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63-542: Melvyn Kenneth Smith (3 December 1952 – 19 July 2013) was an English comedian, actor and filmmaker. He worked on the sketch comedy shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones with his comedy partner, Griff Rhys Jones . Smith and Jones founded Talkback , which grew to be one of the United Kingdom's largest producers of television comedy and light entertainment programming. Smith's father, Kenneth,

126-481: A British street such as the red telephone box , the red double-decker bus or a black taxi which have been used as an establishing shot for London). Dressed as a constable when introducing Queen on stage at Live Aid in 1985, comedian Mel Smith undoes the chin strap before removing his helmet and shouting into the mic, "her majesty, Queen!" Helmets closely following the British model were widely worn by

189-541: A cast of recurring characters. In North America , contemporary sketch comedy is largely an outgrowth of the improvisational comedy scene that flourished during the 1970s, largely growing out of The Second City in Chicago and Toronto , which was built upon the success in Minneapolis of The Brave New Workshop and Dudley Riggs . Notable contemporary American stage sketch comedy groups include The Second City,

252-702: A children's TV programme ). Police Community Support Officers only wear peaked caps, which have a blue or grey band on them rather than the police officer's Sillitoe tartan to distinguish them from police officers. The standard equivalent for female officers is a " bowler " hat. This is shorter, chequered around the rim, and structurally reinforced to equal the custodian's protection. Uniquely, Staffordshire Police issues custodian helmets to all female constables for level 2 public order duties (and level 3 when requested). Other forces may allow individual female officers to wear custodians if preferred, but will otherwise issue them with bowlers or flat caps by default. Of

315-483: A custodian-style helmet from 1936 to 1958. The helmets were made of cork, covered with dark blue fabric, having on the front a silver PSP star ( six points star with the Portuguese Shield in the centre). The police constables serving as traffic guards ( Portuguese : polícias sinaleiros ) wore a similar helmet in cork covered with white fabric for use in the summer and in aluminum painted white for use in

378-568: A larger programme. In Britain , it moved to stage performances by Cambridge Footlights , such as Beyond the Fringe and A Clump of Plinths (which evolved into Cambridge Circus ), to radio, with such shows as It's That Man Again and I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again , then to television, with such shows as Not Only... But Also , Monty Python's Flying Circus , Not the Nine O'Clock News (and its successor Alas Smith and Jones ), and A Bit of Fry and Laurie . An early, perhaps

441-566: A major screen role. In America, perhaps his best-known film is Brain Donors , the 1992 update of the Marx Brothers film A Night at the Opera , starring Smith as a cheeky, opportunistic cab driver turned ballet promoter. Paramount Pictures considered this film the outstanding comedy of the year, but when the producers left Paramount for another studio, Paramount withdrew its support for

504-417: A number of spinoff films, including The Blues Brothers (1980), Wayne's World (1992) and Superstar (1999). The idea of running characters was taken a step further with shows like The Red Green Show and The League of Gentlemen , where sketches centered on the various inhabitants of the fictional towns of Possum Lake and Royston Vasey , respectively. In Little Britain , sketches focused on

567-746: A result, he agreed to sell Talkback Productions . On 31 December 2008, Smith appeared on Celebrity Mastermind whilst suffering from severe pharyngitis . On the morning of 19 July 2013, the London Ambulance Service was called to Smith's home in north-west London . Smith was confirmed dead by the ambulance crew, with a later post-mortem confirming death from a heart attack . He was 60 years old. Writer Director Executive producer Actor Writer Director Producer Performer Sketch comedy Sketch comedy has its origins in vaudeville and music hall , where many brief humorous acts were strung together to form

630-523: A review/revival of their earlier television series in The Smith And Jones Sketchbook . Smith joked: "Obviously, Griff's got more money than me so he came to work in a Rolls-Royce and I came on a bicycle. But it was great fun to do and we are firmly committed to doing something new together, because you don't chuck that sort of chemistry away. Of course, I'll have to pretend I like Restoration ." In August 2006, Smith returned to

