Roger Taylor (I)

Sacha Baron Cohen too funny to play Freddie Mercury

Queen star Roger Taylor says there's no way Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen can play the band's late front man Freddie Mercury in an upcoming biopic because the star is "too funny".

Your Daily Scoop, 16th April 2015

Comedy of the week has to be the spoof documentary series The Life of Rock with Brian Pern. Simon Day plays the eponymous narrator - a self-regarding, pretentious prog rock legend, whose career bears more than a passing resemblance to Peter Gabriel's - eliciting contributions from genuine rock stars including Rick Wakeman, Roger Taylor and Jools Holland.

Rock music's indulgences are an easy target for parody, with the mockumentary format a far from original approach, but The Life of Rock's combination of affectionate derision, pure silliness and a non-stop array of gags is very hard to resist.

Harry Venning, The Stage, 13th February 2014

BBC Four frequently wheels out ageing tunesmiths for rock retrospectives, but nothing on as grand a scale as this. Brian Pern of prog pioneers Thotch, more commonly known as The Fast Show's Simon Day, takes us through a three-part history of all things rock in this spoof series, featuring contributions from Jools Holland and Roger Taylor, as well as Vic and Bob's folk monsters Mulligan and O'Hare. Day and director Rhys Thomas have created an absolute treat for musos and comedy fans alike.

Mark Jones, The Guardian, 10th February 2014