The Best of Kevin Eldon

[Maxloss]

I've just finished an extensive search of the forum and found that there is no thread devoted exclusively to the underated legend that is Kevin Eldon.  So I was wondering what people view as his finest character or moment or appearance.  

Personally, I think his greatest character has to be the duke of hobbies Simon quinlank, though his turn as Tony Rudd in LAY was pure class and in my opinion the best guest appearance of the series.

In fact, has Kevin Eldon ever been in anything rubbish?  Aside from NB obviously.  Please indulge me, this is my first topic ... i'm scared.

[Spiteface]

I liked Ghee Baudelaire in TMWRNJ (I think it was that or the Sunday Show) who did the stars.

I've not seen him in anything rubbish to my knowledge>

[Dr David V]

I'm going to tread carefully here, as he might be reading this (someone around here claimed to be Kevin Eldon quite recently) but is anyone else just a little bit sick of seeing him? He's been in so much over the past few years, I'm getting very bored of him. I found his CV on RDF Management's website, and it's massive! Now he's obviously been in a lot for a good reason - he's a good actor - but there's just been so much of him around in recent years.

Sorry Maxloss, that's not a great start to your thread is it?

[babyshambler]

I love him as the laughing man in I'm Alan Partridge, series one. Plus, on TMWRNJ, as simply 'the actor Kevin Eldon' : )

[Bernie]

Just thought i'd boast that i met him in a pub last summer, -i brought up how much i liked the 'symptomless coma' sketch from jam & it actually took him a couple of minutes to remember what i was on about, which was a bit dissapointing!

[skibz]

His bits as Rod Hull on FOF and TMWRNJ were great, especially his confrontation with the real Rod Hull. Another great is the sketch in jam with Mark Heap asking if he can 'take over for him' for a while - just the horrified expression on his face as he realises what's going on is priceless.

[The Region Legion]

Kevin Eldon deserves a lot more recognition, and I'd love to see him do stand-up again. There was a show called "The Comedy (something)" on Paramount years ago that he did some on and was by far the best there.

Kevin, if you're reading, write a sitcom or something! Become the star you always should have been!

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

I always find it odd that he's never had his own show. Has he ever been offered one? Maybe he just likes doing cameos and has no desire for central billing.

'No...it's fully operational...'

[Jemble Fred]

The 21 Ronnies (or whatever it was called, an Eldon & Paul Putner radio sketch show) was a pretty poor piece of work, in all honesty, and it hurts to admit it. The heart was in the right place, but the material was just awful.

Shame, because both blokes deserve great recognition, Putner especially.

I'd say that Rod Hull was Eldon's best day's work to date, though.

[Garfield And Friends]

Don't inflate the man's ego. That said (ahem), he's great. His Dr. Jekyll ("Oh. Very tart.") character from Big Train series one is a classic. Linehan and Matthews say nice things about Eldon in their commentary for episodes 1+2 of BT series 1 DVD.

[Maxloss]

Yeah his Rod Hull was absolutely hilarious, the image of him trying to eat a bowl of green jelly with his 'real' arm will stay with me for a long time.

[The Mumbler]

At his best with Lee & Herring, I think.  The Nick Hamilton anti-Thatcher song ("Maggie Maggie Maggie!  I like crisps, me!") is a beatufiully stupid thing to hear.

[MrManson]

I love him as the laughing man in I'm Alan Partridge, series one. Plus, on TMWRNJ, as simply 'the actor Kevin Eldon' : )

You stole my reply.

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

The 21 Ronnies (or whatever it was called, an Eldon & Paul Putner radio sketch show) was a pretty poor piece of work, in all honesty, and it hurts to admit it. The heart was in the right place, but the material was just awful.

Shame, because both blokes deserve great recognition, Putner especially.

I'd say that Rod Hull was Eldon's best day's work to date, though.

Tony Roche, not Putner!

I've always said the same thing as The Mumbler - his best work was with L&H. He never gets to show off his full talents in many of the series he appears in (Nighty Night and IANAA spring to mind). His performance as Pavlov in Simon Munnery's latest R4 series is bloody great - silly voice and superb timing. If I have the time later tonight, I'll try and put up some radio clips of him at his best.

[The Mumbler]

Actually, there was that Paul Hamilton Comedy Lab in about 1999, wasn't there?  Never seen that.  Worth tracking down?

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

The Twelve Ronnies looked great on the page, but the performance lacked something or other. I thought the material was mostly very funny, particularly the description of a typical R4 sketch: 'A door, two slightly posh men, and another door'.

Years ago, I tried to interview Eldon outside a pub - he wasn't up for the ad hoc grilling I had in mind, so he grabbed my dictaphone and walked off down the street, mumbling into the mic. I played it back later and found he'd recorded his impression of George Martin talking about Ringo's drumming - something which later turned up in Big Train.

My timeline gets confused, so I'm not sure whether he'd ad libbed the material or whether he was just reciting a sketch he'd already filmed. But I should have offered it as an extra for the DVD shouldn't I? I'd forgotten about it until now.

