The Fast Show is a BBC comedy sketch show programme that ran for four series from 1994 to 2000. The show's central performers were Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Mark Williams, John Thomson, Arabella Weir and Caroline Aherne (1994–1997). Other significant cast members included Paul Shearer, Felix Dexter, Rhys Thomas, Jeff Harding and Donna Ewin. Image File history File links Fastshow_1. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Suits you Sir Mark Williams (left) with Paul Whitehouse (right) The Fast Show For the motor vehicle and aircraft painter, see Paul Whitehouse (painter). ... Charlie Higson (born, 1958 in Frome, Somerset) is an English actor and producer, an author, television writer and a comedian. ... Suits you Sir Mark Williams (left) with Paul Whitehouse (right) The Fast Show For the motor vehicle and aircraft painter, see Paul Whitehouse (painter). ... Charlie Higson (born, 1958 in Frome, Somerset) is an English actor and producer, an author, television writer and a comedian. ... Arabella Weir is a British comedian, actress and writer famous for her role in The Fast Show and a number of books including Does My Bum Look Big In This? (a catchphrase of one of her characters in the show). ... John Patrick Thomson (born Patrick Francis McAleer, April 2, 1969) is an English actor and stand-up comedian, known for his roles in The Fast Show and Cold Feet. ... Caroline Aherne (born 24 December 1963 in Ealing, London) is an English actress and comedian. ... Simon Day is a British comedian most famous for his roles in the sketch show The Fast Show, sitcom Grass and a series of comedic adverts for Powergen. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Paul Shearer is a British actor who is most well known as a minor member of the Fast Show team. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Suits you Sir Mark Williams (left) with Paul Whitehouse (right) The Fast Show For the motor vehicle and aircraft painter, see Paul Whitehouse (painter). ... Charlie Higson (born, 1958 in Frome, Somerset) is an English actor and producer, an author, television writer and a comedian. ... Simon Day is a British comedian most famous for his roles in the sketch show The Fast Show, sitcom Grass and a series of comedic adverts for Powergen. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... John Patrick Thomson (born Patrick Francis McAleer, April 2, 1969) is an English actor and stand-up comedian, known for his roles in The Fast Show and Cold Feet. ... Arabella Weir is a British comedian, actress and writer famous for her role in The Fast Show and a number of books including Does My Bum Look Big In This? (a catchphrase of one of her characters in the show). ... Caroline Aherne (born 24 December 1963 in Ealing, London) is an English actress and comedian. ... Paul Shearer is a British actor who is most well known as a minor member of the Fast Show team. ... Felix Dexter is an English actor, comedian, and writer. ... Rhys Thomas (born 12 December 1978 in Essex) is an English comedian and actor. ... Hailing from New England, Jeff Harding is most famed for his narration of popular books into audio format. ... Donna Ewin is a British glamour 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. 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. Shooting Stars is a UK television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two. ... The running gag is a popular hallmark of comic and serious forms of entertainment. ... A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ... The Catherine Tate Show is an award-winning British television sketch comedy written by Catherine Tate who stars in all of the shows sketches, which feature a wide range of characters. ... This article is about the British TV show Little Britain. ...

It was one of the most popular sketch shows of the 1990s and had a long-lasting impact upon British culture. The show has been released on video, DVD and audio CD. Some of its characters, Ron Manager, Ted and Ralph, Swiss Toni and Billy Bleach have had their own spin-off programmes. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ... CD re-directs here; see Cd for other meanings of CD. Image of a compact disc (pencil included for scale) A compact disc (or CD) is an optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio. ... Ron Manager is a character from the popular BBC comedy sketch show, The Fast Show. The character is played by Paul Whitehouse. ... Ted and Ralph are fictional characters played by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson in the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show. ... 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, played by Simon Day in the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show, the character featured in all four series, from 1994 to 2000. ...

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. They asked friends and fellow comedians Simon Day, Mark Williams, John Thomson, Arabella Weir and Caroline Aherne to star with them and the show became a runaway success. Harry Enfields Television Programme is a British sketch show starring Harry Enfield. ...

The show was characterised by the fast-cut delivery of its sketches, some of which lasted only a few seconds. This method was reportedly developed by Whitehouse and Higson after they witnessed a promotional preview for a forthcoming series of Harry Enfield and Chums produced in this manner. The Fast Show was a working title that went unchanged through production and eventually remained as the final title.^{[citation needed]} A working title is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development. ...

