Fonejacker is a British comedy programme broadcast on E4 featuring a series of prank call

Prank call

A prank call is a form of practical joke committed over the telephone. Prank phone calls began to gain an America-wide following over a period of many years, as they gradually became a staple of the obscure and amusing cassette tapes traded amongst musicians, sound engineers, and media traders...

s involving a number of different characters performed by British Iranian television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 actor Kayvan Novak

Kayvan Novak

Kayvan Novak is an award-winning British Iranian television actor and voice artist.- Voice actor :Novak has provided voice work for three video games: Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo...

. It first appeared in May 2006, although it did not become a full series until 2007.

The first series began in the UK on 5 July 2007 on E4 and lasted 6 episodes. A second series began on 17 September 2008 on E4, and started on Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

 on 6 November 2008. Kayvan Novak said that he was "not sure there will be a third series of Fonejacker" [1] but despite this, several websites reported in October 2009 that a third series would air in May 2010.[1] In November 2009, the third series was officially announced, with the news that it would be called "Fonejacker 3D" and feature Kayvan Novak portraying both old and new Fonejacker characters face-to-face in the public domain. http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2009/11/12/9941/pranks_again
However, it was later renamed "Facejacker

Facejacker

Facejacker is a Channel 4 comedy series which started on 16 April 2010. It follows the similar show Fonejacker. Kayvan Novak adopts various disguises , including several characters heard in Fonejacker...

" and aired on 16 April 2010. http://www.comedy.co.uk/news/story/00000268/channel_4_comedy_spring_2010/

It won the BAFTA award

British Academy Television Awards

The British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . They have been awarded annually since 1954, and are analogous to the Emmy Awards in the United States.-Background:...

 for the "Best Comedy Programme" in 2008.

Synopsis

The show features a masked prank caller (Kayvan Novak

Kayvan Novak

Kayvan Novak is an award-winning British Iranian television actor and voice artist.- Voice actor :Novak has provided voice work for three video games: Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo...

) who phones unsuspecting members of the public under various guises, in an attempt to confuse or 'wind up' the recipient. The audio is accompanied by on-screen imagery, consisting of pictures of people animated in a similar style to Terry Gilliam

Terry Gilliam

Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...

's work with Monty Python

Monty Python

Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...

, in which their mouths move in an up and down motion, in time with the words spoken, or by undercover filming in which Novak is in a street calling a company nearby, usually from inside a public phone booth or from a rickshaw

Rickshaw

A pulled rickshaw is a mode of human-powered transport by which a runner draws a two-wheeled cart which seats one or two persons. Rickshaws are commonly made with bamboo. In recent times the use of rickshaws has been discouraged or outlawed in many countries due to concern for the welfare of...

. Occasionally short videos with actors are used instead of images; examples include a sketch where a man is robbing a bank, or one where men in hazmat suit

Hazmat suit

A hazmat suit is a garment worn as protection from hazardous materials or substances. A hazmat suit is generally combined with breathing apparatus for protection and may be used by firefighters, emergency personnel responding to toxic spills, researchers, specialists cleaning up contaminated...

s are removing a pigeon from a bank vault. Novak is always seen wearing a red and white balaclava (black in the Pilot) and sunglasses. In a new pilot for series 2, he is seen wearing a woolly hat with the initials G.P.R. and a black Mitre

Mitre Sports International

Mitre is a British sportswear and equipment supplier based in England, owned by Pentland Group. Established in England in 1817, Mitre is the world’s oldest manufacturer of footballs.- History :...

 Premier League coat.
Although Novak's appearance is not seen as the Fonejacker, he appears during Mr Doovdé's calls as a model advertising various items.

Each episode begins with the definition of the word "fonejack", being to seize control of a telephone conversation by farce esp. to divert it from reason and logic, usually followed by Novak calling Directory Enquiries

Directory assistance

In telecommunications, directory assistance or directory enquiries is a phone service used to find out a specific telephone number and/or address of a residence, business, or government entity.-Technology:...

 as Mr Doovdé on an American pay phone. The rooftop where the pre-title sequence fonejack takes place is on top of Guy's Hospital

Guy's Hospital

Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...

, in Central London.

