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''Tittybangbang'' is a female-led BBC
television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
sketch comedy 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 ...
show, featuring Lucy Montgomery and
Debbie Chazen Deborah Chazen (born 1 September 1971) is an English actress. She is best known for portraying Annie in the BBC comedy ''The Smoking Room'', Big Claire in '' Mine All Mine'', and various roles in the BBC sketch show '' Tittybangbang''. Alongsid ...
. It ran between 2005 and 2007 on
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
. The show was largely written by
Bob Mortimer Robert Renwick Mortimer (born 23 May 1959) is an English comedian, author, television presenter, writer and actor. He is one half of the comedy double act Reeves and Mortimer with Jim Moir, Vic Reeves, and appears in the ''Mortimer & Whitehouse ...
and Jill Parker and produced by their company
Pett Productions ''Pett Productions'' was an independent production company, established by Bob Mortimer, Vic Reeves and Lisa Clark in 2001. The company was based at the Maidstone Studios in Maidstone, Kent and has produced several television shows in comedy, r ...
.


History

Bob Mortimer and Lisa Clark conceived the idea of ''Tittybangbang'' and involved Jill Parker. Mortimer came up with the show's name, wanting "a really memorable title like ''
Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American mystery comedy-drama television series created by Marc Cherry, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a tota ...
''", Clark said in an interview, "it's rude, but in a comedy way".Interview with Lisa Clark
''Female First'' Retrieved 9 May 2008.
The pilot aired on
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
on 20 September 2005. The first series followed, heavily promoted by an advert in which the cast members danced and mimed to the
Pussycat Dolls The Pussycat Dolls were an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a neo-burlesque troupe. At the suggestion of Jimmy Iovine, Antin decided to take the troupe mainst ...
' hit single "
Don't Cha "Don't Cha" is a song written by Busta Rhymes and CeeLo Green, and produced by the latter. The chorus is a slightly modified Interpolation (popular music), interpolation of the chorus line sung by Sir Mix-a-Lot in a song he wrote called "Swass" f ...
." It ran from 10 January to 14 February 2006, and was a ratings success. After the series finished, BBC Three dedicated an evening to the show, airing each episode in succession. The second series ran from 13 November to 25 December 2006. It had a new title sequence and theme tune, consisted of seven thirty-minute episodes (including a
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
special) and matched the first series' success. Both the first and second series were shown on
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, 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 matte ...
in a series of 'Best of' specials. In March 2007, ''Tittybangbang'' was nominated for a Golden Rose international television award. The third and final series followed, with another new title sequence, and ran from 11 November to 16 December 2007, followed by the Christmas special, on 26 December. Filming for the series took place mostly in and around Kent.


Critical reception

Both critics and the general public formed mixed opinions, and in the press pack for the show's first series,
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 ...
Press Office said that the pilot had "polarised critical response." First impressions of the show were good, with ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
'' describing the show as 'Disturbingly funny,' ''
The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...
'' calling it 'Laughs galore,' and ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' describing it as 'Very funny, very horrid.' The show also received negative criticism from certain critics, with ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' describing it as 'Not very funny.' In an interview with Lucy Montgomery,
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...
said that the first series had been labelled "horrid and filthy, but funny," and Montgomery mentioned the necrophiliac pathologists specifically, saying "the necrophilia character, that's gone
rom the second series Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * R ...
because public opinion was that that wasn't a good idea." The BBC
Comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
review said "the sketches might not always work, but they're mostly short and to the point," and described it as "one of the best, and certainly the most varied of recent sketch formats," noting that whilst "not as huge as other formats," it had developed a "loyal and addicted following."


