| The Fast Show | |
|---|---|
| Format | Sketch comedy |
| Created by | Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson |
| Starring | Paul Whitehouse Charlie Higson Arabella Weir John Thomson Caroline Aherne (1994-1997) Simon Day Mark Williams Paul Shearer |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. Sketch comedy consists of a series of short Comedy scenes or vignettes called "sketches" commonly between one and ten minutes long Paul Whitehouse (born 17 May 1958 is a British Comedian and actor Charles Murray Higson (born 3 July 1958) more commonly known as Charlie Higson, is an English Actor and Comedian. Paul Whitehouse (born 17 May 1958 is a British Comedian and actor Charles Murray Higson (born 3 July 1958) more commonly known as Charlie Higson, is an English Actor and Comedian. Arabella Weir (born December 6, 1957 in San Francisco, California, United States is a British Comedian, actress John Patrick Thomson (born Patrick Francis McAleer, 2 April 1969) is an English Comedian and actor known for his roles in Caroline Aherne (born 24 December 1963 in Ealing, London) is an English Comedian, Writer and Actress Simon Day (born 7 June 1962) is a British Comedian most famous for his roles in the Sketch show The Fast Show Mark Williams (born 17 June 1959 is an English Actor, Comedian, Scriptwriter and presenter Paul Shearer is a British Actor who is best known as a minor member of the Fast Show team The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located of episodes | 25 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 mins |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC |
| Original run | 1994 – 1997, reunion special in 2000 |
The Fast Show, known as Brilliant in the US, was a BBC comedy sketch show programme that ran for three series from 1994 to 1997 with a special Last Fast Show Ever in 2000. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Sketch comedy consists of a series of short Comedy scenes or vignettes called "sketches" commonly between one and ten minutes long 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The show's central performers were Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Mark Williams, John Thomson, Arabella Weir and Caroline Aherne (1994–1997). Paul Whitehouse (born 17 May 1958 is a British Comedian and actor Charles Murray Higson (born 3 July 1958) more commonly known as Charlie Higson, is an English Actor and Comedian. Simon Day (born 7 June 1962) is a British Comedian most famous for his roles in the Sketch show The Fast Show Mark Williams (born 17 June 1959 is an English Actor, Comedian, Scriptwriter and presenter John Patrick Thomson (born Patrick Francis McAleer, 2 April 1969) is an English Comedian and actor known for his roles in Arabella Weir (born December 6, 1957 in San Francisco, California, United States is a British Comedian, actress Caroline Aherne (born 24 December 1963 in Ealing, London) is an English Comedian, Writer and Actress Other significant cast members included Paul Shearer, Felix Dexter, Rhys Thomas, Jeff Harding and Donna Ewin. Paul Shearer is a British Actor who is best known as a minor member of the Fast Show team Felix Dexter is an English Actor, Comedian, and Writer. Early life Born in St Kitts in the West Indies he moved to Rhys Thomas (born 12 December 1978 in Essex) is an English Comedian and Actor. Jeff Harding is an actor from New England most famed for his narration of popular books into audio format Donna Ewin ( 4 June 1970 Bethnal Green, London) is an English model
The show produced two national tours, the first in 1998 with the cast of the BBC spoof quiz show Shooting Stars and the second being their 'Farewell Tour' in 2002. This page is about the comedy game show For other uses see " Shooting star. The Fast Show was loosely structured and relied on character comedy, long-running gags, and many catchphrases, which influenced shows such as The Catherine Tate Show and Little Britain. The running gag is an often amusing Joke or reference that appears repeatedly throughout a work or series of works A catch phrase (or catchphrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance The Catherine Tate Show is an award-winning British Television Sketch comedy written by Catherine Tate who stars in all of the show's Little Britain is a character-based comedy Sketch show first appearing on BBC radio and then television
It was one of the most popular sketch shows of the 1990s and had a long-lasting impact upon British popular culture. The show has been released on video, DVD and audio CD. Video is the technology of electronically capturing, Recording, processing storing transmitting and reconstructing a sequence of Still images DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is Some of its characters, Ron Manager, Ted and Ralph, Swiss Toni and Billy Bleach have had their own spin-off programmes. Ron Manager was a character from the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show, played by Paul Whitehouse. Ted and Ralph are fictional characters created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, played by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson in the Swiss Toni is a fictional used-car dealer played by Charlie Higson, and also the title of a Sitcom in which he is the main character Billy Bleach is a fictional character in the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show, played by Simon Day.
