''Harry Enfield & Chums'' (originally titled ''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'') is a British
sketch show
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
starring
Harry Enfield
Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian. He is known in particular for his television work, including '' Harry Enfield's Television Programme'', '' Harry Enfield & Chums'' and '' Harry & Paul'', across which he created ...
,
Paul Whitehouse
Paul Julian Whitehouse (born 17 May 1958) is a Welsh actor, writer, presenter and comedian. He was one of the main stars of the BBC sketch comedy series ''The Fast Show'' and has starred with Harry Enfield in the shows ''Harry & Paul'' and ''Ha ...
and
Kathy Burke. It first broadcast on
BBC2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
in 1990 in the 9 p.m. slot on Thursday nights, which became the traditional time for
alternative comedy
Alternative comedy is a term coined in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era. The phrase has had different connotations in different contexts: in the UK, it was used to describe ...
on television.
Enfield was already an established name due to his "Loadsamoney" character (which featured in a few entertainment programmes in the late 1980s), but the series gave greater presence to his frequent collaborators Whitehouse and Burke – so much so that, in 1994, the show was retitled ''Harry Enfield & Chums''. In 2001, a
clip show
A clip show is an episode of a Television program, television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows include a frame story in which cast members recall events from past installments of the show, depicte ...
series titled ''Harry Enfield Presents'' aired which featured compilations of sketches from the series featuring new linking material recorded by Enfield in character.
History
''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'' was written by Enfield, Whitehouse,
Charlie Higson and
Geoffrey Perkins and broadcast on
BBC2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
. The original series titles began with Enfield in a black suit walking towards the camera and blowing two raspberries to the music of a brass band, standing still while the camera showed the upper half of his right side, then flipped to the left side, then simultaneously rotated and zoomed in before ending with a full body shot of him taking a quick drag from a cigarette hidden behind his back. The show ran for two series with this title in late 1990 and spring 1992. A Christmas special entitled ''Harry Enfield's Festive Television Programme'' was broadcast on Christmas Eve 1992.
A special, ''Smashie & Nicey: End of an Era'' aired at Easter 1994, which retired the characters of Smashie and Nicey.
After the original series, there were a couple of radio appearances. During the period between series, Enfield concentrated on straight acting parts, and Whitehouse worked on other projects.
Through repeats, the characters proved popular, and in 1994, the BBC commissioned a new series called ''Harry Enfield & Chums'', this time broadcast on
BBC1
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...
. This series was produced with a pool of writers, rather than the cast alone. The format of the opening credits was the same, although Enfield was now joined by co-stars Whitehouse and Burke to take a collective bow to the audience. Two Christmas specials of ''Harry Enfield & Chums'' were produced for 1997 and 1998. These were titled ''Harry Enfield & Christmas Chums'' and ''Harry Enfield's Yule Log Chums'' respectively.
For Christmas 1999, and in advance of the forthcoming ''
Kevin & Perry Go Large'' film, a
clip show
A clip show is an episode of a Television program, television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows include a frame story in which cast members recall events from past installments of the show, depicte ...
episode called ''Harry Enfield Presents Kevin's Guide to Being a Teenager'' was broadcast. The clip show format was revisited in 2001 with a series of six further ''Harry Enfield Presents'' episodes based around individual characters or premises. The episodes in the series were:
*''Tim Nice-but-Dim's Guide to Being a Bloody Nice Bloke''
*''Wayne and Waynetta's Guide to Wedded Bliss''
*''Guide to Family Values''
*''Look, Listen and Take Heed''
*''The North of England''
*''Guide To Being a Senior Citizen''
Episodes
In addition to the main series, the following Christmas and one-off specials were broadcast:
''Harry Enfield's Festive Television Programme'' was broadcast 24 December 1992.
''Smashie & Nicey: End of an Era'' was broadcast 4 April 1994.
''Harry Enfield & Christmas Chums'' was broadcast 24 December 1997.
''Harry Enfield's Yule Log Chums'' was broadcast 28 December 1998.
''Harry Enfield Presents Kevin's Guide to Being a Teenager'' was broadcast 27 December 1999.