[Purple Tentacle]

Hehe, I was humming an old punk song that had found its way into my head a while back, then while re-listening to some old Lee and Herring shows I realised that it was Eldon's band playing in a session with John Peel.

The one about the "telephone boooooooox, na na na na na", it's quite good.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

The one about the "telephone boooooooox, na na na na na", it's quite good.

'Two new p is telling me we're closer than we've ever been...'

[Gavin]

Actually, there was that Paul Hamilton Comedy Lab in about 1999, wasn't there?  Never seen that.  Worth tracking down?

This is on UKNova if that's any help to you. PM me if it isn't.

Presented as a segment of C4's comedy tryout series Comedy Lab, this was a spoof documentary about a poet, Paul Hamilton, focusing on his latest collection, Shadows Of Reflections: A Vision Of Words. Hamilton talks about writing his excruciatingly bad poetry - he, of course, thinks it is wonderful - and readings of his work are illustrated with short films (sort of poem promos) featuring Hamilton in various pretentious situations. An easy comedy target perhaps, but funny nonetheless and well performed by Eldon.

Channel Four, 12 minutes 25 seconds, September 1, 1999

[alan strang]

The Twelve Ronnies looked great on the page, but the performance lacked something or other. I thought the material was mostly very funny, particularly the description of a typical R4 sketch: 'A door, two slightly posh men, and another door'.

Also featured Peter Serafinawicz in the cast.

My timeline gets confused, so I'm not sure whether he'd ad libbed the material or whether he was just reciting a sketch he'd already filmed. But I should have offered it as an extra for the DVD shouldn't I? I'd forgotten about it until now.

I remember it a little better - they'd recently workshopped a load of stuff for Big Train and, since Eldon had just perfected the George Martin voice, Linehan & Mathews had decided to build a sketch around it. Which they did, by rewriting an old Monty Python one! The actual monologue was Eldon's though.

Actually, wasn't this after that excrutiating Alan Davies Radio 4 recording. I seem to recall Eldon played a character in that using the George Martin voice. Might have been the same night he ran up to me, told me he'd recently acquired Martin's autograph, flicked the Vs and ran off giggling.

Didn't he also say that he'd been offered a sitcom by Talkback but he didn't want to rush into it, unless it was "y'know, at least as good as Ted..."

I'll have to dig out that tape - it features Eldon and myself singing The Bonzos' 'Look Out There's a Monster Coming' for a start.

Top bloke, Kevin. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and all that.

[Darrell]

Isn't he currently spending all his time working on a major sitcom project? Something about pop music, I believe. So there will be a bona fide 'Kevin Eldon Presents....!' vehicle when he's happy with its quality.

He spoke about it a while ago on Stewart Lee's Resonance show, and played two or three of the musical parodies that he'd written and recorded for it with Martin Bird.

[Maxloss]

I've just remembered he made an excellent apearance in 'The Last Chancers' as a studio tech - very much cock on.

[Mr Skinnylegs]

"Telephone Box" by Virginia Doesn't is a favourite of mine. Anyone got a copy that Lee and Herring aren't talking over?

[benthalo]

He spoke about it a while ago on Stewart Lee's Resonance show, and played two or three of the musical parodies that he'd written and recorded for it with Martin Bird.

The mobile phone song was hysterical, and renewed my faith in him.

Mind you, he was pretty much redundant in that thing on Resonance yesterday.

[Jaffa The Cake]

Well, I wasn't a massive fan of big train, but I consider his evil hypnotist as one of the greatest comedy moments ever.

[DuncanC]

Aswell as his L&H work, I like him in 15 Stories High as the guy Vince rapidly convinces to give up trying to quit smoking.

"...say that again..."

[Rats]

I think he was class as the bloke in the "bend over in bed" sketch, the first one in jam I think. The only time when his bumbling mumbling act has really worked for me. Rod Hull must have been great to play, I bet he gets the odd urge to just scream about jelly now and again.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

I have to admit that I never get tired of seeing Kevin Eldon.  
I know he pops up in everything, but I think he's fantastic.  I reckon I first saw him as Simon Quinlank, then the real Rod Hull.  I think whenever I see him I'm immediately reminded of a false chinned man shrieking Green Jelly or a hobby obsessed chap with a deep seated loathing of Neil Petark.

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

OK, here's Eldon standing in for Simon Munnery on Resonance FM's Experimental Half Hour (now called Simon Munner Weakly Chats):

http://rapidshare.de/files/809427/15_Show_15__2003-04-28__-_Presented_by_Kevin.mp3.html

and here's a link to the second in Munnery's new R4 series:

http://rapidshare.de/files/697223/Where_Did_it_All_Go_Wrong_-_Simon_Munnery_2of4_Pavlov_s_Last_Dog_BBC_R4_230205.mp3.html

If I get time I'll try and do some clips from various L&H radio things.

[Jemble Fred]

Twelve Ronnies, of course. Could have sworn Putner was involved somewhere, but never mind. Shocked that you praise the material though – I thought everyone involved did the best job they could with a script that contained nothing but about one and a half vaguely pithy phrases.