Main characters

Below is a selection of some of the main characters in the series. *The Italian Lady, an exhibitionist who does outlandish things for attention, whilst proclaiming "Don't look at me, I'm shy!". ''(Montgomery, series 1-3)'' *Maxine Bendix, an Eastern-European topless model, and later pop star, who has had a grotesque amount of cheap plastic surgery, which is prone to "just a little bit of seepage". ''(Montgomery, series 1-3)'' *Paula, Ann and Diane, goofy
ladette Lad culture (also the new lad, laddism) was a media-driven, principally British and Irish subculture of the 1990s and the early 2000s. The term ''lad culture'' continues to be used today to refer to collective, boorish or misogynistic behaviour by ...
s who play darts; however, Paula, plagued by severe twitching and
anxiety Anxiety is an emotion characterised by an unpleasant state of inner wikt:turmoil, turmoil and includes feelings of dread over Anticipation, anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response ...
, and her jealousy of club compere Tony's romantic interest in Ann, shouts "Right there!" and promptly misses the board. ''(Chazen, Montgomery, Cheshire and Way, series 1-3)''. Paula was Chazen's favourite character to perform. *Don Peacock, a bald,
Wearside Wearside () is a built-up area in County Durham and Tyne and Wear, England. It is named after the River Wear which flows through it and traditionally all in the County of Durham. In the 2011 census, its official name was the Sunderland Built- ...
man whose fantasy is to have a "waz", a "widdle" or "a little pee pee" (
urolagnia Urolagnia, also known as urophilia, is a paraphilia in which sexual excitement is associated with urine or urination. Etymologically, the term comes from the Greek , meaning 'urine', and , meaning 'lust'. A golden shower is slang for the practic ...
) on women. ''(Montgomery, series 1-2)'' *Ruth Baxter, an
upper class Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status. Usually, these are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper cla ...
old aged
pensioner A pensioner is a person who receives a pension, most commonly because of retirement from the workforce. This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom (along with OAP, initialism of old-age pensioner), Ireland and Australia where someone of p ...
who likes to fight people, using ridiculously silly methods. ''(Montgomery, series 1-2)'' *Duck and Chip Family, a
dysfunctional family In psychology, abnormality (also dysfunctional behavior, maladaptive behavior, or deviant behavior) is a behavioral characteristic assigned to those with conditions that are regarded as dysfunctional. Behavior is considered to be abnormal when i ...
whose lives revolve around their love of "quack", or "donald", and chips. ''(Way, Botcher, Chazen and Montgomery, series 1-3)'' *Carol Booth, a stay-at-home mum who, despite protests from her daughter and partner, and competition from neighbour Michelle, resorts to desperate measures to be on
television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
, particularly running from people screaming "(S)he's got a kniiife!" ''(Chazen, Tshabalala, Way and Montgomery, series 1-3)'' *Pete Wade, a spa salesman, and later estate agent, who hardly listens to anyone, interspersing their words with "yeah" and "uh huh", and tries to hit on female customers. ''(Montgomery, series 1-2)'' *Colleen, Nathalie and Melanie, a trio of TV-addicted
chavette "Chav" (), also "charver", "scally" and "roadman" in parts of England, is a British term, usually used in a pejorative way. The term is used to describe an anti-social lower-class youth dressed in sportswear. * * * * Julie Burchill descri ...
s who, regardless of their homeland, all speak in thick
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
n dialects, and get into lengthy, barely comprehensible conversations about the "likkle battams" of famous faces such as
Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...
or
Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...
. ''(Montgomery, Chazen and Tshabalala, series 1-3)'' *Parker and Harris,
necrophiliac Necrophilia, also known as necrophilism, necrolagnia, necrocoitus, necrochlesis, and thanatophilia, is sexual attraction or acts involving corpses. It is classified as a paraphilia by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its ''International ...
pathologists who "can't resist a stiffy" and abandon investigatory work to sexually assault the deceased. Susan Parker was loosely based upon
Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (; born Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov; 26 July 1945) is an English actor. With a career spanning over six decades of Helen Mirren on screen and stage, screen and stage, List of awards and nominations received by Helen Mirre ...
's character in
Prime Suspect ''Prime Suspect'' is a British police procedural television series devised by Lynda La Plante. Broadcast on ITV between 1991 and 2006, it stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater Lo ...
. ''(Montgomery and Chazen, series 1)'' *Jackie and Nikki, two
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 ...
friends, but Jackie exploits Nikki's naivete to trick her out of money in return for teaching her how to do completely nonsensical things, such as floating in mid-air. ''(Chazen and Montgomery, series 2-3)'' *Magwash, a revered, wise man who tells tales to the regulars of a storm-blasted coastal pub in the
Scottish Highlands The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...
, but forever slips, using the wrong (and inappropriate) words, and when interrupted, bellows a thunderclap-punctuated "SILENCE!" ''(Chazen, series 2)'' *The Vampire Slayers, suburban housewives who hunt down people they suspect to be
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
s, all the while shouting "Death to vampires!" and "Vampire, vampire, fookin' vampire!". ''(Montgomery, Chazen and Coles, series 2-3)'' *
Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...
, whose tour of England and desperation to try out some traditionally English experiences is ruined by his arguing bodyguard's squabbles. ''(Montgomery, series 2-3)'' *Veronica Cooper, an aristocratic, horse-like woman, who finds pleasure in spying on overweight, working class and somewhat dumb men with her equally posh, toothy friend Christina, who is apparently "not supposed to be here!".That's right, she's not! ''(Chazen and Montgomery, series 2-3)'' *Raul, a camp,
androgynous Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in humans, it often r ...
and childish
hairdresser A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A hairdresser may also be re ...
who never appears to pick up a pair of scissors, and complains endlessly about his "sore balls". ''(Montgomery, series 3)'' *Irene, who appears in potentially controversial situations, and proceeds to let the subjects know just how much she approves of them ("good for you!"). ''(Chazen, series 3)'' *
Idi Amin Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 30 May 192816 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until Uganda–Tanzania War, his overthrow in 1979. He ruled as a Military dictatorship, ...
, the ex-president of
Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
lives on a housing estate, refers to himself as "the king" and spends his time lying in bed watching television, shouting "Emergency, emergency!" to summon his downtrodden wife. ''(Way and Montgomery, series 3)''


DVD releases


References


External links

* * * {{British Comedy Guide, tv, tittybangbang
''BBC Comedy Guide'' – ''Tittybangbang''

PettProductions.co.uk
2005 British television series debuts 2007 British television series endings 2000s British television sketch shows BBC television sketch shows Cross-dressing in television British English-language television shows Television shows set in the United Kingdom