was delayed into 1998. They planned to follow its release with a 64DD expansion disk. Miyamoto additionally attributed the delay to Nintendo prioritizing development efforts to "Yoshi's Story" after that game missed its planned second quarter release slot.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Throughout the late 1990s, the Nintendo 64 was said to lack hit first-party games. "Next Generation" wrote that "Nintendo absolutely can't afford another holiday season without a real marquee title" and that "Zelda" was "one of the most anticipated games of the decade", upon which the Nintendo 64's fate depended. Nintendo spent $10 million on "Ocarina of Time"s marketing. In March 1998, it was the most anticipated Nintendo 64 game in Japan. Chairman Howard Lincoln insisted at E3 1998 that "Zelda" ship on time and become Nintendo's reinvigorating blockbuster, akin to a hit Hollywood movie.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Customers in North America who pre-ordered the "Ocarina of Time" received a limited-edition box with a golden plastic card reading "Collector's Edition". This edition contained a gold-colored cartridge, a tradition that began with the original "Legend of Zelda" (1986) for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Demand was so great that Electronics Boutique stopped pre-selling the game on November 3, 1998.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Several versions of "Ocarina of Time" were produced, with later revisions featuring minor changes such as glitch repairs, the recoloring of Ganondorf's blood from crimson to green, and the alteration of the music heard in the Fire Temple dungeon to remove a sample of an Islamic prayer chant. The sample was taken from a commercially available sound library, but the developers did not realize it contained Islamic references. Although popularly believed to have been changed due to public outcry, the chanting was removed after Nintendo discovered it violated policy of avoiding religious material, and the altered versions of "Ocarina of Time" were made prior to the original release.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Nintendo ported "Ocarina of Time" to its next console, the GameCube, as part of "", a compilation of "Zelda" games. The port runs at a resolution of 640×480, quadruple that of the original, and supports progressive scan. Another GameCube release included the original game and a second, more difficult version titled "Master Quest" that was included as a pre-order bonus with "" (2002) in Japan and North America and included in GameCube bundles worldwide. It was also given to those who registered certain hardware and software or subscribed to official magazines and clubs. In November 2003, "Ocarina of Time" was ported to China's iQue Player as one of the five games available on its release.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: In February 2007, "Ocarina of Time" was released for the Wii Virtual Console service for 1000 Wii Points. This version is an emulation of the Nintendo 64 version; as controller vibration is unsupported, the "Stone of Agony" item, which employs vibrations via the Rumble Pak controller accessory, has no function. A five-minute demo of the game can be unlocked in "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" (2008). "Ocarina of Time" was rereleased on the Wii U Virtual Console worldwide on July 2, 2015, this time including the original controller vibration. It was also released on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on October 25, 2021.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: In June 2011, Nintendo released "Ocarina of Time 3D", an enhanced port for the Nintendo 3DS handheld console. It was developed by Nintendo EAD with Grezzo, an independent Japanese studio headed by Koichi Ishii. The game includes "Master Quest" and adds features including touchscreen and gyroscope controls, a "Boss Challenge" mode, instructional videos to guide stuck players, and a modified version of the Water Temple with reduced difficulty.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: After completing "Ocarina of Time", Nintendo developed a new version of the game for the then-unreleased 64DD peripheral with the working title "Ura Zelda", commonly translated as "Another Zelda". Described as a second version of "Ocarina" with rearranged dungeons, it contains new content, some that had been cut from "Ocarina" due to time and storage constraints. In 1998, "Ura Zelda" was delayed indefinitely following problems with the development of the 64DD, and was canceled due to the 64DD's commercial failure. In August 2000, Miyamoto stated that "Ura Zelda" had been finished and that no online functions had ever been planned.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: "Ura Zelda" was ported to the GameCube in 2002 in Japan as and in 2003 in North America and Europe as "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest". According to Miyamoto, "Ura Zelda" was simple to port as it used few of the 64DD features. "Master Quest" uses the same engine and plot of "Ocarina of Time", but with increased difficulty and altered dungeons and puzzles.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: IGN's Peer Schneider gave "Master Quest" a mostly positive review, likening the concept to the second quest of the original "Legend of Zelda". He said that some redesigned areas were poorer than the original "Ocarina of Time", and speculated that they may have been constructed from "second choice" designs created during development. He described the port as graphically improved, but containing no substantial improvement to the frame rate. He also expressed that controls translated to the GameCube controller felt clumsy. Nonetheless, he summarized "Master Quest" as a "sweet surprise for any "Zelda" fan" and wrote that he would have recommended it even at full price. Zachary Lewis of RPG Gamer praised the revised puzzles, which require precise timing and find new uses for the "Ocarina" items, but wrote that players would be enthralled or frustrated by the increased difficulty.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Upon its initial Nintendo 64 release, "Ocarina of Time" received critical acclaim. It garnered perfect review scores from the majority of gaming publications that reviewed it, including "Famitsu", "Next Generation", "Edge", "Electronic Gaming Monthly", "GameSpot", and "IGN". The review aggregator websites Metacritic and GameRankings rank the original Nintendo 64 version as the highest and second-highest reviewed game of all time, respectively, with average scores of 99/100 from Metacritic and 98% from GameRankings. The reviews praised multiple aspects of the game, particularly its level design, gameplay mechanics, sound, and cinematics. GameSpot reviewer Jeff Gerstmann wrote that "Ocarina of Time" is "a game that can't be called anything other than flawless", and IGN called it "the new benchmark for interactive entertainment" that could "shape the action RPG genre for years to come". Editors of GameTrailers called it a "walking patent office" due to the number of features it contains that became "industry standard".