693-632: A successful trial in Reading, whereas West Yorkshire Police announced that helmets would cease to be worn after 2015 because staff found them unsuitable for normal duties. West Yorkshire Police did, however, retain the helmets for use on ceremonial occasions. Lancashire , Cheshire and Gloucestershire Constabularies announced in February 2017 that as part of uniform changes their custodian, bowler and peaked caps were to be replaced by unisex reinforced baseball caps, known as "Bump Caps". A small number of

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756-507: A theatre production of Not in Front of the Audience . John Lloyd later gained the opportunity to develop the idea that became the satirical BBC television series Not the Nine O'Clock News . This was followed briefly by Smith and Goody (with Bob Goody ) and then the comedy sketch series Alas Smith and Jones , co-starring Griff Rhys Jones , its title being a pun on the name of

819-587: A white version of the custodian helmet until the 1990s, when it was replaced by peaked hats and more recently baseball caps. The white helmet was also used by the Samoa Police, who still make limited use of it. The Toronto Police Service discontinued regular use of the helmet in 1945 in favour of a forage cap but retains the white helmet for use by the Toronto Police Chief's Ceremonial Unit. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary currently uses

882-429: Is currently in use. The custodian helmet is an iconic symbol of British policing, still used by a number of metropolitan police forces, and I am delighted that they will be returning to the streets of Thames Valley. — Anthony Stansfeld , Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner , 2018. Thames Valley Police discarded the helmet in 2009 due to budget constraints but brought them back for use in 2018 following

945-437: Is made out of strips of fabric tape and foam stitched onto a plastic headband ; this is then inverted so that a modern-pattern chin-strap assembly and traditional leather chin-strip can be stitched on as well. The harness assembly is lowered into the helmet and secured with an industrial stapler . Depending on the helmet style, a broad plastic band, narrow black metal band, narrow chrome metal band, or broad chrome metal band

1008-557: Is the headgear traditionally worn by male police constables and sergeants while on foot patrol in England and Wales. Officers of all ranks in most forces are also issued a flat, peaked cap that is worn on mobile patrol in a vehicle. Ranks above sergeant wear the peaked cap only. However, some inspectors wear the custodian helmet, but with two silver bands around the base (to match the two pips worn as rank insignia) to denote their position. Claimed by some sources to have been based on

1071-587: Is then ready to be shipped on to an awaiting police force. A cultural icon, the custodian helmet has featured in films, TV series and other media involving British police. Often playing minor characters, in the UK they have appeared in kids shows such as Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends and Fireman Sam , television comedy shows such as The Benny Hill Show , The Young Ones and Monty Python's Flying Circus (the latter including " The Funniest Joke in

1134-409: Is wrapped around the helmet and pinned down, concealing the staples . For additional protection, a sponge liner is tucked into the helmet. Near the end of production, a hole is drilled on the front end of the helmet and an appropriate police helmet plate is screwed on. The helmet then is sized , cleaned, and inspected. Finally, the helmet is labelled and given a good brush to bring up the pile . It

1197-730: The British Transport Police and Metropolitan Police were equipped only with Custodian helmets, shields and batons. All police forces in England and Wales have their own "helmet plates" attached to the front of the helmet, most of which feature the county's coat of arms/crest or the royal cypher in the centre. Also, most helmet plates now feature parts with coloured enamel , such as the force name or crest. The additional of enamel to helmet plates started around 1985; most forces before this had plain metal ones with no or little colour. Some forces also used "night plates" for unobtrusive use at night-time, usually darkened apart from

1260-760: The Edinburgh Fringe with the Oxford University Dramatic Society . One year they shared a venue with the Cambridge Footlights , directed by John Lloyd . His extra-curricular activities while at university led to his joining the Royal Court Theatre production team in London, and then Bristol Old Vic . He was also associate director of Sheffield 's Crucible Theatre for two years. Later, he directed