The final episode of the first series revealed that Novak does not inform all victims that their calls were pranks. Two separate victims had made contact with Novak for the second time both reporting calls. One called Novak back after being fonejacked by George Agdgdgwngo, where he guised himself as Terry Tibbs, and the second incident occurred when a detective character rang a man informing him of an African scammer (George), and "coincidentally" the man reported a call from George. This also implies that not all calls are broadcast, as the people had not been seen in previous episodes. This was further established when on Soccer AM

Soccer AM

Soccer AM is a British Saturday-morning football-based comedy/talk show, predominantly based around the Premier League...

, Kayvan was interviewed on the show, and revealed that he tried a prank with Kidderminster Harriers in the guise of Terry Tibbs, but as the prank did not work due to the chairman being unavailable, the call was not broadcast.

Broadcast

The show began as a pilot for Comedy Lab

Comedy Lab

Comedy Lab is a British television series which showcases pilots of experimental comedy shows. Series have been aired irregularly on Channel 4 and E4 since 1998....

, a Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

 show that showcases new comic talent, in 2006. After much popularity, it was given a six-part series in October 2006 which was initially intended for broadcast on E4 in April in the following year. It was also given a Christmas special that was broadcast on 25 December 2006 entitled Fonejacker's Christmas Message which was a five-minute short version of the pilot. The end of the show displayed Fonejacker: Coming April 2007 - Don't Pick Up The Phone.
In March, a teaser trailer started to air on Channel 4 and E4, which consisted of clips of the pilot put together into a thirty second advert, ending with e4.com/fonejacker, which redirected users to the Fonejacker MySpace

MySpace

Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

 page. However, for undisclosed reasons, the show was put on hold, and wasn't aired in April. New trailers aired in June which saw the Fonejacker in his own flat performing various calls, and a television tuned into the news reporting "new sightings of the Fonejacker". The advert ended with the catchphrase "Don't Pick Up The Phone" and finished with the same E4 website. This was followed a couple of days after by a newer alternative advert.

Hours before the show's first broadcast, Novak called into Big Brother's Little Brother as Terry Tibbs, talking to contestant Jonathan about distinctive eyebrows. However, there was no mention of Fonejacker as presenter Dermot O'Leary

Dermot O'Leary

Dermot O'Leary is an English television and radio presenter. He established himself as a presenter of Big Brother's Little Brother on Channel 4 before moving on to The X Factor on ITV. O'Leary has also presented on the BBC and has his own radio show on BBC Radio 2...

 seemed puzzled. As part of the advertising for the show, "Fonejacker Tonight 10.30" was displayed throughout the night under E4's on-screen graphic.

A 2007 Christmas special was broadcast on 20 December 2007 and a second series for 2008 was commissioned.

Series 1 is currently being broadcast in New Zealand on C4 at 9:30 pm every Thursday, and in Australia on Channel V

Channel V

Channel [V] is the brand name for multiple international music television networks owned by STAR TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation.-Channel [V] International:...

 at 10:00 pm (also on Thursdays) and 6:00 pm on Sundays. Sweden was due to broadcast the shows in 2008. They currently air in the United States on Comedy Central

Comedy Central

Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....

 at 2am on Mondays.

DVD releases

FoneJacker Series 1: The DVD of the first series of Fonejacker was released on 8 October 2007 and includes features such as behind the scenes, outtakes and character interviews. It also includes the pilot episode and the E4 Christmas Message.

Fonejacker Series 2: The DVD of the second series released on 27 October 2008 and includes an interview with Kayvan Novak, unseen footage, E4 Christmas Special Episode and commentaries.

A "Fonejacker Series 1 and 2" box set has also been released. It was released on the same date as Series 2.

A "Facejacker" series one DVD has been released, boxed with series one and two of "Fonejacker".

