{{infobox nerve | name

Abducens nerve | Latin nervus abducens | GraySubject 201 | GrayPage 899 | Image abducens_nerve1.png | Caption The path of the Abducens nerve| Image2 Brain human normal inferior view with labels en.svg | Caption2 Inferior view of the human brain, with the cranial nerves labelled. | Innervates | BranchFrom abducens nucleus | BranchTo | MeshName Abducens+Nerve | MeshNumber A08.800.800.120.030 | DorlandsPre | DorlandsSuf | }}

The abducens nerve or abducent nerve (the sixth cranial nerve, also called the sixth nerve or simply VI) is a “somatic efferent” nerve that controls the movement of a single muscle, the lateral rectus muscle of the eye, in humans. In most other mammals it also innervates the musculus retractor bulbi, that can retract the eye for protection. Homologous abducens nerves are found in all vertebrates except lampreys and hagfishes.

The human CN VI is derived from the basal plate of the embryonic pons.

"Abducens" and "Abducent"

The Latin name for the sixth cranial nerve is nervus abducens. The ''Terminologia Anatomica'' officially recognizes two different English translations: abducent nerve and abducens nerve. Either term is correct.

“Abducens” is more common in recent literature, while “abducent” predominates in the older literature. The United States National Library of Medicine uses “abducens nerve” in its Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) vocabulary to index the vast MEDLINE and PubMed biomedical databases. The 39th edition of ''Gray’s Anatomy'' (2005) also prefers “abducens nerve.”

Peripheral anatomy

The abducens nerve leaves the brainstem at the junction of the pons and the medulla, medial to the facial nerve. In order to reach the eye, it runs upward (superiorly) and then bends forward (anteriorly).

The nerve enters the subarachnoid space when it emerges from the brainstem. It runs upward between the pons and the clivus, and then pierces the dura mater to run between the dura and the skull. At the tip of the petrous temporal bone it makes a sharp turn forward to enter the cavernous sinus. In the cavernous sinus it runs alongside the internal carotid artery. It then enters the orbit through the superior orbital fissure and innervates the lateral rectus muscle of the eye.

The long course of the abducens nerve between the brainstem and the eye makes it vulnerable to injury at many levels. For example, fractures of the petrous temporal bone can selectively damage the nerve, as can aneurysms of the intracavernous carotid artery. Mass lesions that push the brainstem downward can damage the nerve by stretching it between the point where it emerges from the pons and the point where it hooks over the petrous temporal bone.

Central anatomy

The abducens nucleus is located in the pons, on the floor of the fourth ventricle, at the level of the facial colliculus. Axons from the facial nerve loop around the abducens nucleus, creating a slight bulge (the facial colliculus) that is visible on the dorsal surface of the floor of the fourth ventricle. The abducens nucleus is close to the midline, like the other motor nuclei that control eye movements (the oculomotor and trochlear nuclei).

Motor axons leaving the abducens nucleus run ventrally and caudally through the pons. They pass lateral to the corticospinal tract (which runs longitudinally through the pons at this level) before exiting the brainstem at the pontomedullary junction.

The central anatomy of the sixth nerve predicts (correctly) that infarcts affecting the dorsal pons at the level of the abducens nucleus can also affect the facial nerve, producing an ipsilateral facial palsy together with a lateral rectus palsy. The anatomy also predicts (correctly) that infarcts involving the ventral pons can affect the sixth nerve and the corticospinal tract simultaneously, producing a lateral rectus palsy associated with a contralateral hemiparesis. These rare syndromes are of interest primarily as useful summaries of the anatomy of the brainstem.

Clinical syndromes

Peripheral lesions

Complete interruption of the peripheral sixth nerve causes diplopia (double vision), due to the unopposed action of the medial rectus muscle. The affected eye is pulled medially. In order to see without double vision, patients will rotate their heads so that both eyes are looking sideways. On formal testing, the affected eye cannot abduct past the midline – it cannot look sideways, toward the temple. Partial damage to the sixth nerve causes weak or incomplete abduction of the affected eye. The diplopia is worse on attempted lateral gaze, as would be expected (since the lateral gaze muscle is impaired).

Peripheral sixth nerve damage can be caused by tumors, aneurysms, or fractures – anything that directly compresses or stretches the nerve. Other processes that can damage the sixth nerve include strokes (infarctions), demyelination, infections (e.g. meningitis), cavernous sinus diseases and various neuropathies. Perhaps the most common overall cause of sixth nerve impairment is diabetic neuropathy.

Rare causes of isolated sixth nerve damage include Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and Tolosa-Hunt syndrome. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is caused by thiamine deficiency, classically due to alcoholism. The characteristic ocular abnormalities are nystagmus and lateral rectus weakness. Tolosa-Hunt syndrome is an idiopathic granulomatous disease that causes painful oculomotor (especially sixth nerve) palsies.

Indirect damage to the sixth nerve can be caused by any process (brain tumor, hydrocephalus, pseudotumor cerebri, hemorrhage, edema) that exerts downward pressure on the brainstem, causing the nerve to stretch along the clivus. This type of traction injury can affect either side first. A right-sided brain tumor can produce either a right-sided or a left-sided sixth nerve palsy as an initial sign. Thus a right-sided sixth nerve palsy does not necessarily imply a right-sided cause. Sixth nerve palsies are infamous as “false localizing signs.” Isolated sixth nerve palsies in children are assumed to be due to brain tumors until proven otherwise.

Nuclear lesions

Damage to the abducens ''nucleus'' does not produce an isolated sixth nerve palsy, but rather a horizontal gaze palsy that affects both eyes simultaneously. The abducens nucleus contains two types of cells: motor neurons that control the lateral rectus muscle on the same side, and interneurons that cross the midline and connect to the contralateral oculomotor nucleus (which controls the medial rectus muscle of the opposite eye). In normal vision, lateral movement of one eye (lateral rectus muscle) is precisely coupled to medial movement of the other eye (medial rectus muscle), so that both eyes remain fixed on the same object.

The control of conjugate gaze is mediated in the brainstem by the medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF), a nerve tract that connects the three extraocular motor nuclei (abducens, trochlear and oculomotor) into a single functional unit. Lesions of the abducens nucleus and the MLF produce observable sixth nerve problems, most notably internuclear ophthalmoplegia (INO).

Supranuclear lesions

The sixth nerve is one of the final common pathways for numerous cortical systems that control eye movement in general. Cortical control of eye movement (saccades, smooth pursuit, accommodation) involves conjugate gaze, not unilateral eye movement.

Tuberculosis

15-40% of people with tuberculosis have some resulting cranial nerve deficit. The sixth nerve is the most commonly affected cranial nerve in immunocompetent people with tuberculosis.

References

Bibliography

Blumenfeld H. Neuroanatomy Through Clinical Cases. Sinauer Associates, 2002

Brodal A. Neurological Anatomy in Relation to Clinical Medicine, 3^rd ed. Oxford University Press, 1981

Brodal P. The Central Nervous System, 3^rded. Oxford University Press, 2004

Butler AB, Hodos W. Comparative Vertebrate Neuroanatomy, 2^nd ed. Wiley-Interscience, 2005

Carpenter MB. Core Text of Neuroanatomy, 4^th ed. Williams & Wilkins, 1991.

