Showing posts with label PAUL WHITEHOUSE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PAUL WHITEHOUSE. Show all posts

Friday, 26 October 2012

KEEPING IT UNREAL! THE RETURN OF 'HARRY & PAUL'

Doctors in the house! Charles and Sheridan return in the new series of HARRY & PAUL. Images: BBC 

Deborah Meaden's worst TV nightmare-Harry Enfield's brilliant mocking incarnation of her entrepreneurial skills from DRAGON's DEN, as "The Grumpy Woman"- makes a well-deserved comeback, as the comedian and his equally lethal acting/writing partner Paul Whitehouse unleash new heights of humorous stupidity for a seven episode fourth series of HARRY AND PAUL sketch shows-possibly their final run on the BBC. (Thankfully, the earlier in the year rumours of the series cancellation proving greatly inaccurate.)

As well as the always funny and painfully accurate piss-take of DRAGON'S DEN, fans can also expect other old character favourites returning including the I Saw You Coming... antiques dealer, the frighteningly real The Benefits Family and those brilliant Harley Street Consultant surgeons, Charles and Sheridan. But what's happened to the luckless, loveless fool who used to visit the Polish cafe? Plus, Enfield plays a machine gun toting version of the Queen, there's a new duo in oily American used-car dealers Bob and Bob, and spoofs on THE KILLING (if only Sophie Grabol had made an appearance in this as well as AB FAB!), CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, THE KING'S SPEECH and TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER, SPY, with special guest appearances from other comedy talents including Whitehouse's FAST SHOW buddy Simon Day, Victoria Wood (as one of the new Jolly Minor Royals), Simon Greenall, and Kevin Eldon as a gossipping 50's typist in what will surely be a MAD MEN-esque humour slaughter.

No clips available yet for the new series, and the Beeb's promotion of it in general has been somewhat lacking both online and on TV, but here's a few classics to get you in the mood:

"Harry & Paul" (BBC) insults Filipino domestic helpers! - YouTube
Ruddy Hell It's Harry and Paul - YouTube
Harry And Paul Dragons Den Spoof: Alan Sugar - YouTube
I Saw You Coming - YouTube


After an uneven third year run a few years back, we're hoping that this new series will see the pair back at the top of their game (interestingly, Enfield is also directing some episodes himself). The late slot given to the show by BBC 2 and BBC HD from this Sunday 10pm is annoying but at least we'll all have smiles on our faces before we go back to work on misery Mondays!


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Sunday, 3 June 2012

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF HARRY ENFIELD

Puberty blues! Kevin (Harry Enfield, right) and best mate Perry (Kathy Burke) in HARRY ENFIELD AND CHUMS. Images: BBC.

There's no such thing as ageing gracefully when it comes to writer/comedian Harry Enfield, who last week (according to the DIGITAL SPY website) celebrated his landmark Fiftieth birthday. A true comedy icon of the last twenty five years, his brilliantly conceived, almost comic book like creations, whose bawdiness, cruelty and sometimes all out grossness, alongside characters of the kind you might actually bump into on the streets within your daily lives (if heavily blown out of proportion!) could easily have sprung off the pages of classic laugh gems like VIZ magazine, with some often very funny spoofs of classic film and TV series to accompany them, have for the most part survived the test of time, especially those he's performed alongside other equally great comedy creative talents in their own right, like Kathy Burke and the later to realise his own series vehicle, THE FAST SHOW's Paul Whitehouse.

Paul Whitehouse and Enfield as the truly horrific Old Gits!
Kathy Burke and Enfield as gruesome Wayne and Waynetta Slob, at the christening of their baby Frogmella!
Due for the retirement home: terrible DJ's Smashy and Nicey!

Puberty breaking teens Kevin and Perry (probably Enfield's greatest and most painfully accurate creations, who went onto star in their own very successful comedy movie KEVIN AND PERRY GO LARGE!), the sadistic and ultra-bitter The Old Gits, the irritating know-it-all "Only Me!", Liverpool's finest brothers, The Scousers, Wayne and Waynetta Slob (whose chain smoking, pizza eating and all round psycho behaviour was based on elements already starting to establish themselves in the real-life British slum consciousness of the nineties), twisted DJ's who "do a lot of work for charity", Smashy and Nicey, the Mister Chumley Warner public information films (a gut-bustingly funny parody of classic British black and white public information films) and Tory Boy (a truly revolting young Conservative politician that modern day leaders like William Hague and David Cameron probably hold their heads down in shame at!) have all well and truly established themselves firmly in the comedy TV lexicon as well as in the British public consciousness.

