Unlike many other performers, I actually remember seeing comedians David Walliams and Matt Lucas scraping their way up the ladder during the 90s. This second episode in the New Comedy Heroes season focused on the pair, now that they're household names after the massive success of Little Britain.
And, while it wasn't a particularly revelatory show for me, it was quite a thorough timeline of their careers (if not their personal lives), and refreshingly frank when it came to discussing claims of greedy cashing-in with Little Britain merchandising. It even mentioned the show's mostly-unfunny third series, that came in for harsh criticism…
But, like last week's Ricky Gervais instalment, this was mostly a glowing documentary that had friends and colleagues lining up to bestow them with praise. There's no denying both Walliams and Lucas had a stormy time trying to become famous for over a decade, both spending much of the 90s in little-seen digital-based stations (most famously in sketches for the Paramount Comedy Channel, thanks to a university friend now working on the channel), before Lucas gleamed some fame as "George Dawes" on Shooting Stars – appearing alongside his own comedy heroes Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer.
Mortimer was on hand to applaud Walliams and Lucas' success, but Reeves was conspicuously absent. I remember hearing Vic was a little peeved by how Lucas and Walliams became successful for doing a show that owed a great debt to his own early-90s comedy. Indeed, after gaining some popularity with Rock Profiles in 1999, Little Britain arrived at the perfect moment in 2003; capturing the zeitgeist with characters that reflected modern and old-fashioned British culture, but with a style that built on the "zany and dark" 90s comedy preference – essentially bringing all that to the mainstream.
I certainly enjoyed this look at the comedic pair; if only to be reminded of all the instances I'd seen Walliams and Lucas throughout the 90s myself. Back then, I always sensed a strained desperation to Walliams performances, but Lucas always had that natural funnyman flair to him -- although the material they both came up with was pretty poor. I was quite surprised to see them dream up Little Britain -- which was hilarious in its first year, before becoming solid sketch show gold in its second.
Sadly, I hated the mean-spirited third series of Little Britain, and the suffocating amount of merchandising really bothered me. And don't even mention those hideous 2006 Christmas Specials, which were a laugh-free zone. I think the show has run its course, so the "permanently-upcoming" HBO series isn't something I'm expecting great things from. I hope I'm proved wrong, but it just sounds like a disaster-in-waiting to me. It might have been wiser to put Little Britain to rest after the sell-out Live Shows…
Far more interesting signs for their futures was the fact David Walliams will play comedian Frankie Howerd in an upcoming biopic (great casting there), and you still have to concede that his swim across the English Channel for Sport Relief was superb stuff. Lucas' future is less obvious, as he's a more private person that doesn't have Walliams' thirst for getting his mug on every panel show going. I'm sure he'll do well, though -- as talent always wins through in the end.
This was an entertaining look at two comedians who bounced around the multi-channel graveyard slots of 90s TV -- trading on contacts and friends to get them work in bigger shows (like Shooting Stars, Spaced and a few dramas) before all their hard work paid off in the next decade.
I have to salute their tenacity and business flair (I bet Harry Enfield is kicking himself for not bringing out tie-in toys for his characters!), but I'm just not convinced Walliams and Lucas have much else to offer us. Little Britain burned very brightly, ran out of steam, and then coasted on the fumes with Specials and a Live Show – with the endless TV repeats making it hard for casual viewers to notice the gags had dried up.
You always know you're in trouble when attempts for "freshness" involve sending your characters abroad Рa clich̩ neatly avoided by The League Of Gentlemen in their film.
29 February 2008
Channel 4, 9.00 pm