Contents |
Style and content
The series was the brain child of Paul Whitehouse and his writing partner and friend, Charlie Higson. They wanted to break away from Harry Enfield and Chums, a show in which they had appeared and written for. Harry Enfield's Television Programme is a British Sketch show starring Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse. After viewing a quick press preview tape of Enfield's show, compiled by producer friend Geoffrey Perkins, the pair began to develop the idea of a rapid-fire 'MTV generation' format based wholly on quick cuts and soundbites/catchphrases. Geoffrey Howard Perkins ( 22 February 1953 - 29 August 2008) was a Comedy producer writer and performer and a central figure in In this they were clearly indebted to Fast Forward, that had appeared five years earlier in Australia. Fast Forward is an Australian commercial television Sketch comedy show that ran for 90 episodes from 12 April 1989 to After LWT passed on the early scripts, they returned to the BBC.
The Fast Show was a working title disliked by both Whitehouse and Higson that went unchanged through production and eventually remained as the final title. A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development usually a Film, Novel
The first series introduced the characters Ted and Ralph, 'Unlucky' Alf, Ron Manager, The Suit You Tailors, Arthur Atkinson, Bob Fleming and many others, who, despite their sketchy and gritty beginnings, became 'cult characters' cherished all around the world. Ted and Ralph are fictional characters created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, played by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson in the Unlucky Alf is a fictional character played by Paul Whitehouse in the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show. Ron Manager was a character from the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show, played by Paul Whitehouse. Ken and Kenneth, better known as The 'Suit You' Tailors, are fictional characters played by Paul Whitehouse and Arthur Atkinson is a Fictional character who appeared regularly on the British TV Sketch comedy show Bob Fleming is also an Ice hockey player in the NHL. Bob Fleming is a Fictional character played by Charlie Higson
Amongst the writers of the show were: the major cast (who appeared as the characters they had written) and contemporary comedy writers such as Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (best remembered for the sitcom Father Ted starring Dermot Morgan), Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer and Craig Cash (of The Royle Family). Graham Linehan (born 1969 is an Irish television writer and director who often in partnership with Arthur Mathews, has written or co-written a number of popular Arthur Mathews (born c 1959 in County Meath, Ireland) is an Irish comedy writer who often with writing partner Father Ted was a popular 1990s Television Situation comedy set around the lives of three Irish Catholic priests on the remote (and Dermot John Morgan ( 3 March 1952 – 28 February 1998) was an Irish schoolteacher-turned-comedian and actor who achieved international Vic Reeves (b 24 January 1959 as James "Jim" Roderick Moir) is an English Comedian, best known for his Double act with Bob Mortimer Robert "Bob" Renwick Mortimer (born 23 May, 1959 in Middlesbrough, England) is a British Comedian and Actor Craig Cash (born 1960 in Stockport, Cheshire) is a popular English comedy Writer and Performer. The Royle Family is a popular BAFTA award-winning television sitcom produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for
Perhaps the success of The Fast Show was due to the public being able to associate the characters as caricatures of people from day-to-day life and their suitable catchphrases.
Some of the most popular characters in the show appeared to be those who were often present but never had any 'official' name, being tightly written to give their catchphrase/punchline and end the sketch. Prime examples include "Does Anyone Fancy a Pint?" played by Whitehouse, "You Ain't Seen Me, Right!" and "I'll Get My Coat", played by Williams, and "Ha!" an elderly woman played by Weir.
