Alternative comedy is a term coined in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era. The phrase has had different connotations in different contexts: in the UK, it was used to describe content that was an "alternative" to the mainstream stand-up of the day which took place in working men's clubs , and was characterised by unoriginal gags often containing elements of sexism and racism . In other contexts, it is the nature of the form that is "alternative", avoiding reliance on a standardised structure of a sequence of jokes with punch lines . Patton Oswalt has defined it as "comedy where the audience has no pre-set expectations about the crowd, and vice versa. In comedy clubs, there tends to be a certain vibe—alternative comedy explores different types of material."
88-565: Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer and director. He is known in particular for his television work, including Harry Enfield's Television Programme and Harry & Paul , and for the creation and portrayal of comedy characters such as Kevin the Teenager , Loadsamoney , Smashie and Nicey , The Scousers , Tim Nice-But-Dim and Mr "You Don't Want to Do It Like That". Born in Horsham , Sussex , he
176-570: A Channel 4 documentary series on the subject. In 1991 Harry also starred in the series Gone to the Dogs as Little Jim. After a short break from television, Enfield signed a new contract with BSkyB , but produced only one series, Harry Enfield's Brand Spanking New Show . In 2002 Enfield returned to the BBC with Celeb , a new series based on the comic strip of the same title in Private Eye , as
264-610: A building society . Their catchphrases are "Dey do dough, don't dey dough" ("They do though, don't they though") and "Alright! Alright! Calm down, calm down", said by one of the trio when the other two start arguing. The characters returned in Harry Enfield & Chums , with McGann replaced by Mark Moraghan . A benefit-dependent, lower-class couple (Enfield and Kathy Burke ) with a lack of personal hygiene who spend most of their time smoking cigarettes or eating pizzas. Wayne and Waynetta argue constantly over everything, including
352-401: A clip show series titled Harry Enfield Presents aired which featured compilations of sketches from the series featuring new linking material recorded by Enfield in character. Harry Enfield's Television Programme was written by Enfield, Whitehouse, Charlie Higson and Geoffrey Perkins and broadcast on BBC2 . The original series titles began with Enfield in a black suit walking towards
440-473: A Greek kebab shop owner with fractured English; and Loadsamoney , an obnoxious plasterer who constantly boasted about how much money he earned. The Loadsamoney character was created in reaction to the policies of the Thatcher government of the day, and took on a life of its own, sampling the songs "Money, Money" from the musical Cabaret and " Money, Money, Money " by ABBA to spawn a hit single in 1988 and
528-559: A bad pun on the band's name. The characters were broadly based on Radio 1 DJs of the time, such as Mike Read , Simon Bates , and Tony Blackburn , who were perceived as being out-of-touch with younger audiences. At the end of the second series, Smashie and Nicey are demoted from their morning show to a graveyard slot on "Radio Quiet", which was then followed by the two being sacked in an hour-long 1993 special Smashie and Nicey: The End of an Era . The characters did not return for Harry Enfield & Chums , but Enfield and Whitehouse reprised
616-787: A cameo appearance as 'the tea lady' during Blur 's performance at the Olympics Closing Ceremony Celebration Concert in London's Hyde Park in 2012 . He also appeared alongside Damon Albarn 's other project The Good, the Bad & the Queen , as compere, during a live performance at the Tower of London , on 9 July 2007. In 2021 Enfield starred as Prince Charles in The Windsors: Endgame at
704-458: A character intended to promote the company's newest hamburger. Two more characters from Enfield's TV series, Mr Cholmondley-Warner and Grayson, also appeared in commercials, for Mercury Communications . Also in 2004 Enfield provided the voice of "The Roaming Gnome" character used in Travelocity 's U.S. advertising campaign. Enfield was also in commercials for Worthington Bitter. Enfield made
792-657: A film released in 1969 and much loved by British audiences ("I told you, you're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!") and his diction when presenting his lines in many of his films. It relies on Caine's ability to impart trivial information in the same way, starting with "Did you know..." and ending with ".. and not a lot of people know that.". Whitehouse continues in this tradition, talking about extremely mundane things his neighbours were doing such as "do you know, he didn't call that woman back until... approximately two hours later. Would Damon Hill have taken that long to call his mother? I'll be honest with you. I don't know. Not
880-502: A football pundit. This was Enfield's take on the traditional "mother-in-law" stereotype. His catchphrase, on encountering someone, or entering a room is "Only me!" When his interfering goes wrong, he tends to blame everyone but himself, using the catchphrase "Now I do not believe you wanted to do that, did you?" The following characters and recurring sketches appear for the first time in series 2 of Harry Enfield's Television Programme . A chronically absent-minded pub landlord (Enfield) who
