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The Kemps: All True (New Rhys Thomas Music Spoof)

Started by Malcy, January 15, 2020, 04:45:44 PM

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Malcy

This sounds great. Apparently it was supposed to be on at Xmas but was delayed. Brian Pern was excellent so hoping this will be as well. All the same cast returning for it.

QuoteRhys Thomas has been commissioned to make a new music documentary spoof for BBC Four.

The Kemps: All True is a 60-minute special that will follow Gary Kemp and Martin Kemp, the actors and real-life brothers who found fame in hit 1980s pop group Spandau Ballet.

After the Kemps posted photographs on Twitter teasing the script at a read-through last week, a BBC source confirmed to us that the rumours are "true".

Now, British Comedy Guide can exclusively confirm that the comedy will feature not only the Kemps, but a range of guest stars from the music industry, and actors Simon Day, Perry Benson, Christopher Eccleston, Tony Way and Lucy Montgomery.

The Kemps: All True will see the siblings playing fictionalised versions of themselves, as middling-successful actors engaged in various new projects but still struggling to throw off the chains of Spandau Ballet and their former pop star status.

Other stars include Martin's wife Shirlie; gangster film icon Alan Ford; and other guests to be confirmed.

Speaking to British Comedy Guide, Rhys Thomas explained: "After Brian Pern ended, we wondered 'can we do this with real rock stars?' Based around the prog-rock scene, feeling quite blokey, Pern never quite got quite the audience we thought it should have, so we looked at the pop world. Who better than the Kemp brothers? They were huge pop stars, heart-throbs, and have since shown that they can both act."

The programme will be seen by many as inspired by the cult hit documentary film Bros: After The Screaming Stops, following fellow 80s pop siblings Luke and Matt Goss, and aired by BBC Four at Christmas 2018.

However, BCG has learned that The Kemps: All True was in development earlier in 2018 and is modelled more on programmes in the vein of Alan Yentob-fronted arts documentary series Imagine.... Thomas explained it is a "spiritual successor" to Thomas's previous spoof rockumentary series, Brian Pern.

Running for three series between 2014 and 2017, Brian Pern followed the current-day career of eponymous (fictional) 1970s prog-rock star Pern - played by Simon Day - and the tensions with his former bandmates in 'Thotch'.

The Kemps: All True was originally intended to be made in 2019 for broadcast at Christmas, but production had to be postponed. It will air on BBC Four later in 2020, at a date yet to be confirmed.

Spudgun

Nothing to add, except that I'm definitely looking forward to this.

(Where are you quoting from, by the way? I sort of wish they'd played it straight down the line rather than making clear they're playing "fictionalised versions of themselves".)

the

Obviously I won't judge it till I've seen it, but I have to say my immediate thought when I read that was 'are the Kemps interesting enough to have a mockumentary?'.

Malcy

Quote from: Spudgun on January 15, 2020, 06:48:00 PM
Nothing to add, except that I'm definitely looking forward to this.

(Where are you quoting from, by the way? I sort of wish they'd played it straight down the line rather than making clear they're playing "fictionalised versions of themselves".)

Forgot to add this in the original post.

https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/5600/kemps_all_true_bbc_music_spoof/

Shaky

Quote from: the on January 15, 2020, 07:23:43 PM
Obviously I won't judge it till I've seen it, but I have to say my immediate thought when I read that was 'are the Kemps interesting enough to have a mockumentary?'.

Probably not, which is they're playing fictionalised versions of themselves.

Malcy


bgmnts

We havent had a new "fictionalised versions of themselves" for about 3 hours now so i'm excited.

The Culture Bunker

Quote from: the on January 15, 2020, 07:23:43 PM
Obviously I won't judge it till I've seen it, but I have to say my immediate thought when I read that was 'are the Kemps interesting enough to have a mockumentary?'.
Come on, Martin Kemp played for Melchester Rovers!

I hope Eccleston is playing the Luke Dunsmore character again.

Egyptian Feast

I thought Martin Kemp was fantastic in the Brian Pern shows, so I've been looking forward to this since it was announced. I'll never shift the image of him in a wifebeater vest contemplating cooking a Goodfellas pizza in a hotel trouser press.