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: The graphics were praised for their depth and detail, although reviewers noted they were not always the best the console had to offer. Game Revolution noted the characters' faces, the "toughest graphical challenge on 3D characters", saying that the characters' expressions and animation featured "surprising grace". IGN believed that "Ocarina of Time" improved on the graphics of "Super Mario 64", giving a larger sense of scale. Impressive draw distances and large boss characters were also mentioned as graphical highlights. Although excelling in the use of color and the visibility and detail of the environment, reviewers noted that some graphical elements of "Ocarina of Time" did not perform as well as "Banjo-Kazooie", a game released for the same platform earlier that year. IGN said that the frame rate and textures of "Ocarina of Time" were not as good as those of "Banjo-Kazooie", particularly in the marketplace of Hyrule Castle, which was called "blurry".


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Gameplay was generally praised as detailed, with many side quests to occupy players' time. IGN said players would be "amazed at the detail" of the environment and the "amount of thought that went into designing it". IGN praised the cinematics, citing great emotional impact and "flawless camera work". "EGM" enjoyed that Nintendo was able to take the elements of the older, 2D "Zelda" games and "translate it all into 3D flawlessly". "Nintendo Power" cited "Ocarina of Time", along with "Super Mario 64", as two games that "blazed trails" into the 3D era. The context-sensitive control system was seen as one of the strongest elements of the gameplay. Reviewers noted that it allowed for simpler control using fewer buttons, but that it occasionally caused the player to perform unintended actions. The camera control was quoted as making combat "second nature", although the new system took time for the player to get used to.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: The game's audio was generally well received, with IGN comparing some of Koji Kondo's pieces to the work of Philip Glass. Many atmospheric sounds and surround sound were designed to effectively immerse the player in the game world. Some reviewers complained that the audio samples used in the game sounded dated; others considered this a benefit, calling them "retro". Game Revolution called the sound "good for the Nintendo, but not great in the larger scheme of things" and noted that the cartridge format necessitated "MIDI tunes that range from fair to terrible". "Pitchfork" gave the official soundtrack album a 9 out of 10.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Assisted by a large marketing campaign, "Ocarina of Time" was a strong commercial success. In the United States, over 500,000 pre-orders were placed, more than tripling the number of pre-orders for any previous video game, for which it was awarded the Guinness World Record for Most Advance Orders for a Game. Upon release, more than 1 million copies were sold there in less than a week. In 1998, 2.5 million copies were sold, although it was released only 39 days before the end of the year; it earned in U.S. revenues, higher than any Hollywood film in the last six weeks of 1998. It was the best-selling video game of 1998 in the United States. In Japan, 920,000 copies were sold in 1998, becoming the eighth best-selling game of that year; a reported 386,234 copies were sold in its first week there, surpassing the 316,000 first-week sales of "Metal Gear Solid".