968-622: A form of comedy "civil war". (This divide was not absolute, with some performers from that circuit performing at the Comedy Store from its opening in May 1979.) What developed from these clashes was, in Arthur Smith 's words, "comedy's version of punk". Alexei Sayle , the Comedy Store's first MC , provided angry character comedy satirising the left. Arnold Brown , an older stand-up comic noted for his quick-witted, observational style,
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#17327726235341056-404: A good night's sleep. The characters also appeared in a series of TV adverts for Mercury Communications . The sketch Women: Know Your Limits! was plagiarised by a Danish PR agency in a campaign video for the 2009 Danish Act of Succession referendum . Some other sketches within the show also use the 1930s newsreel format but are not connected to any specific character. In keeping with the setting,
1144-574: A host of other weekly events at Rififi hosted by Nick Kroll , John Mulaney , Greg Johnson , Larry Murphy and Jenny Slate . The venue was a hotbed of alternative comedy until complaints from neighbors about one of Rififi's dance parties, Trash, got the bar closed down in 2008. Warren St. John said that the "inspiration" for alternative comedy in New York City is the Upright Citizens Brigade . The group originally formed at
1232-600: A lot of people know I don't know that, but I don't." All of his anecdotes involve other people on the street, and his information is gained from eavesdropping and spying on them. Cockney brothers Frank and George Doberman (Enfield and Whitehouse) sit in a pub, speculating about what would happen if they met various celebrities and public figures, who they exclusively refer to by their surnames (e.g. "Black" for Cilla Black ). These imaginary situations usually begin pleasantly, but inevitably turn sour as Frank and George begin to conjure up various implausible and outrageous ways in which
1320-433: A major personality change immediately upon turning thirteen, becoming lethargic, stroppy, and overly sensitive. Though he is no longer hyperactive, he continues to annoy his parents through his constant complaining and refusal to do anything they tell him. He is often joined by his best friend Perry (Burke), who is faultlessly polite to Kevin's parents but rude to his own; Kevin mirrors this attitude by being similarly polite in
1408-695: A personal project, Norbert Smith - a Life , a spoof on British theatrical knights "slumming" in the film industry. He also provided voices for the British satirical puppet show Spitting Image , and starred as Dirk Gently in the BBC Radio adaptations of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul . In 1990, Enfield developed his BBC sketch show Harry Enfield's Television Programme , later retitled Harry Enfield & Chums , with Whitehouse and Kathy Burke . Eschewing
1496-400: A post office, yet fail to react when something genuinely shocking and unexpected happens, such as being attacked by a shark or hit by a car. A fat, jolly-looking man (David Barber) who made his first appearance in a "Lee and Lance" sketch. He later formed a running gag where, for no apparent reason, he would walk into the middle of a sketch, hand something to a character (usually appropriate to
1584-516: A range of topics, confidently exposing their own ignorance. Lance is completely moronic, whereas Lee is slightly smarter, but not by much. Kevin (Enfield) is an annoying, hyperactive twelve-year-old boy with a minuscule attention-span; constantly pestering his older brother and parents by making immature jokes, insensitive remarks, and repeatedly referencing Blackadder ("Bloody hell, Baldrick!"). In Harry Enfield & Chums , on Kevin's 13th birthday his personality suddenly changes to become " Kevin
1672-597: A room above a strip club in Soho . The official history of the club credits comedian and author Tony Allen with coining the term. However, in his autobiography, the late Malcolm Hardee claims to have coined the term in 1978. Alternative comedy came to describe an approach to stand-up comedy that was neither racist nor sexist, defining itself against more traditional comedians playing the Northern working men's clubs who often relied on jokes targeting women and minorities in
1760-712: A sell-out live tour. In May 1988, Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock used the term loadsamoney to criticise the policies of the Conservative government and journalists began to refer to the "loadsamoney mentality" and the "loadsamoney economy". As a foil to Loadsamoney, Enfield and Whitehouse created the Geordie "Bugger-All-Money" and in 1988 Enfield appeared as both characters during the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium. In time, Whitehouse and Enfield became disturbed that Loadsamoney
1848-523: A stereotypical, insensitive, plain-speaking Yorkshireman; unfortunately, he usually finds himself in a position of responsibility requiring creativity and sensitivity. When he is first introduced, it is stated with approval by the other characters in the sketch that "Integrity is his middle name", only for them to discover that this is only true in a literal sense. Two idiots (Enfield and Paul Whitehouse respectively) who work variously as mechanics, builders, and stall holders, and have inane conversations about
