|
|
 » Latest News » Newsletter » About » Photo Gallery » Character guide » Series guide » Little Britain USA » Little Britain Abroad » Little Britain Live » Come Fly With Me » Comic Relief 2007 » Comic Relief 2009 » 2010 Bike Ride » Cracknell's Challenge » Channel Swim » Filmography » Merchandise » Interviews |
|
» Facts
Little Britain is a character-based BBC radio and television sketch show written by and starring comedians Matt Lucas and David Walliams. Its title is an amalgamation of the terms 'Little England' and 'Great Britain'. It made its debut on BBC Radio 4 in 2001, running for two short series of five and four half-hour episodes respectively. In 2003, it transferred to television, with an eight-episode series on the BBC's digital-only channel BBC Three. Two more series, of six episodes each, have followed since. The programme returned for a 2006 Christmas special and Matt and David continue to deny press speculation that the third series would be the last. The BBC regards the series so far as a success. The format of the show
is a compilation of short sketches featuring familiar characters, linked by
narration from Tom Baker (most famous as the Fourth Doctor on Doctor Who). The
voiceovers take a wry look at Britain, with comically absurd statements on the
nation's character, such as, "Britain ... We've had running water for over 10
years and we invented the cat" or, "Unlike other countries, Britain has people
of two genders: male and female." A third series began on
Thursday 17 November 2005 on BBC One, and ended six weeks later. After its
transmission, it was unclear whether there would be another, as so many sketches
were given dramatic twists and "wrapped up". Lucas and Walliams were reportedly
in talks for a fourth series with the BBC. Furthermore, they admitted in an
interview they preferred to "kill off" certain characters in order to make way
for new ones. On September 28th 2008, an American version of the series, entitled Little Britain USA was created as a spin-off on channel HBO. On October 3rd 2008, Little Britain USA was released on BBC ONE.
David Walliams [top]
Born to Peter (a London Transport engineer) and Kathleen Williams (a lab technician), Walliams was raised in Banstead in the county of Surrey. He has an older sister, Julie, and three nephews, Ben, Joe and Freddie. Walliams lives in Belsize Park, Camden, North West London in a house called "Supernova Heights" - Noel Gallagher's former home, which he bought for £3.25M from Davinia Taylor and her ex-husband. Walliams is a professional name, for Equity purposes. This was sent up in Rock Profile, in which Robbie Williams is always referred to as 'Robbie Walliams'. His first known TV appearance was as Lesley Luncheonmeat on Sky One's show Games World in 1993. He appeared alongside Alex Verrey, who played Big Boy Barry, every Tuesday evening. One of David's earliest TV appearances was as "The Lift" on the first series of the CBBC gameshow Incredible Games in 1994. Walliams appeared alongside comedy partner Matt Lucas in the video of the Fat Les song Vindaloo, the unofficial anthem for the England national football team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Among the characters played by Walliams in Little Britain are Emily Howard the "rubbish transvestite", mad Scottish hotel owner Ray McCooney and Sebastian, and a camp aide to the Prime Minister on whom he has a huge crush. Together with The League of Gentlemen's Mark Gatiss, he wrote and appeared in Doctor Who parodies The Pitch of Fear, The Web of Caves and The Kidnappers for BBC2's "Doctor Who Night" in 1999. He later performed in the Big Finish Productions Doctor Who audio play Phantasmagoria, written by Gatiss. In 2003 he appeared in an episode of EastEnders. He also appeared in the first episode of 'Agatha Christie's Marple'. On 23rd July 2006, the 'Swimming Pool' scene featuring Lou & Andy (Little Britain) was hailed as the Greatest Comedy Sketch of all time in a Channel 4 poll, on the show The 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches. In 2006 he made an appearance in the movie, A Cock and Bull Story. Also in 2006, he presented a documentary on James Bond. It was entitled David Walliams: My Life with James Bond. In July 2006, Walliams also became a Patron of the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).
