Favourite Enfield/Whitehouse creations

[QDRPHNC]

One of my favourite sketches is Whitehouse's Chris the Crafty Cockney from the Fast Show, specifically the one where his mate asks him to look after the shop for a minute, and as soon as he leaves, Whitehouse robs it looking like he's going to cry.

[Brundle-Fly]

Norbert Smith for Enfield from Norbert Smith: A Life. Fantastic comedy special. Worth it for the Will Hay parody alone.

Ted from Ted and Ralph off The Fast Show for Whitehouse. I forgot 'you know who' co-wrote these. Brilliant though.

Enfield and Whitehouse together. The Anglers from Harry & Paul. Painfully truthful. Oh, and Several Pens, b because it makes my French other half roar with laughter.

[neveragain]

Still find myself from time to time thinking about JONNY ET BING PRESENTENT: L'ÉDITION SPÉCIALE CITRON DRACULA FOOTBALLING (ÉDITION SPÉCIALE DU VAMPIRE FOOTBALL)

I love the weirdness of Harry & Paul.

[McDead]

I love the weirdness of Harry & Paul.

Me too. Even the title sequence was great, depicting them as vain, aging, unwell heads of a crumbling Eastern Bloc state.

[Two Headed Sex Beast]

Harry Enfield as the caller in On The Line who'd stop to shout "SHADDUP!" over and over at his barking dog. Always thought that was executed so perfectly

[non capisco]

Harry Enfield as the caller in On The Line who'd stop to shout "SHADDUP!" over and over at his barking dog. Always thought that was executed so perfectly

Yes!!

SHUT IT!!! WILL YOU SHUT IT?!!!

[walktothewater]

I thought the Question Time and Dragons' Den spoofs in Harry and Paul were hilarious. Also the Irish horse trainers sketches. Also the spoof on Mike Leigh films ("bless your little cotton socks", "cheese and pickle sandwich"). I don't even understand the latter, which makes it funnier.

[McDead]

To this day, I remain baffled by Parking Pataweyo

[walktothewater]

To this day, I remain baffled by Parking Pataweyo

Yeah that one and the gypsy lady....hmm not sure what they were doing there. Both of those sketches struck me as laughing down in a not a good way. I could be wrong, maybe I'm missing something cleverer.

The Benefits sketch, while it is admittedly funny, similarly runs the risk of the same thing Little Britain were accused of with Vicky Pollard.

[Brundle-Fly]

To this day, I remain baffled by Parking Pataweyo

You obviously didn't drive and live in North London fifteen years ago.


Yes, it was rather niche, in hindsight.

[walktothewater]

You obviously didn't drive and live in North London fifteen years ago.


Yes, it was rather niche, in hindsight.

I just wonder though, say with the Irish horse trainers sketch, is that also very niche? I mean, did you find it funny? I got a kick out of because I've met types like the characters depicted. It's an exaggerated version of reality of course, but there's a grain of truth in it.

The posh guy is basically a version of Robert Hall and similar, the less posh but wealthier guy  is a version of people like 'Mouse' Morris, JP McManus etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02S9kBn_YLw&ab_channel=RT%C3%89Sport

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeEitNHN3r4&ab_channel=JOE.ie

Remember the Ron Manager sketch from the Fast Show? Apparently he based it on a real person, long deceased, but it works well in general as a spoof on a type. Similarly, I suspect the Irish horse trainers sketch characters were based on specific  people...but there's also a sense that it works in the generality, at least for me.

[McDead]

I just wonder though, say with the Irish horse trainers sketch, is that also very niche? I mean, did you find it funny? I got a kick out of because I've met types like the characters depicted. It's an exaggerated version of reality of course, but there's a grain of truth in it.

Right, yeah. PP isn't just weird cos of its niche subject, it's also oddly unfunny and peevish. Like the writers are settling some very specific score.

[non capisco]

To this day, I remain baffled by Parking Pataweyo

And Farage's guest appearance in the Ricky Gervais pisstake sketch which completely sours it. Some very iffy decisions in Harry and Paul.

[Poirots BigGarlickyCorpse]

"Women - know your limits."

