Rhys Thomas

Preview - Brian Pern: A Tribute

One of the lesser known deaths in recent months was that of the Thotch frontman and Simon Day lookalike Brian Pern.

Killing their creation off in a Segway accident allows Simon Day and writer-director Rhys Thomas to present "an exclusive, cobbled-together tribute, with whoever we could get hold of at short notice". In practice, the spoof obituary means a greatest-hits feel, as Christopher Eccleston, Jane Asher and the rest take their characters' disdain for Pern up a notch. There follows a compilation of Pern hits, "with some poorly written captions underneath". Sublime.

Brian Pern - a knowing parody of the rock eulogy

Following the unofficial year of celebrity death that was 2016, another victim has been claimed by the great Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame in the sky.

Rhys Thomas on Brian Pern: A Tribute

To celebrate the end of an era, we caught up with series co-creator, co-writer, director and star Rhys Thomas to talk about the final days of a rock legend.

This year would have provided rich pickings for satire if only it hadn't been so hopelessly tragic. The cruel and relentless spate of celebrity deaths hasn't helped much, either. Still, Rhys Thomas, co-creator of 2014 mock docum The Life Of Rock With Brian Pern, is as qualified as anyone to have a crack. In this show, he seamlessly re-edits film and TV footage from 2016 to create an alternative and welcome take on a wretched annus.

The third series Brian Pern from Fast Show alumni, Rhys Thomas and Simon Day's, fly on the wall comedy about that stalwart of British cultural life, the ageing rocker.

This particular triptych focuses on Pern's (Day) 45 year anniversary as a musician but really it just continues where the last 2 series left off, Thomas as the brazenly manipulative doc' maker following the childlike but self-centred rock star as he meanders through his life and career, making bad decision after bad decision.

Brian Pern is a member of that species of comedies, where much like Steve Coogan's Saxondale, there is not much laughter at the characters japes and misadventures, there is however a shit tonne of smiling. It's nice, easy to watch and well made, but not brilliant.

The best moments come from the supporting cast, particularly Lucy Montgomery as Pern's eccentric South American girlfriend, Pepita. The absolute stand out is Michael Kitchen who bristles with boredom as the Prog stars long-time manager, John Farrow and is a genuinely brilliant comic creation.

Indeed, I think if you took Kitchen away from the show, it would fall very, very flat, which is really the fault of the scripts. They plod along nicely but a lot of it seems like filler between gags on a sketch show and much of the comedy comes from the star qualities of its guest appearances (big shout out to Peter motherfucking Bowles!) and the choices they make more than the actual comic writing.

Rhys Thomas, who wrote and directed the series has been in the comedy game for 20 years now, and is in the unique position of being part of The Fast Show gang while also being a relatively young writer with much time to develop. The fact that he is survived for so long in the cut throat world of comedy, demonstrates to this reviewer that he probably will and I expect him to be around for a very long time, like some sort of Barry Cryer 2.0, a remnant of the good old days, who comes to prominence once his more talented peers have passed away. Sorry Rhys, that's harsh.

Final part of Simon Day and Rhys Thomas's excellent rock spoof. There have been allusions to Bono, Fleetwood Mac, Queen and even Happy Mondays in the hapless figure of Pern in this series; tonight's has a touch of the Pink Floyds as he is railroaded into a Thotch reunion. However, reclusive founder member Bennett St John (Simon Callow) also wants in. Martin Freeman and Peter Bowles maintain the high-quality celebrity guest quota, almost a running joke in itself.

Radio Times review

The latest (very good) series of the Simon Day/Rhys Thomas spoof rockumentary series comes to an end with a reunion gig for Thotch, organised with typical skill (and dishonesty) by Michael Kitchen's slippery manager John Farrow. The only way he can get Day's Pern and the rest of the guys back together is by pretending that Paul Whitehouse's Pat Quid has dementia.

On the way we meet reclusive former bandmate Bennett St John (a brilliant Simon Callow), sample Quid's fishing show and get an insight into Pern's deepest yearning: his desire for Dad's approval. Will Pern Sr (Peter Bowles) attend the gig? And will Peter Gabriel show up again like he did last in the last finale?

Having watched most of the previous two series from Simon Day and co-creator Rhys Thomas I can definitely say that Brian Pern: 45 Years of Prog and Roll is the character's strongest outing thus far. That has a lot to do with the fact that Suranne Jones has joined the cast as Brian's new feisty American wife and manager Astrid who brings a whole new energy to the comedy. Once again Thomas stars as his documentary-making alter ego who has been called upon to make a new programme celebrating Pern's forty-five years in the music business. Day proves what a good sport he is by showcasing Brian's new surgically-enhanced look complete with new jet-black fake hair and a set of sparkling veneers. The first episode documents what happens when Astrid stars managing Brian and gets her new husband to sack his long-time partner-in-crime John Farrow (Michael Kitchen). Astrid's mismanagement means that Brian has to endure a cruise with some of his biggest fans and later suffering the indignity of being lower on the bill at the V Festival than his former Thotch bandmates. I've always thought Brian Pern was a fantastic comic creation and I think this latest series showcases the deluded rocker perfectly. Day is utterly committed to presenting Brian as an out-of-touch rocker whose obscure album concepts sell particularly poorly. Suranne Jones' note-perfect American accent is as brilliant as her deadpan comedy timing especially in the scene in which Astrid is trying to have it off with Martin Kemp whilst on a Skype call with Brian. But it's Michael Kitchen who steals the show as the foul-mouthed Farrow and the final set piece involving a stranded train full of cameoing ageing musicians is laugh-out-loud funny. The biggest compliment I can pay the latest Brian Pern series is that it was the only comedy I watched this week to provide consistent laughter for thirty minutes. Maybe it's just because the old-fashioned humour appeals to me or maybe it's because Day and Thomas know how to present classic character comedy with a modern twist. Whatever the case may be I do know that Brian Pern deserves as many viewers as possible and it's a shame that one of the funniest comedies on TV has seemingly been banished to BBC Four.