The Catherine Tate Show characters
Encyclopedia
The 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 created with Derren Litten
and her team of writers. Other actors who have supporting roles throughout the series include Mathew Horne
and Niky Wardley
.
), where the visits usually start off well enough, with the Nan showing how grateful she is that her grandson has come to see her. However, things usually take a turn for the worse after she starts to make unfavourable comments about her neighbours, family, and home help visitors. Nan also appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show
and the Channel 4
game show Deal or No Deal
, hosted by Noel Edmonds
. The latter sketch was shot especially for Comic Relief 2007.
When she appears on The Paul O'Grady Show, she is recognised as Joannie Taylor for the very first time as she is referred to as "Nan" by Jamie and as Mrs. Taylor by others. However, when she appears on Deal or No Deal, she is recognised as "Nan".
Jamie is a university
student
, but according to Nan, is unemployed. Nan repeatedly asserts that he is gay
, although Jamie has said on many occasions that he has a girlfriend.
student with a bad attitude who is most widely known for her phrase "Am I bovvered?". Lauren, her best friend Liese Jackson and her love interest Ryan Perkins are known as yobs. Sketches throughout series one see Lauren arguing with authority figures such as train conductors and teachers, as well as Liese and Ryan. Her behaviour in later series becomes increasingly worse and engages in confrontation more frequently. Lauren Cooper's catchphrase "Am I bovvered?" had made her one of the most recognisable characters of the show. Lauren also appeared in many charity sketches with many famous celebrities, including McFly
, David Tennant
and Tony Blair
.
During the 2007 Christmas special on 25 December 2007, Lauren is killed during a kayak
ing trip, after falling down a waterfall
. Her gravestone is inscribed with the message "I Still Ain't Bovvered".
Two other characters also featured prominently in Lauren's sketches include Lauren's love interest, Ryan (Kanye Fiddy Cent) Perkins, played by Mathew Horne
. Ryan is a comprehensive school
student with Lauren and Liese. He dubs himself as MC Ryan, who beatboxes
, raps
and spins decks
and he also plays American football
. The relationship between Ryan and Lauren is at times unclear, as he is quick to poke fun at Lauren with phrases such as "that is well bad". He has also made a bet to see whether Lauren would accept his marriage proposal and eventually was about to marry her until he left her at the altar due to her terrible rendition of Celine Dion
's "My Heart Will Go On
", as featured in "Titanic
".
The other character is Lauren's best friend, Liese Jackson, played by Niky Wardley
. Liese is a comprehensive school
student with Lauren and Ryan who displays the typical chav
culture look and mannerisms. She always seems to get stuck in the middle of Lauren's "am I bovvered" rant, even when she's trying to comfort her. However, Liese has her moments of making fun of Lauren, especially when she mispronounces a word (for example Lauren says bing-bing instead of bling-bling
) or says the wrong name by mistake, to which Liese says "take the shame mate".
nurse. Bernie is an unruly, randy woman who bordered on being sacked
in the hospital where she worked in every episode. She frequently makes inappropriate remarks to her patients, flirts with most of the male staff, takes a critically ill patient on a wild night out, and mixes up the records of living patients with those of deceased ones.
In series two, Bernie makes three appearances. In one sketch, she is nearly sacked after being hypnotised
. In the second, she returns to her usual ways, flirting with a man who she didn't know was the lead surgeon. In the third sketch, a lesbian nurse named Arthur flirts with Bernie, eventually kissing her. Upon doing so, Bernie refers to Arthur as a "mad fanny-basher".
In series three, her sisters Brenda and Bridie and brothers Seamus and Paddy, all identical to Bernie and even more over the top in their behaviour, cause havoc when they come over from Ireland
to visit her during her shift at the hospital. It was also discovered that Bernie shuns medical terms for intimate bodily parts because she confuses them with the names of another sister and brother, Virginia and Clint.
Bernie appeared in a Christmas special in a sketch featuring George Michael
.
couple. They are happily married yet slightly simple, and find everyday situations surprisingly hilarious. Paul (played by Lee Ross
) and Sam often excitedly tell each other stories, which they find highly amusing and interesting, but would in fact be just everyday situations (as for example forgetting the keys for the car and only notice that at the car). The stories build up and when completed, Paul and Sam would both produce an exaggerated and completely silent laugh. Tate revealed in an interview that these characters are based on people that she knows, but that they are not aware of this despite enjoying the sketch.
In episode five of series two, audiences were introduced to Sam's parents, who share many of the same characteristics as their daughter. Paul Whitehouse
guest starred as her father and My Heros Geraldine McNulty
guest starred as her mother. In the 2005 Christmas special, it was revealed that they have two children who look like them and behave in a similar manner. Paul and Sam made only two appearances in series three, featuring in the last episode and still very excitable over the slightest thing. It is usual for Paul to ask a question to which Sam would reply "I dunno!", again followed by an exaggerated and totally silent laugh.
In series two, episode six, after Sam excitedly tells the story and follows her usual pattern, Paul, instead of saying 'What are you like?' or, doing a silent laugh, he simply states 'yeah well, it's an easy mistake to make, Sam steps back, bewildered, tries to tell him another story in an attempt to make him laugh, but yet again he simply states 'yeah well, picked up the wrong one, it an happen, Sam again bewildered starts to leave, but it turns out Paul was joking.
Paul and Sam appear in the 2007 Christmas Special where three of Sam's friends from work go around to her house. They all display similar behaviour to Paul and Sam, even doing the silent laugh. The three were amazed with hair straighteners and drinks. At the end of the sketch, all five laugh so hard that they wet themselves.
workers who sat next to each other. While Ellen (played by Ella Kenion
) is usually keen to get on with her work, she is frequently disturbed by Kate (Catherine Tate
). Kate continually makes conversation about her lifestyle, inviting her co-worker to "Have a guess!" on such delicate situations as how much weight
she had lost, how many miles she could run, and how much money she paid for her holiday. While Ellen is reluctant to go along with the game, she is pressured into making a wild guess, which almost always results in Kate's becoming insulted and consequently offensive. Towards the end of the first series, Ellen occasionally guesses correctly, sometimes surprisingly such as when Kate asks "Do you know how many extras were used in the film Troy
?". This upsets Kate, who reacted in ways such as calling her co-worker a freak, a "scab-faced old trout" and a lesbian
. The name of the office is written on the set as 'Callas and Sait', which has been suggested as a reference to the callousness versus saintliness of the characters, actually refers to the surnames of two members of the production staff on the show.
In series two, Ellen becomes more aware of material that Kate uses for her "Have a guess!" games, and often knew the correct answer before being asked. Unfortunately, this irritates Kate even more than usual, and during the course of this series she poured a drink over Ellen's head, trashed her desk and spat
in her hair. Kate, when saying "I went to the theatre last night," and Ellen replies "The Phantom Of The Opera" correctly, Kate doesn't physically respond, but instead goes up to Ellen's ear and screams the main tune from "The Phantom Of The Opera" at her. Kate and Ellen appeared in series 1 and 2, but not in series 3.
following her search for love, mostly corresponding with people around the world via the Internet
in search of a man. The unseen interviewer and narrator
is called Tanya. Series one follows her engagement
and eventual marriage to a convicted cannibal and lunatic on Death Row
in the US
, who abducted, tortured and murdered eight people, proceeding to eat two of them. Elaine had met Jerry over the Internet but never in person, but notwithstanding having never met him remained positive about his crimes and continued to declare her love for him. Elaine even goes out to Texas
to the prison in order to marry him, where the service lasts about five seconds. Elaine states that the wedding ceremony had to be short as they could not gauge the amount of sedative
to give him. In another sketch, Elaine lights a candle to represent Jerry's life, to be blown out at the precise time of his execution, eventually realizing that the United States are six hours behind Britain, and that she has made an effort for the wrong time.
In series two, Elaine appears for one episode, and is still using the Internet
to find potential lovers. Unfortunately, her new boyfriend Mohammed, a spice seller from Luxor Temple in Egypt, ends up conning
her and taking her savings.
In series three Elaine gives up on finding love on-line. Instead she attempts to have a baby with the aid of a sperm donor, but unfortunately her missed periods turned out to be the start of the menopause
(a very early menopause, as her age is quoted in the first series as being 34).
In a special sketch for Comic Relief, James Bond
actor Daniel Craig
appeared as himself in a sketch with Elaine Figgis. He is another boyfriend that Elaine meets over the Internet and subsequently moves in with her. Throughout the entire sketch, Elaine is mostly oblivious as to who he was and his famous role as James Bond. She admits that she thought he was lying about being an actor, with the sketch ending in the splitting of their relationship.
woman who goes into a state of shock in various, seemingly innocuous situations. For example: after receiving a phone call from her husband's European personal assistant, she must tell her children that "Daddy hasn't been able to find any good brie
" on his business trip to France
. They fear that they will be mocked at the Parisian picnic at school because they lack the correct cheese
. Another time, she panics at the thought of having to use a dishwasher
when an egg cleaver falls onto the floor, meaning that Chloe cannot open her egg and it cannot breathe and may discolour. Everyone panics at this and can only suggest that the housekeeper rush to their house on public transport—a taxi—to put the cleaver through the dishwasher. She also dreads the thought of going supermarket
-shopping by herself. The title of the sketch is a pun on the stereotype of the pretentious middle classes having an Aga
oven at home. The Aga Saga Woman is called "Mrs Montgomery" in Series Two, later retcon
ned in Series Three to "Mrs Taylor-Thomas".
In Series Two, she goes into a state of shocked terror when a Northern
nanny
has to look after her children. She does forewarn the children that the agency arranged for a temporary nanny (as Alice was ill), and that she feared that the nanny may come from as far north as Sunderland . Jill Halfpenny
guest-starred as the Northern nanny.
In Series Three, she sends everyone at her children's school sports day
into a panic when she finds out the eggs being used in the egg and spoon race
are not organic
. The children and parents immediately run for their 4x4s (all of them identical BMW X5s) and drive off. Another time, she becomes terrified at the prospect of having to use a hire car while her Land Rover
is being repaired. She and her children are disturbed when they take a wrong turn and end up driving in Tottenham
, where they are traumatised when they see the supermarket Iceland
, when they notice that nobody is wearing brogues
, and when someone cleans their windscreen at the traffic lights, screaming over whether they will 'survive' the incident. On another occasion they evacuate a picnic after her children's friend Fergus accidentally consumes a gooseberry
and cinnamon
yoghurt
that is one day past its sell-by date. She seems to believe that encounters with the lower-middle class or anything less than perfect will prove fatal, and has passed this trait on to her children. This is evident in catchphrases like "Don't look them in the eyes!", "Run for your lives, children--we're all going to die!" and "Please don't kill us, we mean you no harm!"