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#17327726235341936-466: A yokel refusing a Dime bar—smooth on the outside, crunchy on the inside—because he preferred armadillos —smooth on the inside, crunchy on the outside. Later Enfield, with Paul Whitehouse, starred in a series of commercials for Hula Hoops as The Self-Righteous Brothers, characters from Enfield's television show. In 2004 Enfield starred in a series of commercials for Burger King in Paraguay as Dr Angus,
2024-442: Is a fictional Old Ardinian (an alumnus of Ardingly College ) with an eccentric public school-influenced dress sense involving jeans and a blazer worn over a striped rugby shirt. The character was initially created by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman , who are both Old Ardinians. They wrote the character as an antidote to contemporary portrayals of ex-public schoolboys as sharp-minded, high-achieving young men, and instead chose to base
2112-963: Is called alternative or "downtown comedy" is performed outside of traditional comedy clubs in theatres, such as Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (UCB), Magnet Theater , The Creek and The Cave, and the Peoples Improv Theater (PIT), as well as cabarets that host comedy only occasionally. The comedians at these shows offer character-based humour or surreal humour , as opposed to observations of everyday life or more polemical themes. In addition, many alternative comics such as Demetri Martin and Slovin and Allen use unusual presentation styles, opting to play music, give PowerPoint presentations, or act out sketches. Many alternative comics such as Sarah Silverman , Janeane Garofalo , and Todd Barry also perform in mainstream comedy venues. The now-defunct Luna Lounge in New York's Lower East Side
2200-769: Is easily confused and has an incredibly short memory, frequently mixing up his anecdotes, customers' orders, and forgetting things that happened just moments before. A sketch presented in the style of edutainment programming, in which an unseen narrator attempts to teach three excitable and childlike aliens (dressed in human attire) various English words and phrases but grows frustrated as they arbitrarily repeat certain words and are constantly distracted by irrelevancies. Three boisterous, drunken, public-schooled rugby enthusiasts (Enfield, Clunes, and Gillett) who loudly break out into nonsensical and vulgar drinking songs at every opportunity, and generally torment those around them. The following characters and recurring sketches appear for
2288-462: Is enough to entertain them, as they habitually imagine twisted hypotheticals involving their neighbours, families, and even each other. The characters carried over into Harry Enfield & Chums , albeit with their names swapped to avoid confusion with the Fast Show character Unlucky Alf, also played by Whitehouse. A superhero team, consisting of Law Man (Enfield), Fire Man ( Parker ), and Kometh
2376-516: Is hard to define alternative comedy, but subject matter may include taboo, dark, non sequitur, geek, and various other topics, whilst excluding racial, scatological, stereotype, South Africanised humour and other topics considered mainstream. Although comedians of this genre may include mainstream topics, it does not form the majority of their sets. It is hard to say exactly where it started, but The Underground in Melville Johannesburg
2464-569: Is initially polite, before becoming aggressive upon imagining Hill driving through his neighbourhood at 140 mph . In 1998 the characters were featured in an advert for Hula Hoops . In 2014, Enfield and Whitehouse reprised the roles of Frank and George in a sketch for Channel 4's The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night . The name of this sketch parodies the musical duo The Righteous Brothers . An affluent couple who spoke with exaggerated Black Country accents and were forever informing people that "We are considerably richer than yow!" Many sketches involved
2552-493: Is matched by his fury when he comes across someone "considerably" richer than him, such as when they try to boast while on holiday to a scruffily dressed man who turns out to own the hotel they are staying in, or when their in-laws win the lottery and become multi-millionaires. Alternative comedy In an interview with The A.V. Club after his performance in the 2011 comedy-drama film Young Adult , Oswalt stated: I had come up out of that whole alternative scene, which
2640-538: Is the eldest of four children (and only son) of English television, radio and newspaper journalist and presenter Edward Enfield and his wife, Deirdre Jenkins. The Enfield family are descendants of the nineteenth-century philanthropist Edward Enfield . He was educated at the independent Arundale School in Pulborough , Dorset House School , Worth School , Collyer's Sixth Form College (all in West Sussex) and
2728-531: The COVID-19 Pandemic , as a safe space for comedians to try new styles and material, without being perceived as an audition for professional comedy nights. Visiting comedians from around the world such as Mark Normand and Stephen K. Amos have dropped in to perform at this room. Canada has a history of embracing alternative stand-up and sketch comedy. The ALTdot COMedy Lounge has been running for more than 20 years at The Rivoli , where The Kids in