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: In Europe, it was the fifth best-selling game of 1998 with over €39,000,000 or grossed that year. In the United Kingdom, 61,232 copies were sold during its first weekend, becoming the UK's fastest-selling title up until it was surpassed by "Gran Turismo 2" in 2000. By 2000, "Ocarina of Time" had sold cartridges and grossed about worldwide. During its lifetime, "Ocarina of Time" for the Nintendo 64 saw 1.14 million copies sold in Japan, and 7.6 million copies worldwide.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: In 1998, "Ocarina of Time" won the Grand Prize in the Interactive Art division at the Japan Media Arts Festival. It won six honors at the 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, including "Game of the Year", "Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Design", "Outstanding Achievement in Software Engineering", "Console Game of the Year", "Console Adventure Game of the Year" and "Console Role-Playing Game of the Year", along with a nomination for "Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story Development". "Electronic Gaming Monthly" gave it both the editors' choice and readers' choice awards for "Game of the Year for All Systems", "Nintendo 64 Game of the Year" and "Action RPG of the Year" as well as the readers' choice awards for "Best Music" and "Best Graphics", and it was runner-up for the reader's choice "Best Sound Effects" award. "Edge" gave it the awards for "Game of the Year" and "Gameplay Innovation" and placed it 2nd place for "Graphical Achievement" (behind "Virtua Fighter 3tb").


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: After publication, "Ocarina of Time" was featured on a number of compiled lists of best or most influential games. It was ranked the greatest video game of all time by numerous publications including "Computer and Video Games", "Edge", "Entertainment Weekly", GameTrailers, "IGN", "Next Generation", "Nintendo Power", "Game Informer", "Slant", "FHM", and "PALGN". It also appeared on other lists of greatest games including those of "Electronic Gaming Monthly" and IGN. The game was placed second in "Official Nintendo Magazine"s "100 greatest Nintendo games of all time", behind only "Super Mario Bros." "Game Informer" ranked it as its 11th favorite game of all time and described it as "untouchable". In May 2011, IGN held a tournament-style competition celebrating the 25th anniversary of the original "The Legend of Zelda"s release in which fans voted "Ocarina of Time" the greatest "Zelda" game; it beat "" in the final round. "Ocarina of Time" has consistently been placed at number one in "Edge"s "top 100 games" lists: a staff-voted list in January 2000, a staff- and reader-voted list in July 2007, a list of "The 100 Best Games to Play Today" in March 2009, and a 2013 readers' poll selecting the 20 best games released since the magazine's launch in 1993. "Edge" concluded its 2009 list with: ""Ocarina of Time" is here in the list not because Nintendo had the power and wisdom to make a great game, but because it had the courage to make a unique one". In 2022, The Strong National Museum of Play inducted "Ocarina of Time" to its World Video Game Hall of Fame.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Reception for the "Master Quest" and Virtual Console rereleases was positive; while some considered aspects of the graphics and audio to be outdated, most thought that the game had aged well. The "Master Quest" version holds an average score of 89.50% on GameRankings and 91/100 on Metacritic. "IGN" said in their review that ""Ocarina of Time" has aged extremely well", and noted in regard to the game's graphics, while the textures and models look dated, the game's visual presentation stood the test of time. Game Revolution said that although the game has "noticeably aged compared to brand new RPGs ... it's still a terrific game", awarding 91 out of 100. In 2007, former "GameSpot" editor Jeff Gerstmann gave the Virtual Console port 8.9 out of 10: "Even after nine years, "Ocarina of Time" holds up surprisingly well, offering a lengthy and often-amazing adventure".


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: In November 2021, enthusiasts fully decompiled the ROM into human-readable C code. In January 2022, a group called "Harbour Masters" announced that their PC port was 90% complete. The port was later publicly released in March.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time"s gameplay system popularized features such as a target lock system and context-sensitive buttons that have since become common elements in 3D adventure games.