Some classic clips from the various series:


Enfield's ultra domineering and opinionated Frank always has something to say...
Harley Street surgeons Charles and Sheridan have been excellent recent additions to the series.

Having left and returned to the BBC during his ten year running comedy series rein, with a one-off, better paying SKY TV season in the late nineties that was only partially successful, Enfield, reunited with Whitehouse for the recent HARRY AND PAUL series of the late 2000's, which also bravely introduced tons of all new, mostly excellent characters, was abandoned by the BBC just when the series was getting funnier, replaced by the almost rival ARMSTRONG AND MILLER SHOW, which, in a bizarre twist of fate, was actually getting less funny as it went on. Go figure...

Let's hope it isn't too long before Enfield makes his return to the screens with some all-new projects and another mixing of old and new grotesques to tickle the funny bone...
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Thursday, 16 February 2012

FULL SPEED AHEAD WITH THE ALL-NEW 'THE FAST SHOW'

Horror-ville! Office parasite Colin Hunt (Charlie Higson) and Doreen (Arabella Weir) are back in THE FAST SHOW. Images: Tyson Benton/FOSTER'S FUNNY.

It's time to break out the extra large packets of Cheesy Peas once again as FOSTER'S FUNNY continue their online resurrection of the BBC's ground-breaking comedy series, THE FAST SHOW, written and created by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson, after a polished and successful first half run from the end of last year. As well as a host of newly created characters to be revealed, old favourites like the South African Make-up Lady ("No offence!"), interfering pub know-it-all about life, Billy Bleach, and the hideous, ultra annoying office twit and unfunny clown with the worst clothes sense since Colin Baker's DOCTOR WHO- the ubiquitous and unescapable Colin Hunt- return to tickle the funny bones once again.

Beware, customers-beauty is in the eye of the South African Make-up Lady! (Arabella Weir)
Suffer the pain with Billy Bleach (Simon Day)? No, really, you don't...
Paul Whitehouse checks the script, whilst Charlie Higson (centre) becomes Swiss Toni once again.

All we need now are the return of Archie (hardest game in the world!) and Unlucky Alf, and one of my all-time favourite comedy series is complete!

Six new episodes are here. CONTAINS ADULT HUMOUR. Trailer: The Fast Show | The Fast Trailer Two | Foster's Funny | 2012 - YouTube

Check out the new episode launched today here: The Fast Show | Episode #7 | Foster's Funny | 2012 - YouTube

And enjoy the entire FAST SHOW section here for more clips, trailers and behind the scenes material: Foster's – The Fast Show – Gold – Vic & Bob – Mid Morning Matters - Russell Kane and Good Call by Brad and Dan

Take a trip down memory lane with our previous feature on THE FAST SHOW, here: "NO OFFENCE!" ZIPPING ALONG WITH "THE FAST SHOW" | KOOL TV


UPDATE 20/2/2012: Here's a new clip from EPISODE 8 with favourites Bob Fleming and Jed Thomas: The Fast Show | Bob Fleming and Jed Thomas | Foster's Funny | 2012 - YouTube

UPDATE 23/2/2012: Here's the new EPISODE 8 with Swiss Toni, Eco Warrior Dave Angel and the always funny South African Make-up Woman: The Fast Show | Episode #8 | Foster's Funny | 2012 - YouTube

UPDATE 28/2/2012: A new clip from the upcoming EPISODE 9 featuring Billy Bleach: The Fast Show | Billy Bleach | Foster's Funny | 2012 - YouTube

UPDATE: 6/3/2012: New clip of Johnny Nice Painter from the upcoming Episode Ten: The Fast Show | Johnny Nice Painter | Foster's Funny | 2012 - YouTube

UPDATE: 9/3/2012: The tenth episode of the season, featuring bittersweet football legend Ron Manager, Our Janine, legendary crafty Cockney Arthur Atkinson and the all new UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS!: The Fast Show | Episode #10 | Foster's Funny | 2012 - YouTube


UPDATE: 14/3/2012:  New clips from Episode Eleven, featuring the Channel 9 news team and No Offence lady, which is due in full tomorrow: The Fast Show | Chanel 9 | Foster's Funny | 2012 - YouTube and The Fast Show | No Offence | Foster's Funny | 2012 - YouTube

