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''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", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and i ...
starring
Harry Enfield Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer and director. He is known in particular for his television work, including ''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'' and ''Harry & Paul'', and for the creation and ...
,
Paul Whitehouse Paul Julian Whitehouse (born 17 May 1958) is a Welsh actor, writer and comedian. He was one of the main stars of the BBC sketch comedy series '' The Fast Show'', and has also starred with Harry Enfield in the shows ''Harry & Paul'' and '' Har ...
and
Kathy Burke Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke (born 13 June 1964) is an English actress, comedian, writer, producer, and director. She achieved fame with her appearances on sketch shows such as ''French and Saunders'' (1988–1999) and her recurring role as Mag ...
. It first broadcast on
BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...
in 1990 in the 9 pm 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 series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicted ...
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 Charles Murray Higson (born 3 July 1958) is an English actor, comedian, author and former singer. He has also written and produced for television and is the author of the ''Enemy'' book series, as well as the first five novels in the '' Young B ...
and
Geoffrey Perkins Geoffrey Howard Perkins (22 February 1953 – 29 August 2008) was a British comedy producer, writer and performer. Best known as the BBC head of comedy (1995–2001), he produced the first two radio series of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galax ...
and broadcast on
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...
. The original series titles began with Enfield in a black suit walking towards the camera and blowing a raspberry to the music of a brass band, and ended with 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. 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 BBC One. 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 ''Kevin & Perry Go Large'' is a 2000 British teen coming of age sex comedy film based on the Harry Enfield sketch Kevin the Teenager. The film was written by Dave Cummings and Harry Enfield and directed by Ed Bye. Enfield, Kathy Burke and Lou ...
'' film, a
clip show A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicted ...
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 6 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 middle-aged men prone to having achingly dull conversations at parties, revolving mostly around cars ("What are we driving at the moment?"), and laughing loudly at their own jokes.


Doctor Doolittle He Talks to the Animals

Enfield swears at animals as Doctor Doolittle.


The Double-take Brothers

Two brothers with an irritating propensity for double takes whenever the unexpected occurs.


Fat Bloke

A fat, jolly-looking man (played by David Barber) who made his first appearance in a script for "Lee and Lance". 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 "Smack My Bitch Up" is a song by English rave group The Prodigy. It was released in November 1997 as the third and final single from their third album, '' The Fat of the Land'' (1997). In 2013, ''Mixmag'' readers voted it the third greatest da ...
") in operatic style.


Freddie & Jack

Only featured in series 1 of 'Harry Enfield's Television Programme', Jack, a generic
Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...
politician and Freddie, a generic Labour Party politician are portrayed as acting like typical infant school children who frequently squabble over the benefits of their various policies in the manner of a playground-style argument. One particular sketch featured a guest appearance by then-member of parliament
David Steel David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, (born 31 March 1938) is a British politician. Elected as Member of Parliament for Roxburgh, Selkirk, and Peebles, followed by Tweeddale, Ettrick, and Lauderdale, he served as the final leade ...
, a prominent Liberal Democrat against whom Freddie and Jack unite during a birthday party. 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 organization 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 is a stereotypical insensitive plain speaking Yorkshireman; unfortunately he usually finds himself in a position of responsibility requiring creativity and sensitivity. When 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 who work variously as mechanics, builders, and fruit and veg/fish stall holders, commenting on current affairs much in the same mode as "
Pete and Dud Pete and Dud were characters played by the comedians and entertainers Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. The dialogue format originated in 1964 when Dudley Moore invited Peter Cook to appear in a television performance. Cook scripted a conversation bet ...
". Lance is completely stupid, Lee thinks he is cleverer than Lance, and he is, but not by much. One sketch reveals that Lance is tone deaf in English but can sing Italian opera perfectly.


Little Brother (Television Programme) / Kevin The Teenager (And Chums)

One of the most memorable of Enfield's comic creations. In Harry Enfield's Television Programme, Kevin is a pre-teen hyperactive annoying little brother. In the first episode of ''Harry Enfield and Chums'', Kevin Patterson goes through a major personality change on the stroke of midnight as he turns 13 years old. As Kevin the Teenager he wears baggy/grungy clothing, has longer hair (his fringe obscuring his face) and always appears lethargic. He ruins his parents' lives with his refusal to do anything and complains constantly. He usually brings round his friend Perry, who persistently helps himself to food from the freezer. Perry is faultlessly polite to Kevin's parents, Mr and Mrs Patterson, but in one episode we see he is just as rude to his own parents as Kevin is to his, whereas Kevin is faultlessly polite to them. The character was showcased in a special one-off episode that mixed old and new sketches. The character was so well received that a feature film, '' Kevin and Perry Go Large'', was released in 2000.