Kandel ER, Schwartz JH, Jessell TM. Principles of Neural Science, 4^th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2000

Martin JH. Neuroanatomy Text and Atlas, 3^rd ed. McGraw-Hill, 2003.

Patten J. Neurological Differential Diagnosis, 2^nd ed. Springer, 1996.

Victor, M, Ropper, AH. Adam’s and Victor’s Principles of Neurology, 7^th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2001.

Wilson-Pauwels L, Akesson EJ, Stewart PA. Cranial Nerves: Anatomy and Clinical Comments. Decker, 1998.

Additional images

See also

Sixth (abducent) nerve palsy

External links

()

Category:Cranial nerves

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Name	Vin Diesel
Birth name	Mark Sinclair Vincent
Birth date	July 18, 1967
Birth place	New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, director, producer, screenwriter
Years active	1990–present
Partner	Paloma Jimenez
Website	VinDiesel.com }}

Vin Diesel (born Mark Sinclair Vincent; July 18, 1967) is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He became known in the early 2000s, appearing in several successful Hollywood films, including ''The Fast and the Furious'' and ''xXx''. He founded the production companies One Race Films, Tigon Studios and Racetrack Records.

Early life

Vin Diesel was born in New York City, the son of Delora, a psychiatrist and astrologer. Diesel has Italian and black ancestry. He has described himself as "definitely a person of color" and stated that he is "of ambiguous ethnicity – Italian and a lot of other stuff". Diesel has never met his biological father, and was raised by his African-American father, Irving, an acting instructor and theatre manager. He made his stage debut at age seven when he appeared in the children's play ''Dinosaur Door'', written by Barbara Garson. The play was produced at Theater for the New City in New York's Greenwich Village. His involvement in the play came about when he, his brother and some friends had broken into Theater for the New City's space on Jane Street with the intent to vandalize it. They were confronted by the theater's artistic director, Crystal Field, who instead of calling the police, handed them scripts and offered them parts in the upcoming show. He remained involved with the theatre throughout adolescence, going on to attend the city's Hunter College, where his creative writing studies led him to begin screenwriting. Diesel became an active film-maker in the early 1990s, first earning notice for the short film ''Multi-Facial'', which was selected for screening at the 1995 Cannes Festival. Diesel has identified himself as a "multi-faceted" actor as a result of early difficulties finding roles due to his mixed heritage.

In an interview on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', he said that he changed his name to "Vin Diesel" while working as a bouncer at the New York City nightclub Tunnel, because in that business one's real name is not usually given out. The name "Vin" is simply a shortened version of "Vincent". He received the nickname "Diesel" from his friends who said he ran off diesel fuel, referring to his non-stop energy.

He has a twin brother, Paul, a younger brother, Tim, and a sister, Samantha.

Career

Diesel's first film role was a brief uncredited appearance in the 1990 film ''Awakenings''. He then produced, directed, and starred in the 1994 short film ''Multi-Facial'', a short semi-autobiographical film which follows a struggling actor stuck in the audition process, because he is regarded as either "too black" or "too white", or not black or white enough. He made his first feature-length film, 1997's ''Strays'', an urban drama in which he was self-cast as a gang boss whose love for a woman inspires him to try to change his ways. Written, directed and produced by Diesel, the film was selected for competition at the 1997 Sundance Festival, leading to an MTV deal to turn it into a series.

He was then cast in Steven Spielberg's 1998 Oscar-winning film ''Saving Private Ryan'' on the poignancy of his performance in ''Multi-Facial''. In 1999 he earned critical acclaim for his voice work as the title character in the animation film ''The Iron Giant''. He followed it up with a major role in the Business drama ''Boiler Room'' (2000) and then got his breakthrough role as the anti-hero Riddick in the science-fiction film ''Pitch Black'' (2000). He attained action hero super stardom with the box office hits, the street racing action film ''The Fast and the Furious'' (2001), starring opposite Paul Walker, and the action thriller ''xXx'' (2002).

In 2004, he reprised his role as ''Pitch Black's'' Riddick in ''The Chronicles of Riddick'' which was a box office failure considering the large budget. In 2005 he played a lighthearted role in the comedy film ''The Pacifier'', which became a box office success. In 2006 he chose a dramatic role playing real-life mobster Jack DiNorscio in ''Find Me Guilty''. Although he received critical acclaim for his performance, the film did poorly at the box office. Later that year he made a cameo appearance in ''The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'', reprising his role from ''The Fast and The Furious''. Diesel was originally offered the lead in ''2 Fast 2 Furious'' but turned it down. He was also offered the chance to reprise his role from ''xXx'' in ''xXx: State of the Union'' but turned it down as well. In March 2006, Diesel stated that he was working on a sequel to ''The Chronicles of Riddick'' which as of 2011 is still in pre-production stages.

In 2007, he was set to produce and star as Agent 47 in the film adaptation of the video game ''Hitman'', but eventually pulled back and served as executive producer on the film instead. In 2008 he starred in the science-fiction action thriller ''Babylon A.D.''.

He returned to the ''The Fast and The Furious'' series, alongside all the actors from the original 2001 film, in ''Fast & Furious'', which released in April 2009. In 2011, he once again returned, for the fifth film in the series, titled ''Fast Five''.

Personal life

Diesel is noted for his recognizable deep voice; he has said that his voice broke at around age 15, giving him a mature sounding voice on the telephone.

Around 2001, Diesel dated his ''The Fast and the Furious'' co-star, Michelle Rodriguez.

Diesel has expressed his love for the Dominican Republic, and how he relates to its multicultural facets. He is also acquainted with President Leonel Fernandez, and has since appeared in one of his earlier campaign ads. "Los Bandoleros", a short film directed by Diesel, was also filmed in the Dominican Republic.

Diesel claims that he prefers dating in Europe, where he is less likely to be recognized and where celebrities are not romantically linked to each other. He prefers to maintain his privacy regarding his personal life:

Diesel has played ''Dungeons & Dragons'' for over twenty years and wrote the foreword for the commemorative book ''30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons''. In the 30th Anniversary of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' issue of ''Dragon Magazine'', they examine the fact that Diesel played ''Dungeons & Dragons'', and reveal that he had a fake tattoo of his character's name, "Melkor," on his stomach while filming ''xXx''.

Diesel has a daughter, Hania Riley, born April 2, 2008, with his girlfriend, model Paloma Jimenez. Speaking to ''An tEolas'', an Irish newspaper, Diesel stated he has been seen as a hard man, but is in touch with his soft side as a father.