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2816-593: The Prince of Wales Theatre in London. The show ran for a limited time and closed on 9 October 2021. In 1997, Enfield married Lucy Lyster; they have three children. It was announced in August 2020 that the couple had separated. Harry Enfield %26 Chums Harry Enfield & Chums (originally titled Harry Enfield's Television Programme ) is a British sketch show starring Harry Enfield , Paul Whitehouse and Kathy Burke . It first broadcast on BBC2 in 1990 in
2904-515: The University of York , where he was a member of Derwent College and studied politics. He squatted in Hackney and worked for a while as a milkman . Enfield first came to wide public attention when appearing on Channel 4 's Saturday Live as several different characters created with Paul Whitehouse . These quickly entered the national consciousness. Among these characters were Stavros,
2992-528: The alternative comedy style prevalent at the time, both versions of the show were indebted to comedians such as Dick Emery and Morecambe and Wise . Enfield and his co-performers created another group of nationally recognised characters for these shows, such as Stan and Pam Herbert , who use the catchphrase "We are considerably richer than you" (in an exaggerated West-Midlands accent), Tim Nice-But-Dim , The Scousers , Smashie and Nicey , Wayne and Waynetta Slob , Annoying Kid Brother , who grew into Kevin
3080-468: The 1960s comedian John Paul Joans , who had been influenced by Bruce; the punk scene of the late 1970s; poets like John Cooper Clarke ; and less conventional earlier comedians like Billy Connolly and John Dowie . The beginning of alternative comedy is commonly associated with the opening of the Comedy Store club in London on 19 May 1979, initially a weekly gong show -style comedy night in
3168-439: The 9 p.m. slot on Thursday nights, which became the traditional time for alternative comedy on television. Enfield was already an established name due to his "Loadsamoney" character (which featured in a few entertainment programmes in the late 1980s), but the series gave greater presence to his frequent collaborators Whitehouse and Burke – so much so that, in 1994, the show was retitled Harry Enfield & Chums . In 2001,
3256-566: The BBC commissioned a new series called Harry Enfield & Chums , this time broadcast on BBC1 . This series was produced with a pool of writers, rather than the cast alone. The format of the opening credits was the same, although Enfield was now joined by co-stars Whitehouse and Burke to take a collective bow to the audience. Two Christmas specials of Harry Enfield & Chums were produced for 1997 and 1998. These were titled Harry Enfield & Christmas Chums and Harry Enfield's Yule Log Chums respectively. For Christmas 1999, and in advance of
3344-647: The Hall also had a residency in the mid-1980s. Other notable alternative comedy shows now defunct included Pirate Video Cabaret (ended 2003), Laugh Sabbath and The Second City Theater Toronto 's Sketchy at Best . Other notable alt acts include Terry Clement, Sean Cullen , Jon Dore , Paul Irving, Chris Locke , Levi Macdougall , Ron Sparks and Harland Williams . While South African comedy often comprises racial or stereotype -based humour , alternative comedy in South Africa tends to avoid such subject matter. It
3432-476: The Heriot-Watt Theatre. Returning with a full show in 1981, "Alternative Cabaret" was the critical comedy hit of that year. The Comedy Store now advertised itself as "The Home of Alternative Comedy" in London's weekly Entertainment Guide, Time Out , listing "Alternative Cabaret" as its main show. Their tours established the idea of running comedy shows in small venues around London, and sowed
3520-464: The Iceman ( Aden Gillett ), who attempt to solve everyday problems such as opening a bank account through use of their destructive superpowers, invariably ending in chaos. The day is always then "saved" by a fourth member of the team, She Woman Cat Type Thing, who does nothing but regurgitate fur balls or lick herself. Russian and Dutch tourists (Enfield and Whitehouse) with a naive, optimistic outlook on
3608-467: The Teenager , and two old-fashioned presenters, Mr Cholmondley-Warner and Grayson . In 1991, Enfield played Dermot in the sitcom Men Behaving Badly along with Martin Clunes , Caroline Quentin and Leslie Ash , originally on Thames Television . Enfield left after the first series , and was replaced in the second series by Neil Morrissey as Tony. Enfield is a professed fan of opera and fronted
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3696-670: The Teenager ". A snobbish, upper-crust 1930s newsreel presenter (played by Jon Glover ). Miles Cholmondley-Warner ( / ˈ tʃ ʌ m l i / CHUM -lee ), with his manservant Greyson (Enfield), would expound on various issues of the day and attempt to uphold the British Empire 's values. In the second series of Chums , in the absence of Glover, this gave way to a series of public information films that would advise, amongst other things, that women refrain from driving and participating in complex conversations (as this would lead to insanity) or that babies be given gin to ensure