1323-671: The Isle of Man Constabulary is white, rather than blue, and officers of the States of Jersey Police on duty in St Helier wear white helmets during the summer months. In modern production, hat makers take approximately 30 minutes to complete a single custodian helmet, all of which are made by only four companies: Hobson and Sons (London) Ltd; Christys, of Stockport ; Compton Webb (C.W. Headdress Limited), of Oxfordshire; and Helmets Limited, of Wheathampstead . The initial process begins with

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1386-602: The Upright Citizens Brigade , and The Groundlings . In South Bend, Indiana , area high school students produced a sketch comedy series called Beyond Our Control that aired on the local NBC affiliate WNDU-TV from 1967 to 1986. Warner Bros. Animation made two sketch comedy shows, Mad and Right Now Kapow . Australian television of the '80s and '90s featured several successful sketch comedy shows, notably The Comedy Company , whose recurring characters included Col'n Carpenter , Kylie Mole and Con

1449-463: The 1920s, except for night patrol work in Belfast and Derry until the early 1960s. During 2002, attempts were made by police forces in England to replace the custodian helmet. Some forces adopted baseball caps for a very short time, but almost all reverted to the helmet or peaked cap. Humberside Police have adopted a "squat" helmet which is considerably shorter than the normal size helmets. This

1512-706: The 43 Home Office territorial forces in England and Wales , 20 currently use the comb style, 18 use the rosetop style, and four use the ball style. Some forces wore spikes on top of the helmet, although these have now been completely phased out. Since the 1950s, helmets have no longer been worn by police officers in Scotland , but may be seen worn by Metropolitan Police officers when on Royal duties in Scotland. They ceased to be worn in Northern Ireland after

1575-565: The 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, 40 are currently using the custodian helmet. Both chin straps can be folded up inside the helmet when not in use for more strenuous activity. Most officers choose not to use the chin strap for day-to-day duties. All forces except the City of London Police , Hampshire Constabulary and West Mercia Police use the Brunswick star as the basis for their helmet plate. The helmet worn by members of

1638-575: The American television series Alias Smith and Jones . In 1982, he starred as the lead role in ITV drama Muck and Brass where he played Tom Craig, a ruthless property developer. In 1984, he appeared in the Minder episode "A Star Is Gorn" playing the character Cyril Ash, a ruthless and crooked record producer. He also guest-starred on The Goodies episode " Animals ". At the end of the 1980s, he played

1701-491: The Fruiterer . An early British example is the influential The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1959). Sketch films made during the 1970s and 1980s include If You Don't Stop It... You'll Go Blind and the sequel Can I Do It... 'Til I Need Glasses? , The Groove Tube , Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) , The Kentucky Fried Movie and its sequel Amazon Women on

1764-606: The Moon , and Monty Python 's And Now for Something Completely Different and The Meaning of Life . More recent sketch films include The Underground Comedy Movie , InAPPropriate Comedy , Movie 43 and Livrés chez vous sans contact . Many of the sketch comedy revues in Britain included seasons at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival . Since 1999, the growing sketch comedy scene has precipitated

1827-492: The World " sketch), and critically acclaimed films including The Ladykillers (1955), Hot Fuzz (2007) and Paddington (2014). Appearing as minor characters in international media (such as Mary Poppins (1964) and Sherlock Holmes (2009)), constables on foot patrol wearing their custodian helmet have also appeared in the background of shots to indicate a traditional British setting (much like other features unique to

1890-400: The centre, instead of metal "day plates". This practice had almost completely ceased by 1973. Police forces in the UK did not issue custodian helmets to Special Constables up until around 1995; however those forces retaining the helmet now issue them to all male officers. The traditional cork construction often led CID personnel to call their uniformed colleagues "woodentops" (the name of

1953-527: The company was sold to Pearson for £62 million. Dressed as bobbies , Smith and Jones introduced Queen on stage at Live Aid in July 1985, with Smith removing his helmet before shouting into the microphone, "her majesty, Queen!" Smith co-wrote and took the lead role in the space comedy Morons from Outer Space (1985), but the film failed to make much impact. His next cinema effort was better received as director of The Tall Guy (1989), giving Emma Thompson