UPDATE: 15/3/2012: Brand new full-length Episode Eleven with a very funny Caroline Aherne as Our Janine:  The Fast Show | Episode #11 | Foster's Funny | 2012 - YouTube

UPDATE: 23/3/2012: The Final episode of the series, with Dave Angel, Ted and Ralph, and Roy and Renee. The show has been a big success, with over 1 million hits across the series. Congratulations to all the team at FOSTER'S FUNNY. Link: The Fast Show | Episode #12 | Foster's Funny | 2012 - YouTube
Outtake reel link: The Fast Show - Outtakes | Foster's Funny - YouTube
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Tuesday, 15 November 2011

"NO OFFENCE!" ZIPPING ALONG WITH "THE FAST SHOW"

Back in in-action: the lovable Rowley Birkin QC, as played by Paul Whitehouse,  for THE FAST SHOW. Image: FOSTERS FUNNIES.

The idea of the comedy sketch show may be on the brink of death these days but back in the late nineties it was a pot of gold for the UK's BBC 2 channel with the undeniable success story that was the Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson created series THE FAST SHOW, whose superb and diverse range of inventive and much imitated comedy characters, including pervy car dealer Swiss Toni, Ken and Kenneth the sexual innuendo shop tailors, farmer Ted and land owner Ralph, the wacky idiots of the Spanish CHANEL 9 station ("Scorchio!"), drunken and often unintelligible QC Rowley Birkin, and Inspector Monkfish (played by "John Actor"), would soon grab the notice and affection of the general public by the millions and lead to a wave of popularity and water cooler talk the likes of which hadn't been seen or witnessed since the strike-out days of ONLY FOOLS AND HORSE and the earlier FAWLTY TOWERS. Here was a mostly wacky and out there comedy series, which also spawned an equally popular touring stage show, that actually appealed to all ages, and attracted fans not only in its home territory but also reaching out to Hollywood, too, with the likes of talent like Johnny Depp, who enjoyed the shows genius, often downright saucy, humour so much that he soon guested on the show in a very memorable sketch for one of its final Christmas specials.


Here's a few classic clips from the original series:


The Fast Show - Very drunk - YouTube
The Fast Show I'm Not Pissed - YouTube
The Fast Show - Comptetitive Dad -6- Tennis - YouTube
The Fast Show - Roy and Renée - Turkey.mp4 - YouTube


Not wanting the series to outstay its welcome, the shows talented writers/stars were certainly wise enough to end the phenomenon whilst it was at the top of its game, but over the years that followed, and despite success in other areas of the media, there would always be the odd inkling from its team members, especially Paul Whitehouse (who has had a long and versatile career creating and acting out his memorable comedy creations), to come back and dip into its unique universe at some point. Happily for us, that ambition has now been finally realised as THE FAST SHOW, with pretty much the entire cast (including Whitehouse, Higson and Arabella Weir) returning, is back to life with a selection of brand new episodes/sketches for the FOSTERS lager website, whose past foray into resurrecting popular comedy icons proved highly successful last Christmas with the return of Steve Coogan as the tragic Radio Norwich DJ, and Sue Cook's best friend, Alan Partridge.

Will Arabella Weir's abusive South African make-up lady return?
John Thomson and Paul Whitehouse resurrect Jazz Club: "Groovy!"
Car dealing sexual Lothario Swiss Toni returns! Photo: Tyson Benton

Ageing disgracefully, re-discover your FAST SHOW favourites here (including the chance to take part in a Twitter episode competition and win exclusive props and prizes): Foster's Gold - The Fast Show - Vic & Bob - Mid Morning Matters and Good Call by Brad & Dan

The Twitter comp launches this Thursday (24th November) after the episode at 2pm. Watch out for FOSTERS tweet a question from @fostersfunny [http://twitter.com/fostersfunny] about the Swiss Toni episode, then tweet them a response using #fastshowfaster and #swisstoni

UPDATE - NEW CLIP: Swiss Toni gives more advice on taming a lady: The Fast Show | Swiss Toni | Foster's Funny | 2011 - YouTube


Episode Two of the new series: The Fast Show | Episode #2 | Foster's Funny | 2011 - YouTube


UPDATE 1/12/2011: New fourth episode: Foster's – The Fast Show – Gold – Vic & Bob – Mid Morning Matters - Russell Kane and Good Call by Brad and Dan


Third episode: Foster's – The Fast Show – Gold – Vic & Bob – Mid Morning Matters - Russell Kane and Good Call by Brad and Dan
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