The Catherine Tate Show is an award-winning
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
sketch comedySketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
written by
Catherine TateCatherine Tate, born 12 May 1968 as Catherine Ford, is an English actress, writer and comedienne. She has won numerous awards for her work on the sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and four BAFTA Awards...
who stars in all of the show's sketches, which feature a wide range of
charactersThe following characters appear in the comedy sketch series The Catherine Tate Show on BBC Two. Comedian Catherine Tate portrays all of the characters featured most prominently in the show, which she has created with Derren Litten and her team of writers...
.
The Catherine Tate Show airs on
BBC Two
and is shown worldwide through the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
. Collectively, the show has been nominated for six BAFTA Awards, two
British Comedy AwardsThe British Comedy Awards is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year.-History:...
and an
Emmy AwardThe Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards , Grammy Awards and Tony Awards .They are presented in various...
, and it has won two
Royal Television Society AwardThe Royal Television Society is a British-based society for the discussion, analysis and preservation of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the one of the oldest television societies in the world...
s, two British Comedy Awards and a
National Television AwardThe National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, sponsored by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. Although not widely held to be as prestigious as the British Academy Television Awards, the premier UK television accolades, the National Television Awards are probably the...
since its debut in 2004.
History
The first series of the show, which consisted of six episodes, aired from 16 February to 22 March 2004. A
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
of this series was released in August 2005.
A second series aired from 21 July to 25 August 2005, and a 40-minute Christmas special was aired on 20 December 2005. For this series a new theme tune was introduced. A DVD of series two was released in October 2006.
The third series aired from 14 October to 25 November 2006. There has been speculation that this would be the final series. However, Tate explained in an interview on
This MorningThis Morning is a British daytime television programme created by Granada Television and broadcast on ITV. It first aired from Granada's Albert Dock Studios in Liverpool on 3 October 1988. It features celebrity guests, entertainment, advice on health and well-being, competitions, cookery and more...
that she had never said this and would like to at least do specials in the future.
Tate filmed a Christmas special which aired on 25 December 2007, with viewing figures of 6.4 million. Tate has announced that there will be no more series after the special.
Main characters
This is only a list and small description of the most popular or well-known characters.
- Lauren Cooper
Lauren Alesha Masheka Tanesha Felicia Jane Cooper is a fictional character in The Catherine Tate Show. Lauren is one of the show's main characters and is played by Catherine Tate...
is an argumentative and lazy teenage girl who gets out of awkward situations by repeating her catchphrase, "Am I bovvered?" or "Look at my face, is my face bovvered? Face? Bovvered?" In 2006 this catchphrase was named Word of the YearThe word of the year, sometimes capitalized as Word of the Year and abbreviated WOTY or WotY, refers to any of various assessments as to the most important word or expression in the public sphere during a specific year....
and entered the Oxford English DictionaryThe Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press , is a comprehensive dictionary of the English language...
. A spokesperson for the OED commented
- Joannie 'Nan' Taylor
Joannie 'Nan' Taylor is a fictional character in The Catherine Tate Show. She is one of the main characters of the show and is portrayed by Catherine Tate.-The Catherine Tate Show:...
is a foul-mouthed grandmother who constantly swears at and criticises other people, especially when they are not present, including her grandson. She often uses the phrases "What a fuckin' liberty!!" and "What a load of old shit!"
- Kate and Ellen are two office workers who sit next to each other. While Ellen (played by Ella Kenion
Ella Kenion is an English comedy actress, known for her versatility in shows such as The Catherine Tate Show, Five's sketch show, Swinging and most recently in BBC4's Fear of Fanny. She's probably best known for her portrayal Mrs Cakeworthy in The Green Green Grass...
) is usually keen to get on with her work, she is frequently disturbed by Kate (Tate), who asks her to guess answers to questions and when she answers wrongly she gets mad - however it is common that she will then get it right and Tate will just say "...Yeah" and get back to her work.
- The Aga Saga Woman is an upper middle class
The upper middle class is a sociological concept referring to the social group constituted by higher-status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term lower middle class used for the group at the opposite end of the middle class stratum and the regular middle class. There is...
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
woman who goes into a state of shock in various, seemingly harmless situations when confronted with people, places, or products, which are lower than her own Social ClassSocial classes are the hierarchical arrangements of people in society as economic or cultural groups. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political economists and social historians...
.
- Derek Faye is a man who shows several signs of being gay but seems to be in denial about his sexuality and becomes extremely offended and defensive when people assume he is gay, often exclaiming, "How very dare you!" or "What? who dear? me dear? gay dear? No, dear".
- Janice and Ray are a couple from Beverley
Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood...
, East YorkshireThe East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire is a local government district with unitary authority status, and it is a ceremonial county of England. It is named after the historic East Riding of Yorkshire , which also constituted a ceremonial and administrative county until 1974...
who express their disgust at the various signs of multi-culturalism in their very British circle. Sources of outrage include restaurant meals, due to their perception of over-pricing or the exotic nature of the food such as grapes in a brieBrie is a soft cows' cheese named after Brie, the French province in which it originated . It is pale in colour with a slight greyish tinge under crusty white mould; very soft and savoury with a hint of ammonia...
cheese sandwich. They perceive global foods as adulterated British fare and view such culinary transgressions as personal affronts - finally responding with their catchphrase "The dirty bastards!"