Release dates

DVD Title		Discs	Year	No. of Ep.	DVD release	Notes
					Region 2 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
	Complete Series 1	1	2006 2006 in television 2006 in television may refer to:*2006 in American television*2006 in Australian television*2006 in British television*2006 in Canadian television*2006 in Japanese television...  - 2007 2007 in television 2007 in television may refer to:*2007 in American television*2007 in Australian television*2007 in British television*2007 in Canadian television*2007 in Japanese television...	7	8 October 2007	Includes Comedy Lab Comedy Lab Comedy Lab is a British television series which showcases pilots of experimental comedy shows. Series have been aired irregularly on Channel 4 and E4 since 1998....  pilot
	Complete Series 2	1	2007 2007 in television 2007 in television may refer to:*2007 in American television*2007 in Australian television*2007 in British television*2007 in Canadian television*2007 in Japanese television...  - 2008 2008 in television The following is a list of events affecting American television in 2008. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel launches.-January:-February:-March:-April:-May:-June:-July:-August:...	7	27 October 2008	Includes the 2007 Christmas Christmas Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...  special Television special A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
	Complete Series 1 - 2	2	2006 2006 in television 2006 in television may refer to:*2006 in American television*2006 in Australian television*2006 in British television*2006 in Canadian television*2006 in Japanese television...  - 2008 2008 in television The following is a list of events affecting American television in 2008. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel launches.-January:-February:-March:-April:-May:-June:-July:-August:...	14	27 October 2008	Includes the Comedy Lab Comedy Lab Comedy Lab is a British television series which showcases pilots of experimental comedy shows. Series have been aired irregularly on Channel 4 and E4 since 1998....  pilot & the 2007 Christmas Christmas Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...  special Television special A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...

Other appearances

Kayvan Novak had two interviews under the cover of his characters on the night show of Kerrang Radio, and then for what was believed to be a UK first, spoke out of character about various things.

On Saturday 6 September 2008 he also appeared on Sky Sports

Sky Sports

Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...

 football show Soccer AM

Soccer AM

Soccer AM is a British Saturday-morning football-based comedy/talk show, predominantly based around the Premier League...

.

On Monday 15 September 2008 he appeared on Kiss 100

Kiss 100 London

Kiss is a UK radio station broadcasting on FM and Digital Radio, specialising in hip hop, R&B, urban and electronic dance music. It also broadcasts on DAB Digital Radio around the UK & nationally on Freeview, Sky and TalkTalk TV...

 radio station.

On Thursday November 13, 2008 Kayvan Novak appeared on the Channel 4 show 8 out of 10 Cats

8 Out of 10 Cats

8 out of 10 Cats is a television comedy panel game made by Zeppotron for Channel 4. It was first broadcast on 3 June 2005. The show is based on statistics and opinion polls, and draws on polls produced by a variety of organizations and new polls commissioned for the programme, carried out by...

.

On Sunday December 28, 2008, Kayvan as the Fonejacker wearing his trademark balaclava provided on video the answer to a question, regarding Jeremy Clarkson

Jeremy Clarkson

Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...

 publishing his bank account details in a newspaper, on the Channel 4 show The Big Fat Quiz of the Year

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year is an annual British television programme broadcast in the last or first week of the year on Channel 4. Essentially, the show is a comedy panel game in the style of a pub quiz. Three teams, of two celebrities each, are asked questions relating to the events of the year...

.

Kayvan rang into the Big Brother fanzine show (Big Brother's Little Brother) in 2007 portraying his character of Terry Tibbs

In 2010, 'Fonejacker' took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala

Channel 4's Comedy Gala

Channel 4's Comedy Gala is a British stand-up comedy benefit show organised Channel 4 in aid of the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. The gig is filmed live at the O2 Arena in London, and then broadcast later by Channel 4...

, a benefit show

Benefit concert

A benefit concert or charity concert is a concert, show or gala featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate humanitarian crisis. Such events raise both funds and public awareness to address the cause at...

 held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital

Great Ormond Street Hospital

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children is a children's hospital located in London, United Kingdom...

, filmed live at the O2 Arena

The O2 arena (London)

The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest...

 in London on 30 March.

On May 6, 2010, during Channel 4's Alternative Election Night, a series of Fonejacker clips were made for the show, mainly his Sajnu character phoning people on who they would like to vote for or trying to get them to vote for a party.

