The Bullshitters: Roll Out The Gunbarrel
Encyclopedia
The Bullshitters: Roll Out The Gunbarrel was a spoof
of The Professionals
, first broadcast in 1984 on Channel 4
. Although it was made by many people behind The Comic Strip
, it did not feature the Comic Strip logo and is not considered by some to be part of the series. However, it was included in the Comic Strip DVD
box set (2005), and its lead characters Bonehead and Foyle reappeared in a later Comic Strip episode, Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown
.
), head of DI5, hears that his daughter Janie has been kidnapped and held for ransom, he has to call in ex-agents Bonehead (Keith Allen) and Foyle (Peter Richardson) to save her. Since being kicked out of DI5, Bonehead works at a TV Tough Guys School, teaching others the "rules" of being a TV tough guy (such as not locking your car because you need to get straight back into it), and Foyle is now an actor on stage. Jackson blackmails the two into working together. It's time for Bonehead and Foyle - the flashiest, fastest and most under-dressed detectives to be kicked out of DI5 to get back to work. With a Magnum in one hand and a bus pass in the other, the Bullshitters set out to track down the criminals and get some good close-ups. However, as every good TV cop knows, not all is as it seems, especially Bonehead and Foyle's relationship with each other - is there a reason they wear so little clothing around each other?
Near the end of the episode, they hear a gunshot and hug each other in fright, before they declare their love for each other and kiss passionately. It turns out they have loved each other secretly for years.
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of The Professionals
The Professionals (TV series)
The Professionals was a British crime-action television drama series produced by Avengers Mk1 Productions and London Weekend Television that aired on the ITV network from 1977 to 1983. In all, 57 episodes were produced, filmed between 1977 and 1981. It starred Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and Gordon...
, first broadcast in 1984 on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. Although it was made by many people behind The Comic Strip
The Comic Strip
The Comic Strip is a group of British comedians, known for their television series The Comic Strip Presents.... The core members are Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Peter Richardson and Jennifer Saunders, with frequent appearances by Keith Allen, Robbie Coltrane and...
, it did not feature the Comic Strip logo and is not considered by some to be part of the series. However, it was included in the Comic Strip DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
box set (2005), and its lead characters Bonehead and Foyle reappeared in a later Comic Strip episode, Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown
Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown
Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown is a short comedy film made by The Comic Strip for the BBC, first broadcast in the UK in 1993....
.
Synopsis
When Commander Jackson (Robbie ColtraneRobbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
), head of DI5, hears that his daughter Janie has been kidnapped and held for ransom, he has to call in ex-agents Bonehead (Keith Allen) and Foyle (Peter Richardson) to save her. Since being kicked out of DI5, Bonehead works at a TV Tough Guys School, teaching others the "rules" of being a TV tough guy (such as not locking your car because you need to get straight back into it), and Foyle is now an actor on stage. Jackson blackmails the two into working together. It's time for Bonehead and Foyle - the flashiest, fastest and most under-dressed detectives to be kicked out of DI5 to get back to work. With a Magnum in one hand and a bus pass in the other, the Bullshitters set out to track down the criminals and get some good close-ups. However, as every good TV cop knows, not all is as it seems, especially Bonehead and Foyle's relationship with each other - is there a reason they wear so little clothing around each other?
Cast and crew
- Keith Allen (as Bonehead)
- Peter Richardson (as Martin Foyle)
- Robbie ColtraneRobbie ColtraneRobbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
(as Commander George Jackson) - Alana PellayAl PillayAlan "Al" Pillay also known as "Al Pillay" , the star of Eat the Rich is a person of many names and two genders, starring in The Comic Strip Presents as Alan Pellay playing Himself in Gino as Alana Pellay playing Herself in The Bullshitters and, finally, as Lana Pellay playing Mary in the feature...
(as Herself) - Jimmy FaggJimmy FaggJimmy Fagg Jimmy Fagg Jimmy Fagg (born 1929 in Gravesend, Kent is an English stand-up comedian, musician and actor. He is most notable for his roles in the Comic Strip Presents.. and separate roles in other British comedy films....
(as Himself) - Fiona HendleyFiona HendleyFiona Hendley is a British actress and latterly Christian speaker, married to the former Manfred Mann singer and actor Paul Jones.-Musical and Acting Career:...