- Geordie Georgie is a frequent petitioner, always trying to get her co-worker, Martin, to sponsor "me and some of the girls" in her latest charitable endeavour. With facts such as "Every 38 minutes ..." she follows her statements up with "If you don't believe me then log on to the website double-you, double-you, double-you, dot..."
- Ally is a tactless woman with good intentions who unfortunately is a perfect example of someone with foot-in-mouth syndrome. Unwittingly she offends all that she comes into contact with at parties, and then in an attempt to dig herself out of the ditch she has created, only worsens the situation.
- Bernie is a vulgar nurse with an infectious snort, who works at a hospital who is never shy from both saying it how it is, and from airing her personal problems or feelings with everyone and anyone, particularly the male doctors.
Series one (2004)
The first series of the show, which consisted of six episodes, aired from 16 February to 22 March 2004. The show's theme tune for the first series was "In These Shoes?" by
Kirsty MacCollKirsty Anna MacColl was an English singer-songwriter.MacColl scored several pop hits from the early 1980s to the early 1990s...
.
After series one
In the months preceding the launch of the second series, BBC Two aired three "best of" episodes, featuring a variety of the funniest clips from the six episodes of series one, including Lauren Cooper the teenager and the Joannie Taylor the foul-mouthed grandmother. Meanwhile, repeats of all six episodes of the first series aired on UKTV G2 (now Dave). Tate also appeared in a comedy sketch with boy band McFly (see charity sketches for details).
In 2004, Catherine Tate won a British Comedy Award for "Best Comedy Newcomer" for her work on the first series of
The Catherine Tate Show.
Series two (2005)
The second series aired from 21 July to 25 August 2005. Following Tate's Comic Relief appearance with
McFlyMcFly are a BRIT Award winning pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band members are: Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd...
, and news of her non-existent feud with
David SchwimmerDavid Lawrence Schwimmer is an American actor and director of television and film. Born in New York, he moved to Los Angeles at the age of two. Several years later, he began his acting career performing in school plays at Beverly Hills High School. In 1988, he graduated from Northwestern...
, it received slightly more publicity than series one in the run-up to the first episode. BBC Two also promoted the series by running trailers showing Lauren arguing with a furry dog in the shape of the channel's
logoA logo is a graphical element that, together with its logotype form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo's design is for immediate recognition...
.
This series was far more successful with viewing figures than the first. This series secured ratings of 2.89 to 3.92 million, with the final episode receiving higher viewing figures than the episode of
ExtrasExtras is a British sitcom about extras working on film sets and in theatre. The series was co-produced by the BBC and HBO, and is created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, both of whom also star in it...
which aired beforehand. Celebrities such as
Peter KayPeter John Kay is an English comedian, writer, producer, director and actor. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing , Phoenix Nights , Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere , Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and other independent productions.-Early career:Kay was born in Farnworth near Bolton,...
and
Jill HalfpennyJill Halfpenny is an English actress.Halfpenny is possibly best known for her role as Kate in the British TV drama EastEnders, from 2002-5...
made guest appearances in series two. The series also had new theme music composed by
Howard Goodall210px|thumb|Howard Goodall at St. John the Baptist Church in Devon, United Kingdom, May 2009Howard Goodall is a British composer of musicals, choral music and music for television...
. For the opening, various characters are in an open field. The camera closes in on Lauren Cooper, zooms into her eye, then zooms out of Sheila Carter's eye. The camera pans to the right, where Bernie enters. The camera zooms into her eye, then zooms out of Nan's eye, where she is seen laughing. The end of the sequence shows the main title
The Catherine Tate Show. The zooming is the same for both series two and three although Shelia Carter does not appear in series three.
The second series began airing (on free-to-air television) in Australia on 4 April 2007 on
ABC TVThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC", is Australia's national public broadcaster. With a total budget of AUD$1.13 Billion annually, the corporation provides television, radio, online and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional Australia, as well as...
. Prior to this the BBC-Owned Australian Cable Channel
UK.TVUKTV is a subscription television channel in Australia and New Zealand, screening British entertainment programming, sourced mainly from the archives of the BBC, RTL Group and ITV plc. The company was originally a joint venture with Foxtel and the RTL Group...
had aired the complete series starting in 2004. The re-runs of the series were shown starting from 6 May 2007.
After series two
In November 2005, Tate was a guest at the 77th
Royal Variety PerformanceFor a general description of performances for the monarch, see Royal Command Performance.The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen...