Other long-standing running jokes in the programme included: "Cheesy Peas" in various different forms, shapes and flavours, in satirical adverts presented by a twangy, Northern lad (Paul Whitehouse) who claims, "They're good for your teas!" The fascination with Jesus Christ was another popular group of sketches where various characters would end the sketch with the exclamation "He died for all our sins, didn't he?" or something similar, and most controversially, "We're from the Isle of Man", featuring a stereotype of weird, surreal, townfolk in a setting portrayed as an abjectly impoverished and desolate cultural wasteland. Paul Whitehouse (born 17 May 1958 is a British Comedian and actor Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) The Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin ˈɛlʲən ˈvanɪn or Mann (Mannin) is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical
Many of the characters were parodies of well-known personalities: indeed, Louis Balfour (of the Jazz Club) is very much like Bob Harris of The Old Grey Whistle Test, Ron Manager appears to most closely resemble football pundit Trevor Brooking — although the parodic intent of the character is broader, and portrays how often football pundits have little to say of any real substance, and will sometimes waffle. "Whispering" Bob Harris (born Robert Brinley Harris in Northampton, England on 11 April 1946) is a The Old Grey Whistle Test (usually abbreviated to Whistle Test or OGWT) was an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from 1971 Ron Manager was a character from the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show, played by Paul Whitehouse. Sir Trevor David Brooking CBE (born 2 October 1948 in Barking London) is a football player turned manager on-air analyst and While Ron may resemble Trevor Brooking, he was said by Paul Whitehouse to be based on ex-Luton Town & Fulham manager Alec Stock [1]. Arthur Atkinson is a parody of Arthur Askey, and Lord Ralph Mayhew is said to be based on film director John Boorman. Arthur Atkinson is a Fictional character who appeared regularly on the British TV Sketch comedy show Arthur Bowden Askey CBE ( June 6, 1900 &ndash November 16, 1982) was a prominent English Comedian. John Boorman (born January 18, 1933) is an English filmmaker currently based in Ireland best known for his feature films such as Point
The show ended in 2000, with a three-part "Last Ever" show, after three series and a Christmas special.
The theme tune was "Release Me" a song which became a hit for pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck, originally represented in the opening credits by Whitehouse in the guise of abnormally transfiguring singer Kenny Valentine. Engelbert Humperdinck (born Arnold George Dorsey, May 2 1936, Madras India) is a well-known British - American In the several series that followed, the tune only appeared in the closing credits.
Major characters
The show featured many characters. Many of the smaller and less significant are listed at Fast Show characters. The Fast Show featured many memorable characters They are listed here by performer Some of the more prominent are:
- 'Unlucky' Alf, the lonely old pensioner for whom nothing ever goes right. Unlucky Alf is a fictional character played by Paul Whitehouse in the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show. His hook is his resigned "Oh bugger!" as something terrible happens. He often predicts a bad event that is quite obvious, only to find something else occurs as he tries to avoid the first problem. (Paul Whitehouse, all series)
- Anyone fancy a pint? A man (Whitehouse) who is featured in increasingly boring or bizarre situations, such as a dinner party where a woman is talking about how she was abandoned as a child and crying about everyone letting her down. Whitehouse then interrupts at the most insensitive moment asking "anyone fancy a pint?", before he and most of the men in the room leave.
- Archie the pub bore. Talks to people in the pub, and when they mention their profession, no matter what it is, he always claims to have had the same profession, saying that it is the 'hardest game in the world. Thirty years, man and boy!' He has an obsession with Frank Sinatra, almost invariably steering the conversation towards the singer, before mentioning how he and his friend Stan faired on a recent fishing trip. (Whitehouse, series 3)
- Arthur Atkinson, parody of 1940s music hall entertainers such as Max Miller and Arthur Askey, played by Paul Whitehouse, introduced by Tommy Cockles (Simon Day), himself a parody of presenters of TV history, especially Denis Norden (Whitehouse, all series)
- Billy Bleach, tousle-mopped, interfering pub know-it-all who gets it all wrong, usually ending up with others losing money (This character starred in his own series, Grass which was shown on BBC Three, later shown on BBC Two. Arthur Atkinson is a Fictional character who appeared regularly on the British TV Sketch comedy show Max Miller ( November 21[[ 894]] – May 7[[ 963]] the "Cheeky Chappie" was a 1930s English Music hall Comedian famous Billy Bleach is a fictional character in the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show, played by Simon Day. BBC Three is a television channel from the BBC broadcasting via Digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms ) (Day, all series)
- Bob Fleming, the ageing incompetent host of Country Matters, who has an extremely bad cough (Higson, all series)