Filmography

Actor

''Multi-Facial'' ''Strays (film) ''Saving Private Ryan'' ''The Iron Giant'' ''Boiler Room (film) ''The Fast and the Furious (2001 film) ''xXx'' ''A Man Apart'' ''The Chronicles of Riddick'' ''The Pacifier'' ''Find Me Guilty'' ''Babylon A.D. (film) ''Fast & Furious'' ''Fast Five (film)

Year !! Movie !! Role !! Other notes
1990	''Awakenings''	Orderly
1994	|	Mike
1997	Strays'' ||	Rick
1998	|	Private Adrian Caparzo
1999	|	The Iron Giant (voice)	Animated
rowspan="2"	2000	Boiler Room'' ||	Chris Varick
''Pitch Black (film)	Pitch Black''	Richard B. Riddick
rowspan="2"	2001	The Fast and the Furious'' ||	Dominic Toretto
''Knockaround Guys''	Taylor Reese
2002	|	Xander Cage
2003	|	Sean Vetter
rowspan="2"	2004	|	Richard B. Riddick
''The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury''	Richard B. Riddick (voice)
2005	|	Lieutenant Shane Wolfe
rowspan="2"	2006	|	Jack DiNorscio
''The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift''	Dominic Toretto
2008	Babylon A.D.'' ||	Hugo Cornelius Toorop
2009	|	Dominic "Dom" Toretto
2011	Fast Five ||	Dominic "Dom" Toretto

Producer

! Film Title	! Year	! Description
''Multi-Facial''	1994	Producer
	1997	Executive Producer, Producer
''xXx''	2002	Executive Producer
''A Man Apart''	2003	Producer
''Chronicles of Riddick''	2004	Executive Producer
''Life is a Dream''	2004	Documentary, Executive Producer
''Find Me Guilty''	2006	Producer
	2007	Executive Producer
''Fast & Furious''	2009	Producer
	2011	Producer

Director & Writer

! Film	! Year
''Multi-Facial''	1994
	1997

Games

# ''The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay'' (2004) # ''The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena'' (2009) # ''Wheelman'' (2009)

References

External links

Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from New York City Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American writers Category:American film actors Category:American film directors Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American film directors of Italian descent Category:American film producers Category:American screenwriters Category:American stage actors Category:American voice actors Category:American video game actors Category:American writers of Italian descent Category:Hunter College alumni Category:Dungeons & Dragons writers Category:Twin people from the United States Category:Writers from New York City

ar:فين ديزل az:Vin Dizel bg:Вин Дизъл ca:Vin Diesel cs:Vin Diesel da:Vin Diesel de:Vin Diesel es:Vin Diesel fa:ون دیزل fr:Vin Diesel gl:Vin Diesel hr:Vin Diesel id:Vin Diesel it:Vin Diesel he:וין דיזל jv:Vin Diesel sw:Vin Diesel hu:Vin Diesel nl:Vin Diesel ja:ヴィン・ディーゼル no:Vin Diesel oc:Vin Diesel pl:Vin Diesel pt:Vin Diesel ro:Vin Diesel ru:Вин Дизель sk:Vin Diesel sr:Вин Дизел fi:Vin Diesel sv:Vin Diesel ta:வின் டீசல் th:วิน ดีเซล tr:Vin Diesel uk:Він Дізель zh:馮·迪索

)}}

Jimmy Wong is a Chinese American actor, musician, and filmmaker. He maintains the popular YouTube channel "jimmy". He is the younger brother of popular YouTuber Freddie Wong.

Biography

Wong grew up in Seattle, WA and then attended and graduated from Middlebury College in 2009. He now co-owns and runs Overcrank Media, a Los Angeles based media production company specializing in feature film and online video content, having produced an independent film titled Bear.

Acting career

Wong's prelude to acting began when he joined the Middlebury College Mamajamas, a co-ed acapella group, during his sophmore year. However, after singing for a year with the group, he decided to focus more on his capus band and left the group during his junior year. He didn't began his acting career until after graduating from Middlebury College and moving to Los Angeles in 2010. His most notable role to date has been as Fred Chu in the upcoming film John Dies at the End directed by Don Coscarelli. He has also been a host on Disney's Backstage Pass and starred in the XFX webseries Secret Weapon.

Musical career

Wong is best known for his musical retort to Alexandra Wallace's infamous vlog rant against Asian students in the library at UCLA which has garnered over 3 million views. He posts new music on his YouTube channel weekly.

Filmography

"Prism" "John Dies at the End"

Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
rowspan="2"	2010	''XFX Secret Weapon''	Robbie Yung
''Days of our Lives''	Process Server
	2011	|	Vadim
	2012	|	Fred Chu

References

Further reading

NPR: Jimmy Wong Saves the Internet

Songwriter Jimmy Wong On "Ching Chong" Viral Video Fame

A Racial Quarrel Inspires an Internet Balladeer

The Two-Way Blog

MSNBC Hardball Interview

Ching Chong Shot Heard Around the Social Media World

External links

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4136296/ IMDB Page

Category:1987 births Category:Living people

{{infobox television | show name

The Fast Show | format Sketch comedy | image | caption Front cover of the ''Ultimate Fast Show Collection'' DVD. | creator Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson | starring Paul Whitehouse Charlie Higson Arabella Weir John Thomson Caroline Aherne (1994–97) Simon Day Mark Williams Paul Shearer | runtime 30 minutes | num_episodes 25 | channel BBC |country United Kingdom | first_aired 1994 | last_aired 1997reunion special in 2000 }}

''The Fast Show'', known as ''Brilliant'' in the US, was a BBC comedy sketch show programme that ran for three series from 1994 to 1997 with a special ''Last Fast Show Ever'' in 2000. The show's central performers were Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Mark Williams, John Thomson, Arabella Weir and Caroline Aherne. Other significant cast members included Paul Shearer, Felix Dexter, Rhys Thomas, Jeff Harding, Maria McErlane, Eryl Maynard, Colin McFarlane and Donna Ewin.

The show produced two national tours, the first in 1998 with the cast of the BBC surrealist comedy quiz show ''Shooting Stars'' and the second being their 'Farewell Tour' in 2002. ''The Fast Show'' was loosely structured and relied on character comedy, recurring running gags, and many catchphrases. Its fast-paced "blackout" style set it apart from traditional sketch series because of the number and relative brevity of its sketches; a typical half-hour TV sketch comedy of the period might have consisted of nine or ten major items, with contrived situations and extended setups, whereas the premiere episode of ''The Fast Show'' featured twenty-seven sketches in thirty minutes, with some items lasting less than ten seconds and none running longer than three minutes. Its innovative style and presentation influenced many later series such as ''The Catherine Tate Show'' and ''Little Britain''.

It was one of the most popular sketch shows of the 1990s. The show has been released on VHS, DVD and audio CD. Some of its characters, Ron Manager, Ted and Ralph, Swiss Toni and Billy Bleach have had their own spin-off programmes.

Style and content

''The Fast Show'' was the brainchild of Paul Whitehouse and his writing partner and friend, Charlie Higson (who had previously enjoyed some success in the UK as a musician with the band The Higsons). After meeting through a mutual friend (Whitehouse's longtime flatmate, guitarist and writer David Cummings) comedian Harry Enfield invited Whitehouse to write for him and Whitehouse in turn asked Higson to help him out; soon after, Enfield got his break into TV with the series ''Harry Enfield and Chums'' and became nationally famous in the UK.