, and appeared in the guise of teenager Lauren Cooper, accompanied by Lauren's friends, Ryan and Liese. After Lauren embarrassed herself in front of the audience, Ryan pointed out that the
QueenElizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known informally as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,...
was laughing at her. Looking up at the Royal Box, she asked "Are you disrespecting me?" and mimicked the Queen's accent, asking, "Is one bovvered? Is one's face bovvered?", before adding, "Who is looking after the
corgiCorgi may refer to:*Corgi International Limited, a company that manufactures movie prop replicas, die-cast collectibles, and gift and toy products.*Welsh Corgi, breeds of dogs, specifically:**Pembroke Welsh Corgi**Cardigan Welsh Corgi...
s?" The Queen was seen laughing at this joke, and
Prince PhillipThe Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. Philip was originally a royal prince of Greece and Denmark, and thus a member of the Danish-German House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, but renounced these titles shortly before his marriage and adopted the...
also appeared to take this in good humour. There were, however, reports that the Prince was extremely unimpressed by the performance and complained to the show's executive producer. She also appeared as Lauren in a special sketch for the BBC's annual
Children in NeedBBC Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million.-Overview:Each year since 1980, the BBC has set aside one evening of programming on its flagship television channel, BBC One, to show events aimed at raising money exclusively...
telethon. The segment was a crossover with
EastEndersEastEnders is a long-running, popular and award-winning television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985...
(see charity sketches for details).
A Christmas show was aired on 20 December 2005. It featured appearances from celebrity guests Richard Park,
Charlotte ChurchCharlotte Church is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in childhood as a classical crossover singer before branching into pop music in 2005. By 2007, she had sold more than 10,500,000 albums worldwide and is said to be worth as much as £20m...
and Chas & Dave. During the show, Paul and Sam's two children were seen for the first time, who looked like, and had identical characteristics to their parents. The characters of Margaret and the enigmatic detective, who did not appear in series two, made appearances in the Christmas special. According to
BARBBarb may refer to:* A backward-facing point on a fish hook or similar implement, rendering extraction from the victim's flesh more difficult* wind barbs for each station on a map of reported weather conditions...
's official viewing figures, over 5.66 million viewers watched the show, making it the most-watched programme at the time and the most watched programme on BBC Two the week it was aired. The show was also nominated for the People's Choice Award at the
British Comedy AwardsThe British Comedy Awards is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year.-History:...
in 2005, but did not win after it was announced that the show had received less votes than
Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. In an investigation, it was revealed in May 2008 that
The Catherine Tate Show was the true winner of the British Comedy Award, and that Ant and Dec were wrongly awarded; Tate had actually received more votes from the public. A report by independent law firm,
OlswangOlswang is a full service law firm with its head office in London, United Kingdom, and additional offices in Berlin, Brussels and the Thames Valley. It also works closely with a network of firms across eighty countries....
, said "
Robbie WilliamsRobert Peter Williams, better known as Robbie Williams is a BRIT Award-winning English British singer-songwriter. His career started in 1989, at the age of 15, as a dancer and singer with the pop band Take That. He left the band in 1995 to launch his solo career...
was invited to present an award. It was understood that he would be happy [to do so] if the recipients were
Anthony McPartlinAnthony David "Ant" McPartlin also known PJ is one half of the English acting and television presenting duo 'Ant & Dec', alongside Declan Donnelly.- Career :...
and
Declan DonnellyDeclan Joseph Oliver "Dec" Donnelly is one half of the English acting and television presenting duo "Ant & Dec" alongside Ant McPartlin. He came to prominence in the children's drama series Byker Grove and as one half of the pop duo PJ & Duncan...
. In order to ensure his attendance, this assurance was given," however it is not known if Williams' comments led to the wrong announcement. It was also exposed that the second half of the ceremony was not broadcast live but with a delay of half-an-hour, yet viewers were still encouraged to vote for the People's Choice Award, even though the votes had been counted and the trophy presented half-an-hour before.
The second series started airing on UKTV G2 in January 2006. Series one continued on UKTV Gold. The second series was also being screened on
BBC AmericaBBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide Americas, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:...
, and repeated on BBC Two, from June 2006. Following the success of series two, Tate launched a range of merchandise based on characters from the show in 2006. In September 2006
The Catherine Tate Show official calendar 2007 was released. Also, on the 2 October 2006 a book was released of the scripts of both Series one and two, called
Am I Bovvered The Catherine Tate Show Scripts.
On 13 December 2006, Tate won another British Comedy Award for "Best TV Comedy Actress" for her work in the second series of
The Catherine Tate Show.
Series three (2006)
The third series started on 26 October 2006 and ran until 25 November 2006. Prior to the launch of the series, it had been reported that
BBC One
controller
Peter FinchamPeter Fincham is a British television producer and executive, currently the Director of Television for the ITV network. He was also formerly the Controller of BBC One, the primary television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation, until his resignation on 5 October 2007, following...
hoped to lure Tate to the channel; however, she decided to stay with BBC Two, where she would not be as pressured to secure higher ratings.
