Greatest one-off character in sitcom history

[Famous Mortimer]

Thanks to TheBrownBottle, the first hat being thrown into the ring is Clinton Baptiste, the psychic from "Phoenix Nights". From "y'alright" to the nonce bit, he was absolutely fantastic. What say you? Let's talk one-off characters!

[Utter Shit]

A few off the top of my head...

Father Finton Stack in Father Ted. Cartoonishly evil and hilariously funny.

Lennox Gilby in Only Fools And Horses. So good I almost wish we saw more of him, he was given so many fantastic lines - telling Rodney off for stealing his cigarettes is my favourite, and the confident way he describes himself as "a right villain...a real hard nut" always gets me. Father Ted was great for these - Eion McLove and Pat Mustard are just as good.

Simon the IT Guy in The Office. He's only in it for a couple of scenes lasting barely a couple of minutes in total, but there's so much depth and detail in the character, and his vivid descriptions of all his impressive achievements are great.

[imitationleather]

[Kalabi]

Simon the IT Guy in The Office. He's only in it for a couple of scenes lasting barely a couple of minutes in total, but there's so much depth and detail in the character, and his vivid descriptions of all his impressive achievements are great.

The IT guy charcter he did in Bruiser was on the money too

[EOLAN]

Fawlty Towers could be littered with them. Having watched from a very young age; it was always the older characters that I related to more. The uncle/aunty or grandfather types.

My top two would have to be:

Mr Hutchison: wonderfully played by Bernard Cribbins and instantly annoying, self-absorbed and patronising. A right twat to everyone but still something about Cribbins performance just elicits some joy and vulnerability in his character. (Note Mr Watt was a wonderful supporting one-off).  Would have viewed him as an uncle you meet every so often who really annoys your parents but I would have looked up to in fascination.

Mrs Richards: Probably has the unlikeablity of Mr Hutchison ratcheted up even more. Her banging her head after Fawlty's prank was a great moment and that stare she gives when the vase is dropped is just chilling. Joan Sanderson also is wonderful talking to herself when she is searching for her glasses. Definitely viewed as a gran-aunt that would give you a meagre sweet or 50p when you visit and make a big deal about it.

[phes]

Simpsons of course has loads of great ones and the ones that spring to mind are

Hank Scorpio
Leon (Michael Jackson)
Frank Grimes
Jessica Lovejoy

Scorpio is up there with the greatest one-offs

[Shaky]

Simpsons of course has loads of great ones and the ones that spring to mind are

Hank Scorpio
Leon (Michael Jackson)
Frank Grimes
Jessica Lovejoy

Scorpio is up there with the greatest one-offs

Definitely. I was thinking about old Hank just the other day. Back when the show was almost effortlessly amazing, eh?

[ajsmith2]

Simpsons of course has loads of great ones and the ones that spring to mind are

Jessica Lovejoy

Technically Jessica is seen in several other episodes as she's the Lovejoys daughter and so has to appear in some family scenes when required, although I don't think she speaks in any of them and Meryl Streep definitely only voices her in 'Barts Girlfriend'. Given how memorably evil she is in her showcase episode, it's kind of weird when you see her in later shows as this meek unspeaking background character.

[chrispmartha]

Seinfeld had quite a few including

"The Jimmy"

Full list here

https://seinfeld.fandom.com/wiki/Category:One-Time_Characters

[DrGreggles]

Mr Bookman in 'Seinfeld'.
https://youtu.be/_zePQavforA

Yes, I'm ignoring the finale.

[PlasticTom]

Bookman, from Seinfeld.

https://youtu.be/D9tP9fI2zbE

Such a great performance and the audience reaction really makes it work too. Great writing as well. "I've got a flash for you joy boy..."

There must be loads in Seinfeld. Was The Maestro a one-off? Soup Nazi, Enzo, the High Talker, Stan the Caddy. They could really establish a funny character very quickly.

[chrispmartha]

Also whilst the characters may not have been the best per se, Toast of London had some of the best one off character names?

Jemima Gina
Penvelope
Sookie Houseboat
Vic Titball
Clancy Moped
Max Gland
Basil Jet

[Bad Ambassador]

Mike Sampson from IAP: Towering Alan.

"It's like cars, this!" and the eventual reveal that he's very open about his racism.

[ajsmith2]

Mike Sampson from IAP: Towering Alan.

"It's like cars, this!"

I love that line. It's such a realistically weak conversational simile that people come out with all the time in real life but that you would usually avoid putting in dialogue.

[neveragain]

Simpsons of course has loads of great ones and the ones that spring to mind are

Hank Scorpio
Leon (Michael Jackson)
Frank Grimes
Jessica Lovejoy

Scorpio is up there with the greatest one-offs

They ruined Frank Grimes by bringing in his brother with some weak plot.