The Aga Saga Woman's daughter, Chloe Taylor-Thomas, is played by two different actresses in Series One and Two and played by Jennifer Rae Daykin
in Series Three. Chloe often comes up with good ideas during the Aga Saga Woman's crisis, such as suggesting that Roquefort will go well with some good bread at the Parisian picnic. The Aga Saga Woman's son, Thomas Taylor-Thomas, is played by different actors in all three series. He sometimes seems to be forgetful, as he once suggested bringing Wensleydale cheese, which would have been a grave mistake, to a Parisian picnic. He refers to his mother as "dear heart" and "darling" and often takes a lead role during the Aga Saga Woman's crisis by saying not to panic and "it puts everything into perspective."
Tate has stated that the character was based on a woman who was rude to her on Kings Road
when she was pregnant.
(combining some mannerisms of famous gay British comedians such as Kenneth Williams
and Frankie Howerd
), but seems to be in denial about his sexuality and becomes extremely offended and defensive when people assume he is gay. To his dislike, these occurrences are frequent, owing to the fact he behaves in an extremely effeminate way. His most famous catchphrase is "How very dare you!", along with the overuse of the word "dear". This can be seen in another catchphrase; when asked about his sexuality he replies "Who, dear? Me, dear? Gay, dear? No, dear!", or when asked for advice replying "Me, dear? Advice, dear? Yes, dear." When offended, Derek states how he and his mother have been doing something relative to the person Derek is insulted by for 25 years. For example, in one sketch with Bonnie Langford, he rants "25 years my mother and I have been following your career and you come out with this!?" Derek also uses the word "impertinent" to describe the person who has unintentionally offended him. He also frequently says "What on earth are you insinuating?" when the person he is talking to makes a comment on how they think he is gay. Another well-known catchphrase is "I've never been so insulted!"
In series three, Derek still battles with the problem of everyone he meets assuming he is gay. He becomes particularly offended when, while on holiday in Spain
with his male companion Leonard Mincing, a taxi driver offers to take them to a Hawaiian
-themed gay bar
called "Homo Lulu". Bonnie Langford
also appears in one of his sketches, where he ends up giving her one of his infamous rants after she casually mentioned that she had many "gay fans". Derek Faye's silent male companion, Leonard Mincing, is played by Martin Akehurst.
situated on the side of a motorway. During their sketches they are visited by a regular customer
called Neville (played by Brian Murphy
) whom Irene tries to convince that she and Vernon have been visited by various celebrities. Neville almost always orders a double cheese
with no sauce, and keeps a tab with Irene and Verne and always asks if he can "settle up on Friday." When Neville appears, Irene never knows the name of the celebrity in question and always attempts to describe them. She once says when trying to describe Madonna
; "That big blonde woman off the telly." Irene also claims that they were visited by former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev
and Desmond Tutu
.
In series three, with little change from the last series, Irene tries to convince her regular customer Neville that she and Vern had met ABBA
, Condoleezza Rice
and even Henry VIII of England
who, according to Irene, did not die over 400 years ago but is renting a bungalow
in Hemel Hempstead
and was seen by her on a bike ride with Anne of Cleves
. Vernon, who normally has no lines, was given a speaking part for the first time, when he simply told Irene to "Shut up." She replied "No, you shut up!". She also made this insinuation in series two in the scene where Madonna apparently turned up.
couple who express their disgust at meal
s they have been presented with at restaurant
s. Their disgust is based on the perceived over-pricing or the exotic nature of the food. They are also shocked at the food being available in Britain, owing to comments such as "This were in Harrogate
." After complaining about the food
and price
s, they use their most infamous catchphrase: "The dirty bastards!" or sometimes "The dirty, evil, robbing bastards!" Some of the foods that Janice and Ray express disgust at are; shiitake mushrooms , grape
s in brie
cheese sandwiches, vegetable tempura
and tentsuyu
(described as "battered
veg" with "spicy jam"), gazpacho
and escargots
. Another signature characteristic of Janice and Ray's story telling, is the rearranging of the order of their complaint (with pauses). For example in the gazpacho sketch, they say that the "cold tomato soup" is "tomato...soup...cold", "soup...tomato...cold" and "cold...soup...tomato".
In series three, Ray was no longer played by Derren Litten
(who did not work on this series) but continued to use the same phrases: "Famous last words", "Listen to this". Their catchphrases become slightly modified to fit the situation, for example "The dirty, evil, raw fish-guzzling bastards!" when complaining about being offered sushi
in Nagasaki, or "The dirty, evil, lactose intolerant bastards!" after telling the story of being served coffee with rice milk
for £1.50 each at Janice's sister's house.
A frequent petitioner, who constantly tries to get her co-worker, Martin, to sponsor her charities with facts such as "Every 38 minutes ..." then follows her statements up with "If you don't believe me then log on to the website ...". The scenes for this sketch follow the same pattern. Georgie comes into the office and starts singing happily, with Martin joining in, and then she asks Martin how his weekend went. Martin then talks about his daughter Michaela which would prompt Georgie to feel concerned about her but then begin to talk abusively about her. Georgie then requests to borrow something on Martin's desk, for example "can I borrow your nice lime green highlighter?" She then describes her latest fund-raising effort and asks him to sponsor her. He always offers a modest donation then makes at least one small increase, but after several futile attempts to get him to donate yet more money, she says "Let's say no more about it because I wouldn't want it to come between us pet". She then attacks him in a manner that has something to do with the cause she was championing (for example, she sprays him all over with cleaning fluid after he refuses to pay out as much as she had liked for sufferers of Obsessive-compulsive disorder
).
She also tries to raise money for victims of sexual harassment
, domestic violence
, alcoholism
and sex addiction as well as for dwarves
and for Africans
addicted to online gambling
, but claims she "couldn't be less interested" when Martin asked her to donate to a fundraiser of his own. She also made an appearance in a sketch made for Comic Relief. During the sketch, Martin still offers a modest amount of money for Georgie's charity, but upon Lenny Henry
raising money for Comic Relief, he promptly writes a more generous cheque for £150. This prompts Georgie to shred it in the shredder that she had previously borrowed from Martin, before head butting Lenny Henry and saying "That'll give you a red nose". In the 2007 Christmas special, Georgie tries to raise money for those addicted to dogging
. This is the only episode in which she does not attack Martin, but to Georgie's surprise Martin himself, wearing a garter belt and tights
, leaves to go dogging. At the beginning of this sketch, Georgie asks Martin if she can borrow something off his desk, but he replies that the object she asks for is in use, but she goes on tell tell him about her latest cause anyway (the objects Georgie asks to borrow are ones she borrowed in previous sketches).
Martin, Geordie's target for fundraising money, is played by Richard Lumsden
.
Tate stated on This Morning
that Georgie was her favourite new character. Tate said that she wanted to do a Geordie
character and that Georgie was based on a letter she received from a woman in Newcastle
about donating money.
. When shoppers ask for her assistance, she would misunderstand them or mistakenly believe that they were trying to engage in friendly conversation with her. An example is when someone approaches her at the information desk and says "Excuse me, I've lost my mother." to which she responds "Oh I'm so sorry to hear that." believing the mother to be deceased rather than just lost. She only appeared in one episode of series 1.
, who tries to convince Bunty of her inappropriate behaviour (to Bunty's disgust, saying about the nine-year-old girl who had replaced her on the team "Does she know she'll be on the majorette scrap heap when she's thirty?"). Bunty's obsession with the team eventually results in Geoff contacting the police and obtaining a restraining order
. A running gag in this sketch is that, when Bunty leaves the pub, she plays a song on the jukebox
which reflects her current feelings. In one sketch, after being rejected by Geoff, she plays All By Myself
by Eric Carmen
.
. In series two she appears a second day with enhanced breasts. Nobody is concerned about the continuity of the shots apart from the other actor (played by Michael Brandon
). Boob Job Babe appeared in series 2.
) tries to get her to invite him indoors after a date, but she insists she "just isn't drunk enough". Despite his efforts to remedy the situation (even suggesting she have alcohol fed into her body intravenously) she tells him that even though she is so drunk she can hardly stand, is dying of alcohol-related liver damage and went to Oktoberfest
where she was arrested for drunken behaviour (twice), she still cannot get drunk enough to find him attractive.
and Christmas tree
lights. Her husband Michael sometimes repeatedly warns Margaret of something which may cause her to scream, but after she is adamant she is fine, she would scream anyway. Her final sketch in the Christmas special in 2005 reveals that her apparent real hair is in fact a wig, showing her to be completely bald. Differing from all other sketches, it is Michael who screams and not Margaret. Tate later revealed that she based this character on her mother.
who comes up with bizarre theories at crime scene
s, to the surprise and frustration of her assistant, Whittaker, who is portrayed by Jonathan McGuinness. She once concluded that the world is a figment of someone's imagination and once asked for Whittaker to shoot her so that she can confirm that a bullet to the heart is enough to kill. When Whittaker refuses to shoot her, she becomes disappointed as she thought Whittaker had been "making progress". The sketch often ends with her singing an irrelevant song, such as Brass in Pocket
by the Pretenders, and sternly saying "Whittaker!" so that he'll sing along with her.
if their child starts to cry.
In only one scene in series 2, Karen is shown holding a baby (who is not the same baby that appeared in series 1) using toy blocks with letters on them to tell the baby words beginning with the letter on the block she holds up. However, she uses most letters to explain not only a word, but a reason beginning with that letter stating that she is so tired. One of them is ""I" is for "Igloo
". That's where the eskimo
s live. And also for "I need to sleep so bad, I could vomit". At the end of the scene, Karen falls asleep with the baby in her arms.
is an American
teenage girl who starts every sentence with the words "and I'm like ...", and "and he's like". She appears three times in episode three of series one.
makes only one appearance. She arrives at a property, drunk and offends both the owner and prospective buyers, accusing one man of being homosexual; "You know what they say about a man who likes a bit of chrome
in his kitchen, he likes a bit of cock up his arse" on account of the prospective buyer's liking for chrome, lack of children, Cherokee Jeep
and cheap aftershave before she passes out. She also rubs salt into the wounds of the owner with regard to the details of her split with her husband.
