Of course Planet of the Apes references abound in The Simpsons. Who knows, maybe some day we'll even sit down and build a compendium of them. Remember, for example astronaut Homer's breakdown when he realised the terrible secret!?

For now however we thought it might be simpler to recall just one episode that stands out vividly. A Fish Called Selma featured the unforgettable Troy McClure (you may remember him from various Simpsons spoofs), in which he launched his comeback with the musical Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get off. We thought it was great - only a pity that Hollywood producers didn't heed the advice.

Actually musicals and Planet of the Apes are not as distant cousins as you might think. According to the Planets of the Apes website, producer of the original Apes outings, Arthur P. Jacobs, had among previous credits the 1967 musical adaptation of Doctor Doolittle - that's the one about being able to 'talk to the animals'. Or, did you know that sets used in the 1970 sequel, Beneath the Planet of the Apes were adapted from the 1969 musical Hello, Dolly!?