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: Multiple members of the video game industry have expressed how the game impacted them and the industry. Former Rockstar Games vice president of creativity Dan Houser stated in 2012 that "anyone who makes 3-D games who says they've not borrowed something from "Mario" or "Zelda" [on the Nintendo 64] is lying". Rockstar founder and "Grand Theft Auto" director Sam Houser also cited the game's influence, describing "Grand Theft Auto III" as "Zelda meets "Goodfellas"". "Ōkami" director Hideki Kamiya (Capcom, PlatinumGames) said that he had been influenced by "Zelda" when he developed "Okami". "Soul Reaver" and "Uncharted" director, Amy Hennig (Crystal Dynamics and Naughty Dog), cited "Zelda" as an influence for the "Legacy of Kain" series, noting "Ocarina of Time"s influence on "Soul Reaver".


title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

text: "Dark Souls" creator Hidetaka Miyazaki (FromSoftware) said that ""The Legend of Zelda" became a sort of textbook for 3D action games". "Ico" director Fumito Ueda (Team Ico) cited "Zelda" as an influence on "Shadow of the Colossus". "Darksiders" director David Adams (Vigil Games) cited "Zelda" as an influence on his work. CD Projekt Red ("The Witcher", "Cyberpunk 2077") cited "Zelda" as an influence on "The Witcher" series, including "" (2015). "Final Fantasy" and "The 3rd Birthday" director Hajime Tabata (Square Enix) cited "Ocarina of Time" as inspiration for the seamless open world of "Final Fantasy XV".


title: Judge Reinhold

text: Edward Ernest "Judge" Reinhold Jr. (born May 21, 1957) is an American actor who has starred in several Hollywood movies, such as "Ruthless People", "Fast Times at Ridgemont High", "Stripes" and "Gremlins", and co-starred in all of the films in the "Beverly Hills Cop" and "The Santa Clause" franchises.


title: Judge Reinhold

text: Reinhold was born in Wilmington, Delaware, the son of Regina Celeste ( Fleming; born 1923) and Edward Ernest Reinhold (1907–1977), a trial lawyer. He was raised in Fredericksburg, Virginia and attended Alexis I. duPont High School until his family moved to Martin County, Florida prior to his junior year in high school. He attended Mary Washington College and Palm Beach Community College. His maternal grandfather was from County Meath, Ireland.


title: Judge Reinhold

text: His first appearance on screen was in the "Wonder Woman" episode "Amazon Hot Wax" (1979), in which he played Jeff Gordon, a singer who gets caught up in an extortion ring in the music business.


title: Judge Reinhold

text: He had a lead role in the movie "Running Scared" (1980) and a supporting part in the comedy "Stripes" (1981), which was a big hit. He was one of many names in the flop comedy "Pandemonium" (1982).


title: Judge Reinhold

text: Reinhold's first major film role was as high school senior Brad Hamilton in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982), along with then-unknown actors Sean Penn, Phoebe Cates, Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Nicolas Cage. "I thought my career would really take off after that role," Reinhold said later. "Instead, Sean's career took off."


title: Judge Reinhold

text: Reinhold had small roles in "The Lords of Discipline" (1983) and "Gremlins" (1984), and he appeared in an uncredited role in Pat Benatar's music video for "Shadows of the Night".


title: Judge Reinhold

text: Reinhold's career began to gain momentum when he played Detective Billy Rosewood, the junior police detective sent to trail Eddie Murphy's character, in "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984).


title: Judge Reinhold

text: The film's success led to Reinhold being given starring roles in "Roadhouse 66" (1985), "Head Office" (1985) and "Off Beat", but none of those were particularly successful. However, "Ruthless People" (1986), where he had a supporting role, was a big hit. That year, he said in an interview, "In my movies I portray this 'Everyman' persona, someone everybody can empathize with. People can identify with a guy like me."


title: Judge Reinhold

text: Reinhold tried to get financing for a film based on Carl Hiaasen's best-selling novel "Tourist Season", but it was never made. Instead, he appeared in "Beverly Hills Cop II" (1987), which was another large success.


