UKTV Gold Orders ‘The Fast Show’ Retrospective Interviewing The Cast… And Their Characters!
UKTV Gold has ordered a retrospective for ‘The Fast Show’ which will reunite the cast of the sketch comedy series… but will have a twist. They will not only be interviewing the cast but also the characters from the show!
‘The Fast Show: Just A Load Of Blooming Catchphrases’ sees Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Arabella Weir, John Thomson, Simon Day and Mark Williams reunite to remember more than twenty-five years of a true icon of British comedy – and they’re bringing the likes of Swiss Toni, Dave Angel, Jesse, No Offence, Professor Denzil Dexter and Rowley Birkin QC with them. Yes, it’s not just the cast who will be interviewed, but many of the show’s best-loved characters will make their long-awaited return to TV screens, interviewed in all-new scripted segments to discuss their experiences on set, reveal behind-the-scenes gossip, and even share what they’re up to now.
“It’s 26 years since the first episode of The Fast Show went out. We didn’t manage to celebrate our 25th anniversary but we are marking it now,” commented Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson. “All the (remaining) contributors will be reflecting on their favourite bits and some of the characters will also be looking back at their time on the show. Join us, them, and all of your favourite Fast Show characters, sketches and catchphrases as we celebrate 26, yes 26 glorious years!”
Their comment about the “remaining contributors”, of course, references the loss of Caroline Aherne, who sadly passed away from cancer in 2016. ‘The Fast Show: Just A Load Of Blooming Catchphrases’ is commissioned for UKTV by Iain Coyle, head of comedy entertainment, and ordered by Gerald Casey, Gold channel director. Richard Watsham is director of commissioning, Steve North is genre general manager for comedy and entertainment. Executive producers for Crook Productions are Matt Crook and Adam McLean and it is produced by Victoria Thomas.
“The Fast Show is one of those shows, it’s a defining moment in comedy history,” adds Coyle. “No sketch show has come close to having its impact, in my TV life, and no show has come anywhere near to creating as many unforgettable characters.”
‘The Fast Show: Just A Load Of Blooming Catchphrases’ is the latest UKTV Original for Gold, following the smash-hit success of ‘Dad’s Army: The Lost Episodes’ and ‘Dial M For Middlesbrough’, alongside other scripted series such as ‘The Cockfields’ and the debut this month of ‘Sandylands’, starring Sanjeev Bhaskar, David Walliams and Natalie Dew.
‘The Fast Show: Just A Load Of Blooming Catchphrases’ will premiere on UKTV Gold later in 2020.
