Most famous name in most obscure British sitcom

[Twilkes]

Simm at that time was a movie star, appearing in all sorts of now forgotten Britflicks.

I did put him down as a movie star first, but on looking at his IMDB Human Traffic (which is a jumped-up student film, albeit a great one) was the only movie I'd heard of, and half of his credits were TV movies, so movie star seemed a bit OTT. I did always see him as the handsome Simon Pegg though.

[Des Wigwam]

Dibley was a Comic Relief sketch. He was also in The Fast Show. Not a sitcom, but worth mentioning.

Wasn't Kylie in TVoD (as no-one is calling it)? I seem to remember there was a whole lead up to having Elton John play at the village fete and it hinged around one of the characters having a cousin called Reg Dwight (some "...with hilarious consequences" mix-up). Then in the end it was Kylie.

Or maybe the other way round. Or maybe none of it happened.

[Des Wigwam]

Yes!

Everyone thought Elton John was opening the village's autumn fete, but it turned out to actually be Alice's cousin Reg Dwight, who shares the same name as the Crocodile Rock singer. To make amends, the Vicar asked Kylie if she would step in to help out.

I went to an open day at a greyhound rescue recently that had someone off S4C* there so these things do happen.

*_{the Welsh language broadcaster rather than the CaB meme}

[Talulah, really!]

Brian Cox in, indeed as, Bob Servant.

[Glebe]

Al Pacino in Never the Twain

"Just when I thought I was out of the antiques game, Donald Sinden pulls me back in!"

[Bad Ambassador]

Wasn't Kylie in TVoD (as no-one is calling it)? I seem to remember there was a whole lead up to having Elton John play at the village fete and it hinged around one of the characters having a cousin called Reg Dwight (some "...with hilarious consequences" mix-up). Then in the end it was Kylie.

Or maybe the other way round. Or maybe none of it happened.

Kylie was in a Comic Relief mini-episode of Men Behaving Badly, the big joke being that Gary and Tony didn't recognise her.

[Shaky]

Not really a sitcom, but Sigourney Weaver popped up in gentle Clunes-led comedy-drama Doc Martin.

[Phil209]

Was it ever revealed who played Kurtan's nan on This Country? It was supposed to have been some big Hollywood star; my money at the time was on Cate Blanchett, but no idea if that is correct...

[pigamus]

Henry Kissinger in Brighton Belles

[Des Wigwam]

Was it ever revealed who played Kurtan's nan on This Country? It was supposed to have been some big Hollywood star; my money at the time was on Cate Blanchett, but no idea if that is correct...

Wasn't Tilda Swinton supposed to be his nan?

[Utter Shit]

Not particularly obscure, but Anthony Hopkins was offered a role in Only Fools and Horses, but had to turn it down as he was already booked for The Silence of the Lambs.

I might be misremembering but I'm pretty sure I read that Sullivan wasn't sold on the idea as he felt viewers would struggle to accept The Extremely Famous Actor Kevin Eldon Anthony Hopkins appearing as a one-off character.

[Glebe]

Apparently 'If They Could See Us Now' was originally supposed to have Del appearing on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? but ITV weren't keen on the idea.

[Utter Shit]

Yeah you can tell they were going for that because the Gold Rush format is more or less identical. I doubt that getting Tarrant in would have saved that episode though.

[Brundle-Fly]

Ray Winstone in the obscure British sitcom, One Foot In The Grave.

[Swift]

Not really a sitcom, but Sigourney Weaver popped up in gentle Clunes-led comedy-drama Doc Martin.

Twice according to IMDB, in 2015 and 2017. Must've been a big fan.

[Stone Cold Steve Austin]

She's been friends with Selina Cadell since drama school. Danny Huston turning up in it though, I can't explain that

[wrec]

Roger "mind yer backs" Daltrey in the Boosh

[Thosworth]

Wasn't Tilda Swinton supposed to be his nan?

I had thought it was too, but I just checked, and the director tweeted:
- They're not from England
- They flew in especially to do it
- We had NEVER met them before the day
- They have a very creative partner

https://twitter.com/tomgeorgefilm/status/1237312183559651329?s=20&t=9tKG5HuDDOa_YSzFyrE96w

A lot of good guesses in the replies. Although not proof, out of all the guesses he liked Cate Blanchett. Interesting how it's managed to remain a mystery in this day and age.