. She then switches back to complete politeness.
) is involved in a car accident as a result of the game, she is more interested in whether she has the last hit or not. Anthony later dies of his injuries and when at the funeral, Sandra receives a message from his widow saying "last hit", which prompts Sandra to run to his grave screaming "last hit", as it meant that Anthony had the last hit and she had lost the game.
, paints a child's face to look like a crash victim, says that her trick flower
reminds her of the flowers tied to a tree where the person died and claims that silver confetti reminds her of a shattered windscreen. She also uses a balloon
to make a noose
while the other clowns make the traditional animal
s.
. After she offends the person, she becomes embarrassed and tries to look for an escape from the conversation as quickly as possible, sometimes faking that someone had just spoken to her, or sometimes she spontaneously starts singing and then quickly escapes. During one sketch, Ally thinks that a birth mark on someone's head is a mark left by their hat, and when a deaf person was communicating via sign language
to speak to his translator, Ally exclaimed "Film!", thinking that they were playing a game of charades
. She also thought that an afro
was someone's hat and that somebody's girlfriend was their mother. Also, when a visitor with a cleft palate announces to Ally that she is in a silly mood, Ally replies back imitating a cleft palate, and thinking an attached hair on someone's face was a stray hair. Ally appeared in three episodes in series 2, twice in each episode. She also appeared in the Christmas special that year but did not appear in series 3. In an interview, Tate said that this character was partly based on herself.
dog trainer
who resorts to strange and desperate methods to achieve
success in training dogs. In one sketch, Moo tortures her own dog when she sent an electric pulse through her body in order to make her behave using a shock collar
. Unfortunately, her dog, Lady Penelope ended up ignoring Moo at an important contest
, resulting in their performance being dubbed as rubbish. Moo was also seen holding a dog training class, where the class attendants were not allowed to bring their dogs and had to imagine that their dogs were attached to their leads.
and brings her children with her to an unpleasant crime scene. Whilst at the crime scene, her children play with a dead body, on which they paint cat
whiskers and poke it with sticks. This barely fazes DI Angie Barker, who casually orders someone to put the body back to its previous state.
who insults her new husband and his family in a memorable wedding speech
. During her speech she blatantly embarrasses her husband John, and even admits to having several affairs, in front of him and all their guests. At one point in a sketch, she forgets her husband's name and just referred to John as "him". Then, to end her long and drunken speech, she says: "And finally propose a toast, to me, and all who sail in me." She appeared several times in the fourth episode of the second series. At the end of the sketches, Victoria was seen intoxicated and passed out, alone in the dark ball room.
" are ostracised from society and is sent to "Russet Lodge"; a refuge for redheads, under police protection. She appears several times in one episode of series two, then in the next series she returns with her campaign group "Gingers For Justice" taking a stand against the public, who eventually decide that gingers are allowed back in to civilisation. The series three sketches guest starred Patsy Palmer
, where Palmer dressed as a battery
(copper top) and protested with the other "gingers", who were themselves dressed as carrots and ginger biscuits
. After the protest, it is revealed that a film is to be made of the "gingers" where Bonnie Langford
will play Sandra.
woman who thoroughly disapproves of the behaviour of everybody around her, before farting
loudly and unashamedly. She does this in a funeral car, a taxi, and at the cinema. She also appeared in a scene whilst in confession at Church, however she did not disapprove of the behaviour of anybody, and was told by the Priest to take her time as she appeared to be slightly nervous about confession. The Priest told her "Whatever it is inside of you, just let it go", referring to her to confess her sins with no problem, however she took this the wrong way and farted.
Sheila appeared four times in series two. She was shown in the intro to every episode in series 3, however she did not appear in this series.
puppet dressed like an Italian chef to speak to the diners, who only want to order a pizza
. The diners can only look on in horror as the two employees both started dancing to a song after they had tried to place their meal order. Her ridiculous behaviour always causes the diners to run off. Her usual catchphrase was: "I'm a fiery Taurean with my moon in Uranus - careful, I'll do the jokes." Amanda was a regular character in series 2 and appeared in four episodes.
) are the owners of an extremely successful wig emporium
which many well-known celebrities use. When they invite a production crew into their workplace to make a documentary about them, they struggle to keep the names of their clients a secret, due to comments such as "If that jiffy bag doesn't get to Wembley Arena
by 7 o' clock, it'll be the first time "Candle In The Wind
" has been sung in crash helmets!" There were also signs and double entendres which pointed towards Ivan being gay. Their secretary, Carole-Anne, played by Una Stubbs
, finds it a struggle to keep the identities of the celebrities a secret. Her inadvertent naming of Judi Dench
as a customer pales in comparison to other examples, such as how she named a large number of celebrity customers, not realising that the camera was rolling at the time.
who is extremely unprofessional in her job. One sketch sees a man gamble a lot of money on red, and she announces the ball had landed on red. However, she then casually announces, whilst the group is celebrating their victory, that it had in fact landed on black and not red, as the colours "sort of merge" while the wheel is spinning. She also takes the ball away from the roulette
wheel when the noise starts to annoy her. Another time the ball actually flies off the roulette board and she says "It would have probably been red". In the Christmas special 2005 sketch, after watching the wheel spinning, she faints. She is named as Hayley in the script book.
, is delighted for him and herself when he comes out as gay. Even though he does not want to be treated any differently, she obsesses over his sexuality, inviting him to give her fashion advice, look at pictures of men in magazines while he was trying to watch football, visit one of her friends, and go on a gay parade — much to his embarrassment. The phrase she frequently uses is "Have you heard about our John? He's a gay man now".
This character has been referred to as the "Ulster Mum" or the "Northern Irish woman", however when Tate appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
one week before series three was aired, she told Ross that this character was called John Reilly's Mum after he tried to guess an Irish name for her calling her "Mrs O'Reilly". She is addressed as Kathleen in one sketch, and also as Mrs Leary in the 2007 Christmas special where she is still obsessing over her son's homosexuality, even informing a couple of his friends by putting "Have you heard about our John? He's a gay man now" up in lights, and she leaves her son mortified when she gives him a chocolate penis for a Christmas present. When his grandmother questions this and learns the truth, she gives John some money for a rent boy.
The actor who played John's father in series 3 was changed for the 2007 Christmas Show, however he did play the role of the priest in the church scene. Colin Morgan
also replaced Trainor as John in the Christmas Show. Mrs O'Reilly was referred to as Mrs Leary here too.
which features Tate as Ma Willow, the overbearing owner of the boarding house "Ma's" during the 1950s, who takes in time-travelling policeman, Sam Speed, after he is hit by a car. The policeman is played by Tom Ellis. Unfortunately, he often breaks the conventions of that time period (such as being a non-smoking, politically-correct vegetarian). Life on Mars star Philip Glenister
made a guest appearance in this sketch for the 2007 Christmas special.
with, and Helen happily accepts to assist her, implying that she can play tennis brilliantly. However, she is abysmal at tennis and hits the balls way out of the court into a group of trees. In another sketch, she claims she can speak seven languages for a conference, and proceeds to "translate" into nonsensical sounds that were based on linguistic stereotypes (in this sketch, Mike Burns
plays her boss.). Three more examples included the themes of drumming, curling
, and salsa dancing. Jools Holland
appeared in one of her sketches.
), but is so inept at trying to use a computer keyboard that she causes a communications failure which blows the entire exercise (literally, as the terrorists blow up their hostages). It appears that she knew nothing of computers or her job.
, Monster Munch
and Mini Cheddars
, only to return and find that some horrible disaster had happened while she was away (including her boyfriend being killed in a building collapse and a pair of friends: one who died in a drive-by shooting, the other in a shark attack
) before surveying the scene with mild surprise whilst munching on her snack.
impression. However, she claims that she does not realise she is doing this very obvious impression, even though she actually says words and moved physically to sound and look like Frankie Howerd. She acts almost totally oblivious to what she is doing, although she does acknowledge that she employs some Howerd characteristics in her acting. She is also seen in labour, and the impression "came out" in this sketch too.
in the only sketch of the entire show that did not feature Catherine Tate. In the series one sketch, Martin appears on a train talking to a series of people on his mobile about how drunk he was the previous night, and how he had "copped off." As he converses, the people around him become increasingly annoyed.
The Catherine Tate Show
The Catherine Tate Show is a British television sketch comedy written by Catherine Tate and Aschlin Ditta. Tate also stars in all but one of the show's sketches, which feature a wide range of characters. The Catherine Tate Show airs on BBC Two and is shown worldwide through the BBC...
on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
. Comedian Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate is an English actress, writer, and comedian. 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...
portrays all of the characters featured most prominently in the show, which she created with Derren Litten
Derren Litten
Derren Litten is a British comedy writer and actor. He is best known as the co-writer of the award-winning The Catherine Tate Show, for which he wrote and appeared as several different characters in the first two series and the 2005 Christmas Special...
and her team of writers. Other actors who have supporting roles throughout the series include Mathew Horne
Mathew Horne
Mathew Frazer Horne is an English actor, stand-up comedian, television presenter and narrator best known for appearing on several BBC sketch shows and sitcoms, most notably Gavin & Stacey portraying Gavin Shipman, The Catherine Tate Show, Teachers and Horne and Corden.-Early life:Horne was born...
and Niky Wardley
Niky Wardley
Niky Wardley is an English actress. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.One of her best known parts was in The Catherine Tate Show as Lauren Cooper's best friend Liese Jackson, as well as other parts during the series.-Theatre:...
.
Joannie 'Nan' Taylor
The foul-mouthed grandmother is an old South London woman who constantly swears at and criticises other people. She is always visited by her well-mannered grandson Jamie (played by Mathew HorneMathew Horne
Mathew Frazer Horne is an English actor, stand-up comedian, television presenter and narrator best known for appearing on several BBC sketch shows and sitcoms, most notably Gavin & Stacey portraying Gavin Shipman, The Catherine Tate Show, Teachers and Horne and Corden.-Early life:Horne was born...
), where the visits usually start off well enough, with the Nan showing how grateful she is that her grandson has come to see her. However, things usually take a turn for the worse after she starts to make unfavourable comments about her neighbours, family, and home help visitors. Nan also appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show was a BAFTA award-winning British comedy chat show hosted by Birkenhead-born comedian Paul O'Grady. The format was originally devised by Granada Television and was broadcast on ITV before moving to Channel 4...
and the 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...
game show Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal (UK game show)
Deal or No Deal is the United Kingdom version of the Endemol game show format Deal or No Deal, hosted by Noel Edmonds. 1,758 shows have been aired...