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.^{[citation needed]} Ted and Ralph are fictional characters played by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson in the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show. ... Unlucky Alf is a fictional character played by Paul Whitehouse in the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show. ... Ron Manager is a character from the popular BBC comedy sketch show, The Fast Show. The character is played by Paul Whitehouse. ... Mark Williams and Paul Whitehouse as Ken and Kenneth Ken and Kenneth, better known as The Suit You Tailors, are popular fictional characters played by Paul Whitehouse and Mark Williams in the BBC sketch show The Fast Show, which ran from 1994 to 2000. ... The Fast Show is a BBC comedy Sketch show programme which ran from 1994 to 2000. ... Bob Fleming is a fictional character played by Charlie Higson in the hit BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show, which ran for four series between 1994 and 2000. ...

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 1968) is an Irish television writer and director who, often in partnership with Arthur Mathews, has written or co-written a number of popular television comedies. ... Arthur Mathews (born 1959 in County Meath, Ireland) is a comedy writer who, often with writing partner Graham Linehan, has either written - or contributed to - a number of popular television comedies. ... Father Ted was a popular 1990s television situation comedy set around the lives of three priests on the extremely remote (and completely fictional) Craggy Island off the west coast of Ireland. ... Dermot Morgan (3 March 1952 – 28 February 1998) was an Irish schoolteacher-turned-comedian and actor, who achieved international renown as Father Ted Crilly in the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted. ... James Jim Roderick Moir, more commonly known by the pseudonym Vic Reeves, (born January 24, 1959) is an English comedian, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer (see Vic and Bob). ... Robert Bob Renwick Mortimer (born May 23, 1959 in Middlesbrough, England), is an English comedian and actor who is best known for his double act with Vic Reeves (see Vic and Bob). ... Craig Cash is a popular British comedy writer and performer made famous for playing slightly dull and dopey working-class northern men, particularly Dave Best in the hugely successful BBC sitcom The Royle Family, which he co-wrote along with Caroline Aherne. ... The Royle Family is a popular, BAFTA award-winning[1] television sitcom produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series between 1998 and 2000, with a special episode in late 2006. ...

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 northern lad (Paul Whitehouse) who claims, "They're good for your teeth!" 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. Suits you Sir Mark Williams (left) with Paul Whitehouse (right) The Fast Show For the motor vehicle and aircraft painter, see Paul Whitehouse (painter). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

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. Arthur Atkinson is a parody of Arthur Askey, and Lord Ralph Mayhew is said to be based on film director John Boorman. Whispering Bob Harris (born in Northampton on 12 April 1946) is a radio host who currently works for BBC Radio 2, presenting music three nights a week. ... The Old Grey Whistle Test was an influential BBC television music show that ran from September 1971 until 1987. ... Ron Manager is a character from the popular BBC comedy sketch show, The Fast Show. The character is played by Paul Whitehouse. ... Sir Trevor David Brooking CBE (born 2 October 1948 in Barking) is a football player turned manager, pundit and administrator. ... The Fast Show is a BBC comedy Sketch show programme which ran from 1994 to 2000. ... Arthur Askey (June 6, 1900 - November 16, 1982) was a prominent British comedian. ... John Boorman (born January 18, 1933 in Shepperton, Surrey, United Kingdom), is a British filmmaker, currently based in Ireland, best known for his feature films such as Point Blank, Deliverance, Excalibur, and The General. ...

The show ended in 2000, with a three-part "Last Ever" show, after four 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. In the several series that followed, the tune only appeared in the closing credits. The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ...

Brilliant Kid - one of the show's most iconic chracters, played by Paul Whitehouse

Image File history File links Fastshowbrilliant. ... Image File history File links Fastshowbrilliant. ...

Major characters

The show featured many characters. Many of the smaller and less significant are listed at Fast Show characters. Some of the more prominent are: The Fast Show featured many memorable characters. ...

• 'Unlucky' Alf, the lonely old pensioner for whom nothing ever goes right. 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.) (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. 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). (Various, all series)
• Chris the Crafty Cockney, claims to be an incurable kleptomaniac ("I'll nick anything, me"). He is left alone with something valuable and invariably steals it. Because of how up-front he is of his theiving 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. A parody of a late-night magazine programme presented by Mike Reid. "Moonlight Shadow" by Mike Oldfield is used as the theme tune to sketches featuring the character (Day, series 3)
• 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. 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).
• 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..." (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 passed away.
• Johnny Nice Painter, who goes insane at the mention of the colour black. (Higson, series 3)
• Ken and Kenneth, the camp "Suits you!" tailors who bombard potential customers with sexually explicit innuendo about their private life, (Whitehouse and Williams, all series)
• Louis Balfour, pretencious 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. 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!"). (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. Doesn't actually know very much about football, seemingly based on Jimmy Hill (Whitehouse, all series)
• Rowley Birkin QC, a retired barrister, tells mostly unintelligible stories at the fireside. 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. Whitehouse revealed on the UK chatshow Parkinson that the idea for the character came from someone he met in Iceland.
• Roy & Renée, endless chattering from Renée and her verbally-challenged and subversive 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 prescence of his bemused trainee. (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). 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.