Mr Cholmondley-Warner

A snobbish, upper-crust 1930s
newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a cinema, newsreels were a source of current affairs, inform ...
presenter (played by
Jon Glover Jonathan Philip Glover (born 26 December 1952) is an English actor. He has appeared in various television programmes including ''Play School'', '' Survivors'', the Management consultant in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', ''Casualty'' ...
). Miles Cholmondley-Warner (), with his
manservant A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...
Greyson (Enfield), would expound on various issues of the day and attempt to uphold the
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
's values. In the second series 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 that derives its flavour from juniper berries (''Juniperus communis''). Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe, particularly in southern Italy, Flanders and the Ne ...
to ensure a good night's sleep. The characters also appeared in a series of TV adverts for
Mercury Communications Mercury Communications was a national telephone company in the United Kingdom, formed in 1981 as a subsidiary of Cable & Wireless, to challenge the then-monopoly of British Telecom (BT). Although it proved only moderately successful at challen ...
. 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 A referendum on changing the Danish Act of Succession, the rules governing the succession to the Danish throne, was held in Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland on 7 June 2009, simultaneously with the election to the European Parliament, i ...
. 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 Eric Francis Harrison Coates (27 August 1886 – 21 December 1957) was an English composer of light music and, early in his career, a leading violist. Coates was born into a musical family, but, despite his wishes and obvious talent, his p ...
, a piece that had previously been used as the theme to
Music While You Work ''Music While You Work'' was a daytime radio programme of continuous live popular music broadcast in the United Kingdom twice daily on workdays from 23 June 1940 until 29 September 1967 by the BBC. Initially, the morning edition was generally ...
, a wartime and post-war BBC radio show.


The Old Gits

An obnoxious pair of old men who take great delight in persecuting younger people – although they do branch out by being cruel to other groups of people, so as not to discriminate. However, in the case of one of their more famous sketches, Alf Git finds his childhood sweetheart, showing that he once had a kinder side. In ''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'', Enfield played Fred Git and Whitehouse played Alf Git until their names got swopped over in ''Harry Enfield & Chums'' to which Enfield was Alf and Whitehouse was Fred so is not to be confused with the '' Fast Show'' character, Unlucky Alf, who Whitehouse also plays.


The Palace of Righteous Justice

A superhero team who are forced to encounter everyday problems such as opening a bank account. Their members are "Law Man" (Wielder of the mighty sword of Dobber), "Fire Man" (Whose fiery balls of fire can start fires) (played by
Nathaniel Parker Nathaniel Parker (born 18 May 1962) is an English stage and screen actor best known for playing the lead in the BBC crime drama series ''The Inspector Lynley Mysteries'', and Agravaine de Bois in the fourth series of ''Merlin''. Early life Na ...
), "(Kometh the) Ice Man" and (Apparently the most powerful of all) "She Woman Cat Type Thing" - who has the superpower of regurgitating fur balls - celebrated by the others as "her amazing regurgitative powers".


Sergei and Vincent

Vincent from Amsterdam and Segei from Russia visit London.


The Scousers

Played by Harry Enfield,
Joe McGann Joseph McGann (born 24 July 1958) is an English actor. His roles include the lead role of Charlie Burrows, the "housekeeper" in the TV comedy series '' The Upper Hand'' (1990–1996), '' Night and Day'' and his voice role as Sir Gideon Ofnir ...
(
Mark Moraghan Mark Stephen Moraghan (born 27 January 1963) is an English actor and singer. He has appeared in many British drama series including ''Peak Practice'', '' London's Burning'' and '' Heartbeat''. He is most famous for being the narrator for the ...
in Harry Enfield & Chums) and Gary Bleasdale, Ga', Ba' and Te' (short forms of the names Gary/Gareth, Barry and Terry) are stereotypical Liverpudlians who alternately fall out and make peace. They often say such things as "Dey do dough, don't dey dough" (They do though, don't they though), and "Alright! Alright! Calm down, calm down", which is what one of them says when the other two start arguing.