The series gained strong viewing figures for
BBC Two
, ranging from 4.00 to 4.92 million, becoming the top show on BBC Two each week. There were many more guest appearances in the third series which included
Paul O'GradyPaul James O'Grady MBE is a BAFTA-award winning English comedian of television, radio and stage. He achieved initial fame as the creator of comic drag character Lily Savage, a vampish scouser known as the "Birkenhead Bombshell"...
being featured in a sketch with Joannie "Nan" Taylor when she appeared on
The Paul O'Grady ShowThe Paul O'Grady Show is a BAFTA award-winning British comedy chat show hosted by Birkenhead-born comedian Paul O'Grady. The format is a teatime chat show that consists of a mixture of celebrity guests, comic stunts, musical performances, and occasionally viewer competitions...
.
After series three
On 19 February 2007, Tate appeared again on
This Morning and stated that a forty minute Comic Relief special had been made, which aired on 16 March 2007. Several sketches were interspersed throughout the Comic Relief programme, with guests such as the prime minister at the time,
Tony BlairAnthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
(see charity sketches for details).
Kim CattrallKim Victoria Cattrall is a Britishactress. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones in the HBO comedy/romance series Sex and the City, and for her leading roles in the 1980s films Police Academy, Big Trouble in Little China, and Mannequin.-Early life:Cattrall was born in Mossley Hill,...
has also expressed an interest in appearing on an episode of the show. Cattrall commented that she is a "huge fan" and would like to be given a role.
Tate has revealed that she is considering taking the characters from the show on the road for a UK stage tour. Series Three was released on DVD on 12 November 2007. On 31 October 2007
The Catherine Tate Show won the
National Television AwardThe National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, sponsored by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. Although not widely held to be as prestigious as the British Academy Television Awards, the premier UK television accolades, the National Television Awards are probably the...
for most popular comedy as voted for by the public.
A new Christmas special episode aired on 25 December 2007 on
BBC One
, in which
pop star"Pop Star" is a 2005 single from Japanese singer Ken Hirai. The single went on to top the 2005 Oricon Charts and is known for its remarkable music video, featuring Ken in seven different personas, including a raccoon and his own manager. The Video also helped Ken break into the US and Canadian...
George MichaelGeorgios Kyriacos Panayiotou , best known as George Michael, is a two-time Grammy Award winning, English singer-songwriter, who has had a career as frontman of the duo Wham! as well as a soul-influenced, solo pop musician...
made a guest appearance. He was featured in several scenes with Irish nurse, Bernie, including one kissing scene. The character of
LaurenLauren Alesha Masheka Tanesha Felicia Jane Cooper is a fictional character in The Catherine Tate Show. Lauren is one of the show's main characters and is played by Catherine Tate...
was killed in a
kayakA kayak is a small human-powered boat. It typically has a covered deck, and a cockpit covered by a spraydeck also known as a skirt. The kayak was used by the native Ainu, Aleut and Eskimo hunters in sub-Arctic regions of northeastern Asia, North America and Greenland. It historically was, and...
ing accident during the episode. Rumours had emerged about this story line in July 2007.
Kathy BurkeKatherine Lucy Bridget Burke is an English actress, comedienne, playwright and theatre director.-Family and upbringing:...
and
Tamzin OuthwaiteTamzin Outhwaite is an award-winning English actress.She became known for her role as Melanie Owen in the British drama EastEnders, whom she portrayed from 1998 until 2002.- Early career :...
also guest starred, and the special averaged with 6.4 million viewers. The episode was subject to criticism when some viewers complained about the amount of
swearingThe original meaning of the adjective profane referred to items not belonging to the church, e.g...
, and accused Tate of bigotry over the depiction of a family from
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
as terrorists, whose Christmas presents included a balaclava and a pair of
knuckle dustersBrass knuckles, also sometimes called knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, or knuckle dusters, are weapons used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckles are pieces of metal, usually steel despite their name, shaped to fit around the knuckles...
, in reference to
The TroublesThe Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
. A statement was issued from the BBC that read "Catherine Tate creates characters who are so over the top as to be almost cartoon-like and this is where her genius lies. Her comedy is never meant to offend any viewer and is always based on satire and grotesque exaggeration." After the complaints were made, an
OfcomThe Office of Communications or, as it is more often known, Ofcom, is the independent regulator and competition authority for the communication industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established in the enabling device, the , but received its full authority from the Communications...
report later concluded that the show was not offensive and did not violate broadcasting regulations. An extract from the Ofcom report read "Overall this episode was typical of the Catherine Tate Show and would not have gone beyond the expectations of its usual audience. For those not familiar with the show, the information given at the start was adequate."
During Tate's appearance on
The Paul O'Grady ShowThe Paul O'Grady Show is a BAFTA award-winning British comedy chat show hosted by Birkenhead-born comedian Paul O'Grady. The format is a teatime chat show that consists of a mixture of celebrity guests, comic stunts, musical performances, and occasionally viewer competitions...
on 24 September 2007, Tate did not make a reference to the speculation of there being any more series, but she did state that she may just continue her work on
The Catherine Tate Show through one-off specials. It has since been announced by Tate that she does not plan anymore series after the Christmas special. She commented: "It's hard to keep coming up with ideas. And I'd like to stay in people's good graces, rather than, 'Oh no, she's not doing another series of that, is she?'" Tate also left to concentrate on other projects such as her role as
Donna NobleDonna Noble is a fictional character played by Catherine Tate in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A secretary from Chiswick, London, she is a companion of the Tenth Doctor, appearing in one scene at the end of the final episode of the 2006 series, "Doomsday" ,...