- Brilliant Kid, a parody of British children's TV presenters who walks through a series of peculiar backgrounds describing various innocuous, everyday things as 'brilliant!' (Whitehouse, all series)
- Carl Hooper, Australian presenter of That's Amazing, a spoof of pop-science shows. Bob Fleming is also an Ice hockey player in the NHL. Bob Fleming is a Fictional character played by Charlie Higson "Brilliant" Kid is a fictional character played by Paul Whitehouse in the BBC comedy sketch show Normally the person on his show was trying to pass-off an everyday animal or object as something magical. The one occasion where a guest had a truly amazing story to tell was unbroadcastable due to the guest's inability to refrain from swearing excitedly while relating the tale (Day, all series)
- Chanel 9, a mock Mediterranean television channel with low production values based on a combination of cultural clichés and made-up languages (mostly pseudo Spanish, Greek, and Egyptian, with the odd, random French, Italian and even English sounding words thrown in for humorous effect). Chanel 9 was a recurring sketch in the British Sketch comedy TV show The Fast Show. A language is a dynamic set of visual auditory or tactile Symbols of Communication and the elements used to manipulate them Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Egyptian is an Afro-Asiatic language most closely related to the Berber, Semitic, Somali and Beja languages French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States (Various, all series)
- Chris the Crafty Cockney, claims to be an incurable kleptomaniac ("I'll nick anything, me"). Chris the Crafty Cockney aka Chris Jackson is a fictional character played by Paul Whitehouse in the BBC sketch show comedy The Fast Show He is left alone with something valuable and invariably steals it. Because of how up-front he is of his thieving nature, other people tend to believe he's joking. (Whitehouse, series 2–3)
- Colin Hunt, unfunny and irritating office joker whose name gives an indication of his personality (Higson, series 2–3)
- Competitive Dad, who is overcritical and demanding of his kids, and always has to get one up on them. (Day, series 2–3)
- Dave Angel, Eco-Warrior, who is into saving the planet (his somewhat dubious methodology invariably undermined by his wife's behaviour), Mike Oldfield records, and swinging. Dave Angel Eco-Warrior was one of the many characters brought to life by comedian Simon Day as part of the long-running comedy sketch show The Fast Show Michael Gordon Oldfield (born 15 May 1953 in Reading, Berkshire) is an English Multi-instrumentalist Musician Swinging, sometimes referred to as the swinging lifestyle, is "non-monogamous sexual activity treated much like any other social activity that can be experienced as a A parody of a late-night magazine programme presented by Mike Reid. This article is about the entertainer For other people named Mike Reid see Mike Reid. "Moonlight Shadow" by Mike Oldfield is used as the theme tune to sketches featuring the character (Day, series 3)
- Deaf Stuntman, a TV and film stuntman who, because of his hearing problems, always mishears his instructions and proceeds to carry them out wrongly before anyone can stop him, much to the despair of the film crew. " Moonlight Shadow " is a Pop song written by British Multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield and released as a single in (Thomson)
- Professor Denzil Dexter of the University of Southern California and his various bizarre scientific experiments, long-haired and highly laid-back (Thomson, series 1–2)
- The 13th Duke of Wybourne, posh, rumpled dinner-jacketed, lecherous cigar smoker, reminisces about finding himself in wholly unsuitable places considering his 'reputation' (Whitehouse, series 3)
- Ed Winchester, an American reporter. The University of Southern California (commonly referred to as USC, SC, Southern California, and incorrectly The 13th Duke of Wybourne is a Fictional character played by the Comedian Paul Whitehouse in the popular BBC Sketch show He beams at the camera and says "Hi! I'm Ed Winchester!" in a very upbeat voice, before the camera cuts to another scene. (Jeff Harding). Jeff Harding is an actor from New England most famed for his narration of popular books into audio format
- Gideon Soames, white-haired, posh-talking architecture and history professor. (Day series 2-3)
- I'll Get Me Coat, a socially challenged Brummie, who is unable to maintain a conversation with appropriate answers, and therefore disgraces himself with a faux pas before using the punchline and leaving (Williams, all series)
- Insecure Woman, who appears in a variety of different locations, sometimes bizarrely exclaiming, "Does my bum look big in this?" (Weir, all series)
- Jesse a verbally challenged country bumpkin who exclaims his strange diets, fashion tastes and experiments, usually in the form of "This week, I 'ave been mostly. Brummie (sometimes Brummy) is a colloquial term for the inhabitants accent and Dialect of Birmingham, England, as well as being a . . " (Williams, series 2–3)
- John Actor, who plays Inspector Monkfish, the tough uncompromising cop who often exclaims to the nearest woman, "Put your knickers on and get me a cup of tea!" (Day, series 2–3). Loosely based on the BBC series Dangerfield. Sometime between the end of series 3 and the last episode John Actor died.