"Look at these venomous harridans. They went to university. Hard to believe they're all under 25."

Mr. Cholmondley-Warner was portrayed by Jon Glover.

[walktothewater]

And Farage's guest appearance in the Ricky Gervais pisstake sketch which completely sours it. Some very iffy decisions in Harry and Paul.

Yeah the Farage thing was just plain weird. The Old Tories sketches, while I thought they were funny, were a bit too flattering to the right wing agenda for my liking.

"Look at those old amiable duffers, aren't they cute and funny and lovely and warm."

"Indeed, I wish my dad was like those elderly Tory buffers, only he can't be, as he died of a heroin overdose in 1991 / was shot by the Taliban / committed suicide due to being bullied at Eton".

[madhair60]

Yeah that one and the gypsy lady....hmm not sure what they were doing there

being the racist old tories that they are, hope this helps

[walktothewater]

being the racist old tories that they are, hope this helps

I suspect you are correct, sadly. 

[madhair60]

[McDead]

Whitehouse, no. Enfield, almost certainly.

[walktothewater]

Whitehouse, no. Enfield, almost certainly.

His (Enfield's) dad is a reactionary old c.unt for sure, Enfield displays evidence of it at times.

[walktothewater]

GET OUT OF MY HOUSE YOU VERMIN. CALL YOURSELVES SOPHISTICATED LIKE US? YOULL NEVER BE ACCEPTED IN POLITE SOCIETY. YOU'LL NEVER DEVELOP FANCY WAYS, YOU DOLLOP OF DOG DIRT.I  HATE YA.


I think that's brilliant as a satire on suburban values.

[walktothewater]

The Tony Blair investment bank intern sketch.

[Gurke and Hare]

Like the writers are settling some very specific score.

Enfield's a massive petrol head, so the score was presumably "Waah! I'mnot allowed to just abandon my car wherever I feel like with no heed to the inconvenience it causes for others!"

[Pink Gregory]

You obviously didn't drive and live in North London fifteen years ago.


Yes, it was rather niche, in hindsight.

I think it's been said here before, but Ruddy Hell! in particular, less so Harry and Paul, feels like Enfield getting some very specific grudges out against his neighbors.  Sometimes to the point of quite genuine nastiness that's not all that funny.  But I suppose that was the tenor of a lot of comedy back then.

Worth it for 'and his black and white cat, a wey o' 

[Bennett Brauer]

His (Enfield's) dad is a reactionary old c.unt for sure, Enfield displays evidence of it at times.

Sad to say his dad's long gone, mate, in a quite liderally not alive way.

[Bennett Brauer]

I could have sworn it was nice lady in the one I watched the other day, but maybe I'm wrong.

One of them's called Dave Nice so "nice lady" as a repeated catchphrase wouldn't really work.

[Matthew Dawkins Jub Jub]

I'm still very fond of Harry Enfield as William Ulsterman. My favourite Paul Whitehouse creation remains Arthur Atkinson.

https://youtu.be/wxpYW_w5pgo

[The Bumlord]

Not a favourite but still relevant.

[Bennett Brauer]

You obviously didn't drive and live in North London fifteen years ago.


Yes, it was rather niche, in hindsight.

Parking Pataweyo was a little more London niche than I Saw You Coming, but not by much.

As you imply, there were quite a few, often Nigerian, new recruits with a reputation for appearing out of nowhere and showing no leniency whatsoever for even minor infractions, like parking at the roadside to dash into a shop or house for a minute, not blocking any traffic. Obviously most traffic wardens are seen as officious but it was the Nigerian/African ones who had the reputation for being completely intractable. (I think Omid Djalili had a bit in his routine about them - this was before PP.)
Obviously some of their critics would be racists, which is why it was a risky idea for a sketch, and why it only got through in the context of being an affable children's character, I guess.

[Bennett Brauer]

Remember the Ron Manager sketch from the Fast Show? Apparently he based it on a real person, long deceased, but it works well in general as a spoof on a type.

Alec Stock, who was very much alive at the time.

This was a few days before the Fulham v West Ham FA Cup final when he was manager of Fulham.