Recurring characters and sketches
''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'' Series 1
The following characters and recurring sketches appear for the first time in series 1 of ''Harry Enfield's Television Programme''. In series 1, they are often introduced with title cards announcing the name of the character or sketch.
The Boressszzzzz
Two uninteresting middle-aged men, Jeff and Geoff Bore (
Harry Enfield
Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian. He is known in particular for his television work, including '' Harry Enfield's Television Programme'', '' Harry Enfield & Chums'' and '' Harry & Paul'', across which he created ...
and Simon Godley), who frequently engage in dull and witless banter, revolving around bland topics such as their cars and local theatre, typically punctuated by obnoxious laughter at their own jokes.
Doctor Dolittle, He Talks to the Animals
A vulgar parody of
Doctor Dolittle (Enfield), in which he communicates with animals through verbal abuse and profanity.
The Double-take Brothers
Two brothers (Enfield and
Rupert Holliday-Evans) with an irritating propensity for exaggerated
double takes whenever something obvious or mundane occurs, such as having to queue at a post office, yet fail to react when something genuinely shocking and unexpected happens, such as being attacked by a shark or hit by a car.
Fat Bloke
A fat, jolly-looking man (David Barber) who made his first appearance in a "Lee and Lance" sketch. He later formed a running gag where, for no apparent reason, he would walk into the middle of a sketch, hand something to a character (usually appropriate to the situation), be told "Thank you, Fat Bloke!", and walk off. In the first series of ''Harry Enfield & Chums'', he would be introduced at the end of the closing credits by Enfield who would announce: "The show's not over until the Fat Bloke sings!" whereupon he would sing a song (ranging from "
Lord of the Dance" to "
Smack My Bitch Up") in operatic style.
Freddie & Jack
A pair of
Labour and
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
MPs (Enfield) who live together and are unable to perform any menial household tasks without descending into petty and childish political arguments which usually have nothing to do with the task at hand. The final sketch featured a guest appearance by
David Steel
David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood (born 31 March 1938) is a retired Scottish politician. Elected as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles (UK Parliament constituency), Roxb ...
, a prominent
Liberal Democrat MP at the time, against whom Freddie and Jack unite during a birthday party. Certain elements of Enfield's character were carried over into the later character
Tory Boy. This sketch has become more dated than most due to Freddie's frequent references to the
EEC
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...
.
George Integrity Whitebread
George (Enfield) is a stereotypical, insensitive, plain-speaking Yorkshireman; unfortunately, he usually finds himself in a position of responsibility requiring creativity and sensitivity. When he is first introduced, it is stated with approval by the other characters in the sketch that "Integrity is his middle name", only for them to discover that this is only true in a literal sense.
Lee and Lance
Two idiots (Enfield and
Paul Whitehouse
Paul Julian Whitehouse (born 17 May 1958) is a Welsh actor, writer, presenter and comedian. He was one of the main stars of the BBC sketch comedy series ''The Fast Show'' and has starred with Harry Enfield in the shows ''Harry & Paul'' and ''Ha ...
respectively) who work variously as mechanics, builders, and stall holders, and have inane conversations about a range of topics, confidently exposing their own ignorance. Lance is completely moronic, whereas Lee is slightly smarter, but not by much.
Little Brother
Kevin (Enfield) is an annoying, hyperactive twelve-year-old boy with a minuscule attention-span; constantly pestering his older brother and parents by making immature jokes, insensitive remarks, and repeatedly referencing ''
Blackadder
''Blackadder'' is a series of four Period piece, period British sitcoms - ''The Black Adder'', ''Blackadder II'', ''Blackadder the Third'' and ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' - plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC1 from 19 ...
'' ("Bloody hell, Baldrick!").
In ''Harry Enfield & Chums'', on Kevin's 13th birthday his personality suddenly changes to become "
Kevin the Teenager".
Mr. Cholmondley-Warner
A snobbish, upper-crust 1930s
newsreel
A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news, news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a Movie theater, cinema, newsreels were a source of cu ...
presenter (played by
Jon Glover). Miles Cholmondley-Warner ( ), with his
manservant
A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly de ...