- Johnny Nice Painter, who is painting a scene and describing all the colours. Johnny Nice Painter is a fictional character played by Charlie Higson in the hit BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show which ran from 1994 to Whenever he mentions the colour 'black', however, he becomes more and more depressed eventually going somewhat insane and shouting wildly about the despair of mankind (Higson, series 3)
- Ken and Kenneth, the camp "Suit you!" tailors who bombard potential customers with sexually explicit innuendo about their private life, (Whitehouse and Williams, all series)
- Louis Balfour, pretentious and ultra laid-back presenter of Jazz Club (a parody of The Old Grey Whistle Test), based on a blend of Bob Harris and Roger Moore. Ken and Kenneth, better known as The 'Suit You' Tailors, are fictional characters played by Paul Whitehouse and The Old Grey Whistle Test (usually abbreviated to Whistle Test or OGWT) was an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from 1971 "Whispering" Bob Harris (born Robert Brinley Harris in Northampton, England on 11 April 1946) is a Sir Roger George Moore KBE (born 14 October 1927) is an English Actor. Seemingly having done his 'research', he introduces his guests by comparing them to avant garde jazz musicians or describing their style/technique by using complex musical phraseology. These guests usually turn out to be utterly talentless 'experimentalists', much to his bemusement. (Thomson, series 2–3).
- No Offence, a rude, orange-faced South African department store cosmetics saleswoman who has no qualms about informing women of their physical imperfections, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she looks like a dried-out old orange herself. (Weir, series 3)
- "Our" Janine Carr, teenage mum with a unique world outlook. She refuses to reveal who the father of her baby is because "it's not fair to grass on your headmaster" (Aherne, series 1–2)
- The Offroaders, Simon and Lindsey, despite their unusually high confidence and esteem, are useless at their profession ("sorted!", "gripped!"). Simon Bush and Lyndsay Mottram aka The Offroaders are fictional characters played by Charlie Higson and Paul Whitehouse in the hit BBC (Higson and Whitehouse, all series)
- Patrick Nice, a man who recounts various fantastical and special experiences (discovering the original copy of the Bible, finding out he is a direct descendant of Kubla Khan, etc. ), followed by his catchphrase, "Which was nice. " (Williams, series 2–3)
- Ron Manager, nonsense-talking football pundit. Ron Manager was a character from the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show, played by Paul Whitehouse. Doesn't actually know very much about football, based on Ex Luton Town Manager, Alex Stock. (Whitehouse, all series)
- Rowley Birkin QC, a retired barrister, tells mostly unintelligible stories at the fireside. Rowley Birkin QC is a Fictional character played by the Comedian Paul Whitehouse in the popular BBC Sketch show The Fast Queen's Counsel ( postnominal QC) &ndash known as King's Counsel ( KC) during the reign of a male sovereign &ndash are Occasionally, his speech becomes coherent for a short while, containing strange phrases such as "The whole thing was made completely out of matchsticks" or "Snake! Snake!". Almost always ends his stories with "I'm afraid I was very, very drunk!" (Whitehouse, series 2–3). The character is reprised as a working barrister in the spin-off feature Ted and Ralph. Ted and Ralph are fictional characters created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, played by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson in the Whitehouse revealed on the UK chatshow Parkinson that the idea for the character came from someone he met in Iceland. A talk show ( American) or chat show ( Global) is a Television or Radio program where one person or group of people come together to Parkinson was a British television Chat show presented by Sir Michael Parkinson. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland (
- Roy & Renée, endless chattering from Renée and her verbally-challenged and submissive husband Roy, who is expected to meekly agree with everything she says. (Thompson and Aherne, series 1–2)
- Swiss Toni, a car salesman who compares everything to seducing and making love to a beautiful woman, usually in the presence of his bemused trainee. Swiss Toni is a fictional used-car dealer played by Charlie Higson, and also the title of a Sitcom in which he is the main character (Higson, series 3)
- Ted & Ralph - country squire Lord Ralph Mayhew attempts to strike-up an intimate relationship with his introverted Irish estate worker Ted, by way of subtle romantic/erotic subtexts in his conversations with him (Whitehouse and Higson, all series). Ted and Ralph are fictional characters created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, played by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson in the This was also the title of a one-off, hour-long spin-off feature, reprising the characters, with cameos from a few other characters as well.