Unlucky Alf is a fictional character played by Paul Whitehouse in the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show. ... The Fast Show is a BBC comedy Sketch show programme which ran from 1994 to 2000. ... Max Miller, the Cheeky Chappie, was a 1930s English music hall comedian famous for his daringly risqué (for the period) repertoire (see Censorship), and gaudy suits. ... Billy Bleach is a fictional character, played by Simon Day in the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show, the character featured in all four series, from 1994 to 2000. ... For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 3. ... For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 2. ... Bob Fleming is a fictional character played by Charlie Higson in the hit BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show, which ran for four series between 1994 and 2000. ... Brilliant Kid is a fictional character played by Paul Whitehouse in the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show, which ran from 1994 to 2000. ... Chanel 9 was a recurring sketch in the British sketch comedy TV show The Fast Show. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Chris the Crafty Cockney aka Chris Jackson[1] is a fictional character played by Paul Whitehouse in the hit BBC sketch show comedy The Fast Show which ran for four seasons between 1994 and 2000. ... 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, shown on BBC TV in the UK between 1994 and 2000. ... Michael Gordon Oldfield (born May 15, 1953 in Reading, England) is a multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music and more recently dance. ... 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 couple. ... This article is about the entertainer. ... This article is about the song. ... The Trojan Shrine, better known as Tommy Trojan located in the center of University of Southern California campus. ... The 13th Duke of Wybourne is a fictional character played by the comedian Paul Whitehouse in the popular BBC sketch show The Fast Show. ... Hailing from New England, Jeff Harding is most famed for his narration of popular books into audio format. ... Brummie (sometimes Brummy) is a colloquial term for the inhabitants, accent and dialect of Birmingham, England, as well as being a general adjective used to denote a connection with the city, locally called Brum. ... 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 2000. ... Mark Williams and Paul Whitehouse as Ken and Kenneth Ken and Kenneth, better known as The Suit You Tailors, are popular fictional characters played by Paul Whitehouse and Mark Williams in the BBC sketch show The Fast Show, which ran from 1994 to 2000. ... The Old Grey Whistle Test was an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from September 1971 until 1987. ... Whispering Bob Harris (born in Northampton on 12 April 1946) is a radio host who currently works for BBC Radio 2, presenting music three nights a week. ... For other persons named Roger Moore, see Roger Moore (disambiguation). ... Simon Bush and Lyndsay Mottram aka The Offroaders are fictional characters played by Charlie Higson and Paul Whitehouse in the hit BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show, which ran for four series between 1994 and 2000. ... Ron Manager is a character from the popular BBC comedy sketch show, The Fast Show. The character is played by Paul Whitehouse. ... This page is about the English footballer and television personality. ... Rowley Birkin QC is a fictional character played by the comedian Paul Whitehouse in the popular BBC sketch show The Fast Show. ... For information about The Times satire Queens Counsel, see Queens Counsel (comic strip). ... Ted and Ralph are fictional characters played by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson in the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show. ... A talk show (U.S.) or chat show (Brit. ... Parkinson is a British television chat show presented by Michael Parkinson. ... 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. ... Ted and Ralph are fictional characters created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, played by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson in the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show. ...

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• 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. In a deleted scene on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" DVD, Depp uses the "I'll get me coat" catchphrase. 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 "...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.
• When the programme was shown on BBC America it was renamed 'Brilliant' to avoid confusion with an American programme of the same name.
• 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.
• 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. 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. Ken and Kenneth have also been used in an advert for "The Link."
• Phrase "Thirty years, man and boy" was taken from the undertaker in Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Johnny Depp (born John Christopher Depp II[2] on June 9, 1963, in Owensboro, Kentucky) is an Academy Award-nominated and SAG Awards-winning American actor and for his performances in the films Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Whats Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Ed Wood (1994... Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a movie of adventure and romance set in the Caribbean during the seventeenth century. ... The Fast Show featured many memorable characters. ... Jack Sparrow is a fictional character in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe. ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... The Royle Family is a popular, BAFTA award-winning[1] television sitcom produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series between 1998 and 2000, with a special episode in late 2006. ... BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, which was launched on March 29, 1998, available on both cable and satellite. ... Amy Jade Winehouse (born 14 September 1983) is a British soul, jazz, and rhythm and blues singer and songwriter. ... The Tweenies is a television program aimed at children, broadcasted on the BBC. The program is set in a daycare center attended by the four Tweenies themselves: Milo, Jake, Bella and Fizz. ... For other uses, see Beer (disambiguation). ... Centrica plc (LSE: CNA) is a large multinational company, based in the UK but also with interests in North America and Europe. ... A glass of cows milk. ... Powergen was an electric generating company in the United Kingdom. ... The Link logo The Link is a mobile phone retailer in the United Kingdom. ...