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2016-648: The custodian helmet. Greater Manchester Police attempted to phase out custodian helmets around 2011/12 in favour of peaked caps. A few months later the custodian helmet was brought back and peaked caps were no longer issued to officers below the rank of Inspector. This meant that the custodian was the only headgear worn by constables and sergeants at that time. However, since 2017 peaked caps and custodian helmets have both been issued for use on patrol. Northamptonshire Police and Leicestershire Police both replaced custodian helmets with gender-neutral caps in 2017, but later reinstated them in 2019 and 2022 respectively. Of

2079-804: The development of sketch comedy festivals in cities all around North America. Noted festivals include: Custodian helmet#History The custodian helmet is a type of helmet worn predominantly by male police officers in the United Kingdom and within certain other places around the world. First used by the Metropolitan Police in London in 1863, the BBC labelled the custodian helmet a "symbol of British law enforcement". They are worn by male constables and sergeants on foot patrol. A cultural icon, it has featured in films, TV series and other media involving British police. The custodian helmet

2142-689: The film. In 1987, Smith recorded a single with Kim Wilde for Comic Relief : a cover of the Christmas song " Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree " with some additional comedy lines written by Smith and Jones. The pairing of Smith and Wilde was a comic allusion to the duo Mel and Kim . The song reached number three in the UK charts. The same year he appeared in The Princess Bride as the Albino. Smith and Jones were reunited in 2005 for

2205-548: The first, televised example of a sketch comedy show is Texaco Star Theater aka The Milton Berle Show 1948–1967, hosted by Milton Berle . In Mexico, the series Los Supergenios de la Mesa Cuadrada , created by Mexican comedian Roberto Gómez Bolaños under the stage name Chespirito , was broadcast between 1968 and 1973, creating such famous characters as El Chavo del Ocho and El Chapulín Colorado . While separate sketches historically have tended to be unrelated, more recent groups have introduced overarching themes that connect

2268-417: The front and a raised spine at the back, running from the bottom to the top of the helmet, which became known as the "coxcomb". The early Metropolitan Police helmet had a "garter" style badge on the front of the helmet which had the officer's personal number and divisional letter in the centre, backed by a leather insert. This was surrounded by a wreath design which had the words "Metropolitan Police" around

2331-489: The hamlet of Great Haseley , Oxfordshire , as well as a property in Barbados . Smith was hospitalised in 1999 with stomach ulcers , following an accidental overdose of over 50 Nurofen Plus tablets in one day, after previously admitting an addiction to sleeping pills . Smith said at the time that the pressures of film work were a contributing factor, along with a desperate need to ease the pain caused by gout . Partly as

2394-409: The helmet a distinctive centred, front-to-back seam . Moving down the line of production, glue is applied to both the inside of the fabric cover and the outside surface of the helmet shell, the fabric cover is then steamed and stretched tightly over the shell to prevent buckling . A wooden tool is carefully used to smooth away any air bubbles as well as to ensure the fabric cover is in full contact with

2457-545: The helmet and spread apart, so that if the helmet plate was hit by a missile, the lugs would not cause injury to the wearer. Although NATO riot helmets replaced the Custodians for public order, Custodian helmets are still currently used to control football crowds, and protests. As late as 2011 police used Custodian helmets for public order as riot gear was not available, for example during the London Riots in 2011 where

2520-433: The helmet for some officers (usually senior) and for special events. As well as in the UK, other forces currently using the custodian helmet include the States of Jersey Police , States of Guernsey Police Service , Isle of Man Constabulary , Royal Gibraltar Police , and Bermuda Police . The term "custodian" originated as a specific make of helmet used in Britain in the late-twentieth century. Because of this, "custodian"

2583-405: The helmet shell; excess fabric is cut away. Now halfway through production, the helmet is left to dry for several minutes. Once it is dry, black plastic piping is sewn around the brim of the helmet to reinforce it and give it a neater edge. For rosetop and ball helmet styles, the metal fastening prongs or screws of the chrome fixtures are dipped in chalk to mark their positions on the crown of

