Paul Whitehouse's Sketch Show Years arriving on Gold next month
- Paul Whitehouse is to revisit 60 years of classic sketch shows for Gold next month in a four-part series
- Paul Whitehouse's Sketch Show Years will feature The Two Ronnies, Not The Nine O'Clock News, The Catherine Tate Show, Harry Enfield & Chums and The Fast Show among others
- "I suppose it's fair to say if there's one subject I do know a bit about, it's sketch comedy. It's been great going back over the classics and reminding myself what's really made me laugh and inspired me the most since I was a kid"
Paul Whitehouse is to present a celebration of sketch shows for Gold, British Comedy Guide can exclusively reveal.
Despite the dearth of sketch currently on television, The Fast Show star has curated and narrates Paul Whitehouse's Sketch Show Years next month, a retrospective journey through his favourite British skits from the last six decades.
In the four 40-minute episodes, Whitehouse will revisit classics like The Two Ronnies, Not The Nine O'Clock News and The Catherine Tate Show, as well as the likes of Harry Enfield & Chums and The Fast Show featuring himself, exploring how these shows mirror the character of modern Britain.
Remembering a host of unforgettable characters and catchphrases, Whitehouse will offer his own insights into the process of making them, shedding light on a succession of comedy moments that have influenced him throughout the years.
"I don't generally describe myself as an expert in anything" said Whitehouse. "But I suppose it's fair to say if there's one subject I do know a bit about, it's sketch comedy. It's been great going back over the classics and reminding myself what's really made me laugh and inspired me the most since I was a kid."
Produced by Chris Hill (Tommy Cooper's Greatest Moments, Red Dwarf: The First Three Million Years) and Julia Hunter (Ken Dodd's Greatest Moments, The Comedian's Comedian) for North One Television (How The Young Ones Changed Comedy, The Michael McIntyre Story), Paul Whitehouse's Sketch Show Years is executive produced by John Quinn. It was commissioned for UKTV by Helen Nightingale, head of factual and factual entertainment and ordered by Gerald Casey, channel director for Gold and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning.
"It's an absolute pleasure to be working with North One again, and with Paul Whitehouse on this series!" said Nightingale. "Sketch shows are a much-loved genre in TV comedy history and are deeply ingrained in British culture - and who better than Paul Whitehouse to take us on a funny, nostalgic trip down memory lane."
Quinn added: "It's always been a total joy to work with Paul down the years - and his genuine enthusiasm for the TV art-form where he first made his name has been especially contagious."
Whitehouse previously was a guest on the 2018 Gold series My Favourite Sketch (pictured), in which his selections were 'The Argument Sketch' from Monty Python's Flying Circus; Laurel & Hardy dancing in Way Out West; Alan Partridge in The Day Today; the teenagers in Harry Enfield & Chums; the Billy Bleach 'Hold the Bells' sketch from The Fast Show; the vox pops in A Bit Of Fry & Laurie; the brain surgeon sketch from That Mitchell And Webb Look; Martin Hole from Bellamy's People; and 'Rose', sung by Mulligan and O'Hare.