, in series four of
Doctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien time-traveller known as "the Doctor" who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box...
.
Charity sketches
Tate made an appearance during the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
's Comic Relief
telethonalign="right" | |}A telethon is a fundraising event broadcast on television that lasts many hours or even days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political, or other allegedly worthy cause...
in March 2005, in the guise of
Lauren CooperLauren Alesha Masheka Tanesha Felicia Jane Cooper is a fictional character in The Catherine Tate Show. Lauren is one of the show's main characters and is played by Catherine Tate...
. In a section of the show which features fans of McFly asking questions to the group, Lauren decides to ask, "Why are you so rubbish?" When told by
Simon AmstellSimon Marc Amstell is a BAFTA nominated, award-winning English comedian and television presenter. In 2007, Amstell was nominated for "The Times Breakthrough South Bank Show Award".-Youth:...
, who is hosting the segment, that only positive questions are allowed, Lauren uses a variety of her
catch phraseA catch phrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through a variety of mass media , as well as word of mouth...
s, including "Am I bovvered?" and "Are you calling me stupid?" Lauren is then "ordered" to ask a more positive question to the group, and confuses them with Busted, asking "Are you gutted that
CharlieCharles Robert Simpson , is a British musician. He was the youngest member of pop rock band Busted, and is now the vocalist and guitarist in rock band Fightstar...
left?" When told to leave the set, on her way out she asks
Danny JonesDaniel Alan David "Danny" Jones is one of the lead vocalists and guitarists in the British pop band McFly, alongside fellow band members Dougie Poynter , Tom Fletcher and Harry Judd ....
from McFly to sign her knee, walking away promptly saying "You can't even spell."
In November 2005, Tate appeared as Lauren in a special sketch for the BBC's annual
Children in NeedBBC Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million.-Overview:Each year since 1980, the BBC has set aside one evening of programming on its flagship television channel, BBC One, to show events aimed at raising money exclusively...
telethon. The segment is posed as a crossover with
EastEndersEastEnders is a long-running, popular and award-winning television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985...
, featuring
Barbara WindsorBarbara Windsor, MBE is an English actress. Her best known roles are in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders; she is now considered by many to be something of a British national institution.-Early life:Born in Shoreditch, London in 1937, Windsor was the only...
as
Peggy MitchellMargaret Ann "Peggy" Mitchell is a fictional character from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared in the series on 30 April 1991. Peggy was at this time seen on a recurring basis over several weeks...
,
Kacey AinsworthKacey Ainsworth is an English actress, best known for playing the long-suffering Little Mo in the BBC soap opera EastEnders....
as
Little MoMaureen "Little Mo" Mitchell is a fictional character from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Kacey Ainsworth.Named after her loud, wayward grandmother, Little Mo couldn't have been more opposite...
and
Lacey TurnerLacey Amelia Turner is an English actress, best known for playing Stacey Slater in the popular BBC television soap opera, EastEnders.-Early life:Turner was born in Hendon, NW London in 1988, to parents Bev and Les...
as
Stacey SlaterStacey Branning is a fictional character from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lacey Turner. She made her first appearance on 1 November 2004. The character was introduced as a feisty and troublesome teenager, an extension of the already established Slater clan...
. The sketch sees Lauren arrive in
WalfordWalford is a fictional borough of East London in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. The name suggests a conflation of Walthamstow and Stratford, both real places in East London...
in search of
revengeRevenge is a harmful action against a person or group as a response to a grievance. Although many aspects of revenge resemble the concept of justice, revenge connotes a more injurious and punitive focus as opposed to a harmonious and restorative one...
on Stacey, who has apparently stolen her boyfriend. When she makes an appearance in the
Queen VicThe Queen Victoria is the fictional Victorian public house in the popular BBC soap opera, EastEnders. It has the fictional address of 46 Albert Square, Walford, London E20.-Story and appearance:...
, Peggy finds herself getting increasingly frustrated with Lauren, who asks, "Are you a
CockneyThe term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
? Are you a Cockney sparrow?" (pronounced 'Cock-er-ney') and "Do you know Chas & Dave? Are you their mum?" repeatedly. Peggy also unintentionally uses some of Lauren's catchphrases, such as "Are you disrespecting my family?" and "Are you calling me a
pikeyPikey is a pejorative slang term used, mainly in England to refer to travellers, gypsies or people of low social class.-16th Century:The term pikey as a pejorative appears to be a very old English word, remaining near unchanged, probably in common use during William Shakespeare's lifetime...
?" Lauren eventually leaves the pub after mixing some famous lines from the soap, including "Hello princess" and "Rickaay!" with her usual catchphrase, "Bovvered?".
