People Like Us
Chris Langham as Roy Mallard Image File history File links Size of this preview: 399 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,060 × 1,592 pixels, file size: 170 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) [ BBC publicity] A publicity shot from the BBC, fair use in context. ... Christopher Langham (born 14 April 1949) is a British writer, actor, comedian and as such is most famous for playing MP Hugh Abbot in BBC Four sitcom The Thick of It and as presenter Roy Mallard in People Like Us, first on BBC Radio 4 and later on its transfer...
Genre	Mockumentary
Running time	30 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
Home station	BBC Radio 4
Television adaptation(s)	People Like Us
Starring	Chris Langham
Writer(s)	John Morton
Air dates	10 June 1995 – 9 August 1997
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	17
Audio format	Stereophonic sound
Ending theme	Unsquare Dance by Dave Brubeck

People Like Us is a British comedy programme, a spoof on-location documentary (or mockumentary) written by John Morton, and starring Chris Langham as Roy Mallard, an inept interviewer. Originally a radio show for BBC Radio 4 in three series from 1995 to 1997, it was made into a television series for BBC Two between September 1999 and June 2000. This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... old Radio 4 logo BBC Radio 4 is a UK domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... Christopher Langham (born 14 April 1949) is a British writer, actor, comedian and as such is most famous for playing MP Hugh Abbot in BBC Four sitcom The Thick of It and as presenter Roy Mallard in People Like Us, first on BBC Radio 4 and later on its transfer... John Morton is a British writer and director associated with the BBC Radio and television networks. ... is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Label for 2. ... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. ... David Warren Brubeck (born December 6, 1920 in Concord, California[1]), better known as Dave Brubeck, is a U.S. jazz pianist. ... People Like Us can refer to: People Like Us, a British comedy programme People Like Us (musician), a musician also known as Vicki Bennett People Like Us (album), an album by The Mamas and the Papas People Like Us (Aaron Tippin album), an album by Aaron Tippin People Like Us... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... John Morton is a British writer and director associated with the BBC Radio and television networks. ... Christopher Langham (born 14 April 1949) is a British writer, actor, comedian and as such is most famous for playing MP Hugh Abbot in BBC Four sitcom The Thick of It and as presenter Roy Mallard in People Like Us, first on BBC Radio 4 and later on its transfer... old Radio 4 logo BBC Radio 4 is a UK domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 2. ...

On the radio

Each episode features the affable, bumbling Roy Mallard following a typical day in the lives of one or more representatives of a particular career or lifestyle. This he does in his own, inimitable manner. A comedy of wordplay and misunderstanding, People Like Us could be seen as a metaphor for life, in that, while the protagonist is clearly an idiot, everyone else involved is a bigger idiot - Mallard's questions are usually completely sensible, yet they are inexplicably misinterpreted. A protagonist is the main figure of a piece of literature or drama and has the main part or role. ...

Mallard: "I expect you can remember this farm without a tractor?"

Aged farmhand: "Oh, I got a good memory – I don't need a tractor."

There are hints (particularly in The Photographer – with Bill Nighy) that Mallard may be distressingly unattractive – his subjects often ask in passing if he is married, and their reactions range from surprise to incredulity when he tells them he is. Another recurring theme is Mallard's quest for a coffee – or even some lunch. At the end of each episode the cast are never credited as such. Instead, over the strains of Dave Brubeck's Unsquare Dance, we hear statements of the kind, "Roy Mallard would like to thank Chris Langham." Bill Nighy (IPA: ; born December 12, 1949) is a Golden Globe and BAFTA-award winning English actor. ... David Warren Brubeck (born December 6, 1920 in Concord, California[1]), better known as Dave Brubeck, is a U.S. jazz pianist. ... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. ...

Apparently, John Morton was looking for "someone like Chris Langham" to play the part for quite a while – before somebody actually suggested Chris Langham. Langham also played Mallard in BBC advertisements for the licence fee direct debit payment scheme, and in commercial radio advertising. Christopher Langham (born 14 April 1949) is a British writer, actor, comedian and as such is most famous for playing MP Hugh Abbot in BBC Four sitcom The Thick of It and as presenter Roy Mallard in People Like Us, first on BBC Radio 4 and later on its transfer... A television licence (or more correctly broadcast receiver licence, as it usually also pays for public radio) is an official licence required in many countries for all owners of television (and sometimes also radio) receivers. ... Direct debit is a payment method that allows an organisation to instruct their bank to collect varying amounts directly from customers accounts. ...