[Des Wigwam]

Yea - it's quite nice it's a mystery. I had thought that Tilda Swinton was named but obvs not. I have to be honest and say I can't even remember the bit - in my mind's eye it's a [heavily] made up actress but I think that's a false memory. I loved This Country but for some reason haven't seen most of S3.

[Thosworth]

Yea - it's quite nice it's a mystery. I had thought that Tilda Swinton was named but obvs not. I have to be honest and say I can't even remember the bit - in my mind's eye it's a [heavily] made up actress but I think that's a false memory. I loved This Country but for some reason haven't seen most of S3.

Here's the full clip: https://twitter.com/bbcthree/status/1236917133906284545?s=20&t=SPNCftyAghiJ97G11vt4vg

[George White]

Michael McKean popping up in various recent UK stuff.
Does he live in the UK now, though?


Hardly A-list, but Martin Kove just pre-Karate Kid in C4's the Optimist always feels odd.

[Ignatius_S]

Michael McKean popping up in various recent UK stuff.
Does he live in the UK now, though?


Hardly A-list, but Martin Kove just pre-Karate Kid in C4's the Optimist always feels odd.

No, he lives in the States and most of his most recent work is American-based. Going from memory, but any UK work he has been in (like Family Tree, but that's going back a decade), are not British productions.

Also, given that the work is does is hardly obscured, not show it fits in this old thread.

[Glebe]

Ray Winstone in the obscure British sitcom, One Foot In The Grave.

Also popped up in Ever Decreasing Circles to collect Martin's manure.

[markburgle]

Jude Law in Operation Good Guys was a bit rando

[Jerrykeshton]

Yes!

I went to an open day at a greyhound rescue recently that had someone off S4C* there so these things do happen.

*_{the Welsh language broadcaster rather than the CaB meme}

Given some of the viewing figures of programmes on s4c I'm not really surprised.

[George White]

No, he lives in the States and most of his most recent work is American-based. Going from memory, but any UK work he has been in (like Family Tree, but that's going back a decade), are not British productions.

Also, given that the work is does is hardly obscured, not show it fits in this old thread.

They're all US-UK copros, but everything's a US copro, these days.

[neveragain]

That thing with Daisy Haggard and Martin Freeman is a British show, isn't it?

[neveragain]

It was just a parody of random celebrities turning up in Ricky Gervais comedies. I'm sure he and Paul thought "wouldn't it be funny if it was Nigel Farage, that'll get them talking" and went with it.

Yep. This. It certainly got a lot of people spinning yarns.

[cromby]

I had thought it was too, but I just checked, and the director tweeted:
- They're not from England
- They flew in especially to do it
- We had NEVER met them before the day
- They have a very creative partner

https://twitter.com/tomgeorgefilm/status/1237312183559651329?s=20&t=9tKG5HuDDOa_YSzFyrE96w

A lot of good guesses in the replies. Although not proof, out of all the guesses he liked Cate Blanchett. Interesting how it's managed to remain a mystery in this day and age.

Tilda Swindon apparently "identifies" (whatever that means) as Scottish because she has Scottish ancestry, and that isn't English - would that count? Having just rewatched the clip, I think you can hear her in the Nan's voice and sort of make out her fairly distinctive face behind the blur.

[dissolute ocelot]

Lots of Greg Davies' Man Down but have we had Helena Bonham Carter in his The Cleaner? Stephanie Cole, Harriet Walter, and Simon Callow also quite big names but not Hollywood big.

Joan Collins was in Benidorm (along with virtually everyone of a certain age in British comedy, from Sue Pollard to Hale and Pace).

There must be a subcategory for sportspeople, like Frank Bruno (John Godber's The Ritz, Sooty, Zig and Zag, etc), while David Beckham did an OFAH skit and in the USA was in Modern Family. (George Foreman also did a lot of random US TV, and his eponymous sitcom is as obscure as it comes. Did no British sportspeople ever get a sitcom?)