''Canned Carrott'' is a
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
stand-up and
sketch-show by
Jasper Carrott. It gave rise to a spin-off series, and made the names of regular contributors
Steve Punt and
Hugh Dennis.
Two of the regular sketches were "Wiggy" and "The Detectives". "Wiggy" followed the adventures of a man with an unconvincing
wig (played by Carrott). It was a
slapstick
Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...
comedy in which the characters were silent except for the narrator, similar in style to
Mr. Bean or ''
The Benny Hill Show''.
The most popular sketch segment was "The Detectives", featuring two mediocre
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
officers, Briggs and Louis (played by Carrott and
Robert Powell), who tried unsuccessfully to emulate the actions of television detectives. Such was the popularity of this sketch that it became the basis of another television comedy series, ''
The Detectives
A detective is a professional investigator.
Detective(s) or The Detective(s) may also refer to:
Films
(Chronological)
* ''Detectives'' (1928 film), an American silent comedy film by MGM, directed by Chester Franklin
* ''Detective'' (1954 film) ...
''.
and
Hugh Dennis subsequently joined the cast of ''
The Mary Whitehouse Experience
The ''Mary Whitehouse Experience'' was a British topical sketch comedy show produced by the BBC in association with Spitting Image Productions. It starred two comedy double acts, one being David Baddiel and Rob Newman, the other Steve Punt an ...
'', and later got their own sketch show, called ''
The Imaginatively Titled Punt & Dennis Show
''The Imaginatively Titled Punt & Dennis Show'', known simply as ''Punt and Dennis'' throughout its second series, is a British stand-up and sketch show written by and starring comedians Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis. The first series of 6 episod ...
'', which ran for two series.
Cast
*
Jasper Carrott – Himself/Various Characters (including Bob Louis in "The Detectives" and Wiggy)
*
Hugh Dennis – Various Characters
*
Nosher Powell
*
Robert Powell – Dave Briggs (segment "The Detectives")
*
Steve Punt – Various Characters
*
Enn Reitel
Enn Reitel (born 21 June 1950) is a Scottish actor who specialises in voice work in video games, movies and TV shows.
Early life
Reitel's family arrived in Scotland as refugees from Estonia and Germany. He trained as an actor at the Central S ...
– Narrator (segment "Wiggy") (voice)
*
George Sewell
George Sewell (31 August 19242 April 2007) was an English actor, best known for his television roles, but also active on stage and in films.
Early life and career
The son of a Hoxton printer and a florist, Sewell left school at the age of 14 a ...
– Supt Cottam (segment "The Detectives")
Transmissions
* Series 1: 6 episodes, 3 October 1990 to 7 November 1990
* Specially Selected Canned Carrott: 3 and 10 September 1991
* Series 2: 6 episodes, 21 November 1991 to 2 January 1992
* More Specially Selected Canned Carrott: 15 September 1992
* The Juicy Bits: 24 May 1994
* More Juicy Bits: 1 July 1995
* Extra Juicy Bits: 26 August 1995
References
BBC television comedy
BBC television sketch shows
1990 British television series debuts
1995 British television series endings
1990s British comedy television series
Television series created by Steven Knight
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