Greyson (Enfield), would expound on various issues of the day and attempt to uphold the
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
's values. In the second series of ''Chums'', in the absence of Glover, this gave way to a series of
public information film
Public information films (PIFs) are a series of government-commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the United Kingdom. The name is sometimes also applied, ''faute de mieux'', to similar films from other countries, ...
s that would advise, amongst other things, that women refrain from driving and participating in complex conversations (as this would lead to insanity) or that babies be given
gin
Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients.
Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands ...
to ensure a good night's sleep. The characters also appeared in a series of TV adverts for
Mercury Communications. The sketch ''Women: Know Your Limits!'' was plagiarised by a Danish PR agency in a campaign video for the
2009 Danish Act of Succession referendum. Some other sketches within the show also use the 1930s newsreel format but are not connected to any specific character. In keeping with the setting, the brief piece of music that introduced these segments was "Calling All Workers" by
Eric Coates, a piece that had previously been used as the theme to ''
Music While You Work'', a wartime and post-war BBC radio show.
The Old Gits
A pair of cruel and bitter old men, Fred and Alf Git (Enfield and Whitehouse), who only derive joy from inflicting misery on others. Even just the thought of upsetting or inconveniencing other people is enough to entertain them, as they habitually imagine twisted hypotheticals involving their neighbours, families, and even each other. The characters carried over into ''Harry Enfield & Chums'', albeit with their names swapped to avoid confusion with the ''
Fast Show'' character Unlucky Alf, also played by Whitehouse.
The Palace of Righteous Justice
A superhero team, consisting of Law Man (Enfield), Fire Man (
Parker), and Kometh the Iceman (
Aden Gillett), who attempt to solve everyday problems such as opening a bank account through use of their destructive superpowers, invariably ending in chaos. The day is always then "saved" by a fourth member of the team, She Woman Cat Type Thing, who does nothing but regurgitate fur balls or lick herself.
Sergei and Vincent
Russian and Dutch tourists (Enfield and Whitehouse) with a naive, optimistic outlook on the world and a dated taste in rock music.
The Scousers
Gary, Barry, and Terry (Enfield,
Joe McGann and
Gary Bleasdale) are three stereotypical
Liverpudlians with incredibly short tempers, constantly challenging each other to fights over perceived slights and insults which they read into everything. They are also shown to be petty criminals, occasionally discussing their thieving and
joyriding exploits, and in one sketch they rob a
building society
A building society is a financial institution owned by its members as a mutual organization, which offers banking institution, banking and related financial services, especially savings and mortgage loan, mortgage lending. They exist in the Unit ...
. Their catchphrases are "Dey do dough, don't dey dough" ("They do though, don't they though") and "Alright! Alright! Calm down, calm down", said by one of the trio when the other two start arguing.
The characters returned in ''Harry Enfield & Chums'', with McGann replaced by
Mark Moraghan.
The Slobs (Wayne and Waynetta)
A benefit-dependent, lower-class couple (Enfield and
Kathy Burke) with a lack of personal hygiene who spend most of their time smoking cigarettes or eating pizzas. Wayne and Waynetta argue constantly over everything, including the name of their child, whom they eventually name Frogmella because "it's exotic". Later, another daughter is named Spudulika after Waynetta's favourite fast-food franchise
Spudulike. A third child, which Waynetta calls Canoe (supposedly named after actor
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor and musician. The recipient of numerous accolades in a career on screen spanning four decades, he is known for his leading roles in action films, his amiable public imag ...
), was born of an affair Wayne had with
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is a British supermodel. Beginning her career at the age of eight, Campbell was one of six models of her generation declared supermodels by the fashion industry and the international press. She was th ...
which resulted in octuplets. Canoe completes the family with the "brown baby" Waynetta always wanted (since all the other mothers on the estate had one). The couple win
the lottery and also win a holiday; but the aircraft crashes because they are so overweight, and they end up stranded in the jungle. The Slobs were derived both from one of Burke's stand-up skits and a couple with a similar lifestyle who lived in the flat below Enfield in his younger days.