3784-610: The UK since about 2010, with Stewart Lee promoting the liberal, progressive values of the 1980s alternative comedy scene through his writing, live shows featuring veteran alternative comedians including Alexei Sayle and Norman Lovett , as well as a Comedy Central TV series showcasing a great variety of alternative acts, The Alternative Comedy Experience . Younger acts have banded together into groups dedicated to alternative comedy, including The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society and The Weirdos Collective . In New York City, much of what
3872-766: The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Chelsea in 1999. Four years later, in 2003, several performers at the UCB spun off their own theater, and formed the PIT. St. John also argues that one reason why unusual comics can succeed in New York City is that they don't have to tour part-time, as many of them also work as writers on local comedy television shows such as The Daily Show and the Late Show with David Letterman . Patton Oswalt cited Dana Gould as
3960-533: The ageing rockstar Gary Bloke. In 2002, Enfield was the first guest on the revamped version of BBC's Top Gear where he did a 2 minutes 1 second lap. He also appeared on the show on 23 November 2008. Enfield has also narrated various TV documentaries such as the Discovery Wings channel "Classic British Aircraft". In 2007, he played Jim Stonem in the Channel 4 series Skins . He reprised this role in
4048-561: The alternative comedy on the West Coast. He created The Comedians of Comedy tour, which played across the US in independent music venues intermittently from 2004 to 2008. The original tour was hosted by Oswalt, and featured Maria Bamford , Zach Galifianakis , and Brian Posehn . The Experimental Comedy Club in Perth , Western Australia was founded by Xavier Susai of Grassroots Comedy, during
4136-420: The brief piece of music that introduced these segments was "Calling All Workers" by Eric Coates , a piece that had previously been used as the theme to Music While You Work , a wartime and post-war BBC radio show. A pair of cruel and bitter old men, Fred and Alf Git (Enfield and Whitehouse), who only derive joy from inflicting misery on others. Even just the thought of upsetting or inconveniencing other people
4224-467: The camera and blowing two raspberries to the music of a brass band, standing still while the camera showed the upper half of his right side, then flipped to the left side, then simultaneously rotated and zoomed in before ending with a full body shot of him taking a quick drag from a cigarette hidden behind his back. The show ran for two series with this title in late 1990 and spring 1992. A Christmas special entitled Harry Enfield's Festive Television Programme
4312-463: The celebrity might misbehave, causing the brothers to become enraged at their own hypothetical situations. In the first series, the Doberman brothers essentially share the same personality, however in the second series George is portrayed as a straight man to Frank's increasingly psychotic outbursts. One sketch featured a cameo appearance from British Formula One driver Damon Hill , to whom Frank
4400-529: The character on former school contemporaries who had "plenty of money and good manners" but were "light of intellect". Tim's catchphrase is "What an absolutely, thoroughly, bloody nice bloke!" A notable scene was him going to a school reunion at the wrong school. The character appeared in TV adverts promoting British meat in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The adverts were pulled because of the 2001 foot-and-mouth crisis . The character returned as Tim Nice-But-Balding in
4488-534: The couple patronising another couple of similar age, desperate to convince the other couple (Pam's sister and her husband in a couple of sketches) that their greater wealth meant greater happiness or social importance, and their inability to accept the successes or talents of others as being noteworthy (such as the British couple they meet on a Spanish holiday who, fluent in Spanish, are dismissed as "showing off"). Unfortunately, Stan's determination to show off his wealth
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#17327726235344576-483: The father of Jack Whitehall 's character Alfie. In October 2014, Enfield and Paul Whitehouse returned to the characters of Frank and George in a sketch for Channel 4's testicular cancer awareness comedy show " The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night ". In August 2015, Enfield, alongside Whitehouse, in celebration of their 25-year partnership, presented An Evening With Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse . In 2016, he appeared as John Shakespeare , father of William Shakespeare , in
4664-429: The fictional radio station "Fab FM" (a parody of early 1990s BBC Radio 1 ), whose on-air rapport consists almost entirely of insipid observations, corny jokes, and gratuitous references to their charity work (which they pronounce as "charidee" ). Their musical tastes are also hopelessly outdated, with every sketch ending with Nicey playing "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive , usually accompanied by