David played the part of Frankie Howerd in the BBC Four biopic of the Up Pompeii star. BBC Four's 60-minute one-off drama, Frankie Howerd: Rather You Than Me, aired on Wednesday 9th April 2008 as part of a four-part season of specials telling the life stories of some of Britain's favourite comedians including Hughie Green, Tony Hancock and the actors who played Steptoe and Son, Harry H Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell. The BBC said the drama would tell the "moving, humorous and poignant story" of Howerd's fight with his "inner demons", as seen through the eyes of his long-term partner Dennis Heymer. Walliams said: "I have been a lifelong fan of Frankie and his work. Playing Howerd is, in many ways, a dream role for me. In fact, Matt Lucas and I first bonded as struggling comedians over a shared love of Frankie Howerd impressions.'' On 26th August 2008, David made his stage debut at the internationally renowned Gate Theatre in Dublin, opposite Michael Gambon in Harold Pinter's dark comedy No Man's Land, in front of an audience that included Pinter himself. Swimming the English Channel On 4 July 2006, Walliams successfully swam the English Channel to raise money for Sport Relief. He successfully completed the swim in 10 hours and 34 minutes to cover the 35 km (22 miles) stretch of sea, the equivalent of 700 lengths of an Olympic standard swimming pool. This placed his effort within the top 50 recorded times for an unaided Channel crossing, in the process of which he raised over £1,000,000 in donations. It took nine months of training to prepare for the swim. The training had to coincide with Walliams' and Lucas's Little Britain tour so every morning before performing he had to complete several hours of training before performing on stage in the evening, a schedule worthy of a professional sportsman. Walliams first swam from Portsmouth to the Isle Of Wight in around 2 hours and he also completed an eight hour swim off the coast of Croatia before embarking on the cross-channel attempt. Walliams has insisted that prior to his challenge he had never seriously taken part in any sport. In late-July 2006, Walliams was considered one of two favourites to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award for this considerable physical achievement. On 6 November 2006 he won The Mirror's Pride of Britain Award for the Most Influential Public Figure as he raised more than £1 million swimming the channel for Sport Relief. Although initially tipped as a contender for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year poll for 2006, he failed to make the final shortlist of 10 contenders following the nominations stage which closed on 15th November. Though nominations were invited from the public, the opinion of Sports Editors was also used in deciding the eventual shortlist. It is unknown whether Walliams would have been nominated had only the public nominations been considered. Instead, Walliams was given a special award during the ceremony for his achievement. Cracknell's Challenge On 7 March 2008, Walliams along with James Cracknell swam the 12 mile straight of Gibraltar, from Spain to Morocco for Sport Relief. He successfully completed the swim in just over 4 and half hours. The swim was the last leg of Cracknell's 10-day trip from the UK to Africa in which he rowed the Channel and cycled through France to Spain.
On March 1st 2010, David Walliams and team mates Jimmy Carr, Fearne Cotton, Miranda Hart, Patrick Kielty, Davina McCall and Russell Howard began a non-stop cycle relay to complete the 1,000-mile BT Sport Relief Million Pound Bike Ride to pedal the length of Britain from John O'Groats to Land's End. On the evening of March 4th 2010, David and all of his team arrived at Land's End. After 82 straight hours, the team raised over £1million. David Walliams as an author David Walliams has become a children's author after signing a two-book deal with HarperCollins. Walliams' first book, The Boy in the Dress, was published in October 2008. It is a "humorous, classic tale" featuring a boy hero. It has been aimed at eight to eleven year olds but HC said it would also appeal to older readers. Mr Stink is the follow-on from Walliams' first book, The Boy in the Dress which have both been illustrated by Quentin Blake. "The second original, touching, twisted, and most of all hilarious novel for children by David Walliams - beautifully illustrated by Quentin Blake. "Mr Stink stank. He also stunk. And if it was correct English to say he stinked, then he stinked as well!" Chloe sees Mr Stink every day, but she's never spoken to him. Which isn't surprising, because he's a tramp, and he stinks. But there's more to Mr Stink than meets the eye (or nose) and before she knows it, Chloe has an unusual new friend hiding in her garden shed. As Chloe struggles to keep Mr Stink a secret, and her dad tries to hide a secret of his own, the stage is set for an epic family confrontation. But there's one other person with a an extraordinary secret - Mr Stink himself!"