Smashie and Nicey
Dave Nice and Mike Smash (Enfield and Whitehouse respectively) are two veteran DJs for the fictional radio station "Fab FM" (a parody of early 1990s
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
), whose on-air rapport consists almost entirely of insipid observations, corny jokes, and gratuitous references to their charity work (which they pronounce as
"charidee"). Their musical tastes are also hopelessly outdated, with every sketch ending with Nicey playing
"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" by
Bachman-Turner Overdrive, usually accompanied by a bad pun on the band's name. The characters were broadly based on Radio 1 DJs of the time, such as
Mike Read
Michael David Kenneth Read (born 1 March 1947) is an English radio disc jockey, writer, journalist and television presenter.
Read has been a broadcaster since 1976, best known for having been a DJ with BBC Radio 1, and television host for mus ...
,
Simon Bates, and
Tony Blackburn
Anthony Kenneth Blackburn (born 29 January 1943) is an English disc jockey, singer and television presenter, whose career spans over 60 years.
Blackburn first achieved fame broadcasting on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio Londo ...
, who were perceived as being out of touch with younger audiences.
At the end of the second series, Smashie and Nicey are demoted from their morning show to a
graveyard slot
A graveyard slot (or death slot) is a time period in which a television audience is very small compared to other times of the day, and therefore broadcast programming is considered far less important. Graveyard slots are usually situated in the ea ...
on "Radio Quiet", which was then followed by the two being sacked in an hour-long 1994 special ''Smashie and Nicey: The End of an Era''. The characters did not return for ''Harry Enfield & Chums'', but Enfield and Whitehouse reprised the roles in a series of adverts for
Fab ice lollies, a special edition of ''
Pick of the Pops'' on
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
in 2007, and stage shows. Whitehouse also reprised the character of Smashie for a Christmas playlist on
UKTV Gold.
Tim Nice-but-Dim Esq.
An upper-class twit (Enfield) who is usually being ripped off by one of his "jolly nice" chums from his prep or public school days. He is an exaggerated version of "posh" yet pleasant and stupid people that Enfield knew. He is a fictional
Old Ardinian (an alumnus of
Ardingly College
Ardingly College () is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging Boarding school, boarding and Day school, day school in the English Public school (UK), public school tradition located near Ardingly, West Sussex, England. The school ...
) with an eccentric public school-influenced dress sense involving jeans and a
blazer
A blazer is a jacket worn as part of a smart casual or business casual look.
Similar to a sport jacket, a blazer is not part of a formal suit, and the terms "sport coat" and "blazer" may be used interchangeably in daily life.
A nautical bl ...
worn over a striped rugby shirt. The character was initially created by
Ian Hislop
Ian David Hislop (born 13 July 1960) is a British journalist, satirist, and television personality. He is the editor of the satirical magazine '' Private Eye'', a position he has held since 1986. He has appeared on many radio and television pr ...
and
Nick Newman
Nick Newman (born 17 July 1958) is a satirical British cartoonist and comedy scriptwriter.
Early life
The son of an RAF officer, Newman was born in Kuala Lumpur and schooled at Ardingly College where his satirical career began, working on r ...
, who are both Old Ardinians. They wrote the character as an antidote to contemporary portrayals of ex-public schoolboys as sharp-minded, high-achieving young men, and instead chose to base the character on former school contemporaries who had "plenty of money and good manners" but were "light of intellect". Tim's catchphrase is "What an absolutely, thoroughly, bloody nice bloke!" A notable scene was him going to a school reunion at the wrong school.
The character appeared in TV adverts promoting British meat in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The adverts were pulled because of the
2001 foot-and-mouth crisis. The character returned as Tim Nice-But-Balding in the third series of ''Harry & Paul'', episode four, in a ''Dragon's Den'' parody sketch. He represents a city banker, and it is revealed that Adam Jarvis is his brother. Tim has many things in common with Prince Charles and was briefly engaged to a woman with a similar personality who has a strong resemblance to Diana Windsor. However, neither character was meant to be a direct parody.