4752-554: The film Acts of Gordfrey , which opened in UK cinemas on 27 January. He reprised his role as Martin in The Bad Education Movie , released on 21 August 2015. He appeared as Bill in the 2015 film Scottish Mussel . In 2015 Enfield and Jessica Hynes appeared as Mr and Mrs Jackson in a BBC film of the Arthur Ransome children's novel Swallows and Amazons . In 2022, Enfield appeared as Tony Blair in
4840-459: The first time in series 1 of Harry Enfield & Chums . A blond softly spoken TV doctor. He is often seen on a morning show couch, reading letters from "menopausal women" about their fantasies of him. He seems to take an unusually large number of showers per day. In one sketch he reveals he has been "struck off" as a doctor. A continuation of the "Little Brother" sketches in Harry Enfield's Television Programme , in which Kevin (Enfield) undergoes
4928-485: The forthcoming Kevin & Perry Go Large film, a clip show episode called Harry Enfield Presents Kevin's Guide to Being a Teenager was broadcast. The clip show format was revisited in 2001 with a series of six further Harry Enfield Presents episodes based around individual characters or premises. The episodes in the series were: In addition to the main series, the following Christmas and one-off specials were broadcast: Harry Enfield's Festive Television Programme
5016-436: The fucking work, because doing the work means you're making a commitment. Alternative comedy had a number of influences. It was a reaction against the mainstream stand-up of the day which took place in working men's clubs , and was characterised by unoriginal gags often containing elements of sexism and racism . Positive influences include American 'sick' comedians of the 1950s and 1960s, like Mort Sahl and Lenny Bruce ;
5104-620: The group made over 40 television films for both Channel 4 and BBC . Ben Elton , who had by then become the Comedy Store's next MC, was invited by Rik Mayall to join him as co-writer of BBC2's TV hit sitcom The Young Ones . It was then as MC of Channel 4's new comedy show Saturday Live that Elton found fame as a performer in his own right. As author William Cook noted, "After The Young Ones made him Alternative Comedy's hidden voice, Saturday Live (Channel 4) made him its most visible face." Comic and broadcaster Arthur Smith observed that "If Tony Allen, 'The Godfather of Alternative Comedy',
5192-487: The increasing prominence of alternative comedy is the Johannesburg Comedy Cartel, whose members include Shaun Wewege , Warren Robertson , Vittorio Leonardi , and Alyn Adams . Other South African comedians who fall into the genre include Dale Amler , Roni Modimola , Mark Banks, and Vlismas. Mel Miller is arguably considered one of the pioneers of the alternative genre in South Africa. During
5280-409: The legendary "Naked Balloon Dance" as well as his many shows and pranks at The Edinburgh Festival. Just about every major British stand-up comedian in the last thirty years started their career in alternative comedy clubs, including Ben Elton, Jo Brand , Jack Dee , Lee Evans , Eddie Izzard , Harry Hill , Peter Kay , Jimmy Carr , and Ross Noble . Alternative comedy has enjoyed a resurgence in
5368-450: The made-for-television biographical musical comedy film Prince Andrew: The Musical . In 2012, a likeness of his character Loadsamoney, named "Harold Lott", was released as a DLC skin for the game Killing Floor . Enfield appeared in some television commercials before becoming famous, including one made in 1987 for Tetley . Enfield's commercials include a series made in 1994 for Dime Bar . One commercial in this series had Enfield as
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#17327726235345456-621: The name of the character or sketch. Two uninteresting middle-aged men, Jeff and Geoff Bore ( Harry Enfield and Simon Godley), who frequently engage in dull and witless banter, revolving around bland topics such as their cars and local theatre, typically punctuated by obnoxious laughter at their own jokes. A vulgar parody of Doctor Dolittle (Enfield), in which he communicates with animals through verbal abuse and profanity. Two brothers (Enfield and Rupert Holliday-Evans ) with an irritating propensity for exaggerated double takes whenever something obvious or mundane occurs, such as having to queue at
5544-441: The name of their child, whom they eventually name Frogmella because "it's exotic". Later, another daughter is named Spudulika after Waynetta's favourite fast-food franchise Spudulike . A third child, which Waynetta calls Canoe (supposedly named after actor Keanu Reeves ), was born of an affair Wayne had with Naomi Campbell which resulted in octuplets. Canoe completes the family with the "brown baby" Waynetta always wanted (since all
5632-405: The newcomer is male and good looking. Their catchphrase is "Ooh! Young man!", which they repeat in an attempt to pass themselves off as "nice little old ladies", while comparing young men they encounter to male celebrities of their young adulthood ("You're the spitting image of a young Lester Piggott "). They also intentionally misinterpret comments made to them as being sexual and flirtatiously tell
