Ted And Ralph
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Ted and Ralph are fictional characters created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, played by
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 Charlie Higson in the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
comedy sketch show ''
The Fast Show ''The Fast Show'', also known as ''Brilliant'' in the United States, is a BBC comedy sketch show that ran on BBC Two, BBC 2 from 1994 to 1997, with specials in 2000 and 2014. The show's central performers were Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Si ...
''. They featured in all three series of the show.


Characters

Lord Ralph Mayhew (Higson) is an impoverished
aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...
in his early 30s who lives in his family
mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...
on an expansive country estate. He has never married or had children and is secretly in love with Ted. Ralph is painfully shy and reserved, occasionally hinted to have previously suffered from mental illness. The juxtaposition of Ralph's over-friendliness and Ted's embarrassed silence forms the basis for the humour in the sketches. Other characters, when seen, particularly Ted's fellow estate workers, seem aware of Ralph's sexuality and are uncomfortable in his presence, or make blatantly homophobic double-entendres, which Ralph always misses. Ted (Whitehouse) is an Irish groundsman who had worked for Lord Mayhew's late mother and father before Ralph inherited the estate. Though generally very quiet, Ted is wiser than he seems and occasionally profound: Ralph sees through Ted's social status and takes his opinion very seriously. Ted's affection for Ralph, although usually well-hidden, is obvious. He never joins in making fun of him with his mates and on one occasion defends him when a friend makes a joke that refers to Ralph's feelings for him. Ted seems to want to protect Ralph's innocence, not letting his friends shoot Ralph's deer because he "likes to see them wandering about". Ted's wife Esther, often referred to as "Mrs. Ted", is unseen (except in the prequel special). Her unexpected death is the basis of an episode at the end of the third series. Ted's relationship with her seemed more familiar and comfortable than passionate, although he is affected badly by her death.


Concept and creation

Ralph was inspired by a documentary about film director John Boorman where he struggled to converse with his Irish gamekeeper. Linehan and Mathews pitched Ted and Ralph to Whitehouse in a pub by reading out the early sketch where Ralph invites Ted to a
Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...
concert. Whitehouse responded by standing and performing Ted's part, adopting an Irish accent in imitation of Linehan (and despite the latter's protestations).


Sketches

The sketches often follow a familiar pattern: Ted is working on the estate, Ralph approaches him nervously and tries to strike up a conversation, culminating in a request for Ted to spend time with him ("Are you interested in
French cinema The cinema of France comprises the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe, with prima ...
, at all, Ted?") and Ted gently turning him down usually citing a problem with "the drainage in the lower field". Ralph is extremely nervous around Ted, with the two never making
eye contact Eye contact occurs when two people or non-human animals look at each other's eyes at the same time. In people, eye contact is a form of nonverbal communication and can have a large influence on social behavior. Coined in the early to mid-1960s, ...
. Ralph often rambles on in monologues of unconnected topics. As the show progresses the two appear to develop a closer relationship, occasionally going fishing together and sharing more personal conversations. In one sketch Ralph steps in to defend Ted from the offensive slurs made by one of his upper-class friends. While Ted and his friends are playing a pub
drinking game Drinking games are games which involve the consumption of alcoholic beverages and often enduring the subsequent intoxication resulting from them. Evidence of the existence of drinking games dates back to antiquity. Drinking games have been banne ...
in which each spoken word must be preceded by a vegetable, Ralph, pressured into following the rules of the game, has to deliver the news to Ted that his wife has died, by saying: "Tomato - Ted - aubergine - your - potato - wife's - turnip - dead." One of Higson's favourite sketches, it proved to be "a nightmare to film", and the script was so difficult to follow that the director eventually had to film the sketch one vegetable word at a time. Ted's wife had requested that ''
Always on My Mind "Always on My Mind" is a Sentimental ballad, ballad written by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, and Mark James (songwriter), Mark James, first recorded by Brenda Lee and first released by Gwen McCrae (as "You Were Always on My Mind") in Mar ...
'' be played at her funeral: as the cassette player fails, Ralph sings it. After the funeral, Ted tries to maintain his sober and collected attitude, but in a rare moment of raw emotion as they walk back to the estate, Ted stumbles and is supported by Ralph. In the series three finale, Ralph, struggling to express his feelings with Ted while "having a fun drink" at the pub, eventually finds an expressive outlet through a drunken, impassioned
karaoke is a type of interactive entertainment system usually offered in nightclubs and bars, where people sing along to pre-recorded accompaniment using a microphone. Its musical content is an instrumental rendition of a well-known popular song. I ...
performance of '' Burning Love'', performed in front of Ted and his mates. The sketch ends with a dream sequence by Ralph in which they are joyously romping through a field.


Prequel special

Ted and Ralph were the first characters to have their own spin-off show in the form of a made-for-television
Christmas special Christmas themes have long been an inspiration to artists and writers. A prominent aspect of Christian media, the topic first appeared Christmas in literature, in literature and Christmas music, in music. Filmmakers have picked up on this wealth o ...
in December 1998. Ralph discovers at the office of his lawyer, Rowley Birkin (Whitehouse), that he must marry before the age of 35 or lose the estate, and therefore seeks a wife. He falls for Wendy ( Saskia Wickham) and proposes, but Ted discovers that Wendy's brother Cliff Carter ( Simon Day) has set up the marriage to gain control of the estate, and tries to save Ralph from the marriage. The film expands on Ralph's difficult childhood through flashbacks. With a strict father (Higson), a thoughtless mother (
Arabella Weir Arabella Helen Weir (born 6 December 1957) is an American-born British comedian, actress and writer. She played roles in the comedy series ''The Fast Show'', ''Posh Nosh'' and ''Two Doors Down (TV series), Two Doors Down'', and has written sev ...
), and the deranged, grotesque Aunt Cecilia (Higson), only Ted had time for young Ralph. It is the first time, it appears, that we start to see Ted realising that he may be in love with Ralph. He is deeply hurt and jealous when Ralph starts to spend less time with him and obsessively observes Ralph's relationship with Wendy. Despite Ralph's rejection, however, Ted still passionately defends him, bitterly accusing Wendy: "You've beguiled a kind, gentle, innocent, albeit slightly foolish man. You've taken away his hopes, his dreams, his past. Not to mention the lower field." At the end of the film, however, Wendy redeems herself, leaving before signing the documents that would turn the estate over to her and her brother. It appears that she also has realised how Ted and Ralph feel about each other, saying to Ted, "This house belongs to him. And to you." and "I didn't know it would be like this. I didn't know he was ...", presumably hinting at Ralph's sexuality. Gripping Ted's hands, while looking meaningfully into his eyes, she says, "He doesn't know what he wants Ted, but it isn't me." As this is a prequel, Ted's wife Esther (
Kathy Burke Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke (born 13 June 1964) is an English actress and comedian. She appeared in sketch shows such as '' French and Saunders'' (1988–1999), played a recurring role as Magda on the BBC sitcom '' Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992 ...
), unseen and eventually deceased in the ''Fast Show'' timeline, also appears on screen for the first and only time. Reviews were mixed.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ted and Ralph Christmas television specials Fictional duos Fictional gay men Television characters introduced in 1994 Television duos The Fast Show characters