Characters

There are many characters on Fonejacker, some who make multiple appearances, below is a list of the characters that have appeared on the show so far:

Recurring

• Mr Doovdé is a camel riding aficionado of electrical goods who believes that acronyms and initialisms are how the goods are spelt and not pronounced and, as a result, he mistakes them for pronounceable words, e.g. 'Hoomv' (HMV
  HMV
  His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
  
  ), 'Doovdé' (DVD
  DVD
  A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
  
  ), 'Joovc' (JVC
  JVC
  , usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
  
  ) and 'Poospé' (PSP
  PlayStation Portable
  The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
  
  ). He is completely oblivious to the confusion he causes as a result of this. At the beginning of most episodes, he phones Directory Enquiries and asks for places in the same way as he does for the electrical goods. Examples that have been shown so far are: 'Duhfs' (DFS), 'Pük World' (PC World
  PC World (retailer)
  PC World is OWNED BY THE GOVERNMENT one of the WHER MA MEMORY STICK ?!?!??! United Kingdom's largest chains of mass-market computer superstores. It is part of Dixons Retail plc. PC World operates under the brand name PC City in Spain, Italy and Sweden....
  
  ) and 'Doovlah' (DVLA). In the E4 Christmas Message, he asks about putting the 'hututupuh' (http) and woo.hoomv.co.uhk (www.hmv.co.uk). As he tells the salepeople what he wants, Japanese, Indian or Bollywood-style adverts appear on screen that features Kayvan Novak
  Kayvan Novak
  Kayvan Novak is an award-winning British Iranian television actor and voice artist.- Voice actor :Novak has provided voice work for three video games: Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo...
  
   himself. He appears to be riding his camel in front of inner-city Jerusalem. On some occasions he has also been used to phone various places asking the name of a tune (e.g., phoning a hotel to ask what music was played in the bar). He then sings the tune to the person on the phone, though due to his accent the tune sounds like an Arabian song. These segments are done using live action and a hidden camera, as opposed to animation like when he phones direct enquiries or stores.

First Appearance: Comedy Lab Pilot

• George Agdgdgwngo is a very polite African scammer
  Advance fee fraud
  An advance-fee fraud is a confidence trick in which the target is persuaded to advance sums of money in the hope of realizing a significantly larger gain...
  
   from the Republic of Uganda
  Uganda
  Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
  
  . He opens nearly every conversation with "Goooooood afternoon sir/madam" and seems to believe that all electronically stored bank account money in fact physically exists in personal vaults. He tries to obtain people's bank account details in a variety of ways, such as needing the details to obtain access to a bank vault due to it being steam cleaned or decorated for Christmas
  Christmas
  Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
  
  , a man suffering cardiac arrest inside or to remove a Ugandan pigeon. He claims to be a representative of several companies including Money Removal Plc, Bank Festive Redistribution Plc., Eastern Union (a word play on Western Union
  Western Union
  The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...
  
  , often used by scammers) Money Transfer and British Gas
  Centrica
  Centrica plc is a multinational utility company, based in the United Kingdom but also with interests in North America. Centrica is the largest supplier of gas to domestic customers in the UK, and one of the largest suppliers of electricity, operating under the trading names "Scottish Gas" in...
  
  . He is usually unsuccessful in obtaining people's details, believing one man's sort code
  Sort Code
  A sort code is the name given by both the British and Irish banking industry to the bank codes which are used to route money transfers between banks within their respective countries via their respective clearance organisations. In Ireland it is known as the NSC or National Sort Code and is...
  
   was "fuck off". One man did give a number, although it appeared to be him reading the lottery numbers out of a newspaper and the answer to his security question
  Security question
  A security question is used as an authenticator by banks, cable companies and wireless providers as an extra security layer. They are a form of shared secret....
  
   was "Jimmy Savile
  Jimmy Savile
  Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile, OBE, KCSG was an English disc jockey, television presenter and media personality, best known for his BBC television show Jim'll Fix It, and for being the first and last presenter of the long-running BBC music chart show Top of the Pops...
  
  ", who he claimed was his uncle. Another method George uses is to tell people they have won a cash prize or CPM aka "Cash Prize Monies!" that needs to be transferred to their bank account, but it is always a very small sum of money. George often gives the amount in Ugandan Dollars before converting to sterling
  Pound sterling
  The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
  
   using his 70s computer, which is next to a photo of Chris Eubank
  Chris Eubank
  Chris Eubank, Lord of the Manor of Brighton is a retired British boxer who held world titles at middleweight and super middleweight...
  
