Read more about BBC Culture’s 100 greatest comedies of all time: What the critics had to say about the top 25 The full list of critics who participated – and how they voted They are kidults struggling with the everyday drama of life in the back-alleys of the urban jungle. Don't worry! West left people to judge for themselves whether Pets had been copied. I hope it has a minibar. The sitcom follows the day-to-day lives, trials and tribulations of Nelson, a metrosexual fox; Destiny, a pretentious pedigree 'it-bitch'; Kali, a deeply cynical pigeon; Marion, an abandoned tom cat; and Vince, a streetwise geezer fox. [25] The series was nominated for the Ursa Major Award for "Best Anthropomorphic Dramatic Short Work or Series" in 2010 (series 1) and 2011 (series 2).[26]. The pitch tape they made was based on the same pitch used by The Muppet Show. The idea was first suggested between the creator and director of Mongrels, Adam Miller, and the show's head puppeteer, Andy Heath, when they worked on ITV children's show Ripley and Scuff. Eight episodes have been ordered for airing in August 2013. Michael Hogan on how a risque new BBC Three comedy is trying to do for puppetry ‘what The Simpsons did for animation’. Votes: 3,021 A second and final series of Mongrels began airing on 7 November 2011.. Described as "a Saturday night show like no other", each episode of That Puppet Game Showinvolved two 'top name' celebrities being "plunged into a unique world of puppet comedy and madcap games." British comedy show Spitting Image has returned in Britain - and features an interesting depiction of our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Jump to. "[22] Sam Wollaston of The Guardian was mainly positive about Mongrels, but said that the main reason he thought it was funny was because it depicted "cuddly children's toys [...] saying things you wouldn't normally expect cuddly children's toys to say. During this time the crew referred to the show as Mongrels and it eventually became the show's title. [9] Then there is Kali (Aves aggravaticus), a pigeon who likes to revel in the misfortune of others. Accessibility Help. Spitting Image is the first original commission announced by BritBox UK, the streaming service launched by the BBC and ITV. Sections of this page. [15] Both characters had the same voice actress, Ruth Bratt, who performed Wendy's voice in exactly the same manner as that of Debbie. The show is aimed at an adult audience, features "neutering, incontinence, cannibalism and catnip overdoses" and has several humour styles such as slapstick and farce. Miller posted another, longer message online saying: "Mongrels friends, it is my unbearably sad duty to announce that we will not be returning for a third series on BBC Three, a decision that has been made based on the fact that apparently you need more than two people watching a programme to make it successful. Most episodes also feature at least one celebrity appearance and every episode features a comic song. Catherine Bohart is here to explain it... with puppets. Originally the show - an adult Sesame Street with Muppet-style puppets - had been due to close at the Noel Coward Theatre to make way for another show. From this West responded that: "We might therefore conclude that any similarities between the two shows is 100% coincidental." During read-throughs of the scripts, a toy horn was honked whenever Kaye swore to give an idea of what it would sound like during the programme. That Puppet Game Show is BBC One's new Saturday Night Entertainment Show from Muppet-creators The Jim Henson Company; featuring the imaginatively named unlicensed Muppet-esque puppet cast, "The Puppets", and celebrity contestants vying to win £10,000 for charities of their choosing. The series attracted audiences of up to 15 million in its heyday. An adult puppet sitcom for BBC Three about a fox, a cat, a dog and a pigeon who hang out together in an inner-city yard. The BBC Two show is in fact not the first fake chat show hosted by Mr Putin. [12], The show's puppeteers claim there are different problems working with different characters. It tells the tale of a group of urban animals who hang out together an inner-city backyard. Meanwhile, Prince Andrew's puppet rocks a tartan coat complete with paisley neckerchief. Obviously that's aiming very high. A report from the BBC's in-house publication Ariel: "From reusable water bottles filled from tanks of tap water to double-sided scripts, Mongrels is aiming to be the most sustainable production at the BBC." Best Ever Spitting Image will look back at the show's most memorable puppets and sketches, which lampooned the famous using latex puppets. [20] Jane Simon of the Daily Mirror wrote: "While most of it is very funny, some