In the early 1990s Higson and Whitehouse worked extensively with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, writing for and performing in the series ''The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer'' and ''Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer'' (both of which Higson produced). These series also featured occasional appearances by future ''Fast Show'' cast members Caroline Aherne, Simon Day and Mark Williams. Higson made many appearances in minor roles, while Williams and Whitehouse had recurring roles (with Vic and Bob) in ''The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer'', parodying the members of rock group Slade in the popular "Slade in Residence" and "Slade on Holiday" sketches.

Inspired by a press preview tape of Enfield's show, compiled by producer friend Geoffrey Perkins and consisting of fast-cut highlights of Enfield's sketches, the pair began stockpiling material and developing the idea of a rapid-fire 'MTV generation' format based wholly on quick cuts and soundbites/catchphrases. After unsuccessfully trying to sell the series to ITV through an independent production company, Higson and Whitehouse approached the new controller of BBC2, Michael Jackson; fortunately, he was then looking for new shows to replace several high-profile series that had been recently lost to BBC1, and their show was picked up by BBC2.

Whitehouse and Higson, the co-producers and main writers, then assembled the original team of writers and performers, which included David Cummings, Mark Williams, Caroline Aherne, Paul Shearer, Simon Day, Arabella Weir, John Thomson, Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (of ''Father Ted'' fame), Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer and Craig Cash (who went on to write and perform with Aherne in ''The Royle Family''). Musical director Philip Pope was also an established comedy actor with extensive experience in TV and radio comedy, and had previously appeared in series such as ''Who Dares Wins'' and ''KYTV''; he also enjoyed success as a comedy recording artist as part of the Bee Gees parody group The HeeBeeGeebees.

''The Fast Show'' was a working title disliked by both Whitehouse and Higson but it went unchanged through production and eventually remained as the final title.

The first series introduced many signature characters and sketches including Ted and Ralph, Unlucky Alf, The Fat Sweaty Coppers, Ron Manager, Roy and Renée, Ken and Kenneth (The Suit You Tailors), Arthur Atkinson, Bob Fleming, Brilliant Kid, Insecure Woman, Janine Carr, Denzil Dexter, Carl Hooper, Ed Winchester, the Patagonian buskers, "Jazz Club" and the popular parody "Chanel 9".

Many characters were never given any 'official' name, with their sketches being written to give their catchphrase as the punchline of each sketch. Examples include "Anyone fancy a pint?" (played by Whitehouse), "You ain't seen me, right!" (a mysterious gangster-like character played by Mark Williams), "I'll get me coat" (Williams) and "Ha!", a sarcastic elderly woman played by Weir.

Other long-standing running jokes in the programme included the fictitious snack food "Cheesy Peas" in various different forms, shapes and flavours, in satirical adverts presented by a twangy, Northern lad (Paul Whitehouse) who claims, "They're good for your teas!"and has since become a reality thanks to UK TV chef Jamie Oliver . The dire earnestness of the born-again Christian was parodied in another popular group of sketches where various characters responded to any comment or question by extolling the virtues of "Our Lord Jesus" and ended the sketch with the exclamation "He died for all our sins, didn't he?" or something similar; and most controversially, "We're from the Isle of Man", featuring a stereotype of weird, surreal, townsfolk in a setting portrayed as an abjectly impoverished and desolate cultural wasteland.

Some of the characters resembled parodies of well-known personalities: for example, Louis Balfour, host of "Jazz Club" was reminiscent of Bob Harris of ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' and Ron Manager of football pundits Trevor Brooking and Graham Taylor. However, the parodic intent of this character is broader, and portrays how often football pundits have little to say of any real substance and sometimes waffle. Paul Whitehouse said that Ron Manager was based on ex-Luton Town & Fulham manager Alec Stock . Arthur Atkinson is a composite of Arthur Askey and Max Miller and Lord Ralph Mayhew is said to be based on film director John Boorman.

The show ended in 2000, with a three-part "Last Ever" show, in the first episode of which ''Fast Show'' fan Johnny Depp had a guest-starring role as a customer of The Suit You Tailors, after three series and a Christmas special.

The theme tune was "Release Me", a song which had been a hit for pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck. In the first series it was performed over the opening credits by Whitehouse in the guise of abnormally transfiguring singer Kenny Valentine. In subsequent series, the tune only appeared in the closing credits, played on the saxophone.

Major characters

The show featured many characters and sketches. Some of the more prominent recurring characters/sketches are:

'Unlucky' Alf, the lonely old pensioner living somewhere in northern England for whom nothing ever goes right. His hook is his resigned "Oh bugger!" as something terrible happens. He often predicts a bad event that is quite obvious, only to find something else occurs as he tries to avoid the first problem. (Paul Whitehouse, all series)

Anyone fancy a pint? A man (Whitehouse) who find himself in boring or bizarre situations, such as a dinner party where a woman is talking about how she was abandoned as a child and crying about everyone letting her down. Whitehouse then interrupts at the most insensitive moment asking "anyone fancy a pint?", before he and most of the men in the room leave. One early sketch featured Higson portraying an earnest claymation animator (a parody of Nick Park) who describes the animation process in excruciatingly tedious detail until Whitehouse's character sneaks away, whispering the punchline. According to the commentary in ''The Ultimate Fast Show'', Nick Park loved the sketch and sent copies of it to friends and family that year as a video Xmas card.

Archie the pub bore. Talks to people in the pub, and when they mention their profession, no matter what it is and however unlikely, he always claims to have had the same profession ("I used to be a single mother myself"), saying that it is the 'hardest game in the world. Thirty years, man and boy!' He has an obsession with Frank Sinatra, almost invariably steering the conversation towards the singer and weakly singing the title line of "High Hopes", after mentioning how he and his friend Stan fared on a recent fishing trip. (Whitehouse, series 3)

Arthur Atkinson, parody of 1940s music hall entertainers such as Max Miller and Arthur Askey, played by Paul Whitehouse, introduced by Tommy Cockles (Simon Day), himself a parody of presenters of TV history, especially Denis Norden (Whitehouse, all series)

Billy Bleach, tousle-mopped, interfering pub know-it-all who gets it all wrong, usually ending up with others losing money. This character starred in his own series, ''Grass'' which was shown on BBC Three, later shown on BBC Two. (Day, all series)

Bob Fleming, the ageing, incompetent West Country host of ''Country Matters'', who has an extremely bad cough. The character's surname is a pun on 'phlegm-ing.' (Higson, all series)