  , although this was later replaced with Robert Mugabe
  Robert Mugabe
  Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
  
   along with George being pictured inside a security hut wearing a suit as opposed to an African hair salon wearing traditional African dress. The fictional 'Ugandan Dollar' supposedly trades at about 4900 per British pound
  Pound sterling
  The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
  
  . (In reality, the currency of Uganda, the Ugandan Shilling
  Ugandan shilling
  The Shilling is the currency of Uganda. Technically, the shilling is subdivided into 100 cents but no subdivisions have been issued since the revaluation of the shilling in 1987.-History:...
  
  , trades at about 3300 per British pound.) He often opens with the line "Good morning/afternoon/evening sir/madam!" regardless of who answers the phone or time of day. He is wanted by the Zimbabwe
  Zimbabwe
  Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
  
   telephone fraud prevention unit. When asked by a victim how the money he has been rebated will be sent to them, he explains that it is transferred electronically ("wired") to them directly by his Cousin Benson. Cousin Benson is portrayed by a real actor when he appears on-screen, whereas George himself is an animated illustration (although in one case, a live-action version of George as a child is shown). He is apparently 6"4 in Detective Horace Von Khute's telephone identity parade.

First Appearance: Comedy Lab Pilot

• Mr Miggins is a confused OAP who made his début asking about a Genie who popped out of a brass lamp, whose appearance has now changed, and is now as confused as the person on the other end of the phone line. In episode 6, it is revealed Mr Miggins' first name is Michael. He is not seen in Series 2.

First Appearance: Comedy Lab Pilot

• Brian Badonde is a man who has a speech impediment where everything he says ends up starting with the letter 'B'. His accent is like art critic Brian Sewell
  Brian Sewell
  Brian Sewell is an English art critic and media personality. He writes for the London Evening Standard and is noted for artistic conservatism and his acerbic view of the Turner Prize and conceptual art...
  
  . The impediment is prevented if Brian takes medication. Brian has made a call before without his speech affecting the call, when he rang a restaurant to ask about his blind date. It was also revealed that Brian is in fact homosexual in the same call. His appearance is revealed on Facejacker.

First Appearance: 2006 Christmas Message

• Donald Donaldson is a posh sounding bisexual gentleman who phones hotel receptions and security guards asking for sexual favours from males. He does have a wife and believes she is cheating on him. He is believed to enjoy champagne, nibbles, and 'fucking like rabbits'.

First Appearance: Series 1 Episode 1

• Terry Tibbs is a car salesman who calls various sellers about items on offer, and drives a hard bargain. He is a caricature of Cockney Geezers, and an ageing Spiv. He begins his phone calls with a description of the item in question, and then uses his catchphrase "talk to me" e.g. "Italian Fireplaces, talk to me". He never actually makes a deal, as he often ends his phone calls with a low offer and "Thank you and goodnight - much love", although sometimes he makes an extremely high offer, confusing the person he is talking to. He can often be heard between and during sketches saying other catchphrases such as: "She's a feisty one isn't she", "That's why they call me Terry Tibbs", "Beautiful Car, Beautiful", "Do something for fuck's sake!!" and "Hang about love". Items he has tried to buy include wooden ladders for Russian gentlemen and Maserati 3200s. It is indicated at one point that George Agdgdgwngo is his security guard. In many of Terry's phone calls, he usually mentions Siberia
  Siberia
  Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
  
  . During the calls themselves a series of pictures appear connected to what Terry is talking about. He is apparantley only 5"0 in Detective Horace Von Khute's telephone identity parade.

First Appearance: Series 1 Episode 1

• The Mouse is a smart rodent who requires the regular help from local services, such as a vet because he's been poisoned after eating some cheese with green powder on it, or an exterminator to take care of a cat that ate his mother, father, brother and his cousin from the country. He is also an Oasis
  Oasis (band)
  Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
  
   tribute artist playing on northbound platform 4 of Oxford Circus tube station
  Oxford Circus tube station
  -External links:* ** ** * Plans of the station after the Victoria Line works , , *...
  
   and treats cheese
  Cheese
  Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
  
   as if it were pornography
  Pornography
  Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
  
  . At the end of every one of his sketches, he dies or it is implied that he will die.