(as Janie Jackson) - Al MatthewsAl MatthewsAl Matthews is a UK-based American actor and singer, best known as Sergeant Apone in the 1986 movie Aliens....
(as Admiral) - George Khan (as Thompson)
- Kevin AllenKevin Allen (actor)Kevin Allen is a British screenwriter, film director, film producer and actor. He is best known for writing and directing the cult black comedy feature Twin Town set in Swansea . He also directed the films The Big Tease and Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London and hit UK TV series Benidorm...
(as KNOBS Trainee Chuck) - Gary Martin (as KNOBS Trainee Stig)
- John Sarbutt (as KNOBS Trainee Dean)
- David Farrington (as KNOBS Trainee Troy)
- Anthony SharpAnthony SharpAnthony Sharp was an English actor cast for roles on television and film principally from the 1950s onwards....
(as Father) - Patience Tomlinson (as Daughter)
- Esther FreudEsther FreudEsther Freud is a British novelist.-Life and career:Born in London, Freud is the daughter of painter Lucian Freud and Bernadine Coverley and is a great-granddaughter of Sigmund Freud. She travelled extensively with her mother as a child, and returned to London at the age of sixteen to train as an...
(as Girl Backstage) - Michael WhiteMichael White (producer)Michael White is a British theatrical impresario and film producer.Theatre impresario and film producer Michael White was born in Scotland on 16 January 1936, and educated at the Sorbonne in Paris....
(as Himself) - Julian FirthJulian FirthJulian Firth is a British actor, best known for his roles as troubled inmate Davis in the cinematic version of the film Scum and as Brother Jerome in the long running television series Cadfael....
(as RADA Student) - Malcolm HardeeMalcolm HardeeMalcolm Hardee was an English comedian, author, comedy club proprietor, compère, agent, manager and "amateur sensationalist"....
(as Builder) - Suzanne Jerome (as KNOBS Receptionist)
- Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
(as Stone Deaf A&R Man) - Lewis Collins - uncredited (as theatre doorman)
- J.G. Thirlwell - uncredited (as Wine Bar Musician)
- Written by Keith Allen and Peter Richardson
- Directed by Stephen FrearsStephen FrearsStephen Arthur Frears is an English film director.-Early life:Frears was born in Leicester, England to Ruth M., a social worker, and Dr Russell E. Frears, a general practitioner and accountant. He did not find out that his mother was Jewish until he was in his late 20s...
- First broadcast on November 3, 1984
Gay themes
Bonehead and Foyle spend the latter half of the episode bare chested or with their shirts undone revealing their chests - in fact, as soon as they start working together again. During a chase scene, both of them are wearing undone jackets, thongs, and shoes - and nothing else. They put on jeans later on and then discard the jackets as they try to save Jackson's daughter.Near the end of the episode, they hear a gunshot and hug each other in fright, before they declare their love for each other and kiss passionately. It turns out they have loved each other secretly for years.
Trivia
- Robbie Coltrane's character is named Commander George Jackson. Gordon JacksonGordon Jackson (actor)Gordon Cameron Jackson, OBE was a Scottish Emmy Award-winning actor best remembered for his roles as the butler Angus Hudson in Upstairs, Downstairs and George Cowley, the head of CI5, in The Professionals....
played Major Cowley in The Professionals, whom Coltrane's character is based on. - Foyle's first name is Martin, as in Martin ShawMartin ShawMartin Shaw is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in shows such as The Professionals, The Chief, Judge John Deed and Inspector George Gently.-Theatrical background:...
who played Doyle in The Professionals, whom the character is based on. - Al MatthewsAl MatthewsAl Matthews is a UK-based American actor and singer, best known as Sergeant Apone in the 1986 movie Aliens....
- the Admiral, was a US MarineUnited States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
in real life, and had previously appeared as Faroud in an episode of The Professionals titled The Ojuka Situation. He went on to play Sergeant Apone in the blockbuster movie AliensAliens (film)Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, William Hope, and Bill Paxton...
. - Lewis Collins, who played Bodie (the character pastiched as "Bonehead") appears (but is not credited) as the theatre doorman.