, hosted by Noel Edmonds
Noel Edmonds
Noel Ernest Edmonds, is an English broadcaster 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, Telly Addicts, Noel's Saturday...
. The latter sketch was shot especially for Comic Relief 2007.
When she appears on The Paul O'Grady Show, she is recognised as Joannie Taylor for the very first time as she is referred to as "Nan" by Jamie and as Mrs. Taylor by others. However, when she appears on Deal or No Deal, she is recognised as "Nan".
Jamie is a university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
, but according to Nan, is unemployed. Nan repeatedly asserts that he is gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, although Jamie has said on many occasions that he has a girlfriend.
Lauren Cooper
Lauren Cooper is a comprehensive schoolComprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
student with a bad attitude who is most widely known for her phrase "Am I bovvered?". Lauren, her best friend Liese Jackson and her love interest Ryan Perkins are known as yobs. Sketches throughout series one see Lauren arguing with authority figures such as train conductors and teachers, as well as Liese and Ryan. Her behaviour in later series becomes increasingly worse and engages in confrontation more frequently. Lauren Cooper's catchphrase "Am I bovvered?" had made her one of the most recognisable characters of the show. Lauren also appeared in many charity sketches with many famous celebrities, including McFly
McFly
McFly are an English pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band consists of Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd . They were signed to the Island Records label from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records...
, David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
and Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the 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...
.
During the 2007 Christmas special on 25 December 2007, Lauren is killed during a kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
ing trip, after falling down a waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
. Her gravestone is inscribed with the message "I Still Ain't Bovvered".
Two other characters also featured prominently in Lauren's sketches include Lauren's love interest, Ryan (Kanye Fiddy Cent) Perkins, played by Mathew Horne
Mathew Horne
Mathew Frazer Horne is an English actor, stand-up comedian, television presenter and narrator best known for appearing on several BBC sketch shows and sitcoms, most notably Gavin & Stacey portraying Gavin Shipman, The Catherine Tate Show, Teachers and Horne and Corden.-Early life:Horne was born...
. Ryan is a comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
student with Lauren and Liese. He dubs himself as MC Ryan, who beatboxes
Beatboxing
Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, and the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments...
, raps
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
and spins decks
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
and he also plays American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. The relationship between Ryan and Lauren is at times unclear, as he is quick to poke fun at Lauren with phrases such as "that is well bad". He has also made a bet to see whether Lauren would accept his marriage proposal and eventually was about to marry her until he left her at the altar due to her terrible rendition of Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
's "My Heart Will Go On
My Heart Will Go On
"My Heart Will Go On" is the theme song/love theme of the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic. With music by James Horner, lyrics by Will Jennings, and production by Simon Franglen, James Horner and Walter Afanasieff ,, it was recorded by Céline Dion...
", as featured in "Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
".
The other character is Lauren's best friend, Liese Jackson, played by Niky Wardley
Niky Wardley
Niky Wardley is an English actress. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.One of her best known parts was in The Catherine Tate Show as Lauren Cooper's best friend Liese Jackson, as well as other parts during the series.-Theatre:...
. Liese is a comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
student with Lauren and Ryan who displays the typical chav
Chav
A chav is a term that is used in the United Kingdom to describe a stereotype of teenagers and young adults from an underclass background.-Etymology:...
culture look and mannerisms. She always seems to get stuck in the middle of Lauren's "am I bovvered" rant, even when she's trying to comfort her. However, Liese has her moments of making fun of Lauren, especially when she mispronounces a word (for example Lauren says bing-bing instead of bling-bling
Bling-bling
Bling is a slang term popularized in hip hop culture, referring to flashy, ostentatious or elaborate jewelry and ornamented accessories that are carried, worn or installed, such as cell phones or tooth caps....
) or says the wrong name by mistake, to which Liese says "take the shame mate".
Bernie
The incompetent IrishIrish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
nurse. Bernie is an unruly, randy woman who bordered on being sacked
Termination of employment
-Involuntary termination:Involuntary termination is the employee's departure at the hands of the employer. There are two basic types of involuntary termination, known often as being "fired" and "laid off." To be fired, as opposed to being laid off, is generally thought of to be the employee's...
in the hospital where she worked in every episode. She frequently makes inappropriate remarks to her patients, flirts with most of the male staff, takes a critically ill patient on a wild night out, and mixes up the records of living patients with those of deceased ones.
In series two, Bernie makes three appearances. In one sketch, she is nearly sacked after being hypnotised
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
. In the second, she returns to her usual ways, flirting with a man who she didn't know was the lead surgeon. In the third sketch, a lesbian nurse named Arthur flirts with Bernie, eventually kissing her. Upon doing so, Bernie refers to Arthur as a "mad fanny-basher".
In series three, her sisters Brenda and Bridie and brothers Seamus and Paddy, all identical to Bernie and even more over the top in their behaviour, cause havoc when they come over from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to visit her during her shift at the hospital. It was also discovered that Bernie shuns medical terms for intimate bodily parts because she confuses them with the names of another sister and brother, Virginia and Clint.
Bernie appeared in a Christmas special in a sketch featuring George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
.
Paul and Sam
The EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
couple. They are happily married yet slightly simple, and find everyday situations surprisingly hilarious. Paul (played by Lee Ross
Lee Ross (actor)
Lee Ross is an English professional actor best known for his role as Dodger in Dodger, Bonzo and the Rest. He has also starred in, Press Gang, Secrets & Lies, The Catherine Tate Show and most recently as Owen Turner in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Career:His first acting role was as Fat Sam in...
) and Sam often excitedly tell each other stories, which they find highly amusing and interesting, but would in fact be just everyday situations (as for example forgetting the keys for the car and only notice that at the car). The stories build up and when completed, Paul and Sam would both produce an exaggerated and completely silent laugh. Tate revealed in an interview that these characters are based on people that she knows, but that they are not aware of this despite enjoying the sketch.
In episode five of series two, audiences were introduced to Sam's parents, who share many of the same characteristics as their daughter. Paul Whitehouse
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. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was in the top 50 comedy acts voted for by comedians and comedy insiders...
guest starred as her father and My Heros Geraldine McNulty
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, The Smoking Room and The Catherine Tate Show...
guest starred as her mother. In the 2005 Christmas special, it was revealed that they have two children who look like them and behave in a similar manner. Paul and Sam made only two appearances in series three, featuring in the last episode and still very excitable over the slightest thing. It is usual for Paul to ask a question to which Sam would reply "I dunno!", again followed by an exaggerated and totally silent laugh.
In series two, episode six, after Sam excitedly tells the story and follows her usual pattern, Paul, instead of saying 'What are you like?' or, doing a silent laugh, he simply states 'yeah well, it's an easy mistake to make, Sam steps back, bewildered, tries to tell him another story in an attempt to make him laugh, but yet again he simply states 'yeah well, picked up the wrong one, it an happen, Sam again bewildered starts to leave, but it turns out Paul was joking.
Paul and Sam appear in the 2007 Christmas Special where three of Sam's friends from work go around to her house. They all display similar behaviour to Paul and Sam, even doing the silent laugh. The three were amazed with hair straighteners and drinks. At the end of the sketch, all five laugh so hard that they wet themselves.
Kate and Ellen
This sketch followed two officeOffice
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
workers who sat next to each other. While Ellen (played by Ella Kenion
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 of Mrs Cakeworthy in The Green Green Grass. She played the role of Julie...
) is usually keen to get on with her work, she is frequently disturbed by Kate (Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate is an English actress, writer, and comedian. 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...
). Kate continually makes conversation about her lifestyle, inviting her co-worker to "Have a guess!" on such delicate situations as how much weight
Body weight
The term body weight is used in daily English speech as well as in the contexts of biological and medical sciences to describe the mass of an organism's body. Body weight is measured in kilograms throughout the world, although in some countries it is still measured in pounds or stones and pounds...
she had lost, how many miles she could run, and how much money she paid for her holiday. While Ellen is reluctant to go along with the game, she is pressured into making a wild guess, which almost always results in Kate's becoming insulted and consequently offensive. Towards the end of the first series, Ellen occasionally guesses correctly, sometimes surprisingly such as when Kate asks "Do you know how many extras were used in the film Troy
Troy (film)
Troy is a 2004 epic war film written by David Benioff and directed by Wolfgang Petersen based on the events of the Trojan War. Its cast includes Brad Pitt as Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector.It was nominated for the Academy Award for Costume Design.-Plot:...
?". This upsets Kate, who reacted in ways such as calling her co-worker a freak, a "scab-faced old trout" and a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
. The name of the office is written on the set as 'Callas and Sait', which has been suggested as a reference to the callousness versus saintliness of the characters, actually refers to the surnames of two members of the production staff on the show.
In series two, Ellen becomes more aware of material that Kate uses for her "Have a guess!" games, and often knew the correct answer before being asked. Unfortunately, this irritates Kate even more than usual, and during the course of this series she poured a drink over Ellen's head, trashed her desk and spat
Spitting
Spitting or expectoration is the act of forcibly ejecting saliva or other substances from the mouth. It is currently considered rude and a social taboo in many parts of the world including the West, while in some other parts of the world it is considered more acceptable...
in her hair. Kate, when saying "I went to the theatre last night," and Ellen replies "The Phantom Of The Opera" correctly, Kate doesn't physically respond, but instead goes up to Ellen's ear and screams the main tune from "The Phantom Of The Opera" at her. Kate and Ellen appeared in series 1 and 2, but not in series 3.
Elaine Figgis
Elaine is a woman who appeared in a documentaryDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
following her search for love, mostly corresponding with people around the world via the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
in search of a man. The unseen interviewer and narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
is called Tanya. Series one follows her engagement
Engagement
An engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...
and eventual marriage to a convicted cannibal and lunatic on Death Row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, who abducted, tortured and murdered eight people, proceeding to eat two of them. Elaine had met Jerry over the Internet but never in person, but notwithstanding having never met him remained positive about his crimes and continued to declare her love for him. Elaine even goes out to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to the prison in order to marry him, where the service lasts about five seconds. Elaine states that the wedding ceremony had to be short as they could not gauge the amount of sedative
Sedative
A sedative or tranquilizer is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement....
to give him. In another sketch, Elaine lights a candle to represent Jerry's life, to be blown out at the precise time of his execution, eventually realizing that the United States are six hours behind Britain, and that she has made an effort for the wrong time.