First Appearance: Series 1 Episode 1

• Jafool alias or The Beatboxer is a man who phones a company or shop and beatboxes to give details, confusing the 'victim'. These pranks are done using a hidden camera instead of animation.

First Appearance: Series 1 Episode 1

• Sajnu alias, ISP Man or Mr Broadbandings is an Indian man who works in a call centre
  Call centre
  A call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...
  
   in India for Internet Service Providings, a highly-priced ISP that promises "42 megabytings" data speed and "a better dealings than your current dealings". He also works for Mobile Network Providings, Digital Multichannel Receivings and Internet Relationship Findings. His main excuse for his persistence is "I got family to feed." In the third episode of Season 2, he reveals that his name is Sajnu.

First Appearance: Series 1 Episode 1

• Mike is a Northern Irish
  Northern Ireland
  Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
  
   tele-salesman who calls on the behalf of rudely named companies asking the victim questions about things such as their personal life or the tragic plight of the wrinkled ball sack. An example of his made up companies is "Good afternoon, sir, my name's Mike and I'm calling from 'wet look gel your crotch and make a quiff with your pubes IT recruitments limited', can I ask a few questions about your love life?"

First Appearance: Series 1 Episode 1

• The Flat/Ticket Line is an 'automated' service for people wanting to buy or rent properties around the country. Callers are usually unsuccessful in their efforts as the service selects the incorrect properties. At the start of the conversation, the 'automated' service will usually make a 'beep' to allow the caller to speak, but towards the end of conversations, delays the beep until the person actually speaks, forcing them into repeating the same word. One person did manage to select the correct property, only to have the service malfunction totally, saying it has been rented. This is the only time people have phoned the Fonejacker, rather than the other way around, aside from Episode Six of Series 1 where Terry Tibbs was seen to receive a phone call. The photo of the Flat Line representative is hollywood film actor James Mason
  James Mason
  James Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
  
  , the voice also bears a striking similarity. The fictional service, has twice been selling tickets under the name 'Ticket Line'.

First Appearance as the Flat Line: Series 1 Episode 1
First Appearance as the Ticket Line: Series 2 Episode 2

• The Chinese DVD Gang are a group of illegal, obese Chinese students who attempt to film films in cinemas and sell as DVDs. Their leader, Charlie Wong is the only member of the gang that speaks on the phone. He often says "You want buy DVD?". One of the members of the gang also claimed to be a Chinese Samuel L. Jackson
  Samuel L. Jackson
  Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
  
   lookalike.

First Appearance: Series 1 Episode 2

• The Manager is the head of the Indian telesales companies Internet Service Providings and Mobile Network Providings. He only appears if the victims Mr Broadbandings calls, request to be put through to him if they are not happy with Mr Broadbandings' actions. He is always seen in his office, in which the Taj Mahal
  Taj Mahal
  The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
  
   can be seen though the window behind him. While talking to the customer, a series of adverts appear based on the company in the same way with Mr Broadbandings. He believes that 'The customer is not right, he is talking bloody bollocks'. He is not involved in any of Mr Broadbandings' calls in Series 2.

First Appearance: Series 1 Episode 3

• Criminal Dave is a bank robber
  Bank robbery
  Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of...
  
   who usually has quite large serious flaws in his plans. For example he attempts to schedule a get-away in a minicab and to arrange for a locksmith to open the bank's safe. He is not seen in Series 2.

First Appearance: Series 1 Episode 3

• Detective Horace Von Khute is a telephone fraud prevention officer from Zimbabwe
  Zimbabwe
  Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
  
  , and is known to ask victims questions pertaining to a previous prank call. He speaks in a hushed, gravelly, South African
  South African English
  The term South African English is applied to the first-language dialects of English spoken by South Africans, with the L1 English variety spoken by Zimbabweans, Zambians and Namibians, being recognised as offshoots.There is some social and regional variation within South African English...
  
   tone. Also, Detective Horace has an unusually long telephone number, making it hard to give and confirm that it is correct. His office uses an assortment of old, outdated equipment to track fraudsters (possibly a reference to Zimbabwe's current economic crisis
  Economy of Zimbabwe
  The economy of Zimbabwe has shrunk significantly after 2000, resulting in a desperate situation for the country and widespread poverty from among others 94% unemployment. The participation from 1998 to 2002 in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo set the stage for this deterioration by...
  
