Matt Berry's Hot Night In

Had this idea a while ago. Basically a Matt Berry vehicle, his own comedy show with sketches and chat from real guests. I imagined it set in a swanky bachelor pad with a live studio audience, the conceit being that Matt is actually agorophobic and never leaves his flat, and the audience are all his love-prisoners.

There's not much script to go on but what do you think? Does it work in your head? Can you hear Matt's voice? Is it funny? Does anyone know Matt Berry?

SCENE 1. INT. MATT'S LOUNGE. NIGHT.

MATT IS PLAYING SOFT, ROMANTIC JAZZ MUSIC ON A GRAND PIANO IN THE LOUNGE. HE'S WEARING A WHITE SUIT. A MIRROR BALL SLOWLY ROTATES, CASTING ROMANTIC TWINKLY LIGHTS ABOUT THE ROOM.

MATT:
(CONTINUING PLAYING PIANO) Hi. I'm Matt Berry, and welcome to my humble home. Mi casa, es su casa. biene venue å ma maison, wilkommen zu meinem haus. (CONVINCING SWAHILI DIALECT, PUNCTUATED WITH AUTHENTIC THROAT-POPPING NOISES) Umbwele a kway nzeembo mbala kok. Tonight, I'm in the mood for love, ladies and gentlemen.

THE AUDIENCE REACTS WITH A "WOO!"

MATT:
The kind of mad, dizzying love that makes you want to run out into the night, scream at the moon and kill prostitutes. We've all been there.
Sadly there'll be no whore-culling tonight, though. I'm agorophobic, you see. But I met a lady on the interweb and she's coming over…(RAISES AN EYEBROW CADDISHLY)…tonight. Time for me to get ready. Ready for love.

HE STANDS UP, AND THE PIANO KEEPS PLAYING AUTOMATICALLY. HE PRESSES A BUTTON AND IT STOPS. HE LOOKS FAINTLY EMBARRASSED.

MATT:
I could've played that if I wanted to. F**k off, I could. Right…let's get sexy.

HE WALKS THROUGH TO THE BATHROOM AND OPENS THE BATHROOM CABINET. INSIDE THERE'S NO WALL, JUST A BAR AND A BLACK SEVENTIES BARMAN (LARRY) WITH A BIG AFFRO AND A SPANGLY SHIRT WITH HUGELY IMPRESSIVE COLLARS.

MATT:
Word up Larry, what it is, mofo. I be lookin' for some aftershizzle to impress my bitch, dig?

LARRY:
I do wish you wouldn't talk to me like that Matt. It's hurtful enough you make me wear these stupid seventies pimp clothes without trying to perpetuate an ancient, borderline racist stereotype that frankly the world's a better place without.

MATT:
Right, sorry. I'd like some aftershave please.

LARRY:
That's better. It's happy hour on Hai Karate.

MATT:
No way Jose. That firewater's too hot for me. No, tonight I need something subtle. Something that'll work on a lady's sensibilities on an almost supernatural level. I'm talking amour in a bottle, if you know what I'm jiving...sorry...talking about.

LARRY TAKES A LARGE BOTTLE FROM BEHIND THE COUNTER AND PUTS IT ON THE COUNTER. THE LABEL READS "L'EAU DE CHEVAL".

MATT:
L'eau De Cheval, huh? Translation?

LARRY:
Horse piss.

MATT:
Horse piss?

LARRY:
Uh-huh. Obviously it's not a hundred percent horse piss.

MATT:
No. That'd be disgusting.

MATT TAKES A SNIFF AND RECOILS.

MATT:
That's some strong funk my bro. Got anything else?

LARRY PUTS ANOTHER BOTTLE ON THE BAR. IT'S GOT A PICTURE OF A DOG HAVING A SHIT ON THE LABEL.

MATT:
I'll take the horsey one.

CHEESEY SEVENTIES-STYLE MUSIC STARTS AS MATT POPS HIS SHIRT BUTTONS, PICKS UP THE BOTTLE AND SPINS THE TOP OFF IT. MATT BEGINS SPLASHING IT ALL OVER AS THE MUSIC PLAYS, RUBBING IT ON HIS FACE, CHEST, UNDER HIS ARMPITS, BALLS...YOU GET THE PICTURE.

LYRICS:
All the world loves a lover
And this man is here to love...

