Fast Show

"'The funniest thing on TV by a mile.' (23 December 1995 (BFBS))" The Fast Show was a comedy sketch programme broadcast on BBC2 between 1994 and 1997, with a one-off special, The Last Fast Show Ever in 2000. It was created by comedian Paul Whitehouse, who had appeared alongside Harry Enfield (see also Smashie And Nicey: The End Of An Era) and Charlie Higson, previously a member of the Higsons, who recorded five Peel sessions and were frequently played by JP. The cast of the show also featured Caroline Aherne, who subsequently achieved further fame as Mrs. Merton and as the co-creator of The Royle Family.
 * Whitehouse and Higson tried initially to sell the idea of an MTV-generation sketch show to ITV before being picked up by Michael Jackson, the new controller of BBC2. Each show featured a large number of short itmes, most relying heavily on repeated catchphrases from the frequently unnamed characters and none lasting more than three minutes.
 * Peel praised the show constantly, citing in particular the Chanel 9 sketches (which portrayed a low-budget TV station with presenters who spoke in a made-up language containing elements of Greek, Portuguese and Spanish) and Paul Whitehouse's music hall comedian Arthur Atkinson (reminiscent of Arthur Askey). John amassed a collection of VHS recordings of the first series, and Whitehouse was subsequently invited as a guest on This Is Your Life.


 * Footnotes