"You Don't Want to Do It Like That"
An infuriating know-it-all father who advised various people with both household tasks and diverse jobs, such as a football pundit. This was Enfield's take on the traditional "mother-in-law" stereotype. His catchphrase, on encountering someone, or entering a room is "Only me!" When his interfering goes wrong, he tends to blame everyone but himself, using the catchphrase "Now I do not believe you wanted to do that, did you?"
''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'' Series 2
The following characters and recurring sketches appear for the first time in series 2 of ''Harry Enfield's Television Programme''.
Leslie Norris
A chronically absent-minded pub landlord (Enfield) who is easily confused and has an incredibly short memory, frequently mixing up his anecdotes, customers' orders, and forgetting things that happened just moments before.
English for Aliens
A sketch presented in the style of
edutainment
Educational entertainment, also referred to by the portmanteau edutainment, is media designed to education, educate through entertainment. The term has been used as early as 1933. Most often it includes content intended to teach but has inciden ...
programming, in which an unseen narrator attempts to teach three excitable and childlike aliens (dressed in human attire) various English words and phrases but grows frustrated as they arbitrarily repeat certain words and are constantly distracted by irrelevancies.
Rugby Fans
Three boisterous, drunken,
public-schooled rugby enthusiasts (Enfield, Clunes, and Gillett) who loudly break out into nonsensical and vulgar
drinking song
A drinking song is a song that is sung before or during Alcoholic beverage, alcohol consumption. Most drinking songs are Folk music, folk songs or commercium songs, and may be varied from person to person and region to region, in both the lyri ...
s at every opportunity, and generally torment those around them.
''Harry Enfield & Chums'' Series 1
The following characters and recurring sketches appear for the first time in series 1 of ''Harry Enfield & Chums''.
Dr Philip Boyish Good Looks
A blond softly spoken TV doctor. He is often seen on a morning show couch, reading letters from "menopausal women" about their fantasies of him. He seems to take an unusually large number of showers per day. In one sketch he reveals he has been "struck off" as a doctor.
Kevin the Teenager
A continuation of the "Little Brother" sketches in ''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'', in which Kevin (Enfield) undergoes a major personality change immediately upon turning thirteen, becoming lethargic, stroppy, and overly sensitive. Though he is no longer hyperactive, he continues to annoy his parents through his constant complaining and refusal to do anything they tell him. He is often joined by his best friend Perry (Burke), who is faultlessly polite to Kevin's parents but rude to his own; Kevin mirrors this attitude by being similarly polite in the presence of Perry's parents, in contrast to his usual horrible behaviour.
Kevin proved to be a popular character, receiving a VHS special ''Harry Enfield Presents: Kevin's Guide to Being a Teenager'', as well as a feature film, ''
Kevin and Perry Go Large'', in 2000.
The Lovely Wobbly Randy Old Ladies
A deliberate contrast, on Enfield's part, to show the opposite of "The Old Gits": Two lecherous old ladies who do not care who approaches them so long as the newcomer is male and good looking. Their catchphrase is "Ooh! Young man!", which they repeat in an attempt to pass themselves off as "nice little old ladies", while comparing young men they encounter to male celebrities of their young adulthood ("You're the spitting image of a young
Lester Piggott
Lester Keith Piggott (5 November 1935 – 29 May 2022) was an English professional jockey and horse trainer. With 4,493 career flat racing wins in Britain, including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the grea ...
"). They also intentionally misinterpret comments made to them as being sexual and flirtatiously tell the victim off for saying it. As the series progresses, they begin creating elaborate plans to get men, which often involve abduction.
Michael Paine
Michael Paine is a self-confessed "nosy neighbour". Played by Whitehouse in the style of
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...
as parodied by
Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...
in his famous appearance on ''
Parkinson'' in the early 1970s. The parody is in part based on Caine's character from ''
The Italian Job
''The Italian Job'' is a 1969 British comedy Caper story, caper film written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley, directed by Peter Collinson (film director), Peter Collinson, and starring Michael Caine. The film's plot centres ...