Brilliant Kid (possibly either a parody of British children's TV presenters or a 'take' on Alexei Sayle's commentary style in his one man TV show of the 1980s). In the first draft of the script for the pilot, the character was called Eric and was described as "a young Yorkshire man" but in the series he is never named. He delivers an edited monologue listing everyday things, all of which he declares to be 'brilliant!' or 'fantastic!' as he walks through a series of random backgrounds (filmed in widely varied locations ranging from the Tees Valley to Iceland) during which the quality and format of the images also randomly changes (e.g. from colour to b/w). In one episode it is shown that he isn't sure about whether everything really is 'brilliant' or not, and as he's walking through one solid background, an abandoned funfair, he debates with himself half heartedly ("Everything ''is'' brilliant...right? I mean...it might not be...nah, it is!") (Whitehouse, all series)

Carl Hooper, Australian presenter of ''That's Amazing'', a spoof of pop-science shows. Normally the person on his show was trying to pass off an everyday animal or object as something magical. The one occasion where a guest had a truly amazing story to tell was unbroadcastable due to the guest's inability to refrain from swearing excitedly while relating the tale (Day, all series)

Chanel 9, a low-budget television channel from a country known only as "Republicca", ruled by "El Presidente" who resembled a stereotypical Latin American dictator. Chanel 9 parodied the sort of programmes that British people end up watching on holiday around the Mediterranean. The stars, usually Paul Whitehouse, Paul Shearer and Caroline Aherne, speak a concocted language loosely based on Italian, Greek, Spanish and Portuguese, mashed together with nonsensical phrases (e.g. "sminky pinky") and incongruous English names and words (e.g. footballer Chris Waddle). Early segments featured the Chanel 9 news, read by anchormen Poutremos Poutra-Poutremos (Whitehouse) and Kolothos Apollonia (Shearer), followed by the weather forecast with meteorologist Poula Fisch (Aherne), invariably reporting a temperature for all locations of 45 °C (113 °F) while exclaiming "scorchio!" with apparent surprise. Sporting news was presented by Antonios Gubba - whose name is based on the commentator Tony Gubba - (Simon Day), seated at a much lower desk and talking with a low voice. Later Chanel 9 sketches consisted of several short segments, usually interspersed with parodic advertisements for the ubiquitous "Gizmo" a bizarre mechanical product which could be used with equal efficacy in the kitchen, garden or bedroom. Other Chanel 9 programmes, including a cartoon, a current affairs discussion, a quiz show, a soap opera ("El Amora Y El Passionna") and a variety series, were added in later sketches. Key catchphrases included the Republiccan greeting and farewell, "Bono estente" and "Boutros Boutros-Ghali" (the name of the then UN Secretary-General).

Chip Cobb, the deaf stuntman, a TV and film stuntman who, because of his hearing problems, always mishears his instructions and proceeds to carry them out wrongly before anyone can stop him, much to the despair of the film crew. (Thomson, series 3)

Chris the Crafty Cockney, claims to be an incurable kleptomaniac ("I'll nick anything, me"). He is left alone with something valuable and invariably steals it. Because of how up-front he is of his thieving nature, other people tend to believe he's joking. In one sketch, he even alludes to being an actual clinical kleptomaniac and involuntarily steals from his friend Dan after he trusts Chris to watch his newspaper stall, after extensively warning him of the risks involved in doing so. (Whitehouse, series 2–3)

Colin Hunt, unfunny and irritating office joker whose name gives an indication of his personality (Higson, series 2–3)

Competitive Dad, who is overcritical and demanding of his kids, and always has to get one up on them. (Day, series 2–3). Day explained in an interview that he had based the idea for the character from a man he noticed in a public swimming pool that challenged his two young children to a race. Day thought he'd let them win, but instead he took off and stood on the other end of the pool waiting for his toddler sons to struggle their way across the pool. He (Day) thought of it as "sick".

Dave Angel, Eco-Warrior, a classic Essex geezer who, despite his get-up and rather lavish lifestyle, is improbably concerned about saving the planet (though this is often undermined by his wife's behaviour), Mike Oldfield records, and swinging. A parody of a late-night magazine programme presented by Mike Reid. "Moonlight Shadow" by Mike Oldfield & Maggie Reilly is used as the theme tune to sketches featuring the character (Day, series 3)

Professor Denzil Dexter of the University of Southern California and his various bizarre scientific experiments, long-haired and highly laid-back. (Thomson, series 1–2)

The 13th Duke of Wymbourne, posh, rumpled dinner-jacketed, lecherous cigar smoker, reminisces about finding himself in wholly unsuitable places considering his 'reputation'. Based on the characters of Terry-Thomas. (Whitehouse, series 3)

Ed Winchester, an American reporter. He beams at the camera and says "Hi! I'm Ed Winchester!" in a very upbeat voice, before the camera cuts to another scene. In his last appearance in Series 2 he appears to have been cut off as he then mentions Jesus straight after introducing himself. (Jeff Harding).

Even Better Than That!, a slack-jawed, not too bright man who comes back from the shops with something ridiculously unnecessary instead of what his wife sent him for (Williams, series 3)

The Fat, Sweaty Coppers A squad of police officers who cannot do their job properly as they are extremely overweight due to their constant eating and drinking.(Thomson and Weir included, series 1-2)

Gideon Soames, white-haired, posh-talking architecture and history professor, possibly a cross between Simon Schama & Brian Sewell, with some elements of Bamber Gascoigne. Despite the serious tone of his speeches, the "history" of them becomes increasingly ridiculous. (Day series 2–3)

Giggly Woman, a woman who seems very confident until a man she likes enters the room, and then goes all childish, as if she fancies him. The character debuted in series 1 during a small segment in the credits, but only became a recurring character later on. (Weir, series 3)

The Historian, a jubilant, but emotionally imbalanced man who patrols the corridors of an historic boys academy alone whilst telling tall tales about former traditions both cruel and unreasonable. (Williams, series 3)

I'll Get Me Coat, a socially inept Brummie, who is unable to make any appropriate contribution to a conversation, and therefore disgraces himself with a faux pas before using the punchline and leaving (Williams, all series)

I'm not Pissed, a family - mother (Maria McErlane), father (Williams) and son (Day) - who are regularly pointing out that they are not drunk despite the fact they are taking regular swigs from gin bottles, beer cans etc. (series 2)

Insecure Woman, who appears in a variety of different locations, usually exclaiming, "Does my bum look big in this?" (Weir, all series)

Invisible Woman, who tries to converse with a group of men but is completely ignored, only for a man to repeat what she said and receive congratulations from the others for such a good idea. (Weir)

Jesse, a taciturn country bumpkin who exclaims his strange diets, fashion tastes and experiments, in a single sentence "This week, I 'ave been mostly..." - except for one sketch, where he said "This week, I 'aven't been 'ungry." (Williams, series 2–3)

John Actor, who plays Inspector Monkfish, the tough uncompromising cop who often exclaims to the nearest woman, "Put your knickers on and make me a cup of tea!" (Day, series 2–3). Loosely based on the BBC series ''Dangerfield''. There were variations on the show's format, two examples being Monkfish as a tough, uncompromising doctor in Monkfish M.D. and Monkfish as a tough, uncompromising vet in All Monkfish Great and Small. One Monkfish sketch even crossed over onto Chanel 9. Sometime between the end of series 3 and the last episode, John Actor died yet the series is apparently continuing in the manner of ''Taggart'' after the death of the lead actor.