  ) His most wanted criminal is George Agdgdgwngo. He is not seen in Series 2.

First Appearance: Series 1 Episode 5

• Dufrais Constantinople is a complaining Jewish man (he is sometimes pictured wearing a yarmulke) who calls an electric fence company to ask if it will stop the kids from next door from kicking the ball into his garden; he also calls a P.I and asks why he is being followed only to enter into argument, and also the Met Office about an incorrect newspaper report of the weather. He gives his name in two of his three calls, by spelling it out using words by saying "D for Donald, U for up, F for Friday, R for raspberry, A for ah, I for is and S for stratosphere", with D once being for 'Derrick'. He always struggles to find a word starting with S, claiming his mind has gone blank.

First Appearance: Series 2 Episode 1

• Mendoza is a Russian man, who phones people who he wants to hire in order to hold an orgy
  Orgy
  In modern usage, an orgy is a sex party where guests engage in promiscuous or multifarious sexual activity or group sex. An orgy is similar to debauchery, which refers to excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures....
  
  , which he does not reveal at first to the "victims", until later on. He calls the orgys 'an event' beforehand, always has a drummer present, and people wearing masks.

First Appearance: Series 2 Episode 2

• Steve a young scouse
  Scouse
  Scouse is an accent and dialect of English found primarily in the Metropolitan county of Merseyside, and closely associated with the city of Liverpool and the adjoining urban areas such as the boroughs of south Sefton, Knowsley and the Wirral...
  
   male, with a remarkable similarity to Steven Gerrard
  Steven Gerrard
  Steven George Gerrard MBE is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League club Liverpool. He also has 89 caps for the England national team. He has played much of his career in a centre midfielder role, but he has also been used as a second striker and right winger...
  
  , who phones from a prison
  Prison
  A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
  
   about different jobs, such as babysitting or as a chef at an airport restaurant, stating he has experience with the jobs such as caring for his drug addict sisters children and cooking in the prison kitchen.

First Appearance: Series 2 Episode 3

• Janec is a Polish man who has moved from his homeland of Poland to Glasgow
  Glasgow
  Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
  
   in Scotland, and lives in a bedsit with his other friends also from his homeland. Janec makes many calls applying for jobs, and once rang up a neighbour asking him to leave his phone near his TV, so they can hear it 'like a radio', as they do not have one themselves. He was commissioned to create the sound effects for a fictional Polish game show, supermarket announcement tannoys, the fasten seatbelt tone on Polish airlines and action scene music for a film, with all these played on a "Poland
  Roland Corporation
  is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
  
  " keyboard. He once called a modeling agency asking to be a model. In that episode, he refers to himself being Ukrainian, despite saying he recorded music for a Polish game show. Like Horace Von Khute, he gave out an unusually very long telephone number in one of his calls.

First Appearance: Series 2 Episode 3

One-off

• Alan A man who called a rickshaw driver to pick him up from terminal 4 of Heathrow airport.

Appearance: Comedy Lab Pilot

• Man with a broken tooth style of talking (name unknown) is a man asking to see a dentist, but then unknown to the receptionist he asks to perform some love acts on her, but she thinks he is still making an appointment. The Fonejacker had his mouth full whilst making this call.

Appearance: Comedy Lab Pilot

• Jéan-Pierre is a French man phoning a Car Company to put a deposit on the "Phantom" Rolls-Royce car, only to have phone problems while he reveals his details. He calls back later in the same episode, but has problems again.

Appearances: Comedy Lab Pilot

• Welsh Man (name unknown) A man with a Welsh accent claiming to have lost both of his thumbs in a freak baking accident calling a mobile phone shop to enquire about the best mobile phone for him.

Appearance: Series 1 Episode 1

• Roger Barker is a posh English man with telephone problems who attempts to buy a Bentley.