'', a film released in 1969 and much loved by British audiences ("I told you, you're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!") and his diction when presenting his lines in many of his films. It relies on Caine's ability to impart trivial information in the same way, starting with "Did you know..." and ending with ".. and not a lot of people know that.". Whitehouse continues in this tradition, talking about extremely mundane things his neighbours were doing such as "do you know, he didn't call that woman back until... approximately two hours later. Would
Damon Hill have taken that long to call his mother? I'll be honest with you. I don't know. Not a lot of people know I don't know that, but I don't." All of his anecdotes involve other people on the street, and his information is gained from eavesdropping and spying on them.
The Self-Righteous Brothers
Cockney brothers Frank and George Doberman (Enfield and Whitehouse) sit in a pub, speculating about what would happen if they met various celebrities and public figures, who they exclusively refer to by their surnames (e.g. "Black" for
Cilla Black
Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer and television presenter.
Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her singles "A ...
). These imaginary situations usually begin pleasantly, but inevitably turn sour as Frank and George begin to conjure up various implausible and outrageous ways in which the celebrity might misbehave, causing the brothers to become enraged at their own hypothetical situations.
In the first series, the Doberman brothers essentially share the same personality; however, in the second series George is portrayed as a
straight man
The straight man (or straight woman in the case of female characters), also known as a "comedic foil", is a stock character in a comedy performance, especially a double act, sketch comedy, or farce. When a comedy partner behaves eccentrically ...
to Frank's increasingly psychotic outbursts. One sketch featured a cameo appearance from British
Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
driver
Damon Hill, to whom Frank is initially polite, before becoming aggressive upon imagining Hill driving through his neighbourhood at 140
mph.
In 1998 the characters were featured in an advert for
Hula Hoops. In 2014, Enfield and Whitehouse reprised the roles of Frank and George in a sketch for Channel 4's ''
The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night
The Feeling Nuts movement is a social media campaign created by Check One Two in London, to encourage young men to regularly check their testicles for early signs of testicular cancer. The campaign went viral when the public and celebrities bega ...
''.
[BBC preparing special to mark 25 years of Harry & Paul]
. British Comedy Guide
British Comedy Guide or BCG (formerly the British Sitcom Guide or BSG) is a Great Britain, British website covering British comedy, British comedies. BCG publishes guides to TV and radio situation comedy, sketch shows, comedy dramas, satire, va ...
, 27 January 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2023 The name of this sketch parodies the musical duo
The Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the L ...
.
Stan and Pam Herbert
An affluent couple who spoke with exaggerated
Black Country accents and were forever informing people that "We are considerably richer than yow!" Many sketches involved the couple patronising another couple of similar age, desperate to convince the other couple (Pam's sister and her husband in a couple of sketches) that their greater wealth meant greater happiness or social importance, and their inability to accept the successes or talents of others as being noteworthy (such as the British couple they meet on a Spanish holiday who, fluent in Spanish, are dismissed as "showing off"). Unfortunately, Stan's determination to show off his wealth is matched by his fury when he comes across someone "considerably" richer than him, such as when they try to boast while on holiday to a scruffily dressed man who turns out to own the hotel they are staying in, or when their in-laws win the lottery and become multi-millionaires.
''Harry Enfield & Chums'' Series 2
The following characters and recurring sketches appear for the first time in series 2 of ''Harry Enfield & Chums''.
Arguing Couple
A married couple (played by Enfield and
Julia St John) who quite clearly have grown to despise each other, stuck in a seemingly endless argument which consists of them constantly flinging insults at each other (often to the embarrassment or irritation of others), yet will not separate or get a divorce for the sake of their son David.
Big Bob Joylove
Based on the TV series ''
Lovejoy
''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery fiction, mystery series, based on the Lovejoy (novel series), novels by John Grant (Lovejoy), John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six ser ...
''. A shady-looking man who in each sketch faces a problem or disappointment and attempts to bribe someone who has no control of the situation, including paying a station guard to confirm his missed train had not arrived yet, and a nurse to confirm his newborn daughter is a boy. His catchphrases were "Oh, ''I'' getcha!" and "You drive a hard bargain, don't you?", always followed by Bob offering more money to his harassed victim.
