LANCE:Alright, Graham, pop quiz.
GRAHAM:I do actually have a TV station to run, so-
LANCE: Pop quiz. Ian McKellern, Derek Jacobi, David Tennant, Kenneth Branagh: what do they have in common?
GRAHAM:The thing with the koala bears and the custard?
LANCE:That's not in the public domain - fear not, I'm taking that secret to the grave. But, four of the greatest living actors, what else have they all done?
GRAHAM: Played Hamlet?
LANCE: Played Mr Hamlet Jr, correct. But here's my question: do you want to put Channel 5 back in the listings?
GRAHAM:I mean, we are in the listings.
LANCE:Yeah, sure, but at the end. Wouldn't you like to go in front of Channel 4 for once? And you can, with my assistance. So, sure, all those actors have played the Dane, but none of them have played the *Dane*.
GRAHAM: OK, I am going to need more of a pitch than just different inflections.
LANCE:We've seen Hamlet, Prince of Denmark a million times, but have we ever seen a prince who actually sounds like he's from Denmark?
GRAHAM:It's pretty much in the title of the play, so we don't really need err...
LANCE:Imagine the authentic dramatic power of this: [PREPOSTEROUS SCANDIWEGIAN ACCENT] To be or not to be, that is the question.
GRAHAM:What?
LANCE: [SAME ACCENT] Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Frailty, thy name is woman. Get thee to a nunnery. Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him so well - that's not actually the proper line, but it works better for the Norwegian, so I say edit it. [SUPER SING-SONG] To die, to sleep, to sleep, perchance to dream.
GRAHAM: Are you done?
LANCE: One more - big one [SAME ACCENT - MORE SO, IF ANYTHING] Oh, that this too, too solid flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!
GRAHAM:That accent was...I'm pretty speechless.
LANCE:That good, yeah?
GRAHAM: Simple answer, we will not be doing Norwegian Hamlet, because Shakespeare wasn't Norwegian.
LANCE:I'm not saying we do it on its own! We can have a whole series of Eurobard - that's what I'm calling it, Eurobard. For instance, where's Twelfth Night set?
GRAHAM:[WEAK] Verona?
LANCE:Course it's not Verona. It's Illyria. And where's Illyria?
GRAHAM:[WEAKER STILL] Illinois?
LANCE:No! It's an ancient region that crosses the modern nations of Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, so we could do it with everyone sounding like Borat [IN FARCICAL EAST EUROPEAN VOICE] If music be the food of love, play on.
GRAHAM:That didn't sound like anything!
LANCE:It wouldn't be me doing it, would it? I'm not saying I should act in it.
GRAHAM: So who should?
LANCE:Number one suggestion, Borat.
GRAHAM: OK, thanks for idea, Lance, but we will not be making racist European accent Shakespeares, OK.
LANCE:Yeah, OK. Let's just do some favourite plays, in the normal, inoffensive style.
GRAHAM:Like The Merchant of Venice and Othello.
LANCE:[OFFENSIVE JEWISH ACCENT] If you cut me will I not bleed? ["AFRICAN" ACCENT] Oh, Desdemona!
GRAHAM:Actually, perhaps we'll stick to Neighbours.
***
[LATER CALL-BACKS, IF DESIRED]
LANCE:[SUPER-STRONG GLASWEGIAN ACCENT - AND FEMALE] Oot, damned spot. Oot, I say! All the perfumes o' Arabia willnae sweeten this wee hand. And I tell ye something else-
GRAHAM:No!
***
LANCE:[MARIO ACCENT] Friends-a! Romans-a! Countrymen-a! Lend-a me your ears! Yippee! It's-a me, Marc Antony! O-wo-wo-wo-wo-wo!
GRAHAM:Why are you still here?
LANCE:I don't know, sorry.