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. Locations include: The Tees Valley is a distinct economic area in the North East of England; it consists of the five Unitary Authorities of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees. ... The Yorkshire Dales (also known as the Dales) is the name given to an upland area, mostly in Yorkshire, in Northern England. ...

• Darlington - 'The Running Family' were shown around various locations in the town centre, including The Cornmill Centre. Darlington was the childhood home of Jim Moir (Vic Reeves) whose longterm comedy partner Bob Mortimer was one of the writers.
• 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.
• Iceland Many scenes in the third season were filmed in Iceland. Scenes with Brilliant kid, Billy Bleach, i´ve just come-man were shot with volcanic landscapes, waterfalls and hot springs in the background.

This article is about the town in England. ... James Jim Roderick Moir, more commonly known by the pseudonym Vic Reeves, (born January 24, 1959) is an English comedian, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer (see Vic and Bob). ... Robert Bob Renwick Mortimer (born May 23, 1959 in Middlesbrough, England), is an English comedian and actor who is best known for his double act with Vic Reeves (see Vic and Bob). ... The town of Richmond as seen from the top of the keep of Richmond Castle Richmond is a market town on the River Swale in North Yorkshire, UK and is the administrative centre of the district of Richmondshire. ... Langley Park is a village in County Durham, in England. ... Keld seen from the Pennine Way as it leaves Swaledale. ... Approach to Scotch Corner roundabout from the A66, Scotch Corner Hotel in background, this view has since changed due to work to widen the A66 Scotch Corner is an important junction of the A1 and A66 trunk roads. ... Middlesborough redirects here. ... Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge The Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge in Middlesbrough, England spans the River Tees. ... This article is about a city in the United Kingdom. ... Newcastle Central Station Newcastle Central Station is the principal railway station in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. ... Statistics Population: 28,000 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: NZ2787 Administration District: Wansbeck Shire county: Northumberland Region: North East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Northumberland Historic county: Northumberland Services Police force: Northumbria Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: North East Post office and telephone Post...

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). He is currently appearing in the BBC sketch show Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul, starring alongside Harry Enfield once again.[1]
• 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.
• 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. She has also written two novels.
• Simon Day appears in Powergen adverts as a decidedly Dave Angel, Eco-Warrior-like character. He has also appeared in Fast Show spin-offs Grass (featuring Billy Bleach) and Swiss Toni. 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. 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. 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.

Tim Burtons Corpse Bride is a 2005 Academy Award-nominated stop-motion-animation film based loosely on a 19th century Russian-Jewish folktale version of an older Jewish story and set in a fictional Victorian era England. ... This article is about the Harry Potter series of novels. ... Ruddy Hell! Its Harry and Paul is a British sketch show starring Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse. ... 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. ... The Royle Family is a popular, BAFTA award-winning[1] television sitcom produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series between 1998 and 2000, with a special episode in late 2006. ... // Grumpy Old Women is a British television series, continuing in the same irascible vein as its predecessor, Grumpy Old Men. ... Powergen was an electric generating company in the United Kingdom. ... 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, shown on BBC TV in the UK between 1994 and 2000. ... Billy Bleach is a fictional character, played by Simon Day in the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show, the character featured in all four series, from 1994 to 2000. ... 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. ... Blackpool is a British television drama serial, produced in-house by the BBC and screened on their BBC One channel in six one-hour episodes on Thursday nights at 9pm from November 11 to December 16, 2004. ... Cold Feet is a British comedy/drama, made by Granada Television, broadcast on the ITV network and shown in five series between 1997 and 2003. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Down The Line

In 2006, Higson and Whitehouse produced and starred in Down The Line, a spoof phone-in show for BBC Radio 4. The show also featured many of the regular Fast Show cast, including Simon Day, Arabella Weir, Rhys Thomas and Felix Dexter. A second series of Down The Line was broadcast in 2007. Down The Line is a British radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, which satirises populist radio phone-in shows. ...

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. 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. Something for the weekend? is a euphemism traditionally used by barbers in the United Kingdom when offering condoms to their clients. ... is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

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, is due to be released in the UK on November 5, 2007 compiling all their material.

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

The Fast Show

is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is one of a family of wiki-based projects run by the Wikimedia Foundation, running on MediaWiki software. ...

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. "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. Road rage is a term used to refer to violent behavior by a driver of an automobile, which thus causes accidents or incidents on roadways. ...

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