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2646-418: The helmet without any badge, others designed their own, usually with the county's arms or crest in the centre. A few forces adopted an Australian style bush hat and one wore a helmet constructed of straw. The "Home Office Pattern" consisted of a helmet with the Brunswick star badge (commonly known as a "helmet plate") which would feature the reigning monarch's cipher, with the name of the force imprinted on

2709-412: The helmet; holes are then drilled and the fixture is secured. For comb-style helmets, the crest, which has vent holes incorporated into the design, is also fixed by prongs or simply glued into place at the top end of the comb. For all helmet styles, two vent holes are punched on both sides of the helmet and fitted with black metal grommets , making a total of four vent holes. The adjustable head harness

2772-557: The late-1870s. During the 1930s, the Home Office attempted to standardise the design of the helmets with the "Home Office Pattern", after it became evident that since the Metropolitan Police had adopted it and produced their own badge, many small county and borough police forces followed suit and individually adopted their own style badges and designs, which led to many different styles and designs. Some forces adopted

2835-533: The making of the helmet shell using a vacuum forming machine and a metal mould . A sheet of black fortified plastic is heated and then lowered over the mould, where a vacuum pulls the plastic into shape over the mould. Once hardened instantly, a rubber mallet is used to release the plastic from the mould so that the excess plastic around the brim of the helmet can be trimmed with a bandsaw and sanded. The helmet's fabric covers are made out of water-repellent wool that are cut in halves and stitched together to give

2898-555: The mid-20th century, British-style helmets were in use with the municipal police forces of several Dutch cities, most notably The Hague . Some early uniforms in the United States police forces had variants of a helmet. The Pennsylvania State Police incorporated a cloth covered helmet, manufactured in England. The New York Police Department used a helmet, grey for summer and blue for winter from 1880 to 1912, as did several other American police forces . The helmet features in

2961-460: The outside and was topped with the reigning monarch's crown. This style changed in 1875, when an early version of the Brunswick star was adopted without the upturned brim seen in the previous style. There was much variety in the style of helmets during this period. The form of the helmets gradually converged with the "foreign service" and "home service" helmets adopted by the British Army in

3024-407: The plate. The top of the helmet had a "rose top", which was a raised metal rose, largely used as an ornament to cover the ventilation hole. However, this standardisation process was largely unsuccessful, with many different designs being worn by today's police forces nationally. Until the 1970s, and in certain areas the 1980s, the helmet internally had only a sweat band to allow it to sit correctly on

3087-455: The police forces of Canada , Australia and New Zealand from the late nineteenth century on. These were eventually discarded as being inconvenient to wear when in vehicles or providing insufficient protection from the sun when on foot patrol. The "bobby helmet" was replaced by a pith helmet for police in Victoria, Australia from 1947, as well by a cap. The New Zealand Police retained

3150-588: The required amount of publicity. The play was directed by Brian Gilbert and produced by Daniel Jewel . In 2006, he also appeared in Hustle as Benjamin Frasier, a pub landlord who was scammed by the Hustle team when his on-screen son Joey tried to launch a rap career. In autumn 2006, Smith starred opposite Belinda Lang in a tour of a new comedy An Hour and a Half Late by French playwright Gérald Sibleyras , which

3213-464: The shell of the helmet with a webbing-style harness to allow it to sit on the head in the correct manner. Two chin straps were added at this time, a thin leather strap for normal duties, and a "public order strap" which was made of thick material and included a chin-cup to securely hold the helmet on the head. As well as these changes, helmet plates were altered so that the fixings on them were no longer lugs, but were prong-type pins which were inserted into

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3276-761: The sketches within a particular show with recurring characters that return for more than one appearance. Examples of recurring characters include Mr. Gumby from Monty Python's Flying Circus ; Ted and Ralph from The Fast Show ; The Family from The Carol Burnett Show ; the Head Crusher from The Kids in the Hall ; Martin Short 's Ed Grimley , a recurring character from both SCTV and Saturday Night Live ; The Nerd from Robot Chicken ; and Kevin and Perry from Harry Enfield and Chums . Recurring characters from Saturday Night Live have notably been featured in