title: Judge Reinhold

text: Reinhold was given the lead in "Vice Versa" (1988). "Vice Versa" flopped. "That was really the end of my highfalutin Hollywood career," Reinhold said later. "That's when the phone stopped ringing." He also developed a reputation for being difficult on set. "I was spoiled, and I was arrogant," said Reinhold of this period later. "I was very demanding, had an overblown image of who I was and got a reputation for being difficult. And rightfully so."


title: Judge Reinhold

text: He had supporting roles in "Rosalie Goes Shopping" (1989) and "" (1990) and the lead in "Enid Is Sleeping" (1991) and "Zandalee" (1991).


title: Judge Reinhold

text: Reinhold starred in the Canadian hard rock band Harem Scarem's 1992 music video "Honestly" as the male love interest. In 1994, Reinhold appeared in "Beverly Hills Cop III" and "The Santa Clause." He reprised the role of Dr. Neal Miller for the "Santa Clause" sequels.


title: Judge Reinhold

text: Reinhold was nominated for an Emmy for a role on "Seinfeld" in which he played the "close talker" who develops an obsession with Jerry's parents. He can also be seen in Steven Spielberg's epic miniseries "Into the West" and replaced Charles Grodin in two direct-to-video movies in the "Beethoven" film series.


title: Judge Reinhold

text: In September 2022, it was confirmed Reinhold would reprise his role as Detective Billy Rosewood in the upcoming "".


title: Judge Reinhold

text: Reinhold was arrested at Dallas Love Field airport on December 8, 2016, for disorderly conduct after objecting to a patdown from security shortly after he was released from the hospital following an adverse reaction to a medication. He spent ten hours in jail and accepted a deferred adjudication agreement under which charges would be dismissed in 90 days.


title: Judge Reinhold

text: Reinhold has occasionally been referred to in film and television, largely in reference to his first name, Judge. The earliest example was "", where Reinhold voiced a judge called Judge Reinhold. In the "Becker" episode "Trials and Defibrillations", the presiding judge is called Judge (Miriam) Reinhold.


title: Judge Reinhold

text: In "Arrested Development", Reinhold, playing himself, appears as the judge of a fictional court show, a parody of such series as "The People's Court", "Judge Judy" and "Judge Mathis". In the film "Fanboys", Billy Dee Williams appears as a courtroom judge named "Judge Reinhold".


title: Judge Reinhold

text: Reinhold stars as the ex-boyfriend, terrorized by a jilted lover, in Jo-El Sonnier's 1988 music video for "Tear Stained Letter".


title: Judge Reinhold

text: In The Simpsons episode Lady Bouvier's Lover, when Marge found out that her mother was going to marry Mr. Burns she told her that she couldn't, because Burns was evil, and tried to sway her toward getting together with Abraham Simpson. Jacqueline countered by saying that Abe was "an old fusspot". Marge then conceded that Grampa had his problems, but compared to Mr. Burns he was "Judge-freaking-Reinhold!" The comparison was lost on Jacqueline, however, as she didn't know who Reinhold was. Reinhold being a character actor who generally plays roles that call for an "awkward nice guy" demeanour, explains Marge's being one of his fans and having a favourable opinion of him, particularly by comparison to Mr. Burns.


Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Indian Railways, Ministry of Railways, Government of India. It provides ticketing, catering, and tourism services for the Indian Railways.


title: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation

text: The IRCTC was established on 27 September 1999, as a public sector undertaking completely owned by the Government of India through the Indian Railways. It is the only entity that is authorised to provide certain services to the Indian Railways, including online ticketing, catering, and selling drinking water on trains and at railway stations. In May 2008, it was classed as a Miniratna public corporation, which allowed it a certain degree of financial autonomy.


text: The IRCTC was listed on the National Stock Exchange in 2019, following which the Government of India's holding was reduced to 87%, with the remaining shares being publicly traded. In December 2020, the Government of India divested another 20%, reducing its holding in the IRCTC to 67%.


text: It pioneered internet-based rail ticket booking through its website, as well as from the mobile phones via WiFi, GPRS or SMS. It also provides SMS facility to check PNR status and Live Train Status as well. In addition to e-tickets, Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation also offers I-tickets that are basically like regular tickets except that they are booked online and delivered by post. The tickets PNR status is also made available. Commuters on the suburban rail can also book season tickets through the website. It has also launched a loyalty program called Shubh Yatra for frequent travelers. Through this program, passengers can avail discounts on all tickets booked round the year by paying an upfront annual fee.


