''Strutter'' is a television series that was broadcast on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

in Europe. It stars

Paul Kaye Paul Kaye (born 15 December 1964) is an English comedian and actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Thoros of Myr in the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones'' (2013–17). He started as shock interviewer Dennis Pennis on ''The Sunday ...

as American lawyer Mike Strutter and

Thaila Zucchi Thaila Lucia Zucchi (; born 19 January 1981) is a British singer and actress of English and Italian descent. She began her career as a member of the British band allSTARS* before transitioning into nude acting, appearing in '' Big Brother 8'' ...

as his wife. The show focuses on clips of people getting hurt, Strutter making fun of music videos of

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media *Independent media, media free of influence by government or corporate interests *Indie art, fine arts made by artists independent of commer ...

bands,

emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...

bands and

boy bands A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands dance a ...

, a German couple who like to mix extreme sports with

sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (also coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion of the Erection, erect male Human penis, penis inside the female vagina and followed by Pelvic thrust, thrusting motions for sexual pleasure ...

, and mock commercials promoting fictitious ''"''Struttergear''"'' merchandise. The show was produced by the

Objective Productions Objective Media Group (OMG), previously known as Objective Productions, is a media production company. It has produced shows including '' The Cube'', ''Lingo'', '' The Gold'', '' Feel Good, Peep Show'', '' Fresh Meat'', and '' Toast of London' ...

comedy office, where ''

Peep Show A peep show, peepshow, or, a peep booth is a presentation of a live sex show or pornographic film which is viewed through a viewing slot. Several historical media provided voyeuristic entertainment through hidden erotic imagery. Before the devel ...

'' was made. The character of Mike Strutter originally appeared in a

Dennis Pennis Paul Kaye (born 15 December 1964) is an English comedian and actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Thoros of Myr in the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones'' (2013–17). He started as shock interviewer Dennis Pennis on ''The Sunday ...

video release named ''Dennis Pennis RIP: Too Rude to Live'' in which he "killed off " the Pennis character. Kaye had wanted to do something with the character for years, so he and comedy writer

Paul Garner Paul Albert "Mousie" Garner (July 31, 1909 – August 8, 2004) was an American actor. Garner earned his nickname by assuming the role of a shy, simpering jokester. He was one of the last actors still doing shtick from vaudeville, and has ...

developed a format, with Garner writing the series and appearing as an actor in it. Garner has said in interviews he would sit at home watching TV making his own ''Strutter''-style voiceovers. The show aired two full series for a total of 16 episodes, in 2006 and 2007.

Character

Michael "Mike" Strutter is an American lawyer who uses violence to solve his cases; he is often seen burying bodies. Strutter speaks with a Brooklyn accent, and dresses in fashion from the late 1970s. According to what can be gathered on the show, he is 41 years old, loves

prostitutes Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-p ...

heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a Music genre, genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal band ...

and seeing people get hurt, and hates

indie music Independent music (also commonly known as indie music, or simply indie) is a broad style of music characterized by creative freedoms, low-budgets, and a do-it-yourself approach to music creation, which originated from the liberties afforded by in ...

emo music Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

, skaters and " cocksuckers". On his show, Strutter is usually

high High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift t ...

, and is usually seen snorting

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

, smoking

cigarettes A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the oppo ...

and drinking

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

. His language tends to be extremely vulgar, and he makes heavy use of the word "cocksuckers". During the final Dennis Pennis VHS video "Pennis R.I.P.", Strutter makes his debut appearance as the

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

for an imprisoned anti-Pennis campaigner, Tony Cream. Cream realises that Strutter will become homicidal if anyone calls him a "Nana", and thus convinces Strutter that Pennis has been gallivanting around town, calling Strutter this fairly innocuous insult. An incensed Strutter vows to murder Pennis, and we later see this happening, with Strutter throttling Pennis to death with his own microphone cord. Kaye has suggested that the general demeanour of Strutter, his dress sense, drug addictions and foul language are based on a combination of

David Kleinfeld David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...

, the lawyer played by

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. List of awards and nominations received by Sean Penn, His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Gl ...

in the

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino ( ; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Known for his intense performances on stage and screen, Pacino is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. His career spans more than five decades, duri ...

film

Carlito's Way ''Carlito's Way'' is a 1993 American crime drama film directed by Brian De Palma and written by David Koepp, based on the novels '' Carlito's Way'' (1975) and '' After Hours'' (1979) by Judge Edwin Torres. It stars Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelop ...

, and

Joe Pesci Joseph Frank Pesci ( , ; born February 9, 1943) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for portraying tough, volatile characters, in a variety of genres, and for his collaborations with his best friend, Robert De Niro in the films ' ...

. Kaye has performed occasional live gigs as the character, where he fronts a covers band in the guise of Strutter under the banner 'The Mike Strutter Band'. London-based singer Kiria often joins the group onstage, and can be seen dueting with Kaye/Strutter in the video for her single "Live Sex On Stage".

Format

The show has its own adverts, which consist of either Strutter trying to sell his fictional merchandis

or a fictional

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

couple named Peter and Elkie Zpittvar (the latter being played by Lucy Montgomery), who mix

sex Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inheri ...

with

Extreme sports Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk of injury or death. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear. Extre ...

. At the end of some episodes, as the programme music begins, Strutter can be seen breaking down in tears after snorting cocaine, and making comments such as: "I'm fucked up!" or "What the fuck am I doing?, I'm forty one fuckin' years old!". The final ident of the programme shows Strutter looking down at the camera with a cigarette in his hand and shouting at the viewer, "What the fuck are you looking at?!".

DVD status

In 2011 the writer Paul Garner wrote on his official website that "It has been a constant source of frustration and incredulity to myself and Paul Kaye that MTV have never released a DVD of Series 1 & 2. Paul and I have not given up pursuing an official release and will keep you posted. Many requests have come in from fans of the show in Romania, Holland, Poland, Scandinavia, France and many other territories around the world where Strutter has been broadcast and we will endeavour to repay your support by getting something released one way or another. Keep checking back on my website for any news."

Trivia

''Strutter'' also holds the Guinness world record for "Most swear words in a TV show" The character also appears on a track on the new album by the Fun Lovin Criminals where he mocks their recent legal battle with their former manager.

References

External links

StrutterGear, Strutter Official Site

Mike Strutter on Myspace
MTV original programming Television series by All3Media {{nonfiction-tv-prog-stub