3339-559: The spiked pickelhaube worn by the Prussian Army , it was first adopted by the London Metropolitan Police in 1863 to replace the "stovepipe" top hat worn since 1829. In 1863, the Metropolitan Police replaced the previous uniform of white trousers, swallow-tailed coat and top hat in favour of very dark blue trousers, a more modern button up tunic and the early type of helmet which had an upturned brim at

3402-401: The standard beat duty helmet. The cork construction provided little protection against attack and thrown missiles. In order to provide more protection, the construction of the helmets changed. Visually they remained the same, but instead of being constructed of cork they were now made out of a very hard-wearing plastic material and covered in felt. Internally they were padded with foam fitted into

3465-573: The theatre stage after some 20 years, appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in Allegiance , Irish journalist and author Mary Kenny 's play about Churchill's encounter with the Irish nationalist leader Michael Collins in 1921. The play initially caused some controversy, with Smith proposing to flout the Scottish ban on smoking in public places, but the scene was quickly adapted after gaining

3528-450: The title role in the sitcom Colin's Sandwich (1988–90), playing a British Rail employee with aspirations to be a writer. In 1981, Smith and Griff Rhys Jones founded TalkBack Productions , a company that produced many of the most significant British comedy shows of the following decades, including Smack the Pony , Da Ali G Show , I'm Alan Partridge and Big Train . In 2000,

3591-503: The traditional headdresses were retained for ceremonial occasions. In 2006/7 Gwent Police and North Wales Police replaced all headgear in favour of baseball caps. In 2010/12 the two forces announced that peaked caps and helmets would return as baseball caps were seen as unprofessional and difficult for the public to see and recognise as police headgear. This change to revert to wearing helmets led to all forces in Wales to continue wearing

3654-537: The wearer's head, with a single chin strap. The helmet plate and either a "coxcomb" or "rose top" fixed to the top of the helmet, were fitted by pressing the metal lugs attached to the badges through the helmet and then having small matchstick-size pieces of wood pushed through the lugs to secure them. Other helmet furniture included a "ball top" and in some cases a "spike top". During the 1970s and 1980s, before specially adapted riot helmets were introduced, officers were expected to conduct public order and crowd control in

3717-457: The winter. While the general police constables' blue helmets ceased to be used, the white traffic guards' helmets continued to be used and become traditional. These helmets are still worn by the rare traffic guards that remain in the PSP of today. Jordanian police officers in some assignments wear a custodian cover topped with a spike and incorporating a cloth shade for the back of the neck. Until

3780-595: Was adapted by Smith. He then directed a West End revival of Charley's Aunt starring Stephen Tompkinson . From October 2007 to January 2008, he played the role of Wilbur Turnblad in the London production of Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Theatre . Smith was married to Pamela (née Gay-Rees), a former model, who grew up in Easington and Durham. The couple had houses in St John's Wood , London , and

3843-748: Was born and brought up in Chiswick . He was educated at Hogarth Primary School, Chiswick and passed his 11-Plus examinations. He was also a keen sportsman and played for two seasons in the Hogarth School football team. The first season he played under the captaincy of Gerry Francis , the future English international and England captain. He applied and went to Latymer Upper School , a now private school in Hammersmith . He studied Experimental Psychology at New College, Oxford . Whilst at Oxford University, Smith produced The Tempest , and performed at

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3906-640: Was born in Tow Law , County Durham , and worked at a coal mine during the Second World War ; looking after the pit ponies . After the war ended, he moved to London and married Smith's mother, whose parents owned a greengrocers in Chiswick . When the government legalised high street betting with the Betting and Gaming Act 1960 , he turned the shop into the first betting shop in Chiswick. Smith

3969-526: Was never an official or unofficial name for similar helmets worn in other parts of the Commonwealth. Certain Italian municipal police forces use a white custodian-style helmet, particularly in open air duties, such as when directing traffic. The Monaco Prince's Carabiniers Company use a white helmet in summer and a blue one in winter. The Portuguese Public Security Police (PSP) constables wore

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