Trivia
- A great favourite of Johnny Depp who appeared in a sketch with the "Suit You" tailors ("An American Gentleman") in The Last Fast Show Ever, screened in three parts over Christmas 2000. John In a deleted scene on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" DVD, Depp uses the "I'll get me coat" catchphrase. For the video game see Pirates of the Caribbean The Curse of the Black Pearl (video game Pirates of the Caribbean The Curse of the Black The Fast Show featured many memorable characters They are listed here by performer Depp uses another catchphrase within the movie when he is telling the two guards a story while trying to steal the ship. Elizabeth Turner has just fallen off the ledge and we see a shot of Depp's character telling the two guards a presumable story and the scene switches just in time to hear Jack Sparrow say ". Captain Jack Sparrow is a Fictional character from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise who is portrayed by Johnny Depp. . . And then they made me their chief" as Elizabeth hits the water in the background.
- Aherne appeared in the first three series but not the final episode of series three nor The Last Fast Show Ever, presumably because of her commitment to the BBC sitcom The Royle Family. The Royle Family is a popular BAFTA award-winning television sitcom produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for
- When the programme was shown on BBC America it was renamed 'Brilliant' to avoid confusion with an American programme of the same name. BBC America is an American Television network owned and operated by BBC Worldwide Americas, and available on both cable and satellite
- Simon Day claimed to have based the character of Competitive Dad on a man he once saw at a public swimming pool, who challenged his two young children to a race and then swam away at top speed, leaving them struggling at the other end.
- Amy Winehouse made an appearance as an extra in one of the Competitive Dad sketches, as a character in a school play.
- Arabella Weir later turned Insecure Woman into Jackie Payne, heroine of her very successful novel Does My Bum Look Big In This?
- Fast Show catchphrases are referenced in at least two episodes of the BBC TV children's show, Tweenies. The Tweenies is a Television programme aimed at young children broadcast on the BBC. In one episode, after Jake has told Fizz a joke that falls embarrassingly flat, he sheepishly says "I'll get my coat. " In another episode, as the Tweenies are singing a song, Milo speaks an aside to camera à la Louis Balfour: "Good enough for jazz - NICE!"
