The Fast Show
The Fast Show is a BBC comedy sketch program which ran from 1994 to 2000. It also 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. It was very loosely structured and relied heavily on character comedy, long-running gags, and endless catchphrases which would be repeated across the nation the morning after each show was aired.
Many catchphrases from the programme have entered use in the English language, and many of the comedians have now become household names: Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Mark Williams, John Thomson, Arabella Weir and Caroline Aherne. Aherne starred in all three series, but did not appear in The Last Fast Show Ever, presumably because of her commitment to the BBC sitcom The Royle Family.
The show featured many famous characters, including:
- Jesse (Mark Williams) and his strange diets, fashion tastes and experiments.
- This week I have mostly been eating ...
- Bob Fleming (Charlie Higson), the host of Country Matters, who has an extremely bad cough, along with his friends; sneezing Clive Tucker; hiccupping Murtagh Blethyn; and, of course, Jed Thomas (Paul Whitehouse), the man who can't stop saying "ARSE!"
- Rowley Birkin QC (Whitehouse), drunk old upper class man telling stories by the fire
- ... I'm afraid I was very, very drunk.
- Competitive Dad. (Simon Day)
- No Offence, a rude South African department store cosmetics sales woman. (Arabella Weir)
- Ted & Ralph (Higson & Whitehouse) - country squire Lord Ralph Mayhew attempts to strike up an intimate relationship with his estate worker Ted.
- Note: these two characters starred in their own made-for-TV movie 'Ted and Ralph' in 1998, which starred Whitehouse, Higson and other Fast Show regulars. Whitehouse also put in a cameo appearance as Rowley Birkin QC.
- Dave Angel, Eco-Warrior. (Simon Day)
- Friendly but naked newlyweds. (Higson & Weir)
- Chanel 9, foreign television channel based on a combination of languages.
- Bono Estente, Hethethethethethe hethethethethethetheth, Chris Waddle. Boutros Boutros Gali.
- Brilliant Kid. (Whitehouse)
- Colin Hunt, unfunny office practical joker. (Higson)
- Colin Hunt's office trolly, geddit? *whack*
- Note: the writers claim Colin is based on fans of comedy sketch shows, who constantly repeat the catchphrases the next day
- Arthur Atkinson, parody of 1940s music hall entertainers (Whitehouse), introduced by Tommy Cockles, himself a parody of presenters of TV history. (Day)
- Chip Cobb, the Deaf Stuntman. (John Thompson)
- Louis Balfour, presenter of Jazz Club. (Thompson)
- mmmmm, Nice!
- Ken and Kenneth, the "Suit you!" tailors (bombard potential customers with suggestions about their private life). (Whitehouse & Williams)
- 'You Ain't Seen Me, Right?'. (Williams)
- The irritating rambler. (Whitehouse)
- Swiss Toni, a car salesman who compares everything to making love to a beautiful woman (Higson)
- Fitting a carpet is much like making love to a beautiful woman. You lay her out, pin her down and walk all over her.
- Unlucky Alf (Whitehouse), the lonely old pensioner for whom nothing ever goes right. Often says "Awww bugger!"
- Ed Winchester
- Professor Denzil Dexter of the University of Southern California (Thompson)
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 to end the show.