In series two, Elaine appears for one episode, and is still using the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
to find potential lovers. Unfortunately, her new boyfriend Mohammed, a spice seller from Luxor Temple in Egypt, ends up conning
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
her and taking her savings.
In series three Elaine gives up on finding love on-line. Instead she attempts to have a baby with the aid of a sperm donor, but unfortunately her missed periods turned out to be the start of the menopause
Menopause
Menopause is a term used to describe the permanent cessation of the primary functions of the human ovaries: the ripening and release of ova and the release of hormones that cause both the creation of the uterine lining and the subsequent shedding of the uterine lining...
(a very early menopause, as her age is quoted in the first series as being 34).
In a special sketch for Comic Relief, James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
actor Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig
Daniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor. His early film roles include Elizabeth, 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...
appeared as himself in a sketch with Elaine Figgis. He is another boyfriend that Elaine meets over the Internet and subsequently moves in with her. Throughout the entire sketch, Elaine is mostly oblivious as to who he was and his famous role as James Bond. She admits that she thought he was lying about being an actor, with the sketch ending in the splitting of their relationship.
The Aga Saga Woman
An upper-middle-class EnglishEngland
England 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, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
woman who goes into a state of shock in various, seemingly innocuous situations. For example: after receiving a phone call from her husband's European personal assistant, she must tell her children that "Daddy hasn't been able to find any good brie
Brie (cheese)
Brie is a soft cow's cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated . It is pale in color with a slight grayish tinge under a rind of white mold; very soft and savory with a hint of ammonia...
" on his business trip to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. They fear that they will be mocked at the Parisian picnic at school because they lack the correct cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
. Another time, she panics at the thought of having to use a dishwasher
Dishwasher
A dishwasher is a mechanical device for cleaning dishes and eating utensils. Dishwashers can be found in restaurants and private homes.Unlike manual dishwashing, which relies largely on physical scrubbing to remove soiling, the mechanical dishwasher cleans by spraying hot water, typically between ...
when an egg cleaver falls onto the floor, meaning that Chloe cannot open her egg and it cannot breathe and may discolour. Everyone panics at this and can only suggest that the housekeeper rush to their house on public transport—a taxi—to put the cleaver through the dishwasher. She also dreads the thought of going supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
-shopping by herself. The title of the sketch is a pun on the stereotype of the pretentious middle classes having an Aga
AGA cooker
The AGA cooker is a stored-heat stove and cooker invented in 1929 by the Nobel Prize-winning Swedish physicist Gustaf Dalén , who was employed first as the chief engineer of the Swedish AGA company...
oven at home. The Aga Saga Woman is called "Mrs Montgomery" in Series Two, later retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
ned in Series Three to "Mrs Taylor-Thomas".
In Series Two, she goes into a state of shocked terror when a Northern
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
nanny
Nanny
A nanny, childminder or child care provider, is an individual who provides care for one or more children in a family as a service...
has to look after her children. She does forewarn the children that the agency arranged for a temporary nanny (as Alice was ill), and that she feared that the nanny may come from as far north as Sunderland . Jill Halfpenny
Jill Halfpenny
Jill Halfpenny is an English actress.Halfpenny is best known for her roles as Rebecca Hopkins in the British soap opera Coronation Street from 1999–2000, and as Kate Mitchell in rival soap EastEnders, from 2002-2005...
guest-starred as the Northern nanny.
In Series Three, she sends everyone at her children's school sports day
Sports day
Sports days, sometimes referred to as Field Day, are events staged by many schools and offices in which people take part in competitive sporting activities, often with the aim of winning trophies or prizes...
into a panic when she finds out the eggs being used in the egg and spoon race
Egg and spoon race
An egg-and-spoon race is a sporting event in which participants must carry an egg or other roundish object on a teaspoon, tablespoon or wooden spoon and race to the finish line without dropping the egg or without running while the egg is not on the spoon...
are not organic
Organic food
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
. The children and parents immediately run for their 4x4s (all of them identical BMW X5s) and drive off. Another time, she becomes terrified at the prospect of having to use a hire car while her Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
is being repaired. She and her children are disturbed when they take a wrong turn and end up driving in Tottenham
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
, where they are traumatised when they see the supermarket Iceland
Iceland (supermarket)
Iceland is a supermarket chain in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Iceland's primary product lines include frozen foods, such as frozen prepared meals and frozen vegetables - hence the name of the company...
, when they notice that nobody is wearing brogues
Brogues
The Brogue is a style of low-heeled shoe or boot traditionally characterized by multiple-piece, sturdy leather uppers with decorative perforations and serration along the pieces' visible edges...
, and when someone cleans their windscreen at the traffic lights, screaming over whether they will 'survive' the incident. On another occasion they evacuate a picnic after her children's friend Fergus accidentally consumes a gooseberry
Gooseberry
The gooseberry or ; Ribes uva-crispa, syn. R. grossularia) is a species of Ribes, native to Europe, northwestern Africa and southwestern Asia...
and cinnamon
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...
yoghurt
Yoghurt
Yoghurt, yogurt or yogourt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yoghurt are known as "yoghurt cultures"...
that is one day past its sell-by date. She seems to believe that encounters with the lower-middle class or anything less than perfect will prove fatal, and has passed this trait on to her children. This is evident in catchphrases like "Don't look them in the eyes!", "Run for your lives, children--we're all going to die!" and "Please don't kill us, we mean you no harm!"
The Aga Saga Woman's daughter, Chloe Taylor-Thomas, is played by two different actresses in Series One and Two and played by Jennifer Rae Daykin
Jennifer Rae Daykin
Jennifer Rae Daykin is a British teen actress best known for her role as Liliana "Lily" Brown in Nanny McPhee. She attended Westende Junior School in Wokingham, Berkshire, England- Filmography :- Awards & nominations :...
in Series Three. Chloe often comes up with good ideas during the Aga Saga Woman's crisis, such as suggesting that Roquefort will go well with some good bread at the Parisian picnic. The Aga Saga Woman's son, Thomas Taylor-Thomas, is played by different actors in all three series. He sometimes seems to be forgetful, as he once suggested bringing Wensleydale cheese, which would have been a grave mistake, to a Parisian picnic. He refers to his mother as "dear heart" and "darling" and often takes a lead role during the Aga Saga Woman's crisis by saying not to panic and "it puts everything into perspective."
Tate has stated that the character was based on a woman who was rude to her on Kings Road
Kings Road
King's Road or Kings Road, known popularly as The King's Road or The KR, is a major, well-known street stretching through Chelsea and Fulham, both in west London, England...
when she was pregnant.
Derek Faye
Derek, who first appeared in series two, is a man who shows several signs of being gayHomosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
(combining some mannerisms of famous gay British comedians such as Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
and Frankie Howerd
Frankie Howerd
Francis Alick "Frankie" Howerd OBE was an English comedian and comic actor whose career, described by fellow comedian Barry Cryer as "a series of comebacks", spanned six decades.-Early career:...
), but seems to be in denial about his sexuality and becomes extremely offended and defensive when people assume he is gay. To his dislike, these occurrences are frequent, owing to the fact he behaves in an extremely effeminate way. His most famous catchphrase is "How very dare you!", along with the overuse of the word "dear". This can be seen in another catchphrase; when asked about his sexuality he replies "Who, dear? Me, dear? Gay, dear? No, dear!", or when asked for advice replying "Me, dear? Advice, dear? Yes, dear." When offended, Derek states how he and his mother have been doing something relative to the person Derek is insulted by for 25 years. For example, in one sketch with Bonnie Langford, he rants "25 years my mother and I have been following your career and you come out with this!?" Derek also uses the word "impertinent" to describe the person who has unintentionally offended him. He also frequently says "What on earth are you insinuating?" when the person he is talking to makes a comment on how they think he is gay. Another well-known catchphrase is "I've never been so insulted!"
In series three, Derek still battles with the problem of everyone he meets assuming he is gay. He becomes particularly offended when, while on holiday in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
with his male companion Leonard Mincing, a taxi driver offers to take them to a Hawaiian
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
-themed gay bar
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
called "Homo Lulu". Bonnie Langford
Bonnie Langford
Bonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford is an English actress, dancer 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:...
also appears in one of his sketches, where he ends up giving her one of his infamous rants after she casually mentioned that she had many "gay fans". Derek Faye's silent male companion, Leonard Mincing, is played by Martin Akehurst.
Irene and Vernon
Irene and Vernon (often referred to as Vern) first appeared in series two. They are the owners of a mobile burger vanFood truck
A food truck, mobile kitchen, mobile canteen, or catering truck is a mobile venue that sells food. Some, including ice cream trucks, sell mostly frozen or prepackaged food; others are more like restaurants-on-wheels...
situated on the side of a motorway. During their sketches they are visited by a regular customer
Customer
A customer is usually used to refer to a current or potential buyer or user of the products of an individual or organization, called the supplier, seller, or vendor. This is typically through purchasing or renting goods or services...
called Neville (played by Brian Murphy
Brian Murphy (actor)
Brian Murphy is a British actor.Murphy was born in Ventnor, Isle of Wight. 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...
) whom Irene tries to convince that she and Vernon have been visited by various celebrities. Neville almost always orders a double cheese
Cheeseburger
A cheeseburger is a hamburger with cheese that has been added to it. Traditionally, the cheese is placed on top of the patty, but the burger can include many variations in structure, ingredients, and composition...
with no sauce, and keeps a tab with Irene and Verne and always asks if he can "settle up on Friday." When Neville appears, Irene never knows the name of the celebrity in question and always attempts to describe them. She once says when trying to describe Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
; "That big blonde woman off the telly." Irene also claims that they were visited by former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
and Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...
.
In series three, with little change from the last series, Irene tries to convince her regular customer Neville that she and Vern had met ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
, Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
and even Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
who, according to Irene, did not die over 400 years ago but is renting a bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
in Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
and was seen by her on a bike ride with Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...
. Vernon, who normally has no lines, was given a speaking part for the first time, when he simply told Irene to "Shut up." She replied "No, you shut up!". She also made this insinuation in series two in the scene where Madonna apparently turned up.