5720-694: The number of gigs per week from 24 in 1983 to 69 by 1987. Meanwhile, another group of comics left the Comedy Store with Peter Richardson to form The Comic Strip and run their own "Comedy Cabaret" shows at the Boulevard Theatre, Walkers Court, Soho in October 1980. The Comic Strip, featuring double acts and sketch comedy, consisted of Manchester University and Royal Central School graduates Ade Edmondson , Rik Mayall , Nigel Planer , Dawn French , and Jennifer Saunders , who began to aim their talents at television. As The Comic Strip Presents ,
5808-470: The originator of the alternative comedy scene in the early nineties, who also cites Janeane Garofalo as another progenitor of the scene. Beth Lapides started the Un-Cabaret shows, which was the flagship of the alternative comedy movement. Other contemporaries of the scene included Bob Odenkirk , David Cross , Greg Behrendt , Andy Kindler , and Kathy Griffin . Oswalt was essential in pioneering
5896-438: The other mothers on the estate had one). The couple win the lottery and also win a holiday; but the aircraft crashes because they are so overweight, and they end up stranded in the jungle. The Slobs were derived both from one of Burke's stand-up skits and a couple with a similar lifestyle who lived in the flat below Enfield in his younger days. Dave Nice and Mike Smash (Enfield and Whitehouse respectively) are two veteran DJs for
5984-547: The pair's attempt to become professional DJs by travelling to the nightclubs of Ibiza and pestering their idol, the DJ Eyeball Paul, played by Rhys Ifans , while gaining love and losing their virginity. Enfield also appeared as King George VI in Churchill: The Hollywood Years (2004), a satire on Hollywood's tendency to change elements of history. In 2012, he starred with Simon Callow in
6072-426: The presence of Perry's parents, in contrast to his usual horrible behaviour. Kevin proved to be a popular character, receiving a VHS special Harry Enfield Presents: Kevin's Guide to Being a Teenager , as well as a feature film, Kevin and Perry Go Large , in 2000. A deliberate contrast, on Enfield's part, to show the opposite of "The Old Gits": Two lecherous old ladies who do not care who approaches them so long as
6160-460: The property was sold and the building razed. Eugene Mirman started a show called Invite Them up at Rififi, a bar in New York's East Village in 2002. The popular weekly show, co-hosted by Bobby Tisdale, never advertised or listed its performers. Comedians such as Demetri Martin , Aziz Ansari , Pete Holmes , Jon Glaser , Jon Daly , Reggie Watts and musicians such as Bright Eyes and Yo La Tengo all performed on Invite Them Up. The show spurred
6248-508: The roles in a series of adverts for Fab ice lollies , a special edition of Pick of the Pops on BBC Radio 2 in 2007, and stage shows. Whitehouse also reprised the character of Smashie for a Christmas playlist on UKTV Gold . An upper-class twit (Enfield) who is usually being ripped off by one of his "jolly nice" chums from his prep or public school days. He is an exaggerated version of "posh" yet pleasant and stupid people that Enfield knew. He
6336-462: The second series in 2008, and the third series in 2009. Enfield directed two episodes of Skins in season two entitled "Chris" and "Tony" in 2008. He appears often on mainstream television shows. His comedy series Harry & Paul (originally titled Ruddy Hell! It's Harry & Paul ) started in 2007. In September 2013 Enfield appeared in the BBC Three comedy series Bad Education as Martin,
6424-532: The seeds of the network of pub-based gigs that grew in the capital and across the UK throughout the 1980s. The new comedy got its own section, "Cabaret", in Listings magazines, first in City Limits followed by Time Out on 21 January 1983. Other organisations, comics, and entrepreneurs—including Maria Kempinska's Jongleurs and Roland and Clare Muldoon's CAST/New Variety—added more regular venues, bringing
6512-512: The sitcom Upstart Crow . Since 2016, Enfield has appeared as Prince Charles (later King Charles III ) in the Channel 4 sitcom The Windsors . In 2000, Enfield appeared in his first leading film role playing Kevin alongside Kathy Burke , who played the character's (male) friend Perry—roles originally created for Enfield's television series—in Kevin & Perry Go Large . The film charted
6600-700: The situation), be told "Thank you, Fat Bloke!", and walk off. In the first series of Harry Enfield & Chums , he would be introduced at the end of the closing credits by Enfield who would announce: "The show's not over until the Fat Bloke sings!" whereupon he would sing a song (ranging from " Lord of the Dance " to " Smack My Bitch Up ") in operatic style. A pair of Labour and Conservative MPs (Enfield) who live together and are unable to perform any menial household tasks without descending into petty and childish political arguments which usually have nothing to do with
6688-448: The task at hand. The final sketch featured a guest appearance by David Steel , a prominent Liberal Democrat MP at the time, against whom Freddie and Jack unite during a birthday party. Certain elements of Enfield's character were carried over into the later character Tory Boy . This sketch has become more dated than most due to Freddie's frequent references to the EEC . George (Enfield) is