Johnny Nice Painter, who is painting a scene and describing all the colours. Whenever he mentions the colour "black", however, he becomes more and more depressed, eventually going somewhat insane and shouting wildly about the despair of mankind, despite the best efforts of his wife Katie (Weir) to prevent him from doing so. His appearance is based on TV painter Alwyn Crawshaw (Higson, series 3)

Ken and Kenneth, two tailors in a men's formal wear shop, who bombard potential customers with sexually explicit innuendo about their private life, frequently interjecting the catchphrase "Ooh! Suit you sir!", much to the discomfort of the customer. They become confused and even frightened in two episodes; one when they get a customer who is gay, and another with a customer (played by Day) who is as willing to talk about sexual deviance as they are. (Whitehouse and Williams, all series)

Louis Balfour, pretentious and ultra laid-back presenter of ''Jazz Club'' (a parody of ''The Old Grey Whistle Test''), based on a blend of Bob Harris and Roger Moore. He also has a remarkable similarity to Geoffrey Smith, presenter of Jazz Record Requests on Radio 3. Seemingly having done his 'research', he introduces his guests by comparing them to avant-garde jazz musicians or describing their style/technique by using complex musical phraseology. These guests usually turn out to be utterly talentless 'experimentalists', much to his bemusement. His catchphrase "Nice!" was delivered by turning to a different camera for that word only. Later he delivered other words in a similar manner. (Thomson, series 2–3.) In the final series, a polar opposite, called Indie Club, presented by an obnoxious in-your-face Liam Gallagher type (Day) introducing what he describes as an equally obnoxious and rebellious group who are rewriting the musical rulebook, only for them to sing a wishy-washy cliché pop-song.

Luvvie an over-the-top thespian describes his character and mentions that he needs to spend hours being made up when he is actually done in a few seconds (Thomson, series 3)

Monster Monster, a vampire who creeps up to a sleeping woman and gives her betting advice (Whitehouse, series 3). The set-up is a parody of a scene from the 1922 German classic horror film Nosferatu, while the vampire's voice and catchphrase of "Monster, monster" are based on Eric Hall.

No Offence, a rude, orange-faced South African department store cosmetics saleswoman who has no qualms about informing women of their physical imperfections, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she looks like a dried-out old orange herself. (Weir, series 3)

"Our" Janine Carr, teenage mum with a unique world outlook. She refuses to reveal who the father of her baby is because "it's not fair to grass on your headmaster" (Aherne, series 1–2)

The Offroaders, Simon and Lindsey, despite their unusually high confidence and esteem, are useless at their hobby ("sorted!", "gripped!"). (Higson and Whitehouse, all series)

Patrick Nice, a man who tells far-fetched, sometimes odd stories followed by him calmingly saying his catchphrase, "Which was nice." (Williams, series 2–3)

Prawn Sandwich Man, a man who seems to talk a lot about football as if a true Arsenal supporter, but makes it glaringly obvious he knows nothing about the game (Thomson, series 3)

Ron Manager, a football commentator who speaks in incoherent sentence fragments on randomly divergent trains of thought. He usually appears with interviewer (Day) and fellow commentator Tommy (Williams), and whenever a question is posed to Tommy, Ron Manager often begins one of his nonsensical train-of-thoughts based on one of the words or names in the question. Based on former football manager from the 60s and 70s, Alec Stock. (Whitehouse, all series)

Rowley Birkin QC, a retired barrister, tells mostly unintelligible stories at the fireside. Occasionally, his speech becomes coherent for a short while, containing strange phrases such as "The whole thing was made completely out of matchsticks" or "Snake! Snake!". Almost always ends his stories with a sly "I'm afraid I was very, very drunk!" In the final episode of series 2, his rambling anecdote appeared to involve a woman for whom he had great affection and ended with a close-up of faint tears on his cheeks, while the usual "very drunk" line was delivered in an unexpectedly moving, sorrowful voice. (Whitehouse, series 2–3). The character is reprised as a working barrister in the spin-off feature ''Ted and Ralph''. Whitehouse revealed on the UK chatshow ''Parkinson'' that the character was based on Andrew Rollo whom he met on a fishing trip to Iceland; Rollo appeared in the Fast Show documentary, which revealed how closely Rowley's speech resembled that of his real-life inspiration. At the end of a Christmas episode the caption revealed that he died. "Rowley Birkin QC 1918 - 2000".

Roy & Renée, endless chattering from Renée and her quiet, submissive husband Roy, whom she expects to meekly agree with everything she says. Roy always embarrasses her at the end of every sketch, after which he gets a stinging reprimand from his wife. She makes her last appearance in the show during the 1996 Christmas Special, when Roy's mother finally gives in to holding back the resentment towards Renée's smug attitude. (Thomson and Aherne, series 1–2)

The Shags, a child-less couple who are seen in the midst of very graphic sexual intercourse, much to the discomfort of their neighbours. Among other things they were seen at it in a tent in a sports shop, in a tree in the park and even on a bed being carried by removal men as they moved into the neighbourhood.

Swiss Toni, a car salesman who compares everything to seducing and making love to a beautiful woman, usually in the presence of his bemused trainee Paul (Rhys Thomas). This was also the title of a short-lived spin-off sitcom, featuring Toni in the car dealership which he worked. Swiss is the only non-original character in the show. He had previously appeared in the second series of The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer in 1995, which was produced by Higson and featured cameos from many members of The Fast Show. (Higson, series 3)

Ted & Ralph – country squire Lord Ralph Mayhew attempts to strike-up an intimate relationship with his introverted Irish estate worker Ted, by way of subtle romantic/erotic subtexts in his conversations with him (Whitehouse and Higson, all series). This was also the title of a one-off, hour-long spin-off feature, reprising the characters, with cameos from a few other characters as well.

"You ain't seen me: right?" - An unknown traveller who is probably a criminal who says "You ain't seen me: right?" to some minor characters in the show and sometimes the viewer of the show. He comes up in the show in various locations and is at one point on Chanel 9 Neus sitting in the sports reporter's seat. He is also seen in the background when the "Brilliant" Kid walks past talking about the usual things.

Inept Zookeeper - a zookeeper who is frightened and/or disgusted by virtually every aspect of his job (cleaning up elephant dung, feeding the penguins, etc.) and is thus rendered unable to perform his tasks properly. (Williams, series 3)

In popular culture

When the programme was shown on BBC America it was renamed 'Brilliant' to avoid confusion with an American programme of the same name.

Arabella Weir later turned Insecure Woman into Jackie Payne, heroine of her novel ''Does My Bum Look Big in This''?

An American journalist called Ed Winchester was part of NBC's team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. BBC reporter John Inverdale got him to say, 'Hi, I'm Ed Winchester' during rowing coverage on 11 August.

