The Kipper Family was a two-man parody English folk group, played by Chris Sugden (as Sid Kipper) and Dick Nudds (as his father Henry).

History

The group performed as the Kipper Family throughout the 1980s and released several cult albums. Partly parodying the

Copper Family The Copper Family are a family of singers of traditional, unaccompanied English folk song. Originally from Rottingdean, near Brighton, Sussex, England, the nucleus of the family now live in the neighbouring village of Peacehaven. The family first ...

, they performed their variations of traditional folk songs, with lyrics twisted to take in themes including cross-dressing, under-age sex, homosexuality at sea and the dissection of human cadavers. In the early days, the Kipper Family would perform to crowds expecting an ordinary folk act, firmly staying in character during the whole period in the public eye, and it would be several songs into the set before the penny dropped. Later recordings include "We're Norfolk and Good", "Arrest These Merry Gentlemen" and "Bored of the Dance" and also a folk opera, ''The Crab Wars''. In addition to the released LPs, ''Christmas with the Kippers'', a Christmas special, was recorded for BBC Radio Two. They were seen once on British television. The children's programme, ''

Get Fresh ''Get Fresh'' is a children's television programme that originally aired from 1986 to 1988 in the United Kingdom. Format A Saturday-morning kids' TV show, broadcast on the Children's ITV network, the show featured Gareth Jones (aka Gaz Top), ...

'', featured a spaceship that would arrive in a different location each Saturday morning. One Saturday the destination was Trunch, and who should be there but Sid and Henry. The duo split at the end of 1991. In 2006, Sugden presented a series of podcasts for Channel 4 radio called ''The Kipper Country Code'', as Sid Kipper. Chris Sugden has now retired the character of Sid Kipper.

Characters

The duo would put on

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

accents and delivered Norfolk inspired humour. Their appearance was just like any other folk singers. Sid with slicked back hair, a smart suit and a

kipper tie A kipper tie is a type of necktie primarily fashionable in Britain in the mid-1960s to late 1970s. The primary characteristics of the kipper tie are its extreme breadth (normally ) and often garish colours and patterns. Design origin Wide neckt ...

, the look of a spiv. And Henry (Nudds made to look like an old man) with a threadbare cardigan and string to hold up his trousers in place of a belt. Often, as with all comedy doubles, they would swap being one down or one up with their replies: :Henry: "If you are trying to be clever with me, you're wastin' your time". :Sid: "That's true yes". The fictional village of St. Just-near-

Trunch Trunch is a village and parish in Norfolk, England, situated three miles north of North Walsham and two miles from the coast at Mundesley. At the Census 2011 the village had a population of 909. The parish covers an area of . The villages name ...

, is known as the home of the Kipper Family. When the duo split in 1991, Henry Kipper was pronounced dead. Sugden felt that he had to kill off the character as people kept asking when Henry would return.

Albums

Sid Kipper

*''Like A Rhinestone Ploughboy'' (1994) *''Spineless'' (1997) *''Boiled in the Bag'' (1997) *''East Side Story'' (2000) *''Cod Pieces'' (2002) *''Chained Melody'' (2003) *''In Season'' (2007) *''Gutless'' (2011)

The Kipper Family

*''Since Time Immoral'' (1984) *''The Ever Decreasing Circle'' (1985) *''The Crab Wars'' (1986) *''Fresh Yesterday'' (1988) *''Arrest These Merry Gentlemen'' (1989) *''In the Family Way'' (1991) *''Two-Faced'' (2011)

References

External links

The Kipper Family: Sid and Henry Kipper tribute site

The Kipper Family at Myspace

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kipper Family, The People from North Norfolk (district) British parodists Parody musicians Fictional musicians