Janice and Ray
A NorthernNorthern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
couple who express their disgust at meal
Meal
A meal is an instance of eating, specifically one that takes place at a specific time and includes specific, prepared food.Meals occur primarily at homes, restaurants, and cafeterias, but may occur anywhere. Regular meals occur on a daily basis, typically several times a day...
s they have been presented with at restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s. Their disgust is based on the perceived over-pricing or the exotic nature of the food. They are also shocked at the food being available in Britain, owing to comments such as "This were in Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
." After complaining about the food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
and price
Price
-Definition:In ordinary usage, price is the quantity of payment or compensation given by one party to another in return for goods or services.In modern economies, prices are generally expressed in units of some form of currency...
s, they use their most infamous catchphrase: "The dirty bastards!" or sometimes "The dirty, evil, robbing bastards!" Some of the foods that Janice and Ray express disgust at are; shiitake mushrooms , grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s in brie
Brie (cheese)
Brie is a soft cow's cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated . It is pale in color with a slight grayish tinge under a rind of white mold; very soft and savory with a hint of ammonia...
cheese sandwiches, vegetable tempura
Tempura
], is a Japanese dish of seafood or vegetables that have been battered and deep fried.-Batter:A light batter is made of cold water and soft wheat flour . Eggs, baking soda or baking powder, starch, oil, and/or spices may also be added...
and tentsuyu
Tentsuyu
Tentsuyu is Japanese tempura dipping sauce.The recipe for tentsuyu depends on the seasons and on the ingredients for which tentsuyu is being prepared. A general, all-purpose, tentsuyu might consists of three parts dashi, one part mirin, and one part soy sauce...
(described as "battered
Batter (cooking)
Batter is a semi-liquid mixture of one or more flours combined with liquids such as water, milk or eggs used to prepare various foods. Often a leavening agent such as baking powder is included to aerate and fluff up the batter as it cooks, or the mixture may be naturally fermented for this purpose...
veg" with "spicy jam"), gazpacho
Gazpacho
Gazpacho is a cold Spanish/Portuguese tomato-based raw vegetable soup, originating in the southern region of Andalucía. Gazpacho is widely consumed throughout Spain, neighboring Portugal and parts of Latin America...
and escargots
Escargots
Escargot is a dish of cooked land snails, usually served as an appetizer in France and in French restaurants. The word is also sometimes applied to the living snails of those species which are commonly eaten in this way....
. Another signature characteristic of Janice and Ray's story telling, is the rearranging of the order of their complaint (with pauses). For example in the gazpacho sketch, they say that the "cold tomato soup" is "tomato...soup...cold", "soup...tomato...cold" and "cold...soup...tomato".
In series three, Ray was no longer played by Derren Litten
Derren Litten
Derren Litten is a British comedy writer and actor. He is best known as the co-writer of the award-winning The Catherine Tate Show, for which he wrote and appeared as several different characters in the first two series and the 2005 Christmas Special...
(who did not work on this series) but continued to use the same phrases: "Famous last words", "Listen to this". Their catchphrases become slightly modified to fit the situation, for example "The dirty, evil, raw fish-guzzling bastards!" when complaining about being offered sushi
Sushi
is a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients . Neta and forms of sushi presentation vary, but the ingredient which all sushi have in common is shari...
in Nagasaki, or "The dirty, evil, lactose intolerant bastards!" after telling the story of being served coffee with rice milk
Rice milk
Rice milk is a kind of grain milk processed from rice. It is mostly made from brown rice and commonly unsweetened. The sweetness in most rice milk varieties is generated by a natural enzymatic process, cleaving the carbohydrates into sugars, especially glucose, similar to the Japanese amazake...
for £1.50 each at Janice's sister's house.
Geordie Georgie
A frequent petitioner, who constantly tries to get her co-worker, Martin, to sponsor her charities with facts such as "Every 38 minutes ..." then follows her statements up with "If you don't believe me then log on to the website ...". The scenes for this sketch follow the same pattern. Georgie comes into the office and starts singing happily, with Martin joining in, and then she asks Martin how his weekend went. Martin then talks about his daughter Michaela which would prompt Georgie to feel concerned about her but then begin to talk abusively about her. Georgie then requests to borrow something on Martin's desk, for example "can I borrow your nice lime green highlighter?" She then describes her latest fund-raising effort and asks him to sponsor her. He always offers a modest donation then makes at least one small increase, but after several futile attempts to get him to donate yet more money, she says "Let's say no more about it because I wouldn't want it to come between us pet". She then attacks him in a manner that has something to do with the cause she was championing (for example, she sprays him all over with cleaning fluid after he refuses to pay out as much as she had liked for sufferers of Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive–compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry, by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing the associated anxiety, or by a combination of such obsessions and compulsions...
).
She also tries to raise money for victims of sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
, domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
, alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and sex addiction as well as for dwarves
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
and for Africans
African people
African people refers to natives, inhabitants, or citizen of Africa and to people of African descent.-Etymology:Many etymological hypotheses that have been postulated for the ancient name "Africa":...
addicted to online gambling
Online gambling
Online gambling, also known as Internet gambling and iGambling, is a general term for gambling using the Internet.-Online poker:Online poker tables commonly offer Texas hold 'em, Omaha, Seven-card stud, razz, HORSE and other game types in both tournament and ring game structures...
, but claims she "couldn't be less interested" when Martin asked her to donate to a fundraiser of his own. She also made an appearance in a sketch made for Comic Relief. During the sketch, Martin still offers a modest amount of money for Georgie's charity, but upon Lenny Henry
Lenny Henry
Lenworth George "Lenny" Henry, is a British actor, writer, comedian and occasional television presenter.- Early life :...
raising money for Comic Relief, he promptly writes a more generous cheque for £150. This prompts Georgie to shred it in the shredder that she had previously borrowed from Martin, before head butting Lenny Henry and saying "That'll give you a red nose". In the 2007 Christmas special, Georgie tries to raise money for those addicted to dogging
Dogging (sexual slang)
Dogging is a British English euphemism for engaging in sexual acts in a public or semi-public place or watching others doing so. There may be more than two participants; both group sex and gang banging can be included. As observation is encouraged, voyeurism and exhibitionism are closely associated...
. This is the only episode in which she does not attack Martin, but to Georgie's surprise Martin himself, wearing a garter belt and tights
Tights
Tights are a kind of cloth leg garment, most often sheathing the body from about the waist to the feet with a more or less tight fit, hence the name....
, leaves to go dogging. At the beginning of this sketch, Georgie asks Martin if she can borrow something off his desk, but he replies that the object she asks for is in use, but she goes on tell tell him about her latest cause anyway (the objects Georgie asks to borrow are ones she borrowed in previous sketches).
Martin, Geordie's target for fundraising money, is played by Richard Lumsden
Richard Lumsden
Richard James Lumsden is a British actor, writer, composer and musician. He played Nathan in Channel 4's drama Sugar Rush and on radio he plays Ray in Clare in the Community.-Career:...
.
Tate stated on This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
that Georgie was her favourite new character. Tate said that she wanted to do a Geordie
Geordie
Geordie is a regional nickname for a person from the Tyneside region of the north east of England, or the name of the English-language dialect spoken by its inhabitants...
character and that Georgie was based on a letter she received from a woman in Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
about donating money.
Information Woman
The information woman works at a help desk in a shopping centreShopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
. When shoppers ask for her assistance, she would misunderstand them or mistakenly believe that they were trying to engage in friendly conversation with her. An example is when someone approaches her at the information desk and says "Excuse me, I've lost my mother." to which she responds "Oh I'm so sorry to hear that." believing the mother to be deceased rather than just lost. She only appeared in one episode of series 1.
Bunty Carmichael
Bunty is a woman who insists on being allowed to perform in a children's majorette team, as there is no upper age limit. Her sketches involve her going to a pub and meeting the head of the Doncaster Spinners, Geoff, played by Derren LittenDerren Litten
Derren Litten is a British comedy writer and actor. He is best known as the co-writer of the award-winning The Catherine Tate Show, for which he wrote and appeared as several different characters in the first two series and the 2005 Christmas Special...
, who tries to convince Bunty of her inappropriate behaviour (to Bunty's disgust, saying about the nine-year-old girl who had replaced her on the team "Does she know she'll be on the majorette scrap heap when she's thirty?"). Bunty's obsession with the team eventually results in Geoff contacting the police and obtaining a restraining order
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
. A running gag in this sketch is that, when Bunty leaves the pub, she plays a song on the jukebox
Jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media...
which reflects her current feelings. In one sketch, after being rejected by Geoff, she plays All By Myself
All by Myself
"All by Myself" is a power ballad written and performed by Eric Carmen in 1975.The verse is based on the second movement of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18...
by Eric Carmen
Eric Carmen
Eric Howard Carmen is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist.He scored numerous hit songs across the 1970s and 1980s, first as a member of the Raspberries , and then with his solo career, including hits such as "All By Myself", "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again", "She Did It",...
.
Botox Babe/Boob Job Babe
This sketch features an actress who does a perfectly normal acting scene one day, but on the following day when it comes to do the same shot, has changed her appearance drastically. In series one she appears with massive lips, obviously having had injections of collagenCollagen
Collagen is a group of naturally occurring proteins found in animals, especially in the flesh and connective tissues of mammals. It is the main component of connective tissue, and is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content...
. In series two she appears a second day with enhanced breasts. Nobody is concerned about the continuity of the shots apart from the other actor (played by Michael Brandon
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...
). Boob Job Babe appeared in series 2.
Not drunk enough woman
Claire, who makes only one appearance in series one, is a woman whose boyfriend (played by Bruce MacKinnonBruce Mackinnon
Bruce Mackinnon is an actor who has appeared in various television programmes.Mackinnon was born in Esher, Surrey and was educated at Eton College, before studying drama at The University of Manchester...
) tries to get her to invite him indoors after a date, but she insists she "just isn't drunk enough". Despite his efforts to remedy the situation (even suggesting she have alcohol fed into her body intravenously) she tells him that even though she is so drunk she can hardly stand, is dying of alcohol-related liver damage and went to Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
where she was arrested for drunken behaviour (twice), she still cannot get drunk enough to find him attractive.
Frightened Woman
Margaret is a woman who screams with terror at quiet, everyday noises. Some things that Margaret screams at are her own hiccups, a birthday card, telephone, crunching, a post-it notePost-it note
A Post-it note is a piece of stationery with a re-adherable strip of adhesive on the back, designed for temporarily attaching notes to documents and other surfaces. Although now available in a wide range of colours, shapes, and sizes, Post-it notes are most commonly a square, canary yellow in colour...
and Christmas tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
lights. Her husband Michael sometimes repeatedly warns Margaret of something which may cause her to scream, but after she is adamant she is fine, she would scream anyway. Her final sketch in the Christmas special in 2005 reveals that her apparent real hair is in fact a wig, showing her to be completely bald. Differing from all other sketches, it is Michael who screams and not Margaret. Tate later revealed that she based this character on her mother.