In ''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'', when Jack Sparrow is talking to the two soldiers and comments "And then they made me their chief", he is quoting Rowley Birkin. In the scene where Jack Sparrow is first captured by the pirates, he attempts to leave, saying "I'll get me coat", but this was later cut and can be found in the deleted scenes. He also repeatedly quotes Unlucky Alf by saying "Bugger". Johnny Depp is a fan of the show and had a cameo role as a customer browsing the Suit You tailors shop in the farewell special .

In 2009, the Scottish rock band Carnivores released the single 'John Actor Is Monkfish' in reference to the many faces of John Actor.

In 2010, chef Jamie Oliver advertised his forthcoming cookery series (examining the cuisine of several European/Mediterranean countries) speaking in the made-up language used by Chanel 9 news.

Filming locations

Unusually for a sketch show, a significant proportion of ''The Fast Show'' was shot externally. During the early series much of this filming was done around the Tees Valley, Yorkshire Dales and Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East of England. Locations include:

Ashington, Northumberland – at least two scenes involving Unlucky Alf and one involving Brilliant Kid were filmed on Station Road.

Aske Hall – Background in early Ted & Ralph scenes

Darlington – 'The Running Family' were shown around various locations in the town centre, including The Cornmill Centre. Darlington was the childhood home of Jim Moir (Vic Reeves) whose longterm comedy partner Bob Mortimer was one of the writers. The Cornmill and The High Street with scenes involving Brilliant Kid.

Durham – The market place with scenes involving Brilliant Kid

Hartlepool – One Unlucky Alf scene saw him sat in the empty Rink End Stand of Hartlepool United's ground, Victoria Park. Also, one Ed Winchester scene is in front of the Mill House Stand. Some of the Brilliant Kid scenes were also fimed at nearby Seal Sands.

Keld, North Yorkshire – The campsite used in a Dave Angel scene

Langley Park – Railway Street is used in Unlucky Alf scenes

Middlesbrough – docks used in 'hard of hearing stuntman' scenes, scene on Transporter Bridge as well as the Riverside Stadium

Newcastle upon Tyne – including the 'Shore Leave' sketch, the scene where Chris the Crafty Cockney steals the woman's suitcases (shot in Newcastle Central station), and some of the Sir Geoffrey Norman MP sketches, such as the one where he is pulled over by a policeman for speeding and the one where he refuses to pay the taxi driver after getting out of the car (shot outside the main entrance to Newcastle Central station), one Ed Winchester scene is near Monument station. One scene from the Brilliant Kid showed him in Exhibition Park in Newcastle upon Tyne. Many scenes involving Janine Carr, filmed in greyscale, used the backdrop of the concrete flyover and underpasses of the junction of the A167(M) and the B1318 of the Great North Road in Jesmond. A few scenes were filmed inside the Newcastle City Library (which has now been demolished and a new Library building has replaced it).

Richmond – The market place in Ted & Ralph's trip to the shops

Scotch Corner – Garage used in Swiss Toni's early scenes

Seaton Carew - One "You ain't seen me right?" scene sees the main character sat on a child's ride in one of the seafront amusement arcades.

The Spanish City, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear – a number of scenes involving Brilliant Kid

Stockton On Tees, Swiss Toni scenes, filmed at a car showroom on Norton Road.

Also for the third series the production extended abroad:

Iceland – Scenes with Brilliant Kid and Billy Bleach were shot with volcanic landscapes, waterfalls and hot springs in the background.

Where are the cast now?

Paul Whitehouse has appeared in two successful sitcoms since the end of the show, performed in the third Harry Potter film (although his role was cut), and voiced characters in the Tim Burton films ''Corpse Bride'' and ''Alice in Wonderland''. He also appeared in the BBC sketch show ''Harry and Paul'', starring alongside Harry Enfield once again.

Charlie Higson has continued to work as an award-winning author (having written a series of "Young Bond" spy novels), starred in the ''Fast Show'' spin-off sitcom ''Swiss Toni'', and remains enthusiastic about the show's success.

Caroline Aherne quit The ''Fast Show'' after the third series. With her then partner Craig Cash she co-created, co-wrote and co-starred in the BAFTA-award winning BBC comedy series ''The Royle Family'', which premiered in 1998. Her struggles with clinical depression and alcoholism have been widely covered in the UK tabloid press, and after the end of her relationship with Cash she briefly moved to Australia and announced that she would no longer appear on television. She has largely shunned the limelight and has made few TV appearances since 2000 but she returned to television comedy in October 2006, co-writing and starring in a one-off special episode of ''The Royle Family'', followed by three others annually from 2008 to 2010.

Arabella Weir co-starred in the 2003 comedy mini-series ''Posh Nosh'' with Richard E. Grant, continues to appear on the show ''Grumpy Old Women'' and has written two novels.

Simon Day appears in Powergen adverts as a decidedly Dave Angel, Eco-Warrior-like character. He has also appeared in ''Fast Show'' spin-offs ''Grass'' (featuring Billy Bleach) and ''Swiss Toni'', and also made an appearance in ''Run Fatboy Run''. He has recently appeared with Paul Whitehouse in the comedy show ''Harry and Paul''.

John Thomson continues to appear on British television, including major roles in ''Blackpool'' and ''Cold Feet''. He stated in October 2005 that he longed for a ''Fast Show'' movie. He is currently appearing in popular soap opera ''Coronation Street'' as a love interest for Eileen Grimshaw. In 2009, he appeared in 'Big Top' which was screened on BBC One, playing a clown.

Mark Williams has become internationally known thanks to his recurring role as Arthur Weasley in the ''Harry Potter'' films. He continues to act and write his own material and has presented a documentary series titled ''Mark Williams' Big Bangs'' on the history of explosives, a follow-on to previous series ''Mark Williams on the Rails'', and ''Industrial Revelations''.

in 2000 Charlie Higson, Arabella Weir, Simon Day and Fast Show supporting cast members Rhys Thomas (Paul in the Swiss Toni sketches) and Tony Way were reunited in the "Paranoia" episode of ''Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)'', starring Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer

''Down the Line''

In 2006, Higson and Whitehouse produced and starred in ''Down the Line'', a spoof phone-in show for BBC Radio 4. The show also featured many of the regular ''Fast Show'' cast, including Simon Day, Arabella Weir, Rhys Thomas and Felix Dexter. Further series were broadcast in 2007, 2008 and 2011. A follow-on TV series, Bellamy's People, was broadcast in 2010.

The future

Speaking on the BBC Two show ''Something for the Weekend'' on 9 September 2007, Higson mentioned the upcoming DVD boxed set release and that a reunion of some sort to help promote it was being considered. This took place at The Dominion Theatre in London on Sunday 4 November, and was a collection of some new sketches, videos of cast favourites and performances of classic sketches (including the return of Ed Winchester). An announcement was made on stage by Charlie Higson that the cast had signed with the BBC for a new series of 'The Fast Show', but this was an elaborate set-up for a sketch featuring Unlucky Alf; the claim was withdrawn at the end of the evening by Higson. In addition he and Whitehouse were working on a film script which would feature the Fast Show team, but wouldn't have any of the characters from the show.