The radio show has twice been named Best Radio Comedy at the British Comedy Awards. The British Comedy Awards is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year. ...

TV version

Eleven of the radio episodes were adapted for TV (in a different order), together with one original episode – The Actor, featuring David Tennant. Mallard is hardly visible in the TV episodes. He is usually just out of sight, but eagle-eyed viewers can spot him, or part of him, in every episode – on one occasion reflected, along with the camera, in a shop window. David Tennant is the stage name of David John McDonald (born 18 April 1971), a Scottish actor from Bathgate, West Lothian, best known for portraying the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in the television series Doctor Who. ...

Much of the humour is verbal as characters take an overly literal interpretation of what others say, use redundant expressions and non sequiturs. In "The Photographer" a shoe shop assistant says, "Most people have at least one foot bigger than the other." In "The Headteacher" the clueless Head and his secretary fail to realise that "G Reg Nissan" in the visitors book is not "Reg Nissan", "Greg Nissan" or indeed any sort of person but simply Mallard's make of car. Some of these immediately hit the viewer or listener but repeat listening unearths many more. This may have gone over some heads, and combined with the lack of a laugh-track and the dead-pan approach could have led some viewers to believe they were encountering a "straight" documentary.

Alongside this verbal aspect there was more conventional humour. Mallard encountered all sorts of bizarre behaviour from his featured characters and their counterparts. For all his own mediocrity and occasional haplessness he could appear quite sane and competent compared to those alongside him. Indeed it was often not hard to feel sympathy as he floundered in this twisted universe. However there was always a realistic air about the proceedings and many viewers (and listeners of the radio version) were struck by how well the show captured such people and walks of life.

Reportedly, Morton wrote a third series, entitled People Like U.S. set in the United States. It was turned down by the BBC Two controller at the time, Jane Root. It appears that though well respected by the BBC it had a choice between producing a third series or a new production - The Office - and chose the latter. Jane Root (born May 18, 1957) was the controller of BBC Two from 1999 until 2004, when she left to work for Discovery Networks in the United States. ... This article is about the various versions of the television series The Office, comparing the UK, US, French, German, and French Canadian versions. ...

The first TV series was released on VHS and DVD on September 16, 2002. The second series was due to be released in 2003 but the date was repeatedly put back and the title eventually disappeared from the BBC's release schedule altogether. At present there do not appear to be any plans to release it in the UK. This is due to the poor sales of series 1 coupled with expensive music licensing issues in the UK. However, these licensing problems don't exist in Portugal and a double pack of series 1 and 2 is available on Portuguese Region 2 PAL DVD, entitled "Gente Como Nós." The shows are still in English, but with Portuguese subtitles (which can be turned off). Series 2 has just been released on Region 4 PAL DVD in Australia. Bottom view of VHS cassette with magnetic tape exposed Top view of VHS cassette with front casing removed The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, is a recording and playing standard. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ... is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The following is an excerpt of the article entitled DVD. For the sake of convenience, the terms Region 0, Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, Region 4, Region 5, Region 6, Region 7 and Region 8 redirect to this page. ... For other uses, see PAL (disambiguation). ... The following is an excerpt of the article entitled DVD. For the sake of convenience, the terms Region 0, Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, Region 4, Region 5, Region 6, Region 7 and Region 8 redirect to this page. ... For other uses, see PAL (disambiguation). ...

List of episodes

Radio series

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See also

• The Sunday Format

The Sunday Format, BBC Radio 4s first high-quality weekend broadsheet newspaper, is a British satirical radio comedy. ...

External links

• People Like Us at bbc.co.uk Comedy Guide
• People Like Us at TV.com
• An episode guide for the TV and radio series
• Another episode Guide
• Fansite for Michael Fenton Stevens, who stars in Series 2, Episode 1
• Brief Programme Summary
• A Summary of the Radio Show
• Series 2 Australian Release