The Enigmatic Cop
Amanda is a detectiveDetective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
who comes up with bizarre theories at crime scene
Crime scene
A crime scene is a location where an illegal act took place, and comprises the area from which most of the physical evidence is retrieved by trained law enforcement personnel, crime scene investigators or in rare circumstances, forensic scientists....
s, to the surprise and frustration of her assistant, Whittaker, who is portrayed by Jonathan McGuinness. She once concluded that the world is a figment of someone's imagination and once asked for Whittaker to shoot her so that she can confirm that a bullet to the heart is enough to kill. When Whittaker refuses to shoot her, she becomes disappointed as she thought Whittaker had been "making progress". The sketch often ends with her singing an irrelevant song, such as Brass in Pocket
Brass In Pocket
"Brass in Pocket" is a single by The Pretenders. It was written by Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott, and produced by Chris Thomas.-Release:...
by the Pretenders, and sternly saying "Whittaker!" so that he'll sing along with her.
New Parents
Karen and Ben (played by Jonathan McGuinnes) are the new parents who will do anything to stop their newborn baby from waking up, including refusing to leave their car to attend a birthday dinner, going to the extreme of eating their meal in the car. They frequently argue, but immediately switch to happy singingSinging
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
if their child starts to cry.
In only one scene in series 2, Karen is shown holding a baby (who is not the same baby that appeared in series 1) using toy blocks with letters on them to tell the baby words beginning with the letter on the block she holds up. However, she uses most letters to explain not only a word, but a reason beginning with that letter stating that she is so tired. One of them is ""I" is for "Igloo
Igloo
An igloo or snowhouse is a type of shelter built of snow, originally built by the Inuit....
". That's where the eskimo
Eskimo
Eskimos or Inuit–Yupik peoples are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia , across Alaska , Canada, and Greenland....
s live. And also for "I need to sleep so bad, I could vomit". At the end of the scene, Karen falls asleep with the baby in her arms.
Valley Girl
Valley GirlValley girl
Valley Girl is a stereotype leveled at a socio-economic and ethnic class of American women who can be described as colloquial English-speaking and materialistic...
is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
teenage girl who starts every sentence with the words "and I'm like ...", and "and he's like". She appears three times in episode three of series one.
Drunk estate agent
The drunk estate agentEstate agent
An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting or management of properties, and other buildings, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent...
makes only one appearance. She arrives at a property, drunk and offends both the owner and prospective buyers, accusing one man of being homosexual; "You know what they say about a man who likes a bit of chrome
Chrome plating
Chrome plating, often referred to simply as chrome, is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of chromium onto a metal object. The chromed layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, ease cleaning procedures, or increase surface hardness.-Process:A component to be chrome plated will...
in his kitchen, he likes a bit of cock up his arse" on account of the prospective buyer's liking for chrome, lack of children, Cherokee Jeep
Jeep Cherokee
Jeep Cherokee may refer to:* Jeep Cherokee * Jeep Cherokee * Jeep Grand Cherokee , , and * Jeep Liberty, a.k.a. Jeep Cherokee...
and cheap aftershave before she passes out. She also rubs salt into the wounds of the owner with regard to the details of her split with her husband.
Backhander Woman
An at-first peaceful sounding woman who suddenly switches voice tone and personality when she advises complete strangers to violently attack people who are irritating or confusing them with "one swift backhander" to teach them a lesson. This includes a windscreen washer, a vegetarian restaurant worker and a mimeMime
The word mime is used to refer to a mime artist who uses a theatrical medium or performance art involving the acting out of a story through body motions without use of speech.Mime may also refer to:* Mime, an alternative word for lip sync...
. She then switches back to complete politeness.
Last-Hit Woman
Sandra Graham is a professional businesswoman who starts a game of 'last hit' at her office, and goes to great extremes to ensure that she has the last hit. When her colleague Anthony (played by Bruce MackinnonBruce Mackinnon
Bruce Mackinnon is an actor who has appeared in various television programmes.Mackinnon was born in Esher, Surrey and was educated at Eton College, before studying drama at The University of Manchester...
) is involved in a car accident as a result of the game, she is more interested in whether she has the last hit or not. Anthony later dies of his injuries and when at the funeral, Sandra receives a message from his widow saying "last hit", which prompts Sandra to run to his grave screaming "last hit", as it meant that Anthony had the last hit and she had lost the game.
Lady Clown
Jill, a trainee clown who constantly uses her circus skills to talk about and convey a horrific car accident that she claims to have been involved in. She complains of whiplashWhiplash (medicine)
Whiplash is a non-medical term describing a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck associated with extension. The term "whiplash" is a colloquialism...
, paints a child's face to look like a crash victim, says that her trick flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
reminds her of the flowers tied to a tree where the person died and claims that silver confetti reminds her of a shattered windscreen. She also uses a balloon
Balloon
A balloon is an inflatable flexible bag filled with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. Modern balloons can be made from materials such as rubber, latex, polychloroprene, or a nylon fabric, while some early balloons were made of dried animal bladders, such as the pig...
to make a noose
Noose
A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the knot slides to make the loop collapsible. Knots used for making nooses include the running bowline, the tarbuck knot, and the slip knot.-Use in hanging:...
while the other clowns make the traditional animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s.
Ally
Ally is an extremely tactless woman, who despite meaning no harm, always manages to unintentionally offend people in one way or another, after being introduced to them at partiesParty
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, or recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....
. After she offends the person, she becomes embarrassed and tries to look for an escape from the conversation as quickly as possible, sometimes faking that someone had just spoken to her, or sometimes she spontaneously starts singing and then quickly escapes. During one sketch, Ally thinks that a birth mark on someone's head is a mark left by their hat, and when a deaf person was communicating via sign language
Sign language
A sign language is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns to convey meaning—simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to fluidly express a speaker's...
to speak to his translator, Ally exclaimed "Film!", thinking that they were playing a game of charades
Charades
Charades or charade is a word guessing game. In the form most played today, it is an acting game in which one player acts out a word or phrase, often by pantomiming similar-sounding words, and the other players guess the word or phrase. The idea is to use physical rather than verbal language to...
. She also thought that an afro
Afro
Afro, sometimes shortened to fro and also known as a "natural", is a hairstyle worn naturally by people with lengthy kinky hair texture or specifically styled in such a fashion by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair...
was someone's hat and that somebody's girlfriend was their mother. Also, when a visitor with a cleft palate announces to Ally that she is in a silly mood, Ally replies back imitating a cleft palate, and thinking an attached hair on someone's face was a stray hair. Ally appeared in three episodes in series 2, twice in each episode. She also appeared in the Christmas special that year but did not appear in series 3. In an interview, Tate said that this character was partly based on herself.
Moo Shepherd
A BrummieBrummie
Brummie is a colloquial term for the inhabitants, accent and dialect of Birmingham, England, as well as being a general adjective used to denote a connection with the city, locally called Brum...
dog trainer
Dog training
Dog training is the process of teaching skills or behaviors to a dog. This can include teaching a dog to respond to certain commands, or helping the dog learn coping skills for stressful environments. Dog training often includes operant conditioning, classical conditioning, or non-associative...
who resorts to strange and desperate methods to achieve
success in training dogs. In one sketch, Moo tortures her own dog when she sent an electric pulse through her body in order to make her behave using a shock collar
Shock collar
The term shock collar is a term used in order to describe a family of training collars that deliver shocks of varying intensity and duration to the neck of a dog via a radio controlled electronic device...
. Unfortunately, her dog, Lady Penelope ended up ignoring Moo at an important contest
Conformation show
Conformation shows, also referred to as breed shows, are a kind of dog show in which a judge familiar with a specific dog breed evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard.A...
, resulting in their performance being dubbed as rubbish. Moo was also seen holding a dog training class, where the class attendants were not allowed to bring their dogs and had to imagine that their dogs were attached to their leads.
DI Angie Barker
A policewoman who is a single motherSingle parent
Single parent is a term that is mostly used to suggest that one parent has most of the day to day responsibilities in the raising of the child or children, which would categorize them as the dominant caregiver...
and brings her children with her to an unpleasant crime scene. Whilst at the crime scene, her children play with a dead body, on which they paint cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
whiskers and poke it with sticks. This barely fazes DI Angie Barker, who casually orders someone to put the body back to its previous state.
Victoria Russel
Victoria Russell is a drunk brideBride
A bride is a woman about to be married or newlywed.The word may come from the Proto-Germanic verb root *brū-, meaning 'to cook, brew, or make a broth' which was the role of the daughter-in-law in primitive families...
who insults her new husband and his family in a memorable wedding speech
Public speaking
Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners...
. During her speech she blatantly embarrasses her husband John, and even admits to having several affairs, in front of him and all their guests. At one point in a sketch, she forgets her husband's name and just referred to John as "him". Then, to end her long and drunken speech, she says: "And finally propose a toast, to me, and all who sail in me." She appeared several times in the fourth episode of the second series. At the end of the sketches, Victoria was seen intoxicated and passed out, alone in the dark ball room.
Sandra Kemp
A woman who lives in a world where "gingersRed hair
Red hair occurs on approximately 1–2% of the human population. It occurs more frequently in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations...
" are ostracised from society and is sent to "Russet Lodge"; a refuge for redheads, under police protection. She appears several times in one episode of series two, then in the next series she returns with her campaign group "Gingers For Justice" taking a stand against the public, who eventually decide that gingers are allowed back in to civilisation. The series three sketches guest starred Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer is an English actress. 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. Originally in the cast from 1993–1999, Palmer returned to EastEnders in...
, where Palmer dressed as a battery
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
(copper top) and protested with the other "gingers", who were themselves dressed as carrots and ginger biscuits
Ginger biscuits
A ginger biscuit, ginger nut or ginger snap is a globally popular biscuit based snack food, flavoured with ginger.These hard twice-baked biscuits are flavoured with powdered ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices...
. After the protest, it is revealed that a film is to be made of the "gingers" where Bonnie Langford
Bonnie Langford
Bonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford is an English actress, dancer 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:...
will play Sandra.