[Kalabi]

Wasn't it his son?

[Absorb the anus burn]

Georgina Hale as April the seaside landlady in One Foot In The Grave.

[Tony Yeboah]

Lord Flashheart. And his descendant, Squadron Commander the Lord Flashheart.

[NJ Uncut]

This could easily have a spinoff of "characters that could have been great if they didn't bring them back" but let's not immediately go off piste

The racist in Peep Show. Found how he was used quite sensitive. Kept his worst excesses off screen, but he was chummy and a good friend to Mark. Funny and nice but horrible and racist. So interesting, memorable, great! He wasn't a monster nor meant to be. In that sense, quite realistic.

Valerie also. Seemed very well rounded (chance I might be hideously stereotypical in my thinking)

I love in Seinfeld:

Rusty the bum ("the government!" - he gets it, man)
In Muffin tops, one of the dump men is such a non actor. Is this some kind of joke, asked Kramer. "That is what I want to know about it."
Seinfeld has loads though so probably a cheat. The hands.. Of a man!

Fawlty Towers, Bernard Cribbins. I've known lads like that - even down to the accent. A great character, fussy, hilarious, perfectly portrayed. It's virtually archetypal

[NoOffenceLynn]

I enjoyed Brian Murphy's Mr Foskett in  One Foot foot in the Grave - The Man Who Blew Away. Great to see he's still acting, he was in Greg Davies Man Down in the last series, he was fab in that too.

Alan Partridge, not the real one the one with the same name. "Who da hell is tha?"
Coogan nails the accent and mannerisms brilliantly.

[ajsmith2]

Alan Partridge, not the real one the one with the same name. "Who da hell is tha?"
Coogan nails the accent and mannerisms brilliantly.

He doesn't have the same name, he has the same face. His in universe name is Martin Brennan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZWPvx0t_fk

[NJ Uncut]

Country Mac, although I see why he had to die.

[Huxleys Babkins]

Father Ted has too many to mention.

[NoOffenceLynn]

He doesn't have the same name, he has the same face. His in universe name is Martin Brennan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZWPvx0t_fk

Oh of course, I was thinking back to the old Partridge show where he used to have a guest with the same name on. Head is a bit fuzzy this afternoon.

[QDRPHNC]

Bookman, from Seinfeld.

https://youtu.be/D9tP9fI2zbE

Such a great performance and the audience reaction really makes it work too. Great writing as well. "I've got a flash for you joy boy..."

There must be loads in Seinfeld. Was The Maestro a one-off? Soup Nazi, Enzo, the High Talker, Stan the Caddy. They could really establish a funny character very quickly.

Always loved his coffee bit. From memory because I'm on my phone. You don't have instant coffee? Who doesn't have instant coffee? You buy a jar of Folgers you put it in the back of the cupboard, you forget about it. When you need it it's there. It's freeze dried.

Also: I don't judge a man by the length of his hair. But you put shoes on when you walk into the New York Public Library, fella.

[imitationleather]

"Bad year for libraries. Bad year for America. Hippies burning library cards. Abbie Hoffman telling everybody to steal books."

[QDRPHNC]

"Bad year for libraries. Bad year for America. Hippies burning library cards. Abbie Hoffman telling everybody to steal books. "

And I love how he idly checks the book sitting on Jerry's table to make sure it's not from the library. Pure instinct.

You could probably do a whole thread on Seinfeld on-offs alone. The Soup Nazi! Although felt that he was hard done by by Elaine in that one.

[Famous Mortimer]

Nothing to do with this, but the Soup Nazi (the actual actor, in character one presumes) did an appearance for a local independent league baseball team, signing things. Wish I'd gone, now (it is quite a drive).

[Benjaminos]

I don't think his character even has a name, but Felix Dexter's door-to-door evangelist in 15 Storeys High.

"You are causing me dismay and dejection! <weird untranscribable noise>"

There are quite a few good one-shot characters in FSH, as it goes. Mark Lamarr as the painted statue, that bloke who gets a fish slice stuck in the drawer, etc etc.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

The Simpsons' evil dentist. Apparently he was intended to be played by Norman Bates, but I can't imagine him doing a better job than Hank Azaria did. "Hold still while I GAS YOU!"

that bloke who gets a fish slice stuck in the drawer, etc etc.

He and his idiosyncatic overreactions made a few appearances (off the top of my head: attempting to rescue a hamster from inside the sofa and unwrapping a videotape).

The weirdly aggressive vicar who mistakes Jesus and Judas springs to mind.