Matt Lucas [top]
He studied drama at the University of Bristol and is a former member of both the National Youth Music Theatre and the National Youth Theatre. Lucas was born in London and raised in a Jewish background in Stanmore, Middlesex. He was educated at the prestigious Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, alongside other well known personalities, including Sacha Baron Cohen (Ali G). He began his career in comedy on the London stand-up comedy circuit at the age of eighteen as Sir Bernard Chumley, legendary actor and raconteur — a character who was to appear later in Little Britain. Lucas' association with Reeves and Mortimer began in 1992, when he was spotted by Bob Mortimer on stage. In 1994, Lucas appeared in The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer. The second series of the show featured Lucas in several sketches. He went on to star with them in Shooting Stars. He quickly rose to fame as George Dawes, the giant baby, who would deliver a string of meaningless gags (often in character) and insults before delivering the score, while sitting at and playing a drum kit. This was especially funny as many of the parts were introduced not in the style of a baby, but of a grown man — indeed, often, he would come on dressed as a specific adult such as Elton John. He also appeared as Marjorie Dawes, George's mother, who also appears in Little Britain. He also appeared in the Reeves & Mortimer BBC series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), and Catterick in a variety of roles. His music video appearances include; the Damien Hirst-directed video for Blur's "Country House" (as a psychoanalyst), Jesusland by Ben Folds in 2005, I'm with Stupid by the Pet Shop Boys and Vindaloo by Fat Les, the unofficial anthem for the England national football team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Lucas has had alopecia since an early age, which in interviews he has inconsistently attributed to various events. Lucas is openly gay, and based the character Daffyd Thomas on himself, recalling how he felt he was "the only gay in the village" only to find out that everyone accepted his sexuality and wasn't shocked by it. On 17 December 2006, he and his long-term partner TV producer Kevin McGee formed a Civil Partnership in London. The ceremony was kept fairly formal, with male guests wearing suits but the evening reception had the guests dressed in pantomime costumes. In 2005 he took his first role in a television drama, a supporting part as a Venetian Duke in the BBC historical serial Casanova, written by Russell T. Davies. Since 2006, Lucas has been the voice of the radio and television character Digit Al, devised as part of a public information campaign on digital switchover. In 2007 he released "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", originally by The Proclaimers, with Peter Kay as a charity single for Comic Relief. He performed the single as Little Britain character Andy Pipkin, along with Kay playing as Brian Potter. After being available for less than 48 hours on iTunes alone, the track entered the UK Top 40 at number 3. On March 25th It went to number one. Matt made an appearance in Kath and Kim and Neighbours (the latter alongside David Walliams as Little Britain Lou and Andy, as well as a cameo role in the forthcoming BBC sitcom Gavin and Stacey. Lucas was the first celebrity to make an appearance in 2008's 'Big Brother Celebrity Hijack' on E4, working alongside Big Brother in a series containing housemates aged 18-21 with various talents. In 2010, Lucas played Tweedledee and Tweedledum in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, alongside Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway.
Rock Profile [top]
The show comprises a series of spoof interviews, involving Jamie Theakston questioning Lucas and Walliams, who play famous musicians. The interviews are often bizarre and involve broad, unflattering caricatures or just downright fictional characteristics. They are often interspersed with videos by the featured artist, including humorous captions and congratulations from other impersonated celebrities. In 2009, Rock Profile returned for a new series on comedy website Funny or Die UK, with new host Dermot O'Leary. The first of the new episodes was aired on 11th May 2009, and targeted Jordan and Peter Andre. Other characters include; Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow, Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty, Kerry Katona and Mark Croft, Ronnie Wood and Cheryl Cole and Nicola Roberts.
Matt and David [top] They are, they admit, like an old married couple. For 13 years, Little Britain’s Matt Lucas and David Walliams have huddled together over a table creating comic characters. But they admit they have one secret daily ritual – they are addicted to ITV’s Loose Women. Despite the fact they are currently hard at work writing the American version of Little Britain – and the new edition of their DVD game, The Only Game In The Village, is just out – Matt and David always break off from work to catch their favourite show. “We work in the kitchen at my house or in a room at David’s,” explains Matt, 33. “It’s like it always was, just the two of us huddled around a computer writing more than we film. We try and write two or three sketches a day, break off for lunch, have an M&S ready meal and watch a bit of Loose Women. We always watch it.” “I like a bit of Loose Women,” agrees David, 36, “but it does slightly annoy me. They natter on, then when it comes to the interviews they only have time for a couple of questions and they’re off.” The pair may think along similar lines with their comedy, but in real life are quite different. Matt is a football-obsessed homebody who likes nothing better than walking his dog with his partner, TV producer Kevin McGee, whom he married last year. David, meanwhile, clearly enjoys his bachelor lifestyle to the full. He is often seen around town with a new woman, but admits he would like to settle down. “I am determined to enjoy my life,” David laughs over a lunch in London’s Soho. “It’s exciting meeting people and going out. I’m single and if I stay in all night I am never going to meet anyone. I’d like to settle down, but you can’t force it.” Matt, is clearly amused by his friend’s celebrity antics. “I always get the Mirror in the morning so I can check what David is up to,” he grins. “I am very happy and have a blissful domesticated life. David is young free and single, so I don’t see why he can’t go out and have a bit of fun.”
