Broadcast on Wednesday 17 June 1992 as part of a series of pilots entitled Bunch of Five, it was a surreal sitcom in which two friends, Jim and Bob, visit a meat festival taking place in an open field.

When Jim goes to the pub toilets, he and Bob discover that the men are in fact alien beings with Geordie accents, who claim they need the meat to feed their queen and keep their race alive.

The show was produced as a pilot for Channel 4's Bunch of Five season – the network's own version of the BBC's Comedy Playhouse, in which new sitcom ideas were tried out.

[3] The show co-starred several comedians and actors who were unknown at the time, but had worked with Reeves and Mortimer previously and would go on to become famous.

[4][5] As part of Channel 4's Funny Fortnight season, The Weekenders was repeated on Thursday 16 August 2012, preceded by a specially recorded introduction by Reeves and Mortimer.

Several scenes were filmed around Greater Manchester, namely in areas such as the Northern Quarter, Trafford, Urmston, and Wythenshawe, whilst The Pack Horse in Bolton is used as the hotel called The Glove.