of the gags about Harold Shipman completely misjudge the tone. Therefore, new suggestions were called for. Don't worry! So is it worth watching or is it 'Honey I Couldn't Afford the Muppets Tonight License'? "[13], The original idea, known as The Un-Natural World was of an urban fox living in Brixton called Nelson, who was so used to living in the city that he had lost any sense of being an animal. The production team also use reusable or compostable cutlery in their canteen, reducing any future merchandise packaging to just a barcode, and replacing conventional lighting with fluorescent tube lights. [4], Miller described Mongrels as: "an adult sitcom, trying to do for puppetry what American shows like The Simpsons have done for animation. Mongrels is a British puppet-based musical situation comedy series first broadcast on BBC Three between 22 June and 10 August 2010, with a making-of documentary entitled "Mongrels Uncovered" broadcast on 11 August 2010. [13], It was then decided by the creators to make Marion a foreign character and to find an accent that reflected this. Confused by the Irish border? [11], There is no over-riding story arc between episodes, but each episode does contain recurring elements. Mongrels is a puppet comedy featuring adult humour. and that the work put into the jokes show. The UK’s 20 favourite TV puppets have been revealed but we’re not too happy with the results. Vince was partly based on the brash version of Nelson. Mongrels is bold, mischievous, upbeat, surprising and colourful. -, 17 (1 pilot + 2 series), plus 2 specials. Kali was created to be a villain, with Miller describing her as a "Hitler-figure". Spitting Image puppets of John McEnroe and Jefferey Archer flanked by Lenny Henry and Kate Bush PA For 12 years, he was a consultant creative director at the BBC … It encompasses all human life, love and its contradictions - relationships, sex, aspirations, desperations and shattered dreams. Press alt + / to open this menu. The shows were a mixture of Brian’s unique stand up, musical numbers and sketches, featuring some immortal characters, of which the most famous had to be Nick Frisbee and Larry The Loafer, a send up of BBC Saturday morning show Going Live’s puppet Gordon the … As Marion spends much of his time sitting on top of a rubbish bin, his puppeteer, Brownlow-Pike, has to stand inside a bottomless bin for long periods of time. [12] Paul Kaye at one time provided the voice for Nelson before taking the role of Vince. Thank you for watching. For example, the first episode begins with a scene in which Marion, portrayed as desperately trying to revive his deceased owner, learns she has actually been dead for four months, whereupon he casually gives his cat friends permission to eat her. The show sees the BBC’s in house entertainment section join forces with The Jim Henson Company for a programme which combines the world of puppet comedy and madcap games. the scottish falsetto sock puppet theatre "The Abbott & Costello of the sock world" (Time Out), stars of stage, screen & Youtube bring you a brand … I'd like to believe that there's room on television for a little show like ours; one that's not just another sitcom, one that tries to do things a bit differently and that tries to push a few boundaries here and there. Not many other kids' sitcoms can boast the twin distinctions of running for ten years and achieving a lasting cult status. I worked on both, and know for a fact where they both come from. "[4] He also said that: "We wanted to make something that had the pace of an American animation but with British sensibilities, that was adult, but not crude, that was based in the realities of the animal world, and that didn't rely on the puppets to do the comedy. "You really felt you were at the cutting edge of comedy," he said. Most of all I'd like to thank those of you that loved watching Mongrels as much as we loved making it. With Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan. Jump to. Described as: "The only wild fox in East London with subscriptions to all the major broadsheets (excluding The Sunday Times), Nelson is, as he never tires of introducing himself at dinner parties... 