In the BBC's
Sport ReliefSport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the world's poorest countries...
, Tate created a sketch as "Nan", commenting on the 1966 world cup win and the comments of
Kenneth WolstenholmeKenneth Wolstenholme DFC & Bar was the football commentator for BBC television in the 1950s and 1960s, responsible, during the closing moments of the 1966 World Cup final, for the sport's most famous commentary phrase....
. The sketch involves "Nan" and her grandson watching a
David BeckhamDavid Robert Joseph Beckham,
OBE is an English footballer who currently plays in midfield for American Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy and the England national team....
football game, where she expresses her disgust at the objective of football by exclaiming "What a load of old shit!".
On 16 March 2007, Catherine Tate appeared on Comic Relief as many of her well-known characters from the show. The sketches were interspersed throughout the Comic Relief programme. Guests in sketches include
David TennantDavid Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in the theatre, Tennant is best known for his roles in Doctor Who as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor, in Casanova as the title character, and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
(who acts as Lauren Cooper's teacher and actually turns out to be the real
DoctorThe Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and also features in a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
), and
Daniel CraigDaniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor and film producer. His early film roles included The Power of One, A Kid in King Arthur's Court and the television episodes Sharpe's Eagle, Zorro and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Daredevils of the Desert...
as another one of Elaine Figgis's boyfriends whom she has met through the internet. During his time as prime minister,
Tony BlairAnthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
made a
cameo appearanceA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television. Short appearances by film directors, politicians, athletes, musicians, and other celebrities are common. These roles are generally small, and...
in a sketch which features Lauren Cooper on work experience at
10 Downing Street10 Downing Street is the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury and hence Prime Minister of the United Kingdom...
. Upon Lauren attempting to tell Blair who the most famous person she has met is, he asks
her if he is "bovvered". Geordie Georgie made an appearance with
Lenny HenryLenworth George "Lenny" Henry CBE is an English actor, writer, comedian and occasional television presenter.- Early life :...
when he does his own fundraising for Comic Relief, and Joannie Taylor also appeared on game show
Deal or No DealDeal or No Deal is the United Kingdom version of the Endemol game show, which was first broadcast on Channel 4 on 31 October 2005. Presented by Noel Edmonds, the show is normally broadcast from 16:10 - 17:00 on weekdays.-Format:...
hosted by
Noel EdmondsNoel Ernest Edmonds, DL is an English television presenter and executive, who made his name as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presented many light entertainment television programmes, including Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Top of the Pops, The Late, Late Breakfast Show and Noel's House Party...
. The DVD of the sketches was available exclusively to Amazon and became the most pre-ordered DVD the site has ever seen.
Won
- 2004: Banff Rockie Award — Best Comedy
- 2004: British Comedy Award — Best TV Comedy Newcomer
- 2006: British Comedy Award — Best TV Comedy Actress
- 2006: RTS Television Award
The Royal Television Society is a British-based society for the discussion, analysis and preservation of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the one of the oldest television societies in the world...
— Best Comedy Performance
- 2006: RTS Television Award — Best Entertainment
- 2007: National Television Award
The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, sponsored by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. Although not widely held to be as prestigious as the British Academy Television Awards, the premier UK television accolades, the National Television Awards are probably the...
— Most Popular Comedy Programme
Nominated
- 2004: British Comedy Award — Best TV Comedy Actress
- 2004: RTS Television Award — Best Make Up Design in Entertainment and Non-Drama Productions
- 2005: BAFTA TV Award — Best New Writer
- 2005: BAFTA TV Award — Comedy Programme or Series Award
- 2005: British Comedy Award — Best TV Comedy Actress
- 2005: British Comedy Award — People's Choice Award (Polled most votes but award not received)
- 2005: Emmy — Best Performance by an Actress
- 2006: BAFTA TV Award — Best Comedy Performance
- 2006: BAFTA TV Award — Best Comedy Programme or Series "production team"
- 2006: National Television Award — Most Popular Comedy Programme
- 2007: BAFTA TV Award — Best Comedy Programme
- 2007: BAFTA TV Award — Best Make Up & Hair Design
Series two
- Brian Murphy
Brian Murphy is a British actor.Although a prolific actor in many films and theatre productions for almost half a century, Murphy's most famous role was as the henpecked husband George Roper in the sitcom Man About the House and spin-off George and Mildred.He was called up to do his military...
- with Irene and Vern
- Geraldine McNulty
Geraldine McNulty is a British stage and television actress.She has played the character of Mrs Raven in My Hero, and had guest appearances in Neverwhere, Gimme Gimme Gimme, The Vicar of Dibley and The Catherine Tate Show...
- with Paul and Sam
- Jill Halfpenny
Jill Halfpenny is an English actress.Halfpenny is possibly best known for her role as Kate in the British TV drama EastEnders, from 2002-5...
- with The Aga Saga Woman
- Michael Brandon
Michael Brandon is an American actor who resides in the United Kingdom and United States.-Life and career:Brandon was born Michael Feldman in Brooklyn, New York to Miriam and Sol Feldman...
