The Fast Show was a BBC comedy sketch show that aired between 1994 and 1997, with a couple of specials since then too. This was one of the most popular comedy show of the late 90s here in Britain, and it's easily my favourite sketch show ever, maybe only rivaled by Harry Enfield & Chums, but that's for another post.
This show has had such an impact on me and my sense of humour, it even appears in one of my regular posts; This week I 'ave been mostly listenin' to.... It's inspired by one of the regular sketches on the show, Jesse's Diets (and later Jesse's Fashion Tips), which you can see an example of below.
The show was loosely structured and relied on character sketches, recurring running gags, and more catchphrases than you could shake a stick at. Its fast-paced "blackout" style set it apart from other sketch shows because of the number and relative shortness of its sketches; a typical half-hour British TV sketch comedy of the period might have consisted of nine or ten major items, with contrived situations and extended setups, whereas the premiere episode of The Fast Show featured twenty-seven sketches in thirty minutes, with some items lasting less than ten seconds and none running longer than three minutes. Hence its name; The Fast Show.
The shows innovative style and presentation has influenced many later comedy sketch shows, including but not limited to Little Britain and That Mitchell and Webb Look. It even had a couple of spin-offs too, with a one-off spinoff, Ted & Ralph and then Swiss Tony himself got his own series between 2003 and 2004, although they aren't as enjoyable.
One of the things which always stood out to me watching it as a child was some of the filming locations, probably mainly down to the fact I was too young to get the humour. A handful of the sketches are filmed in and around Staithes and North Yorkshire, which is where I used to holiday as a kid and later moved there. Things like that can make cause you to be particularly attached to something, or at least for me, but this show really has stood the test of time and is still as funny today as it was over 20 years ago. I recently rewatched it all, and laughed all the way through.
Have you seen The Fast Show? or did you spot the reference in my This week I 'ave been mostly listenin' to... posts? Let me know your thoughts and feelings down in the comments and as always, make sure to follow me for the latest Cryptocurrency, Technology, Internet and Pop Culture updates. If you're a fan of strange YouTube videos, you might want to follow me on Twitter.
Oh, and as a side note, I'm trying to get a new tag started; #tvdiscovery so if you write posts about shows you enjoy and others might too, then add the #tvdiscovery tag to your posts. I often find the #TV tag to be a bit cluttered. Until we meet again, Peace!
Sources:
The Fast Show on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fast_Show)
The Fast Show on BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fn9t2)
Promo image from Radio Times (http://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/czkhn/the-fast-show/)