'An urbane fox! McCrum told him it was best to set the series in a single place rather than have the characters move from one place to another. The show ran on BBC1from August 10, 2013 to January 5, 2014. Marion's image was based on topless photos of the comic actor James Corden. This BBC comedy skit show is the brainchild of longtime comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. Accessibility Help. If, as a viewer, you can sit down and say they are the same, then there is little point of making any new shows, if the slightest similarity (puppets and animals) can be suggested as idea stealing. [10] Lastly, there is Vince, Nelson's older brother (Vulpus cuntitcus), a violent, foul-mouthed fox who considers himself a proper animal. There was discussion about Iranian-British comic Omid Djalili playing the role. [12] Another chicken character called Wendy appeared in the first broadcast episode as a reference to Debbie. Both series are now available on iTunes and Netflix. Two very different ideas.". Multi-species, adult puppet comedy series, created by Adam Miller. [12], When the puppet for Marion was first created, he was depicted as having stripy fur, but looked more like a mouse in the eyes of the crew, so his puppet was changed. [4] Mongrels has attracted accusations of plagiarism, with claims that Mongrels stole ideas from a similar Channel 4 show called Pets. [28], Mongrels has attracted anger from production company Fit2Fill which claimed the BBC "ripped off" their 2001 Channel 4 sitcom Pets. Each episode featured satire on British life, television, and parodies on big ... See full summary » Stars: Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Simon Brint, Rowland Rivron. ... – BBC. Following this, a telephone conversation between West and Mongrels producer McCrum took place where McCrum, "claimed that no-one from the BBC production team had watched Pets before or during the development and production of their series." A Blu-ray release of series 2 should become available soon, but no official date has been set for such a release as of June 2014. [12], The show was originally entitled We Are Mongrels, but the title had to be changed for two reasons: one was that the title was too similar to another BBC Three comedy show, We Are Klang. Heath then went on to say: "Pets was Pets. [16][17], Rufus Jones was among the first people auditioned for the role of Nelson. Like 'You are such a cock-end'", and that, "the novelty will wear off at some point not too far away". Mongrels is a puppet comedy featuring adult humour. For example, Destiny is the largest puppet and so moving her is more difficult. Pages Other Brand Website BBC Comedy Videos A Puppet… [12] Developing the character of Destiny, Nelson's love interest, was a challenge to the programme makers. [19], On 18 January 2012, Tetsell revealed on Twitter that Mongrels had been cancelled, saying: "we've all been sacked now".[6]. On this page you can: "I can give you the cause of anaphylactic shock in a nutshell." We also notice that Mongrels' executive producer is Mark Freeland, to whom we did once pitch a Pets follow-up show."[5]. A second and final series of Mongrels began airing on 7 November 2011.[1][2]. "Mongrels: the new BBC Three adult puppet comedy is a shaggy dog story", "Puppets, sex and Paul Kaye: The birth of Mongrels", "Tuesday: Puppet away, spamfilter issues and a competition (22/06/2010)", "Last Night's TV – The Biology of Dads, BBC4; Tribal Wives, BBC2; Mongrels, BBC3", "Last night's TV: The Biology of Dads, Mongrels and Special 1 TV", "Television Craft Awards Winners & Nominees in 2011", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mongrels_(TV_series)&oldid=992617393, TV series involved in plagiarism controversies, British television shows featuring puppetry, Pages using infobox television with editor parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 17 (plus 1 unbroadcast pilot and a behind the scenes featurette), This page was last edited on 6 December 2020, at 06:25. Read about our approach to external linking. [14], When writing for the commissioned series began, the character of Nelson was originally depicted as being brash and obnoxious. "[21] The Independent's Tom Sutcliffe said that: "It does have its laughs, though, because the script isn't entirely about crass shock value", but that the sitcom, while aimed at adults, is "not really for grown-ups. The characters are Nelson, a metrosexual fox (voiced by Rufus Jones, performed by Andy Heath); Destiny, an Afghan hound (voiced by Lucy Montgomery, performed by Richard Coombs and Sue Beattie); Marion, a "borderline-retarded"[3] cat (voiced by Dan Tetsell, performed by Warrick Brownlow-Pike); Kali, a grudge-bearing pigeon (voiced by Katy Brand, performed by Iestyn Evans); and Vince, Nelson's friend, a sociopathic foul-mouthed fox (voiced by Paul Kaye, performed by various puppeteers). [30] The DVD release of series two was later rescheduled for October 2012. The hero of the series is Nelson (Vulpus metrosexualus), a fox who lives a metrosexual lifestyle. BBC Three has commissioned an adult puppet comedy described as 'Avenue Q meets Family Guy'. MARTIN LAMBIE-NAIRN, co-creator of Channel 4 comedy Spitting Image, has died aged 75 with his family confirming he sadly passed away on Christmas