The Fast Show

I pity any American reading this, I truly do. Over here we get the absolute cream of the sketch show crop. An absolute masterpiece of comedy writing and acting. In America, the cream of the comedy crop is "Everybody Loves Raymond". Hah!

Some of the catchphrases in the Fast Show are so ingrained into the British national concsience that they are regularly used in just about every type of media outlet. "Football isn't it?" "You aint seen me, right?" "This week I have been mostly..." "Suit you sir!" "Schorchio!" the list goes on. What Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson have created here is legend. If there was a book on how to do great sketch shows, this would be the foundation.

The reason the Fast Show works so well is that it has found the balance. It's funny on the most basic level of physichal comedy and repeated simplicity for those who wish to switch there brains off for half an hour, whilst simaltaneously being sharply satirical and brilliantly observed enough to engage the more cynicaly minded viewer. The fact that Ron Manager, the football analyst now has his own column in a Saturday Sport pullout in the Guardian is a measure of what huge cult figures the characters have become.

So in conclusion I would just like to say:

Son terrenos el kleftikos den teflon do Fast Show est ter keles butros butros Gahli. Faliahala falihala faliahalay faliahala Chris Waddle. Ten deros muchos bonkos hinky sminky pinky meth-eth-eth-eth-eth-eth-eth-eth-eth-eth-eth Nelson Mandela win on penalties. Hava vin doros fendevicos Sheffield Uwednesdaye e hemeriodos ton fig leaf e six gerbils.

In other words

Brillllliaaaaaannnnnnntttttttttt!!!!!!!

I can understand why people can see the Fast Show as being simpleminded, or plain not funny and repetitive.

But that's just the point.

It's sketches, it's fast paced wit, it's not deeply intelligent humour. It's in your face comedy.

I especially like Bob Flemming and Clive Tucker. Bob:"I've got a tickle in my..." Clive:"ARSE!"

Also notable is Rowley Birkin who wilst only muttering and mumbling can actually tell you a whole story with a few audible sentences.

Ted and Ralph, as said before, do not rank as being humourous, but more as being lovable characters, although you can chuckle at Ralphs ineptitude in finding the words to say what's on his mind.

One that will also always stay in my memories is one with Jesse: He steps out of his door, looks quite bewildered and says with loud voice:"This week, I have been mostly eating..." slight pause..."PROZAC!"

It's a pitty that they stopped with this show, as for the fans, the highpoint has not yet been reached.

Any repeats are more than welcome!

The Fast Show is a sketch show, and as most such animals it doesn't always work. Some jokes are brilliant, some a bit thin.

The most characteristic ingredient of the Fast Show are its repeated characters and their catch phrases, like the car salesman who compares everything to "making love to a beautiful woman", or the guy whose "...which was nice" is the pinnacle of his emotional reactions. This device is perhaps a little overplayed at times (and the English soccer international Chris Waddle will curse them for that, since he will be remembered for the rest of his life as the catch phrase of Channel 9) but when it works it is extremely effective. My personal favourites are Jazz Club, a terrific satire on late night toffee-nosed music programmes; and also the bloke (played by Paul Whitehouse) who has no opinion of his own and agrees to every argument put to him.

Although this review may look rather mixed, the shows are generally unmissable because the good stuff easily outweighs the weaker moments.

The British lead the world in comedy by a long way. I love Australian comedy, but as far as consistancy, quantity and quality, the Brits have it all over us. The US, on the other hand, have so many poor quality shows, it's disgraceful. There are some gems, such as Seinfeld, earlier Simpsons, and The Tom Green Show, but all in all, there's a lot of cliched garbage. The Fast Show is a fine example of great British humour. There are so many great characters to enjoy- Monkfish, Dave Angel and Carl Hooper being some of the very best. Butmy favourite by far and away is Swiss Tony. The first episode I ever saw of the fast show, had 'the big O', Swiss Tony sketch. Then and there I realised that this was a classic show, and I haven't missed an episode since.

An American not familiar with this show, as I was, will probably compare it to SNL (Saturday Night Live).

However, there are four big differences. One, it's not live. Two, no music. Three, no guest stars. Four, it's consistently funny.

Anyone who has watched SNL will know that for every absolutely-roll-in-the-isle-genius-sketch, there are about ten poor ones.

These sketches range from the monotonous to the downright painful. Then there are the painful one-joke movie franchises (Wayne's World excluded).

Then I saw the Fast Show, while living abroad a few years. Each sketch was hilarious or memorable, and each character was inspired and sometimes even vaguely rounded.

The editors are intelligent enough to cut off one joke characters before five minutes of an painful, drawn-out sketch. In the Fast Show it is: character's on, cut to a new character, cut back, cut to a new character, cut back etc. Humor is mostly timing, anyway.

Imagine SNL with much better editing and consistently funny and that's what you've got here. It is disappointing that the talent in the show has gone largely unrecognized to this point.