Simon Callow

The Philanthropist review

Simon Bird and Lily Cole are a treat in this pungent tragi-comedy.

The Philanthropist review

While there's a measure of wit to Christopher Hampton's 1969 play The Philanthropist, Simon Callow's production conspires to hide it.

The making of Mindhorn

As we count down to the official release of Mindhorn, the new film written by and starring Julian Barratt and Simon Farnaby, we bring you the inside story of the development and making of the film, as told by the stars, cast and crew.

Review: Slapstick Festival, Colston Hall

Sometimes the best thing to do in the face of adversity is to laugh at it. With the inauguration of a dangerous right-wing clown just the previous day, Saturday evening's programming for this year's Slapstick Festival was the perfect antidote. Or, as Ian Lavender (Dad's Army's Pike) described it before the screening of Charlie Chaplin's classic 1940 satire on tyranny, The Great Dictator: "Next up, our tribute to Donald Trump..."

As the three-part comedy bows out, the irascible Henry (Simon Callow) ends up reinventing himself as an art dealer to help Margaret (Anita Dobson) recover a precious item. Unfortunately this means a visit to London, home of the hipster culture he detests. 'What's the worst thing that could happen to me in Hackney?' he wonders. 'Get entangled in someone's beard?' Henry's attempts to fit into the modern art scene ('I hate shapes and colours') are very funny, and the brilliant Paul Kaye guests as a trendy gallery owner.

Simon Callow - recently hilariously confused with Simon Cowell on Pointless - does a nice line in angry old git as the irascible Henry in this agreeably sour sitcom. You can see Callow channelling his inner King Lear as he rails against the world. Not to mention the dying of the light.

In The Rebel we rubbed up against the ageing population again. This time in the form of 70-year-old anarchic ex-mod Henry Palmer, played with characteristic booming glee by Simon Callow. A new sitcom adapted by Private Eye cartoonist Andrew Birch from his own cartoon strip series, there were some nice spiky moments and lots of proper swearing and other mildly radical things that no British person can wholly dislike. Such as Palmer beating a police officer with a teddy bear, blowing up an ATM, smashing a shopping trolley into a supermarket, and shouting: "Gay, my arse!" while representing himself in court. Lots of deckchair smashing, Pink Floyd, and no mention of data whatsoever ensued. Some things don't change.

The Rebel review

The key difference with The Rebel and One Foot In The Grave: Meldrew was battered by external forces driving him to distraction, but Palmer is the architect of his own fury. Plus you could never see Meldrew pogoing to The Jam in his living room.

Simon Callow interview

It's a difficult thing to be a 70-year-old rebel. I'm not a million miles away from Henry. The difference is Henry did what he had to do, he did what circumstances and society dictated to him, and now he just thinks, 'I've had enough of this.'"