DVDs

Numerous ''Fast Show'' DVDs are available including :

''The Fast Show : Series 1'' (includes cast interviews with Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Arabella Weir and Mark Williams)

''The Fast Show : Series 2''

''The Fast Show : Series 3 and 1996 Christmas Special''

''The Fast Show : The Last Fast Show Ever, Part One''

''The Fast Show Live''

''The Fast Show Farewell Tour''

A 7 DVD box set, ''The Ultimate Fast Show Collection'', was released in the UK on 5 November 2007, which compiled nearly all their material, except the two live DVD releases and their spin-off series/specials.

''You Ain't Seen These, Right!''

''You Ain't Seen These, Right!'' was a one-off programme, shown during BBC Two's ''Fast Show Night'', featuring various sketches which were filmed but did not make it onto the final show. Some of these were:

An ensemble series of sketches made by the whole male team, as members of a golf club, in which Charlie Higson's character was dating a beautiful young woman. The rest of the team are initially dismissive of him as a sad old man, but cannot help gawking over her, until Paul Whitehouse's character blurts out to her similarly young and attractive friend "Can I come over your tits?"

A chain-smoking car driver played by Mark Williams who rants about anything and everything through his wound-down window. A study of road rage. "Shoe shop?! Shoe Shop?!". He drives around in Harlesden, London.

A medieval king played by Simon Day, who 'loves being king' because he gets to boss everyone about.

A middle aged man, played by John Thomson, who always finds an excuse to leave the room as soon as the conversation gets round to "women's things."

A Paul Whitehouse character who responds to almost every question, accusation and situation with the phrase "Sorry, but I was up all night, shagging."

These sketches are included in the UK edition of the boxed VHS videotape set of Series 3, and also on the 7 disc Ultimate Fast Show DVD box set.

References

External links

Category:1994 in British television Category:1994 British television programme debuts Category:2000 British television programme endings Category:1990s British television series Category:2000s British television series Category:BBC television comedy Category:British television sketch shows Category:The Fast Show

nl:The Fast Show no:The Fast Show fi:Ruuvit löysällä (televisiosarja) vls:The Fast Show

name	Richard Roeper
birth date	October 17, 1959
birth place	Chicago, Illinois
occupation	Film critic, journalist
nationality	American
subject	Film
website	http://www.richardroeper.com/ }}

Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American columnist and film critic for ''The Chicago Sun-Times'' and now a co-host on ''The Roe Conn Show'' on WLS-AM. He co-hosted the television series ''At the Movies'' with Roger Ebert from 2000–2008, as the late Gene Siskel's replacement.

Early life

Roeper was born in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised in south suburban Dolton, Illinois. He attended Thornridge High School and graduated from Illinois State University in 1982.

Career

Roeper began working as a columnist for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' in 1987. The topics of his columns range from politics to media to entertainment. He has written seven books, on topics from movies to urban legends to conspiracy theories to the Chicago White Sox. In 2009 Roeper appeared on Howard Stern's show and said he had written a book on gambling, entitled ''Bet the House'', which was released in the first quarter of 2010.

Roeper also was a radio host on WLS AM 890 in Chicago. He also hosted shows on WLUP-FM, WLS-FM and WMVP-AM in Chicago. He won three Emmy awards for his news commentaries on Fox in the 1990s, and was the film critic for CBS in Chicago for three years in the early 2000s. He won the National Headliner Award as the top newspaper columnist in the country in 1992, and has been voted best columnist in Illinois by the Associated Press on numerous occasions.

His columns have been syndicated by the New York Times to publications around the world. Roeper has written for a number of magazines, including ''Esquire'', ''Spy'', ''TV Guide'', ''Playboy'', ''Maxim'' and ''Entertainment Weekly''. He was once named as one of People magazine's most eligible bachelors.

Roeper has been a frequent guest on the ''Tonight Show'', ''Live with Regis and Kelly'', ''The O'Reilly Factor'' and countless other national programs. He is currently the host of ''Starz Inside'', a monthly documentary series airing on the Starz network since the fall of 2007. Roeper appeared on the first episode of the fifth season of Entourage reviewing the fake movie ''Medellin'' starring fictional movie star Vincent Chase. In April 2008, Roeper was the central figure on an episode of ''Top Chef'', in which the contestants served up movie themed dishes to Roeper and his friends, including Aisha Tyler.

In February 2009, Roeper launched his own web site, , which features movie reviews, blog entries about politics, sports and movies, photos and Twitter entries. For most of the year Roeper was posting print reviews and blog entries. In December 2009, he launched a video section, with on-camera reviews of movies. The video segments are produced in partnership with the Starz premium cable channel. Roeper announced the reviews will appear first on his site, then on the Starz channel.

In December 2009, it was reported Roeper had signed a "six-figure" deal with ReelzChannel to be a regular contributor. He will continue to review movies online for his website and for Starz.

As of Monday, April 12, 2010, he is now the co-host of ''The Roe Conn Show'' on Chicago's WLS-AM 890 radio station from 2-6pm CST.

Work as a film critic

After Gene Siskel of ''Siskel & Ebert'' died on Saturday, February 20, 1999, Roger Ebert did the show with nearly 30 co-hosts. After 10 guest stints, Roeper was offered the opportunity to permanently co-host the popular film review show with Ebert. The series was renamed ''Ebert & Roeper at the Movies'' in 2000, and shortened to ''Ebert & Roeper'' in 2002.

Beginning in August 2006, while his co-host Roger Ebert was recovering from cancer surgery, Roeper was joined by guest critics, including ''Clerks'' director Kevin Smith and ''The Tonight Show'' host Jay Leno. On Sunday, July 20, 2008, Roeper announced he was leaving the show in mid-August and would return with a new show later in the year. He continues to write his general interest column, and also contributes reviews to the ''Sun-Times'' and to newspapers across the country.

Bibliography

''He Rents, She Rents: The Ultimate Guide to the Best Women's Films and Guy Movies'', with Laurie Viera (1999)

''Hollywood Urban Legends: The Truth Behind All Those Delightfully Persistent Myths of Films, Television, and Music '' (2001)

''Urban Legends: The Truth Behind All Those Deliciously Entertaining Myths That Are Absolutely, Positively, 100% Not True'' (2001)

''Ten Sure Signs a Movie Character is Doomed, and Other Surprising Movie Lists'' (2003)

''Schlock Value: Hollywood At Its Worst'' (2005)

''Sox and the City: A Fan's Love Affair with the White Sox from the Heartbreak of '67 to the Wizards of Oz'' (2006)

''Debunked!: Conspiracy Theories, Urban Legends, and Evil Plots of the 21st Century'' (2008)

''Bet the House: How I Gambled Over a Grand a Day for 30 Days on Sports, Poker, and Games of Chance'' (2010)

References

External links

Biography from TV Tome

Category:American columnists Category:American film critics Category:American writers Category:1959 births Category:Film historians Category:Film theorists Category:Living people Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Illinois State University alumni

de:Richard Roeper es:Richard Roeper ja:リチャード・ローパー simple:Richard Roeper sv:Richard Roeper