The Slobs (Wayne and Waynetta)

A benefit-dependent, lower-class couple with a lack of personal hygiene who spend most of their time smoking a fag 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 Spudulike is a restaurant chain and franchise specialising in baked potatoes (potatoes being known as "spuds" in colloquial British English) that first opened in Edinburgh in 1974. Spudulike sold baked potatoes with various fillings, other pot ...
. A third child, which Waynetta calls Canoe (supposedly named after actor
Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in '' Youngblood'' (1986). ...
), was born of an affair Wayne had with
Naomi Campbell Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is an English model, actress, singer, and businesswoman. She began her career at the age of 15, and established herself amongst the most recognisable and in-demand models of the past four decades. Cam ...
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 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
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

Out-of-date ''Fab FM'' DJs Dave Nice and Mike Smash, a thinly veiled parody of some older
Radio 1 Radio 1 or Radio One most commonly refers to: *BBC Radio 1, a music radio station from the BBC ** BBC Radio 1Xtra, a digital radio station broadcasting black music *CBC Radio One, a talk radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporatio ...
DJs of the time. It is believed that the characters were based primarily on
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 musi ...
,
Simon Bates Simon Philip Bates (born 17 December 1946) is an English disc jockey and radio presenter. Between 1976 and 1993 he worked at BBC Radio 1, presenting the station's weekday mid-morning show for most of this period. He later became a regular pres ...
and
Tony Blackburn Anthony Kenneth Blackburn (born 29 January 1943) is an English disc jockey, singer and TV presenter. He first achieved fame broadcasting on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s, before joining the BBC, on the BBC L ...
, though other then-current DJs such as
Alan Freeman Alan Leslie Freeman, MBE (6 July 1927 – 27 November 2006), nicknamed "Fluff", was an Australian-born British disc jockey and radio personality in the United Kingdom for 40 years, best known for presenting ''Pick of the Pops'' from 1961 to 200 ...
were also believed to have influenced the writers. Each skit would feature the pair's love of " You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" by
Bachman–Turner Overdrive Bachman–Turner Overdrive, often abbreviated BTO, were a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, founded by Randy Bachman, Robbie Bachman and Fred Turner in 1973. Their 1970s catalogue included five top-40 albums and six US top-40 single ...
, seemingly the only record they ever played – although they were shown playing other records at the introduction of several sketches. The pair would also try to outdo each other with deliberate mentions of '' charidee'' (charity) work for which the pair would ostensibly claim to be keeping hush-hush. The sketch was dropped when the show became ''Harry Enfield & Chums'', although the characters returned in other programmes, including the hour-long special "End of an Era", a "career" retrospective inspired by the upheavals at Radio 1 in 1993 under new controller
Matthew Bannister Richard Matthew Bannister (born 16 March 1957) is a British media executive and broadcaster. Early career After attending King Edward VII School, Sheffield, he graduated in law at the University of Nottingham in 1978, and joined BBC Radio Not ...
. The two, particularly Smashie, briefly appeared in a series of TV commercials for Fab ice-cream lollies.


Tim Nice-but-Dim Esq.

An upper-class twit who is usually being ripped off by one of his 'jolly nice' prep-school chums. He is an exaggerated version of "posh" yet pleasant and stupid people that Enfield knew. He is a fictional Old Ardinian with an eccentric public school-influenced dress sense involving jeans and a school
blazer A blazer is a type of jacket resembling a suit jacket, but cut more casually. A blazer is generally distinguished from a sport coat as a more formal garment and tailored from solid colour fabrics. Blazers often have naval-style metal buttons t ...
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, writer, broadcaster, and editor of the magazine ''Private Eye''. He has appeared on numerous radio and television programmes and has been a team captain on the BBC quiz show ...
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 the school reunion of 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 who is easily confused, never manages to serve a drink and frequently mixes up his anecdotes, customer orders, money ("Now, you gave me a tenner"), the names of even his regular customers (one of whom was played regularly by
Martin Clunes Alexander Martin Clunes OBE DL (born 28 November 1961) is an English actor, comedian, director and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Martin Ellingham in the ITV comedy-drama series ''Doc Martin'' and Gary Strang in ''Men Be ...
) and even his own marital status (Les: "Maureen! Can you come and help me at the bar please me love?" Regular: "You're not married, Les"). The character is often mistaken for Tim Nice-But-Dim due to their similarities. The pub set looks remarkably similar to the pub in ''
Men Behaving Badly ''Men Behaving Badly'' is a British sitcom that was created and written by Simon Nye. It follows the lives of Gary Strang (Martin Clunes) and his flatmates Dermot Povey (Harry Enfield; series 1 only) and Tony Smart (Neil Morrissey; series 2 onw ...
'' in which the landlord was also called Les.


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.