- Many Fast Show characters have appeared in adverts: Ken and Kenneth, Jesse, Chanel 9 and The Unpronounceables advertised the beer Holsten Pils; Rowley Birkin QC advertised British Gas; Brilliant Kid advertised Milk and a character probably based on Dave Angel played by Day advertises Powergen. Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed Alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea Centrica plc ( is a large multinational utility company based in the United Kingdom but also with interests in North America and Europe. Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the Mammary glands of female Mammals (including Monotremes. EON UK is an energy company in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of E Ken and Kenneth have also been used in an advert for "The Link. The Link is an internet only Mobile phone Retailer in the United Kingdom. "
- Phrase "Thirty years, man and boy" was taken from the undertaker in Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Filming locations
Unusually for a sketch show, a significant proportion of The Fast Show was shot externally. During the early series much of this filming was done around the Tees Valley & Yorkshire Dales in the North-East of England. The Tees Valley is an area in the North East of England. It can be described as "greater Teesside " and consists of the four unitary authorities The Yorkshire Dales (also known as The Dales) is the name given to an upland area in Northern England. Locations include:
- Darlington - 'The Running Family' were shown around various locations in the town centre, including The Cornmill Centre. Darlington is a town in County Durham, England and the main population centre in the Borough of Darlington. Darlington was the childhood home of Jim Moir (Vic Reeves) whose longterm comedy partner Bob Mortimer was one of the writers. Vic Reeves (b 24 January 1959 as James "Jim" Roderick Moir) is an English Comedian, best known for his Double act with Bob Mortimer Robert "Bob" Renwick Mortimer (born 23 May, 1959 in Middlesbrough, England) is a British Comedian and Actor
- Richmond - The market place in Ted & Ralph's trip to the shops
- Railway Street in Langley Park is used in 'Unlucky' Alf's scenes
- Keld, North Yorkshire - The campsite used in a Dave Angel scene
- Aske Hall - Background in early Ted & Ralph scenes
- Scotch Corner - Garage used in Swiss Toni's early scenes
- Middlesbrough - docks used in 'hard of hearing stuntman' scenes, scene on Transporter Bridge
- Newcastle upon Tyne - including the 'Shore Leave' sketch, the scene where Chris the Crafty Cockney steals the woman's suitcases (shot in Newcastle Central station), and some of the Sir Geoffrey Norman MP sketches, such as the one where he is pulled over by a policeman for speeding and the one where he refuses to pay the taxi driver after getting out of the car (shot outside the main entrance to Newcastle Central station)
- Ashington, Northumberland - at least one scene involving Unlucky Alf was filmed on Station Road, Ashington. Richmond is a Market town on the River Swale in North Yorkshire, England and is the administrative centre of the district of Richmondshire Langley Park is a village in County Durham, England. The historic city of Durham lies to the east whilst the larger city of Newcastle upon Tyne Keld is a hamlet in the English county of North Yorkshire. It is situated on Birkdale, in the Yorkshire Dales. Scotch Corner ( is an important junction of the A1 and A66 trunk roads near Richmond North Yorkshire, England. Middlesbrough ( IPA ( Received pronunciation) is a Town in the Tees Valley sub-region of the North East of England The Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge (or simply Transporter Bridge) is the furthest downstream bridge across the River Tees. Newcastle upon Tyne ( (often shortened to Newcastle) is a city and Metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, England Newcastle Central railway station is the mainline railway station in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England and is a principal stop on the East Coast Ashington is a town in the Wansbeck district of Northumberland, England.
- The Spanish City, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear - a number of scenes involving Brilliant Kid
- Iceland Many scenes in the third season were filmed in Iceland. The Spanish City was a permanent seaside Fairground in Whitley Bay, a seaside town in the North East of England. Whitley Bay is a town in North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, England Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( Scenes with Brilliant Kid and Billy Bleach were shot with volcanic landscapes, waterfalls and hot springs in the background.
Where are the cast now?
- Paul Whitehouse has appeared in two successful sitcoms since the end of the show, voiced a character in the film Corpse Bride and appeared in the third Harry Potter film (although his role was cut). Harry Potter is a series of seven Fantasy novels written by British author J He also appeared in the BBC sketch show Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul, starring alongside Harry Enfield once again. [2]
- Charlie Higson has continued to work as an award-winning author (having written a series of "Young Bond" spy novels), starred in the Fast Show spin-off sitcom Swiss Toni, and remains enthusiastic about the show's success. Swiss Toni is a fictional used-car dealer played by Charlie Higson, and also the title of a Sitcom in which he is the main character
- Caroline Aherne has been reclusive. She quit the show after the third series, to move on to The Royle Family. She suffered with alcoholism in 2002 but returned to television comedy in October 2006, co-writing and starring in a one-off special episode of The Royle Family
- Arabella Weir continues to appear on the show Grumpy Old Women. The Royle Family is a popular BAFTA award-winning television sitcom produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for For the live show see Grumpy Old Women Live Grumpy Old Women is a British television series continuing in the same vein as its predecessor She has also written two novels.