The Dutch Coppers
Two gay Dutch policemen who speak directly to the camera in a parody of police documentaries. They are more interested in smoking
marijuana
Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
, flirting and making gay innuendo than doing any police work. A parody of liberal attitudes in the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
.
Jockeys
Enfield plays a jockey whose horse effortlessly outruns another played by
Ewen Bremner, much to Bremner's annoyance. Enfield also constantly makes inane conversation whilst running alongside him.
Julio Geordio
Whitehouse portrays a Colombian footballer who has recently joined
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
and speaks in a mixture of
Spanish and
Geordie
Geordie ( ), sometimes known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English, is an English dialect and accent spoken in the Tyneside area of North East England. It developed as a variety of the old Northumbrian dialect and became espe ...
. He is always interviewed by the same pundit (Enfield as a parody of
John Motson in his iconic sheepskin jacket). As the series progresses, Julio develops more of a Geordie accent as he describes events on and off the field, the latter often involving "liaisons" with
pin-up
A pin-up model is a model (person), model whose mass-produced pictures and photographs have wide appeal within the popular culture of a society. Pin-up models are usually glamour photography, glamour, actresses, or fashion models whose pictures ...
girls of the time such as
The Spice Girls and
Dani Behr. When the pundit becomes aware that Julio is telling an inappropriate story, he tries in vain to get him back on track. Julio is probably inspired by the arrival of
Faustino Asprilla
Faustino Hernán Asprilla Hinestroza (born 10 November 1969) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as forward or winger, most notably for Parma, Newcastle United and the Colombia national team.
Club career Early years
Afte ...
at Newcastle United in 1995 when South American players joining English clubs was rare.
Jürgen the German
A young German tourist (Enfield) visiting England, whose attempts to make friendly conversation with people he encounters turn out awkward and stilted, exposing his underdeveloped sense of humour and frustrations at perceived inefficiencies of British society (such as buses being a few minutes late). Out of the blue, he will also profusely apologise for his country's actions during
the war but will break out into aggressive
Nazi
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
-style rants when rebuked.
Harry and Lulu the Toddlers
A toddler and his baby sister played by Enfield and Burke on oversized sets. Harry deliberately hurts Lulu, or more often tricks her into hurting herself, but then plays the innocent when their mother arrives to investigate, and asks for a "big hug", but their mother does not accept his apologies. On
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
's ''Sunday Night Project'' on 8 February 2009, Enfield revealed the characters were based on a young
Lily
''Lilium'' ( ) is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large and often prominent flowers. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. Most species are ...
and
Alfie Allen (as adults, a singer and actor respectively); at the time of their being toddlers, he was dating their mother, producer
Alison Owen.
Mister Dead the Talking Corpse
Parody of the US TV sitcom ''
Mister Ed'', with the talking horse replaced by a talking corpse in a casket, played by Whitehouse.
Modern Dad
An old-fashioned father, looking and sounding suspiciously like
Enfield's own, who struggles to accept his son's homosexuality. While he does make a genuine effort, he often makes tactless remarks and
Freudian slip
In psychoanalysis, a Freudian slip, also called parapraxis, is an error in speech, memory, or physical action that occurs due to the interference of an unconscious subdued wish or internal train of thought. Classical examples involve slips of ...
s ("Make yourself at homo... er, at HOME!") and judgements based on stereotypes. For example, going up to a pink
Fiat Panda
The Fiat Panda is a city car manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles, Fiat since 1980, currently in its third generation. The first generation Panda, introduced in 1980 as the Mk1, was a Car body configurations#Two-box design, two-box, thr ...
that he assumed was his son's car or offering to order
Babycham at the local pub. As the series progresses, the son becomes increasingly frustrated by his father's behaviour around his boyfriend. The boyfriend's name is initially "Dominic" but changes to "Shaun", though this was only revealed for the purposes of a joke acknowledging that the role had been recast. Shaun is played by
Ewen Bremner in several episodes.