text: Seeking to make it easier to book e-tickets, It launched a scheme called Rolling Deposit Scheme (RDS). RDS is an e-ticket booking scheme allowing passengers to reserve seats against advance money kept with the corporation. It has also added flights and hotels booking facilities to their line of online reservation services.


text: On 11 August 2021, the organisation introduced a smart card system for passengers travelling through unreserved train tickets which can be bought in railway stations and can help them to avoid long queues and these cards can also be recharged online.


text: Under the Tatkal scheme, passengers who plan their journey at short notice can book their tickets in almost all Mail/Express trains through the Indian railways internet portal. The booking starts at 10:00 AM daily for AC coach reservation and for Non-AC timing is residual to 11.00 AM, one day prior to the departure of the train from source station. Tatkal E-ticket can be booked for selected trains one day in advance excluding date of journey from the train originating station. It can be booked on the opening day from 10:00 AM for AC coach and 11:00 AM for NON-AC. Passengers travelling on Tatkal tickets should carry a photo ID proof along with them to be shown to the ticket checker. Earlier this year, the website has launched Lite version which doesn't include ads, pop ups, etc. and check PNR status.


text: IRCTC introduced pantry cars inside long or medium distance trains which catered to passengers by serving freshly cooked food. IRCTC has exclusive rights for onboard catering of food on all trains operated by the Indian Railways. It also operates food plazas, Jan Aahar cafeterias and refreshment rooms at various railway stations. In 2014, IRCTC launched e-catering services which allowed passengers to order food from partner restaurants online or through phone call and have it delivered to their seats.


text: At major railway stations, IRCTC also manages air-conditioned waiting lounges, retiring rooms and budget hotels in partnership with private entities.


text: IRCTC also owns the bottled water brand "Rail Neer" which is sold on trains and railway stations among other places.


text: Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation also organises budget and deluxe package tours for domestic and foreign tourists. A popular tourism package for budget tourists covering important tourist destinations across India is called "Bharat Darshan". Luxury tourism packages are also available, that involve special luxury trains such as Buddhist Circuit Train and Maharajas' Express operations.


text: IRCTC also operates several express trains as a "private player" in India. In 2020, the IRCTC began operating India's first private train, the Tejas Express, from Lucknow to New Delhi.


text: The IRCTC has been criticised for failing to maintain privacy of the data that it has collected on passengers for the purposes of bookings and travel, and there have been multiple reports of data leaks and exposures, as well as concerns that passenger information has been used by the government to send promotional content with demographic targeting.


text: In 2016, cyber police officials from Maharashtra reported a potential leak of personal information relating to 10 million passengers. The IRCTC denied the leak, but a committee consisting of officials from the IRCTC and Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) was constituted to examine the report. IRCTC officials claimed that the reports were unfounded and that there was no leak of "sensitive" passenger data. An IRCTC official later admitted that data that IRCTC had shared with third parties, including hotel, taxi, and food delivery services, had been exposed.


text: In 2018, a security researcher, Avinash Jain, reported that a free travel insurance scheme offered by IRCTC, which caused users on their app to be redirected to a third party insurer, had left the information of approximately 200,000 passengers exposed for a period of two years. IRCTC discontinued the insurance scheme and fixed the vulnerability that had left this data exposed.


text: In October 2020, a data breach resulted in the exposure of passenger data of more than 900,000 individuals online, including names, dates of birth, mobile numbers, marital status, residence, gender and travel information. IRCTC denied the leak. In the same month, IRCTC announced that it would be sharing passenger data with other public and private corporations with whom it worked. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal publicly stated while discussing railway disinvestment that the government was exploring ways to monetise the sale of passenger data stored with IRCTC, saying "There is huge data with the company and that is not getting captured in the valuation. We are trying to see how we can utilise that." Former Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi has criticised this, calling it a "threat to the right of privacy."


text: In May 2020, the IRCTC made the use of the Government of India's COVID-19 tracker app, Aarogya Setu, mandatory, amidst concerns about the safety of data stored with the app. A government official later clarified in proceedings at the Karnataka High Court that downloading the app was optional and not mandatory.