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 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 greatest f ...
"). They also intentionally misinterpret comments made to them as being sexual and flirtatiously tell off the victim 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 "nosey neighbour". Played by Whitehouse in the style of
Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film icon ...
as parodied by Peter Sellers in his infamous appearance on Parkinson in the early '70s. The parody is in part based on Caine's character from ''
The Italian Job ''The Italian Job'' is a 1969 British comedy caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley, directed by Peter Collinson, and starring Michael Caine. The film's plot centres around Cockney criminal Charlie Croker, re ...
'' released in 1969 and so 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 dreary 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 Damon Graham Devereux Hill, (born 17 September 1960) is a British former professional racing driver from England and the 1996 Formula One World Champion. He is the son of Graham Hill, and, along with Nico Rosberg, one of two sons of a Formula ...
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

Frank and George Doberman are a pair of opinionated, middle-aged men who spend their time in the pub discussing celebrities they admire. Most are only referred by their surnames, or outrageous alternative names. They describe a kind gesture they would make to the celebrity if they ever met, but then get distracted by an implausible, hypothetical situation and become irate by their own story. George's temper never reaches the same level as Frank's, but as the series progresses, George becomes increasingly strained by Frank's behavior. Another recurring joke is that both men believe Frank's son may be homosexual, but they avoid discussing it because Frank hasn't yet come to terms with it. In their most famous sketch, Frank actually meets a celebrity in the form of British
Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
driver
Damon Hill Damon Graham Devereux Hill, (born 17 September 1960) is a British former professional racing driver from England and the 1996 Formula One World Champion. He is the son of Graham Hill, and, along with Nico Rosberg, one of two sons of a Formula ...
. Enfield's character initially asks for an autograph, but as their conversation develops, Enfield begins to get angry at Hill whilst describing a hypothetical situation of Hill driving through 'the estate' at 200 mph, ending in the inevitable, "OI! HILL! NOO!" The character was based on a neighbour in a block of flats that Enfield lived in at the time who would insist on deliberately addressing him by his surname. The Self-Righteous Brothers are named after 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 Los ...
. In 1998 the Dobermans featured in an advert for Hula Hoops Big O's snacks. In October 2014, Enfield and Whitehouse returned to the characters of Frank and George in a sketch for Channel 4's " The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night".


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're 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 Julia St John is an English actress. Her television credits include ''A Touch of Frost'', ''The Brittas Empire'', ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'', ''Lovejoy'', ''Minder'', '' Harry Enfield and Chums'', '' Lewis'', and '' Victoria Wood'', appearing ...
) 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 others irritation), yet won't 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 series, based on the novels by John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six series, was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 10 January 198 ...
''. 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 hadn't 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, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
, flirting and making gay innuendo than doing any police work. A parody of liberal attitudes in the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Neth ...
.


Jockeys

Enfield plays a jockey whose horse effortlessly outruns another played by
Ewen Bremner Ewen Bremner (born 23 January 1972) is a Scottish character actor. His roles have included Julien in ''Julien Donkey-Boy'' and Daniel "Spud" Murphy in '' Trainspotting'' and its 2017 sequel ''T2 Trainspotting''. Early life Bremner was born in ...
, 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 an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
and speaks in a mixture of
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
and
Geordie Geordie () is a nickname for a person from the Tyneside area of North East England, and the dialect used by its inhabitants, also known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English. There are different definitions of what constitute ...
. He is always interviewed by the same pundit (Enfield as a parody of
John Motson John Walker Motson (10 July 1945 – 23 February 2023) was an English football commentator. Beginning as a television commentator with the BBC in 1971, he commentated on over 2000 games on television and radio. From the late 1970s to 2008, Mot ...
in his iconic sheepskin jacket). As the series progresses, Julio develops more and more a Geordie accent as he describes events on and off the field, the latter often involving 'liaisons' with
pin-up A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model (person), model whose mass produced, mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously ...
girls of the time such as
The Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and Victo ...
and
Dani Behr Dani Behr (born 9 July 1970) is an English former singer, actress, voice-over artist, and television presenter. Early life Behr was born in Mill Hill, London, of South African Jewish descent. Her father is a partner in London estate agents Be ...
. 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 at Newcastle United in 1995 when South American players joining English clubs was almost unheard of.


Jürgen the German

A young German tourist in England who can't stop apologising for his country's actions "during ze
Var Var or VAR may refer to: Places * Var (department), a department of France * Var (river), France * Vār, Iran, village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Var, Iran (disambiguation), other places in Iran * Vár, a village in Obreja commune, C ...
". He usually starts off friendly and inquisitive. But when there is a silence in the conversation, he begins apologising for his country, becoming increasingly aggressive in the process. When he is particularly frustrated, he displays Nazi-like tendencies. He also has an unusual quirk where he becomes disorientated if he encounters something about Britain that isn't as good as in Germany. For example, he is at a complete loss when a bus is a minute late and another commuter indicates this is normal.