- with Boob Job Babe
- Paul Whitehouse
Paul Whitehouse is a Welsh actor, writer and comedian. He became known for his work with Harry Enfield and as one of the stars of the popular BBC sketch show, The Fast Show...
- with Paul and Sam
- Peter Kay
Peter John Kay is an English comedian, writer, producer, director and actor. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing , Phoenix Nights , Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere , Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and other independent productions.-Early career:Kay was born in Farnworth near Bolton,...
- with Joannie "Nan" Taylor
- Roger Allam
Roger Allam is an English actor, known primarily for his stage career, although he has performed in film and television. He played Inspector Javert in the original London production of Les Misérables.-Biography:...
- with Bernie
- Siobhan Redmond
Siobhan Redmond is a Scottish actress.Originally from Tollcross, Glasgow, Redmond's first television appearances were in the early 1980s. After appearing in the two series of the comedy sketch-show Alfresco in 1983 and 1984, her first major television success was as George Bulman's assistant Lucy...
- with Gingers For Justice
- Una Stubbs
Una Stubbs is an English actress and former dancer.-Film and television:Una Stubbs was one of The Dougie Squires Dancers on the British TV music show Cool for Cats in 1956....
- with Trudy and Ivan
Series three
- Bonnie Langford
Bonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford is an English actress and entertainer. She came to prominence as a child star in the early 1970s then she subsequently became a companion of Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy's Doctor Who and has appeared on stage in various musicals such as Peter Pan: The...
- with Derek Faye
- Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, songwriter, composer, and television presenter...
- with Helen Marsh
- Rhona Martin
Rhona Martin is a Scottish curler who has skipped the Scotland women's team at both the European and World Championships, but is most famous as the skip of the Great Britain team that claimed the gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games in 2002.For a long time best known in Scottish curling circles...
- with Helen Marsh
- Leslie Phillips
Leslie Samuel Phillips, CBE is a BAFTA-nominated English actor. Originally known for work as a comedy actor, Phillips has appeared in character roles subsequently.-Biography:...
- with Joannie "Nan" Taylor
- Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Ann Cassidy is an English actress and television personality, best known for playing the role of Sonia Fowler in the British soap opera EastEnders...
- with Lauren Cooper
- Nick Sidi
Nick Sidi is an English actor. He is the son-in-law of actress Rosalind Knight and brother-in-law of actress Susannah Elliott-Knight. He often plays drama or comedy roles on television and frequently appears in BBC dramas...
- with Derek Faye
- Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer is an English actress and television personality. Palmer made an early television appearance on the children's drama show Grange Hill, but is best-known for playing Bianca Jackson in the popular British television soap opera EastEnders...
- with Gingers For Justice
- Paul O'Grady
Paul James O'Grady MBE is a BAFTA-award winning English comedian of television, radio and stage. He achieved initial fame as the creator of comic drag character Lily Savage, a vampish scouser known as the "Birkenhead Bombshell"...
- with Joannie "Nan" Taylor
- Sheila Hancock
Sheila Cameron Hancock OBE is an English actress, known primarily for her comic performances.-Early life and career:Hancock was born in Blackgang on the Isle of Wight, the daughter of Ivy Louise and Enrico Cameron Hancock, who was a publican...
- with Joannie "Nan" Taylor
- Siobhan Redmond
Siobhan Redmond is a Scottish actress.Originally from Tollcross, Glasgow, Redmond's first television appearances were in the early 1980s. After appearing in the two series of the comedy sketch-show Alfresco in 1983 and 1984, her first major television success was as George Bulman's assistant Lucy...
- with Gingers For Justice
- Tom Ellis
Tom Ellis is an English actor best known for playing Dr. Oliver Cousins in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and Detective Sergeant Sam Speed in a Life on Mars parody in the The Catherine Tate Show...
- with Ma Willow
- Una Stubbs
Una Stubbs is an English actress and former dancer.-Film and television:Una Stubbs was one of The Dougie Squires Dancers on the British TV music show Cool for Cats in 1956....
- with Ma Willow
- Dominic West
Dominic West is an English actor best known for his role as Detective Jimmy McNulty in the HBO drama series The Wire.-Biography:...
- with Frankie Howerd impressionist
Christmas specials
- Charlotte Church
Charlotte Church is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in childhood as a classical crossover singer before branching into pop music in 2005. By 2007, she had sold more than 10,500,000 albums worldwide and is said to be worth as much as £20m...
- with Joannie "Nan" Taylor
- Chas & Dave - with Joannie "Nan" Taylor
- George Michael
Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou , best known as George Michael, is a two-time Grammy Award winning, English singer-songwriter, who has had a career as frontman of the duo Wham! as well as a soul-influenced, solo pop musician...
- with Bernie
- Kathy Burke
Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke is an English actress, comedienne, playwright and theatre director.-Family and upbringing:...
- with Joannie "Nan" Taylor
- Philip Glenister
Philip Haywood Glenister is a British actor, best known for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in British television series Life On Mars and its sequel Ashes To Ashes.-Early life:...