6776-503: The third series of Harry & Paul , episode four, in a Dragon's Den parody sketch. He represents a city banker, and it is revealed that Adam Jarvis is his brother. Tim has many things in common with Prince Charles and was briefly engaged to a woman with a similar personality who has a strong resemblance to Diana Windsor. However, neither character was meant to be a direct parody. An infuriating know-it-all father who advised various people with both household tasks and diverse jobs, such as
6864-409: The victim off for saying it. As the series progresses, they begin creating elaborate plans to get men, which often involve abduction. Michael Paine is a self-confessed "nosy neighbour". Played by Whitehouse in the style of Michael Caine as parodied by Peter Sellers in his famous appearance on Parkinson in the early 1970s. The parody is in part based on Caine's character from The Italian Job ,
6952-430: The world and a dated taste in rock music. Gary, Barry, and Terry (Enfield, Joe McGann and Gary Bleasdale ) are three stereotypical Liverpudlians with incredibly short tempers, constantly challenging each other to fights over perceived slights and insults which they read into everything. They are also shown to be petty criminals, occasionally discussing their thieving and joyriding exploits, and in one sketch they rob
7040-509: Was all about, "Don't try it, man. Just go up and wing it." I think a lot of that comes from insecurity. It's that fashion of improv and amateurism that comes from the insecurity of saying to the audience, "Well, it doesn't matter if it doesn't go well, because I didn't even try that hard to begin with." It's like, "Oh, that's why you're not [trying]. If you actually tried hard and it sucked, then you've got to blame yourself." So that's what makes it hard for some people to sit down and actually just do
7128-421: Was being seen in a positive light, rather than as a satirical figure, and they had him run over during a Comic Relief Red Nose Day show while leaving the studio after presenting host Lenny Henry with "the biggest cheque of the night"—a physically huge cheque for ten pence. Enfield created " Tory Boy ", a character which portrayed a young male Conservative Member of Parliament (MP). In 1989, Enfield realised
7216-528: Was broadcast 24 December 1992. Smashie & Nicey: End of an Era was broadcast 4 April 1994. Harry Enfield & Christmas Chums was broadcast 24 December 1997. Harry Enfield's Yule Log Chums was broadcast 28 December 1998. Harry Enfield Presents Kevin's Guide to Being a Teenager was broadcast 27 December 1999. The following characters and recurring sketches appear for the first time in series 1 of Harry Enfield's Television Programme . In series 1, they are often introduced with title cards announcing
7304-415: Was broadcast on Christmas Eve 1992. A special, Smashie & Nicey: End of an Era aired at Easter 1994, which retired the characters of Smashie and Nicey. After the original series, there were a couple of radio appearances. During the period between series, Enfield concentrated on straight acting parts, and Whitehouse worked on other projects. Through repeats, the characters proved popular, and in 1994,
7392-448: Was home to a celebrated weekly alternative comedy stand-up series called "Eating It" from 1995 to 2005, co-created by Garofalo, which featured a changing line-up including Louis CK , Jim Norton , Ted Alexandro , Todd Barry , H. Jon Benjamin , Greg Giraldo , Patrice O'Neal , Patton Oswalt , Sarah Vowell , Mike Birbiglia , Marc Maron , Dave Chappelle , Roseanne Barr , Sarah Silverman , Janeane Garofalo , and numerous others, until
7480-403: Was known for its risqué humour proliferated by founder John Vlismas . The Comedy Underground was fertile development ground for alternative humour with its anything goes policy. Since its closure in 2010, alternative comedy has found new venues including Foxwood theatre , Picollinos, and various others. Johannesburg remains the home of South African alternative. One of the driving forces behind
7568-474: Was revered by several alternative comedians, and would become a regular fixture at The Comedy Store. Fellow MC Tony Allen broke the taboos of personal and sexual politics, while Keith Allen confronted audiences in a fearless series of "put-ons" and was a big influence on the early cabaret scene that was about to emerge. As these newer comics grew in confidence, Tony Allen and Alexei Sayle founded Alternative Cabaret , with other Comedy Store regulars. Their aim
7656-653: Was the theory of anarchic comedy, then Malcolm Hardee was its cock-eyed embodiment". Hardee was the much loved MC at the Tunnel Palladium, The Mitre, Deptford 1984-89 whose audience were famous for their vocal participation and wit. There he influenced the early careers of Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer , Simon Day , Chris Lynam , Martin Soan, Harry Enfield , and many others to whom he gave their first gigs. He also found fame himself as part of The Greatest Show on Legs , which had been started by Martin Soan, his part in
7744-543: Was to establish several alternative comedy clubs in London in addition to their flagship venue at the Elgin , Ladbroke Grove, from August 1979. Its core members were Jim Barclay, Andy De La Tour , and Pauline Melville , stand-ups who shared a background in radical fringe theatre. The pair also brought alternative stand-up to the Edinburgh Festival for the first time in August 1980 with "Late Night Alternative" at
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