I have recently been introduced to 'Yes Minister' on dvd and I am blown away by the performance of Sir Humphrey Appleby as portrayed by Nigel Hawthorne. It got me thinking what a superb piece of casting for a sitcom it is and whether sometimes a certain person is destined to bring a certain part alive.
Another one is Michael Crawford in 'Some Mothers Do Ave Em'. I read somewhere that Michael was not the first choice for Frank Spencer but when he took the role he brought to it his own interpretation of mannerisms and vocals that ultimately turned a so-so idea into a classic character.
What other pieces of casting would you say are spot on?
Do you think that only certain actors are right for certain roles? If someone else apart from Craig Charles and Chris Barrie were cast as Lister and Rimmer would we still love their adventures as much? Could someone other than John Cleese have portrayed Basil any better?
Or is it all down to our familiarity with the sitcom and the actor. Phrases like 'no one could play that part except him/her' seem all to easily thrown around when, in actuality, we'd might feel just the same way about any actor we are used to seeing and enjoying in a particular role. Thoughts?
Def.