Day. Rejected titles included I, Nelson; Humans! McCrum then suggested taking Nelson and Marion, and writing a script about them. The series revolves around the lives of five anthropomorphic animals who hang around the back of a … Jacinda Ardern's Spitting Image puppet gets 'high as a kite' with a sheep in new BBC comedy sketch . The co-creator and co-producer of Pets, Brian West, went on to post his views on a BBC blog post about Mongrels. Almost all his lines contain at least one swear word that is always bleeped over. [12], The new script was then pitched to the BBC. Travelodge asked 2,000 British adults who their favourite puppet was as part of their new ad campaign. Each week two celebrities will be plunged into That Puppet Game Show – "a unique world of puppet comedy and madcap games," the BBC said. Despite the adult nature, Miller did not want to make the show too crude. Right? 02/11/2020. The performance was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3,[27] and later broadcast on BBC Two on 27 August 2011. [31] The second series was made available on DVD on 8 October 2012 in the UK, available separately or as a boxset with series 1. The sitcom follows the day-to-day lives, trials and tribulations of Nelson, a metrosexual fox; Destiny, a pretentious pedigree 'it-bitch'; Kali, a deeply cynical pigeon; Marion, an abandoned tom cat; and Vince, a streetwise geezer fox. [23], Mongrels won the Royal Television Society Craft and Design Award 2009–2010 for "Production Design – Entertainment and Non-Drama" led by production designer Simon Rogers. The show also features cut-aways and flashbacks (a bit like Family Guy), musical songs and cameo appearances. However, Destiny has no interest in Nelson. Current programming Live action. She speaks with a Black English accent. "[6], Mongrels was given mixed reviews, with some considering its quality to be inconsistent, with a reviewer for tvBite.com saying that the show was "a bit hit and miss" but also that, "even the laugh-free moments have a well-written sheen." However, like the other humans that appear in the series, he cannot understand what Destiny or what the other animals are saying. "[14] The producers liked it but did not fully understand what the show was about. 17 episodes (pilot + 2 series), 2010 - 2011. On the 18th of January 2012, it was announced that Mongrels would not return for a third series. In the 1960s, it housed Tom Jones’ variety show, which booked Jim Henson for a cameo. Miller, Brown and a third writer, Daniel Peak began to write scripts over a period of four years. [18], When writing for Vince the writers blanked out all of the characters swearing like it is done on the show, but when it came to recording the programme the swear words had to be put in for Kaye to read them. During each episode there are cutaways from the main plot to create extra gags. Original co-creator Roger Law is back on board for the show which saw over 15 million viewers tune in during its heyday. The adult puppet show opened in the West End in 2006 Puppet comedy Avenue Q will have a new home from 1 June following the decision to extend its run in London's West End at a different theatre. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Catherine Bohart is here to explain it... with puppets. Tetsell describes the voice as a mixture of, "every accent on the planet", but with the joke that Marion was meant to be a Persian cat. Debbie was a suicidal chicken who never left her coop. [14] Later, another writer, Jon Brown came in to write and at this time rules were set out with regards to writing the show, such as the animals could not be dressed in clothes unless it was in a flashback sequence or during a song. Each week two famous faces will take part on That Puppet Game Show a mix of puppet comedy and games. British comedy show Spitting Image has returned in Britain - and features an interesting depiction of our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The DVD and Blu-rays featured the unbroadcast pilot amongst their extras. Afterwards, Andy Heath, a puppet builder who worked for both Mongrels and Pets, said on the same blog that he met Adam Miller in 2002 after he [Heath] finished working on Pets in 2000, to work on Ripley and Scuff. The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre tries to get to grips with the British postal code system. Both of you. This last move reduced the electricity bill for the second series by a third, saving £500 a week. Mongrels is a British puppet-based musical situation comedy series first broadcast on BBC Three between 22 June and 10 August 2010, with a making-of documentary entitled "Mongrels Uncovered" broadcast on 11 August 2010. 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