- with Ma Willow
- Richard Park
Richard Park is Executive Director of Global Radio. He was previously a media consultant and broadcaster in the UK and has also made appearances as the 'Headmaster' of BBC TV's Fame Academy programmes....
- with Lauren Cooper
- Tamzin Outhwaite
Tamzin Outhwaite is an award-winning English actress.She became known for her role as Melanie Owen in the British drama EastEnders, whom she portrayed from 1998 until 2002.- Early career :...
- with Paul and Sam
Charity sketches
- Daniel Craig
Daniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor and film producer. His early film roles included The Power of One, A Kid in King Arthur's Court and the television episodes Sharpe's Eagle, Zorro and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Daredevils of the Desert...
- with Elaine Figgis
- David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in the theatre, Tennant is best known for his roles in Doctor Who as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor, in Casanova as the title character, and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
- with Lauren Cooper
- Lenny Henry
Lenworth George "Lenny" Henry CBE is an English actor, writer, comedian and occasional television presenter.- Early life :...
- with Geordie Georgie
- Kacey Ainsworth
Kacey Ainsworth is an English actress, best known for playing the long-suffering Little Mo in the BBC soap opera EastEnders....
- with Lauren Cooper
- McFly - with Lauren Cooper
- Noel Edmonds
Noel Ernest Edmonds, DL is an English television presenter and executive, who made his name as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presented many light entertainment television programmes, including Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Top of the Pops, The Late, Late Breakfast Show and Noel's House Party...
- with Joannie "Nan" Taylor
- Barbara Windsor
Barbara Windsor, MBE is an English actress. Her best known roles are in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders; she is now considered by many to be something of a British national institution.-Early life:Born in Shoreditch, London in 1937, Windsor was the only...
- with Lauren Cooper
- Simon Amstell
Simon Marc Amstell is a BAFTA nominated, award-winning English comedian and television presenter. In 2007, Amstell was nominated for "The Times Breakthrough South Bank Show Award".-Youth:...
- with Lauren Cooper
- Lacey Turner
Lacey Amelia Turner is an English actress, best known for playing Stacey Slater in the popular BBC television soap opera, EastEnders.-Early life:Turner was born in Hendon, NW London in 1988, to parents Bev and Les...
- with Lauren Cooper
- Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
- with Lauren Cooper
DVD releases
| DVD Name | Year | Discs | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
|---|
| Series 1 |
2004 The year 2004 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2004.For the American TV schedule, see: 2004-05 United States network television schedule.-Events:...
|
1 |
25 Sep 2007 |
22 Aug 2005 |
05 Nov 2007 |
| Series 2 |
2005 The year 2005 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2005.For the American TV schedule, see: 2005-06 United States network television schedule.-Events:* January 1 -**The U.S...
|
1 |
25 Mar 2008 |
30 Oct 2006 |
05 Apr 2007 |
| Series 3 |
2006 The year 2006 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2006.For the American TV schedule, see: 2006-07 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-Miniseries:*In Justice...
|
1 |
TBA |
12 Nov 2007 |
30 Jun 2008 |
ChristmasChristmas , also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days. The nativity of Jesus, which is the basis for the anno Domini...
Special 1 |
2005 The year 2005 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2005.For the American TV schedule, see: 2005-06 United States network television schedule.-Events:* January 1 -**The U.S...
|
1 |
28 Oct 2008 |
On Series 2 DVD |
On Series 2 DVD |
ChristmasChristmas , also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days. The nativity of Jesus, which is the basis for the anno Domini...
Special 2 |
2007 The year 2007 in television involves some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2007.-January–March:-April–June:-July–September:-October–December:-Debuts:-Television shows:-1950s:...
|
1 |
TBA |
26 Dec 2007 |
On Series 3 DVD |
| Comic Relief Comic Relief is a British charity organisation which was founded in the United Kingdom in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis in response to famine in Ethiopia. It was launched live on Noel Edmonds's Late, Late Breakfast Show on BBC1, on Christmas Day 1985 from a refugee camp in Sudan...
Special |
2007 The year 2007 in television involves some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2007.-January–March:-April–June:-July–September:-October–December:-Debuts:-Television shows:-1950s:...
|
1 |
TBA |
23 Apr 2007 |
TBA |
| Series One & Two Box Set |
2004 The year 2004 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2004.For the American TV schedule, see: 2004-05 United States network television schedule.-Events:...
- 2005The year 2005 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2005.For the American TV schedule, see: 2005-06 United States network television schedule.-Events:* January 1 -**The U.S...
|
2 |
TBA |
30 Oct 2006 |
06 Sep 2007 |
| Series One, Two & Three Box Set |
2004 The year 2004 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2004.For the American TV schedule, see: 2004-05 United States network television schedule.-Events:...
- 2006The year 2006 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2006.For the American TV schedule, see: 2006-07 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-Miniseries:*In Justice...
|
3 |
TBA |
12 Nov 2007 |
02 Apr 2009 |
External links