Sheila Carter
An uptight, snobbish ScottishScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
woman who thoroughly disapproves of the behaviour of everybody around her, before farting
Flatulence
Flatulence is the expulsion through the rectum of a mixture of gases that are byproducts of the digestion process of mammals and other animals. The medical term for the mixture of gases is flatus, informally known as a fart, or simply gas...
loudly and unashamedly. She does this in a funeral car, a taxi, and at the cinema. She also appeared in a scene whilst in confession at Church, however she did not disapprove of the behaviour of anybody, and was told by the Priest to take her time as she appeared to be slightly nervous about confession. The Priest told her "Whatever it is inside of you, just let it go", referring to her to confess her sins with no problem, however she took this the wrong way and farted.
Sheila appeared four times in series two. She was shown in the intro to every episode in series 3, however she did not appear in this series.
Amanda and BBJ's
Amanda is a perky waitress at the fictional BBJ's restaurant. She greets customers with "I'm Amanda, but my friends call me Zebedee!" in an overly chirpy voice. After annoying diners with her loud and childish behaviour, she jumps into structured dance routines with her fellow workers after she takes each order. During one sketch, she pulls out a wooden spoonWooden spoon
A wooden spoon is a spoon made from wood, commonly used in food preparation.- History :The word spoon derives from an ancient word meaning a chip of wood or horn carved from a larger piece. Wooden spoons were easy to carve and thus inexpensive, making them common throughout history.The Iron Age...
puppet dressed like an Italian chef to speak to the diners, who only want to order a pizza
Pizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
. The diners can only look on in horror as the two employees both started dancing to a song after they had tried to place their meal order. Her ridiculous behaviour always causes the diners to run off. Her usual catchphrase was: "I'm a fiery Taurean with my moon in Uranus - careful, I'll do the jokes." Amanda was a regular character in series 2 and appeared in four episodes.
Trudy and Ivan
Trudy and Ivan (played by Hugh SachsHugh Sachs
Hugh Sachs is an English actor, best known for his performance in Benidorm , My Family and The Catherine Tate Show.His film credits include: The Libertine, Like Minds, Love, Honour and Obey, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, and Amazing Grace.He also appeared in My Family as Ben Harpers 'gay stalker'...
) are the owners of an extremely successful wig emporium
Marketplace
A marketplace is the space, actual, virtual or metaphorical, in which a market operates. The term is also used in a trademark law context to denote the actual consumer environment, ie. the 'real world' in which products and services are provided and consumed.-Marketplaces and street markets:A...
which many well-known celebrities use. When they invite a production crew into their workplace to make a documentary about them, they struggle to keep the names of their clients a secret, due to comments such as "If that jiffy bag doesn't get to Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
by 7 o' clock, it'll be the first time "Candle In The Wind
Candle in the Wind
"Candle in the Wind" is a song with music by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It was originally written in 1973, in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier....
" has been sung in crash helmets!" There were also signs and double entendres which pointed towards Ivan being gay. Their secretary, Carole-Anne, played by Una Stubbs
Una Stubbs
Una Stubbs is an English actress and former dancer who has appeared extensively on British television and in the theatre, and less frequently in films. She is particularly known for her roles in the sitcom Till Death Us Do Part and Aunt Sally in the children's series Worzel Gummidge.-Film and...
, finds it a struggle to keep the identities of the celebrities a secret. Her inadvertent naming of Judi Dench
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
as a customer pales in comparison to other examples, such as how she named a large number of celebrity customers, not realising that the camera was rolling at the time.
Crap Croupier
The sketch features a croupierCroupier
A croupier or dealer is someone appointed at a gambling table to assist in the conduct of the game, especially in the distribution of bets and payouts. Croupiers are typically employed by casinos.-Origin of the word:...
who is extremely unprofessional in her job. One sketch sees a man gamble a lot of money on red, and she announces the ball had landed on red. However, she then casually announces, whilst the group is celebrating their victory, that it had in fact landed on black and not red, as the colours "sort of merge" while the wheel is spinning. She also takes the ball away from the roulette
Roulette
Roulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even....
wheel when the noise starts to annoy her. Another time the ball actually flies off the roulette board and she says "It would have probably been red". In the Christmas special 2005 sketch, after watching the wheel spinning, she faints. She is named as Hayley in the script book.
John Reilly's Mum
A gritty, hard-faced Northern Irish woman who, to the amazement of her son John, played by Kevin TrainorKevin Trainor
Kevin Trainor is an Irish actor. He grew up in Kilkeel, County Down and attended St Colman's College in Newry before going up to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he read English...
, is delighted for him and herself when he comes out as gay. Even though he does not want to be treated any differently, she obsesses over his sexuality, inviting him to give her fashion advice, look at pictures of men in magazines while he was trying to watch football, visit one of her friends, and go on a gay parade — much to his embarrassment. The phrase she frequently uses is "Have you heard about our John? He's a gay man now".
This character has been referred to as the "Ulster Mum" or the "Northern Irish woman", however when Tate appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
one week before series three was aired, she told Ross that this character was called John Reilly's Mum after he tried to guess an Irish name for her calling her "Mrs O'Reilly". She is addressed as Kathleen in one sketch, and also as Mrs Leary in the 2007 Christmas special where she is still obsessing over her son's homosexuality, even informing a couple of his friends by putting "Have you heard about our John? He's a gay man now" up in lights, and she leaves her son mortified when she gives him a chocolate penis for a Christmas present. When his grandmother questions this and learns the truth, she gives John some money for a rent boy.
The actor who played John's father in series 3 was changed for the 2007 Christmas Show, however he did play the role of the priest in the church scene. Colin Morgan
Colin Morgan
Colin Morgan is an actor from Armagh, Northern Ireland, best known for playing the title character in the BBC TV series Merlin. Morgan went to Integrated College Dungannon and, during his third year, won the 'Denis Rooney Associates' Cup awarded to the best overall student of that academic year...
also replaced Trainor as John in the Christmas Show. Mrs O'Reilly was referred to as Mrs Leary here too.
Ma Willow - Life at Ma's
A parody of Life on MarsLife on Mars (TV series)
Life on Mars is a British television series broadcast on BBC One between January 2006 and April 2007. The series combines elements of science fiction and police procedural....
which features Tate as Ma Willow, the overbearing owner of the boarding house "Ma's" during the 1950s, who takes in time-travelling policeman, Sam Speed, after he is hit by a car. The policeman is played by Tom Ellis. Unfortunately, he often breaks the conventions of that time period (such as being a non-smoking, politically-correct vegetarian). Life on Mars star Philip Glenister
Philip Glenister
Philip Haywood Glenister is an English actor, known for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in British television series Life On Mars and its sequel Ashes To Ashes.-Television and films:...
made a guest appearance in this sketch for the 2007 Christmas special.
Helen Marsh
A woman who claims "I can do that!" when her friends and colleagues are in search of people with specific skills. For instance, in one episode, her colleague needs someone to practise tennisTennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
with, and Helen happily accepts to assist her, implying that she can play tennis brilliantly. However, she is abysmal at tennis and hits the balls way out of the court into a group of trees. In another sketch, she claims she can speak seven languages for a conference, and proceeds to "translate" into nonsensical sounds that were based on linguistic stereotypes (in this sketch, Mike Burns
The Brittas Empire
The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom created and originally written by Richard Fegen and Andrew Norriss. Chris Barrie plays Gordon Brittas, the well-meaning but incompetent manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre....
plays her boss.). Three more examples included the themes of drumming, curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
, and salsa dancing. Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
appeared in one of her sketches.
Laura Powers
A bungling spy who is called in to assist the American government with a top secret mission involving terrorists (in a direct parody of thriller series 2424 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
), but is so inept at trying to use a computer keyboard that she causes a communications failure which blows the entire exercise (literally, as the terrorists blow up their hostages). It appears that she knew nothing of computers or her job.
Snack Food Woman
A woman who whilst out and about with different people, frequently excuses herself to go and buy a bag of snacks, including Nik NaksNik Naks
Nik Naks are a type of extruded corn snack previously manufactured by Golden Wonder in the United Kingdom, following the successful take over of Sooner Snacks. The brand was purchased by United Biscuits in 2006...
, Monster Munch
Monster Munch
Monster Munch is a baked corn snack available in the United Kingdom, produced by Walkers. Although the snack is largely aimed at children, it is enjoyed widely by people of all ages.-Smiths Monster Munch :...
and Mini Cheddars
Mini Cheddars
Cheddars are a brand of baked Cheddar cheese-flavoured British-style savoury biscuits, having a granular crumbly texture unlike crackers which are harder, more brittle and flaky in texture. They are manufactured by McVitie's as an alternative to other snack foods such as fried potato crisps. They...
, only to return and find that some horrible disaster had happened while she was away (including her boyfriend being killed in a building collapse and a pair of friends: one who died in a drive-by shooting, the other in a shark attack
Shark attack
A shark attack is an attack on a human by a shark. Every year around 60 shark attacks are reported worldwide, although death is quite unusual. Despite the relative rarity of shark attacks, the fear of sharks is a common phenomenon, having been fueled by the occasional instances of serial attacks,...
) before surveying the scene with mild surprise whilst munching on her snack.
Frankie Howerd Impressionist
An actress who, when she comes to a critical point in the scene she is acting, produces a Frankie HowerdFrankie Howerd
Francis Alick "Frankie" Howerd OBE was an English comedian and comic actor whose career, described by fellow comedian Barry Cryer as "a series of comebacks", spanned six decades.-Early career:...
impression. However, she claims that she does not realise she is doing this very obvious impression, even though she actually says words and moved physically to sound and look like Frankie Howerd. She acts almost totally oblivious to what she is doing, although she does acknowledge that she employs some Howerd characteristics in her acting. She is also seen in labour, and the impression "came out" in this sketch too.
Martin Webb
This character was portrayed by Derren LittenDerren Litten
Derren Litten is a British comedy writer and actor. He is best known as the co-writer of the award-winning The Catherine Tate Show, for which he wrote and appeared as several different characters in the first two series and the 2005 Christmas Special...
in the only sketch of the entire show that did not feature Catherine Tate. In the series one sketch, Martin appears on a train talking to a series of people on his mobile about how drunk he was the previous night, and how he had "copped off." As he converses, the people around him become increasingly annoyed.
Source
- Am I Bovvered?: The Catherine Tate Show Scripts, Fourth EstateFourth EstateThe concept of the Fourth Estate is a societal or political force or institution whose influence is not consistently or officially recognized. The Fourth Estate now most commonly refers to the news media; especially print journalism, referred to hereon as "The Press"...
(October 2, 2006) (ISBN 0-00-724218-2)