Harry and Lulu the Toddlers

A toddler and his baby sister played by Enfield and Burke in 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 that doesn't accept his apologies. On
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service in ...
's ''Sunday Night Project'' on 8 February 2009, Harry admitted the characters were based on a young
Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings publi ...
and
Alfie Allen Alfie Evan Allen (born 12 September 1986) is an English actor. He portrayed Theon Greyjoy on all eight seasons of the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outs ...
(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 ''Mister Ed'' is an American television sitcom produced by Filmways that aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966. The show's title character is a talking horse which origin ...
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 since 1980, currently in its third generation. The first generation Panda (Mk 1: 1980–1986 & Mk2: 1986–2003), introduced in 1980, was a two-box, three-door hatchback designed b ...
that he assumed was his son's car or offering to order
Babycham Babycham () is the trade name of a light (6% ABV), sparkling perry invented by Francis Showering, a brewer in Shepton Mallet in Somerset, England. The name was owned by Accolade Wines until December 2021 when it was bought back into the Showeri ...
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 Ewen Bremner (born 23 January 1972) is a Scottish character actor. His roles have included Julien in ''Julien Donkey-Boy'' and Daniel "Spud" Murphy in '' Trainspotting'' and its 2017 sequel ''T2 Trainspotting''. Early life Bremner was born in ...
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 is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Eng ...
. Enfield also claimed to have mixed more recent
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization ...
politicians such as
Michael Howard Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne (born Michael Hecht; 7 July 1941) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005. He previously held cabinet posit ...
and
Michael Portillo Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo (; born 26 May 1953) is a British journalist, broadcaster and former politician. His broadcast series include railway documentaries such as ''Great British Railway Journeys'' and ''Great Continental Railway Journe ...
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 former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
) 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, and National conservatism, national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, ...
(DUP) leader Rev
Ian Paisley Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, (6 April 1926 – 12 September 2014) was a Northern Irish loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 1971 to 2008 and First ...
and
Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...
president
Gerry Adams Gerard Adams ( ga, Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh; born 6 October 1948) is an 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. ...
at a house party. William is loud-mouthed and becomes increasingly rude and insulting towards the host 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.


Appearances in commercials

Daim did a number of adverts featuring Harry Enfield's Television Programme characters. Mr Cholmondley-Warner did adverts for Mercury Communications. Smashie and Nicey appeared in an advert for
Nestlé Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since ...
s Fab Ice Lolly. Kevin the Teenager appeared in an advert for Pillsbury Toaster Pockets. The Self-Righteous Brothers appeared in a series of 1996 British Hula Hoops advertisements that explained that if a consumer found a square Hula Hoop in a packet, he or she would win a prize, with Frank stubbornly and aggressively maintaining that "Hula Hoops are round, they'll stay round, and they'll be around forever!". Frank alone then did some adverts for madasafish.com. Tim Nice-But-Dim appeared in two adverts for British meat in 2000 (lamb and beef).


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 ''Kevin & Perry Go Large'' is a 2000 British teen coming of age sex comedy film based on the Harry Enfield sketch Kevin the Teenager. The film was written by Dave Cummings and Harry Enfield and directed by Ed Bye. Enfield, Kathy Burke and Lou ...
'' 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, it has since been cancelled. ''Harry Enfield: The Collection'' was going to be a 5-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 And Chums (series 1 & 2 and the 1997 & 1998 Christmas Specials) and Harry Enfield Presents have been made available on
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a film ...
and
Britbox BritBox is an online digital video subscription service, founded by BBC Studios and ITV plc, operating in nine countries across North America, Europe, Australia and South Africa.
. It has now been removed from Netflix and BritBox UK.


Legacy

In 2000, Enfield and Burke starred in a feature film based around the Kevin the Teenager character titled ''
Kevin & Perry Go Large ''Kevin & Perry Go Large'' is a 2000 British teen coming of age sex comedy film based on the Harry Enfield sketch Kevin the Teenager. The film was written by Dave Cummings and Harry Enfield and directed by Ed Bye. Enfield, Kathy Burke and Lou ...
''. Enfield and Whitehouse reunited for sketch shows ''
Harry Enfield's Brand Spanking New Show ''Harry Enfield's Brand Spanking New Show'' is a British sketch show (sketch comedy) starring Harry Enfield. It was first broadcast on Sky 1 in 2000 for one series. The series followed Enfield's first project ''Harry Enfield's Television Progra ...
'' in 2000 and '' Ruddy Hell! It's Harry & Paul'' in 2007, the latter of which ran for 4 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 English-language television shows
Television Programme A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed bet ...
Television series by Banijay Television series by Hat Trick Productions Television series by Tiger Aspect Productions