Tory Boy
A repulsive thirteen-year-old with glaringly out-of-date ideas about the world, based on a cross between a snobbish, unpopular boy who went to school with Enfield, and a younger version of
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague, Baron Hague of Richmond (born 26 March 1961) is a British politician and life peer who was Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2001 and Deputy Leader from 2005 to 2010. He was th ...
. Enfield also claimed to have mixed more recent
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
politicians such as
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne (born Michael Hecht; 7 July 1941) is a British politician who was Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposi ...
and
Michael Portillo
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo ( ; born 26 May 1953) is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician. His broadcast series include railway documentaries such as ''Great British Railway Jou ...
together in the character, on the allegation that they were "Tory Boys who have never grown up." Became "Tony Boy" (a parody of
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...
) after the
1997 general election.
Other sketches
William Ulsterman and "Gerry"
A one-off sketch where Harry parodies both ex-
Democratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist, Ulster loyalism, loyalist, British nationalist and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who ...
(DUP) leader Rev
Ian Paisley
Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, (6 April 1926 – 12 September 2014) was a loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader from Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 1971 to 2008 and ...
and
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
president
Gerry Adams
Gerard Adams (; born 6 October 1948) is a retired Irish Republican politician who was the president of Sinn Féin between 13 November 1983 and 10 February 2018, and served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Louth from 2011 to 2020. From 1983 to 19 ...
at a house party. William is loud-mouthed and becomes increasingly rude and insulting towards the host (
Brigit Forsyth) when she is unable to provide him with his desired canapé of cheese-and-pineapple-on-a-stick. When he has finished his rant, the host awkwardly turns away approaches an unnamed guest who is very clearly supposed to be Adams. While this second guest is smiley and charismatic, his gestures indicate his anecdote has a violent double-meaning. Enfield has since explained that the sketch was loosely based on an abandoned idea called "The Gerry Adams Family", claiming that no one else wanted to do it in case it caused offence.
Home Media releases and availability
VHS
*"''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'': The Very Best of Series One"
*"''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'': Series Two - Part One"
*"''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'': Series Two - Part Two"
*"''Harry Enfield & Chums''" (Contains some of the best sketches from Series 1)
*"''Harry Enfield & Chums'' 1997" (Contains some of the best sketches from Series 2. This video was released in advance of the series airing on BBC One.)
*"The ''New Harry Enfield and Chums'' Video - Oi No!" (Contains an extended version ''Harry Enfield and Christmas Chums'' 1997 Special with previously unseen sketches)
*"More ''Harry Enfield and Chums''" (Contains ''Harry Enfield's Yule Log Chums'' 1998 Christmas Special)
*"Harry Enfield Presents Kevin's Guide to Being a Teenager (Christmas special from 1999, later included on ''
Kevin & Perry Go Large'' DVD.)
Cancelled DVD Releases
''Harry Enfield and Chums: The Complete Collection'' was due to be released as a two-disc DVD on 21 May 2007, but it was delayed until further notice. It was then to be released on 19 November 2012 but was delayed once again to 11 March 2013 before being cancelled.
''Harry Enfield: The Collection'' was going to be a five-disc set containing both series of ''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'', ''Harry Enfield's Festive Television Programme'', both series of ''Harry Enfield & Chums'', ''Harry Enfield & Christmas Chums'' and ''Harry Enfield's Yule Log Chums''.
Streaming
''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'' (series 1 and 2) is currently available on Netflix UK.
Legacy
In 2000, Enfield and Burke starred in a feature film based around the Kevin the Teenager character titled ''
Kevin & Perry Go Large''.
Enfield and Whitehouse reunited for sketch shows ''
Harry Enfield's Brand Spanking New Show'' in 2000 and ''
Ruddy Hell! It's Harry & Paul'' in 2007, the latter of which ran for four series, with a completely new range of characters.
References
External links
''Harry Enfield & Chums''*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harry Enfield
1990 British television series debuts
1998 British television series endings
1990s British satirical television series
1990s British television sketch shows
BBC satirical television shows
BBC television sketch shows
British English-language television shows
Television Programme
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...
Television series by Banijay
Television series by Hat Trick Productions
Television series by Tiger Aspect Productions