Last year, David swam the English Channel for Sport Relief, raising thousands of pounds for the charity. And now he wants to set himself one more big sporting challenge before he turns 40. Matt chips in, “I had my doubts about whether David did the swim or not. You can’t believe anything you see on television nowadays. No, what he did was really amazing. Obviously, it is quicker to get the train. And where he went wrong is that he should have kept the money!” In the future, the pair have their eyes set on writing a musical. But they are sure they will always work together, in some way. “I can never see a day where I don’t want to work with David,” reveals Matt. “But I know there will come a point where we have to stretch other muscles. That’s not a rejection of each other, just an extension. “I don’t know if we will still be working together in our sixties, but the main thing is I hope we will still be friends. I don’t want to be doing Vicky Pollard when I’m 55. There will be something wrong about that!”
Facts about the show [top] The Birth of Vicky Pollard Back in 1993, Lucas made a short documentary for his college course by going up to random people and filming their response to the question 'How are you?'. One of the subjects was a 12-year-old schoolboy whose mumbling, inarticulate response ("yeah, no, yeah, dunno") made Lucas laugh so much that he used him as the template for notorious Vicky Pollard. Vicky's television credits include 'Crime Watch' (a record breaking 27 appearances), 'South West Today' (taking part in an item of happy slapping) and various CCTV Cameras around the Bristol area. Lou and Andy The maniac in the wheelchair and his put upon helper actually first appeared on 'Rock Profile' as twisted representations of Lou Reed and Andy Warhol. Walliams liked the characters so much he insisted on reviving them, with added wheelchair, for 'Little Britain'. Lou's middle name was revealed in Series 3, Episode 3 - Lou Bob Todd. Lou and Andy are named after Lou Reed and Andy Warhol. Lou and Andy are the only characters to appear in every single episode of the show (including the Comic Relief special), Marjorie Dawes is in second place: she appears throughout the recurring series. General Facts When Little Britain series two premiered on BBC THREE last year, it averaged 1.5 million viewers, making it the highest-rating BBC THREE show ever. Little Britain (series one) was the fastest-selling UK television DVD title ever, with 1.8 million sales to date. And true to form, when series two was released in October 2005, it broke all first week sales records, to go straight to Number One in the DVD sales charts. Several sketches were removed from Series 1. Two featured April and Neville, another pair included the Peter Andre character, while also excised were some in which Mr Cleeves and the Piano Player appeared. In Series 3, there is an homage to One Foot in the Grave and its character Victor Meldrew when Bubbles De Vere says the popular catchphrase, "I don't believe it!", as her first line in the series. David's home 'Supernova Heights' formerly belonged to Oasis star Noel Gallagher. In 2005, Heat magazine reported that a request by the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, to appear in one of the sketches was turned down, with Walliams and Lucas stating that they did not want to be seen as biased towards Labour in the run-up to the general election. In the series the village of Llandewi Breffi is spelt slightly differently from the real village of Llandewi Brefi (which has only one 'f'). Furthermore, Daffyd 's name in the series is also spelt slightly differently from the real Welsh name Dafydd. Originally, Daffyd, the only gay in the village, was to look very different. "We were going to have him as a gay man in a white T-shirt, bomber jacket and a pair of Levi 501s - but he looked too old-fashioned, and so we went down the route of putting him in more clubby type gear," reveals Walliams. Little Britain cemented its status as one of the UK's favourite programmes in 2005, winning two prizes at the Bafta TV Awards - one for Best Comedy Series and Best Comedy Performance for Lucas and Walliams . The font used for the title 'Little Britain' is 'FF Dot Matrix'. Mark Gatiss (League of Gentlemen) was script editor for Series 2. |
|
|
| (c) Little Britain Fans 2010 unless stated | Design by Michael Pattinson | Contact |
Matt Lucas, David Walliams & Little Britain
A compilation of sketches from the first radio series was released on CD, later
followed by the complete first series. Radio 4 began a rerun of all 9 episodes
in February 2004. Unusually, this overlapped with a rerun on digital radio
channel BBC 7 of the first 5 that began in mid-March. In June–July 2004 BBC 7
broadcast the remaining 4.