(GOES INTO 'MANDOM' STYLE COMMERCIAL...)

Thought this was funny, but can't see an established writer/actor going for it, sorry. (You might as well try and email him though... what's to lose?)

Very Ferrino in a good way.

This is superb.

I agree, it's funny and you've certainly captured his voice.

I think it's worth a go, I've seen far worse ideas been given the time of day. Thanks to the IT Crowd he's more well known now, so if I was you I'd knock it up into a sort of pitch, send it to a not too big production company and hope that it comes across a development producer/researcher with a bit of vision.

Lee, I really like it's potential. It has so much room for great imagination and stupid, but funny gags. I like the setup and COULD hear Matt Berry saying these lines.

Finish it.

Incidentally, I wrote a sitcom with Matt Berry in mind as the lead. He's very fun to write for, if I can say that lol. ()

I'm with the consensus here, really nice idea for a show with an agoraphobic and very funny indeed. In answer to your other question: I can hear his voice in the writing.

It's pretty funny, though obviously it's hard to say whether it would work as a show or not from such a brief extract.

Quote: Lee Henman @ October 8 2009, 7:02 PM BST

MATT:
Right, sorry. I'd like some aftershave please.

View original

Though I don't think you should have Berry saying sorry, doesn't seem to fit his persona to me. Being Matt Berry means never having to say you're sorry.

Thanks for all this feedback guys - it's a weird one, this - very different to the type of thing I usually do. Still, I do still like the idea, and as a very wise person pointed out via PM, it might be a mistake pinning this down to Matt, great as he is.

Ta for the read.

I wrote a radio docu-com pilot called Little Trips which a mate at a prod. company really liked. I hadn't realised it when I wrote it, but the serious tone coupled with mad ideas made my mate think immediately of Matt Berry to front it. Although he knew Matt, the fact that the company had nothing to do with radio meant the idea didn't go anywhere.

Personally I think people must be looking for vehicles for him, so I would pursue it a bit further, Lee. The basic premise is really strong. The approach to take, possibly, is to go for the same very loose sitcom/chat show structure of It's Gary Shandling's Show

I liked the concept Lee. It puts me in mind of the kind of thing they were doing in the 90's with 'This Morning with Richard not Judy' and a little like 'In Bed With Medinner' (Bob Mills). It's not really the kind of thing you see being made now, but maybe that means there is a niche for it. So as Tim is far more in the know than me it is probably worth doing some investigative work. Good luck with it Lee.

Quote: The Giggle-o @ October 11 2009, 1:16 AM BST

So as Tim is far more in the know than me it is probably worth doing some investigative work.

View original

You flatter me too much, sir. I do know that Matt is very well liked in the industry and I wouldn't be surprised if he gets the chance to front a high profile show in the next couple of years. He's a big talent and, as a big fan of his, I'd certainly watch anything with him attached.

What was that shortlived Richard Ayoade show? 'Man To Man'.
Was that slightly similar to this idea? Or am I just up too late and my brain is frazzled.

Quote: Tim Walker @ October 11 2009, 1:56 AM BST

You flatter me too much, sir. I do know that Matt is very well liked in the industry and I wouldn't be surprised if he gets the chance to front a high profile show in the next couple of years. He's a big talent and, as a big fan of his, I'd certainly watch anything with him attached.

View original

It would have been nice to have had at least one more series of Snuff Box, not the funniest thing around but it had a very nice atmosphere, if you know what I mean. I'd never really thought of Matt Berry as being anything much more than a voice with a body attached, but maybe I've been missing something. Maybe he needs a good strong comedy vehicle to bring out his talents...

Quote: zooo @ October 11 2009, 2:03 AM BST

What was that shortlived Richard Ayoade show? 'Man To Man'.
Was that slightly similar to this idea? Or am I just up too late and my brain is frazzled.

View original

You're right Zooo, this seems very similar to Ayoade's Dean Learner show. I hadn't really thought about that so cheers for the heads up. I suppose my idea has more of a comedy narrative running through it, rather than just being a repackaged Alan Partridge, which was kind of what Dean Learner was really. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_SCV8XwkX8
But it is VERY similar indeed. Which shouldn't really matter. But it does. Argh!

Thanks again Zooo.

:/ Glad to be *kind of* a help(/annoying harbinger of doom).

I could also totally hear Matt saying your words, so you have his style down.