Joe Oakes

If Ross Kemp isn't involved, I'm not interested.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

A reminder that this is on tonight at 10pm. It's not as inspired as Pern at its best, but it's still good fun. Gary and Martin have pretty decent comic timing, they get into the silly spirit of it all, and I laughed at certain bits. 7/10 for me, Clive.

Rhys Thomas' stuff is just so agreeable, isn't it? Daft, affectionate comedy with barely a hint of cynicism. He's a good lad.

EDIT: Just noticed that Tony Tony Tony started another thread about this. Fair enough, come one, come all.

metaltax

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on July 05, 2020, 07:38:32 PM
Rhys Thomas' stuff is just so agreeable, isn't it? Daft, affectionate comedy with barely a hint of cynicism.

It is but it'd be nice if, when casting female characters, he occasionally looked further than across his kitchen table.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: metaltax on July 05, 2020, 07:47:40 PM
It is but it'd be nice if, when casting female characters, he occasionally looked further than across his kitchen table.

I like her OTT performances. She always provides a bit of weird mania, which is funny to me.

DrGreggles

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on July 05, 2020, 08:25:35 PM
I like her OTT performances. She always provides a bit of weird mania, which is funny to me.

Same here. Works well against all the 'natural' performances.

Utter Shit

Oh my God ten minutes in and this is so good.

jobotic


neveragain


Utter Shit


Malcy

Brilliant. What I love about Rhys Thomas's stuff is all the little things that are put in to it. Simon Day pulled a great face in the background when they were in their old house. Lots of little bits hiding in plain sight. And of course a Doctor Who bit. Defo worth a second watch.

Tony Way was great as Rag N Bone man as well. Always gets a great cast for his shows.

alan nagsworth

The naff Sia stuff quite early on had me worried that it was going to be a very middling show, but that was really the only duff bit. The rest of it was ranging from decent to great. Got some really big laughs out of me, most notably
Spoiler alert
the quick repeated cut of Martin bloodied and stabbing in the Eastenders montage, and when he blows the dust out of the head/leg holes of the tortoise shell
[close]
which made me howl. Excellent use of language as well. Some great swears -
Spoiler alert
"Once you get voles in your loft, you're fucked."
[close]
- and the way Rhys announced
Spoiler alert
Wonge
[close]
was perfect.

Lisa Jesusandmarychain




DrGreggles

That was fantastic. Rhys has got this format nailed.

zomgmouse


dissolute ocelot

I enjoyed it but felt that visually it was much better than verbally. The montages and stuff were brilliantly done, a lot of care even on a shot that only lasts a second, and some of it was very inventive, but some of the dialog was a bit first-draft or improvised without doing that thing where you improvise lots of takes and use the best.

studpuppet

I can't help but think that this is a lot closer to Gary Kemp's actual personality, and he's gone the "O ho ho, I can laugh at myself" route. Reckon that Tony Hadley portrait was really done by him.

The Culture Bunker

I had a moment of "how the fuck do I know that?" when the voiceover mentioned 'Only When You Leave' being on the 'True' album and my thought was that it was really on the one after, 'Parade'. I assume it was a tiny in-joke, but still, that I've retained knowledge of Spandau Ballet's discography really did make me wonder what I've done with my life.

Would have liked the Tony Hadley painting with the devil horns to have had 'Tory Wanker' scrawled on it too, given Gary Kemp's association with Red Wedge back in the day.

Norton Canes

Like his Year In The Life shows, it did front-load most of the best stuff then trail off a bit. Who was that doing Sia? She got the current style of pop howling down hilariously.

alan nagsworth

Quote from: Norton Canes on July 06, 2020, 10:15:38 AM
Like his Year In The Life shows, it did front-load most of the best stuff then trail off a bit. Who was that doing Sia? She got the current style of pop howling down hilariously.

I thought that was the worst scene of the whole thing (mentioned above), and don't agree that it was top-heavy. The script reading scene was in the second half and that was superb, not to mention Gary's art, the Doctor Who bit, WONGE, loads of top tier stuff.