- Simon Day appears in Powergen adverts as a decidedly Dave Angel, Eco-Warrior-like character. EON UK is an energy company in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of E Dave Angel Eco-Warrior was one of the many characters brought to life by comedian Simon Day as part of the long-running comedy sketch show The Fast Show He has also appeared in Fast Show spin-offs Grass (featuring Billy Bleach) and Swiss Toni. Billy Bleach is a fictional character in the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show, played by Simon Day. Swiss Toni is a fictional used-car dealer played by Charlie Higson, and also the title of a Sitcom in which he is the main character He has recently appeared with Paul Whitehouse in the comedy show Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul.
- John Thomson continues to appear on British television, including major roles in Blackpool and Cold Feet. Blackpool is a British television musical drama serial produced in-house by the BBC. Cold Feet is a British Comedy drama television series produced by Granada Television for ITV. He stated in October 2005 that he longed for a Fast Show movie.
- Mark Williams is associated with his role of Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter films. The Weasley family are a Fictional family of wizards who figure prominently in the plot of J He continues to act and write his own material. He is currently (August 2006) presenting a documentary series titled Mark Williams' Big Bangs on the history of explosives, a follow-on to previous series Mark Williams on the Rails, and Industrial Revelations.
Down the Line
In 2006, Higson and Whitehouse produced and starred in Down the Line, a spoof phone-in show for BBC Radio 4. Down the Line is a British Radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, which satirises populist radio phone-in shows The show also featured many of the regular Fast Show cast, including Simon Day, Arabella Weir, Rhys Thomas and Felix Dexter. A second and a third series of Down the Line was broadcast in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
The future
Speaking on the BBC show Something for the Weekend on September 9, 2007, Higson said that a DVD box set collecting all the shows was being prepared and that a reunion of some sort to help promote it was being considered. Something For The Weekend is a BBC Two TV show broadcast on Sunday morning Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian This took place at The Dominion Theatre in London on Sunday 4th November, and was a collection of some new sketches, videos of cast favourites and performances of classic sketches (including the return of Ed Winchester). An announcement was made on stage by Charlie Higson that the cast had signed with the BBC for a new series of 'The Fast Show', but this was an elaborate set-up for a sketch featuring Unlucky Alf; the claim was withdrawn at the end of the evening by Higson. In addition he and Whitehouse were working on a film script which would feature the Fast Show team, but wouldn't have any of the characters from the show.
DVDs
Numerous Fast Show DVDs are available including :
- The Fast Show : Series 1 (includes cast interviews with Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Arabella Weir and Mark Williams)
- The Fast Show : Series 2
- The Fast Show : Series 3 and 1996 Christmas Special
- The Fast Show : The Last Fast Show Ever, Part One
- The Fast Show Farewell Tour (Live)
- A 7 DVD box set, The Ultimate Fast Show Collection, was released in the UK on November 5, 2007 compiling all their material. Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany)
You Ain't Seen These, Right!
This was the title of a one-off programme featuring various sketches which were filmed but did not make it onto the final show. Some of these were:
- An ensemble series of sketches made by the whole male team, as members of a golf club, in which Charlie Higson's character was dating a beautiful young woman. The rest of the team are initially dismissive of him as a sad old man, but cannot help gawping over her, until Paul Whitehouse's character blurts out to her similarly young and attractive friend "Can I come on your tits?"
- A chain-smoking car driver played by Mark Williams who rants about anything and everything through his wound-down window. A study of road rage. Road rage is the behavior by a driver of an automobile or other motor vehicle which thus causes collisions or incidents on roadways "Shoe shop?! Shoe Shop?!"
- A mediaeval king played by Simon Day, who 'loves being king' because he gets to boss everyone about.
- A middle aged man, played by John Thomson, who always finds an excuse to leave the room as soon as the conversation gets round to "women's things. "
- A Paul Whitehouse character who responds to almost every question, accusation and situation with the phrase "Sorry, but i was up all night, shagging. "
These sketches are included in the UK edition of the boxed VHS videotape set of Series 3.
External links
- The Fast Show at bbc.co.uk
- The Fast Show at bbc.co.uk Comedy Guide
- The Fast Show at the Internet Movie Database
- Numerous sound extracts from all the main characters in the show
- Useful site detailing thumb-nail vignettes of all the main characters
- Site containing complete scripts for all the shows
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