text: In 2020, IRCTC officials used passenger personal data that had been provided to them to book tickets, in order to email a pamphlet titled "PM Modi and his government’s special relationship with Sikhs" during the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protests, in which they advertised the benefits of government policies to protesting Sikh farmers. More than 20 million such emails were sent without consent of the passengers between 8 December 2020 to 12 December 2020. IRCTC chief public relations officer Sidharth Singh stated that the booklet "has been sent to those with the surname ‘Singh’ and those who are from the Punjab region" However, IRCTC officials later denied that the pamphlet, which was shared in English, Hindi, and Punjabi, was selectively targeted at members of the Sikh community. IRCTC officials admitted that passenger booking data had been previously used without prior consent, for the purpose of promotional government messages.


title: Salford City F.C.

text: Salford City Football Club is a professional football club in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. The club competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.


title: Salford City F.C.

text: The club was founded as Salford Central in 1940, and played minor local league football until winning a place in the Manchester League in 1963. Salford were winners of the Lancashire Amateur Cup in 1971, 1973, and 1975 and the Manchester Premier Cup in 1978 and 1979. The club joined the Cheshire County League in 1980, which amalgamated into the North West Counties Football League (NWCFL) two years later. They changed their name again in 1989, to Salford City, and secured promotion into the Northern Premier League (NPL) in 2008. The club survived in the league on the final day of the following season, an achievement known in club folklore as .


title: Salford City F.C.

text: In 2014, Salford were taken over by former Manchester United players Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, and Paul Scholes, who each own 10% of the club, with Singaporean businessman Peter Lim owning the rest; David Beckham purchased a 10% share from Lim in 2019. Under the management duo of Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley, they were crowned NPL Division One North champions in 2015, won the NPL Premier Division play-offs in 2016, and the National League North title in 2018. This success was followed in 2019 with promotion to the English Football League (EFL) after winning the 2019 National League play-off Final, under the stewardship of Graham Alexander. Salford won the EFL Trophy in their début campaign.


title: Salford City F.C.

text: Salford play their home games at Moor Lane, which underwent a major transformation between 2016 and 2017, and is currently known as the "Peninsula Stadium" for sponsorship purposes. The club have primarily worn tangerine shirts and black shorts throughout their recorded history, before switching to red shirts and white shorts following the takeover. The club's nickname, "The Ammies", stems from their name from the early 1960s to the early 1970s, Salford Amateurs. The club's anthem is The Pogues cover of "Dirty Old Town", a song written by Salford local Ewan MacColl.


title: Salford City F.C.

text: The club was founded in 1940 as Salford Central, named after a Salford church where the club was founded. The club competed in local leagues until 1963, when they were promoted to the Manchester Football League and changed the club name to Salford Amateurs. Now nicknamed "The Ammies", Salford won the Lancashire County Football Association (LFA) Amateur Cup for the first time in 1971, beating Aintree Villa 4–0 at Old Trafford, with all four goals arriving in extra time. They won a second LFA Amateur Cup in 1973, defeating Langton 3–1 at Old Trafford. and won a third in 1975 by beating Waterloo Dock 2–1 at Maine Road. Salford came close to a fourth cup success in 1977, reaching the semi-finals before losing to Blackpool Rangers.


title: Salford City F.C.

text: Further success arrived for Salford later in the decade in the form of the Manchester Premier Cup, lifting the trophy in 1978 and 1979. The club changed their name once more, dropping the Amateurs moniker to become known simply as Salford, and moved into their current home Moor Lane in 1978. In the 1980–81 season, Salford reached the fourth round of the FA Vase, losing 2–0 to eventual winners Whickham. Following restoration of the ground and a merger with Anson Villa, Salford entered the Cheshire County League in the same season, finishing 15th and 16th in Division 2, before the league amalgamated with the Lancashire Combination to form the North West Counties Football League (NWCFL).


title: Salford City F.C.

text: Salford started off in the second division of the NWCFL, and were promoted to the first division in 1986 despite finishing 18th, due to a reshuffling of the pyramid.