Appearance: Series 1 Episode 3

• BT Engineer A BT engineer calling a book shop checking to see if their phone line is 'crackly' (the Fonejacker is actually crumpling a piece of paper next to the phone).

Appearance: Series 1 Episode 4

• Oliver Sloam A Polish handyman who charges £30 an hour to change a lightbulb. When in Series 1 Episode 4 Oliver dropped some coleslaw on his £300 suit he threw it away to avoid washing it.

Appearance: Series 1 Episode 4

• Bijan is a foreign man who is seen riding a motorbike. He called a paparazzi service whilst chasing David Beckham
  David Beckham
  David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
  
   and offered pictures and videos of him, only to crash during the call.

Appearance: Series 1 Episode 4

• Vishka Vishkovski is a Russian circus act whose act involves an 'amazing dancing bear on the hot coals'. He phones up a circus agency to ask for a job, often repeating his name and act several times.

Appearance: Series 1 Episode 5

• Hospitalised Man (name unknown) A hospitalised man on a breathing machine calling a company for life insurance, only to die during the call.

Appearance: Series 1 Episode 6

• Restaurant owner A restaurant owner calling a phone that supposedly belongs to a waiter named Antonio, it is answered by a man who found it in his dustcart, the Restaurant owner asks why he is late for work.

Appearance: Series 2 Episode 1

• Stanley is a young boy who phoned a model shop from his school, asking the shop for "Hornby Railways
  Hornby Railways
  Hornby Railways is the leading brand of model railway in the United Kingdom. Its roots date back to 1901, when founder Frank Hornby received a patent for his Meccano construction toy. The first clockwork train was produced in 1920. In 1938, Hornby launched its first 00 gauge train...
  
  " train sets and figures, some of which do not exist, for example: "Depwessed people who stand on the twack waiting to be killed".

Appearance: Series 2 Episode 1

• Barry Childs is a man who is a chief executive in the 'Young Offenders Institute' trying to book a magic act. Initially the act sounds keen until he learns that his close contact magic will be likely to provoke a violent response from the offenders, and that several previous bookings (including clown) were assaulted, after which the act politely declines.

Appearance: Series 2 Episode 1

• Rodriguez A Cuban hair louse who calls a school and asks if there is a school nurse who checks the children for lice.

Appearance: Series 2 Episode 2

• Dan A man phoning a florist in order to send his mother some flowers with a card. The Fonejacker uses a CD in an electrical shop which plays battleground effects, so it sounds like he's telephoning from the Afghanistan war.

Appearance: Series 2 Episode 3

• Jimmy Jon is a bisexual Australian man who is given a call back from a man he telephoned earlier in the day, only to miss the call. When he gets back to him he tells him he is interested in buying a bed he has for sale, only to make sexual references informing the caller what he wants to do with the bed.

Appearance: Series 2 Episode 3

• Steve's Guv is a man who Steve, when calling about an au pair position, passes the phone onto. He has a talk with the woman Steve was talking to, and later tells him he did not get the position.

Appearance: Series 2 Episode 3

• Ali is an Iraqi man phoning the British Army in an attempt to join them, but is told Iraq is not a commonwealth country.

Appearance: Series 2 Episode 4

• Posh Man (Name unknown) A posh man phoning a scrap yard trying to get another man's car scrapped, as the owner has been having sex with his wife.

Appearance: Series 2 Episode 4

• Scottish Man (Name unknown) A man phoning directory enquiries requesting a telephone number to try and track down his ex girlfriend.

Appearance: Series 2 Episode 5

• Andrew is a character who phoned a police office to report a criminal gang. As he tries to describe the gang members, he is very similar to Roger Barker in terms of telephone problems.

Appearance: Series 2 Episode 5

• The Gerbil an overweight rodent with a Scottish accent. He looks and sounds quite similar to the Mouse but survives his sketch.

Appearance: Series 2 Episode 6

• Jimmy is a Guatemala
  Guatemala
  Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
  
  n man working for the "Juicee Juice Company". He is not seen in any of the episodes, but is seen on the Series 1 DVD cover on the bottom between Bijan and Mr Miggins. His only call can be found on the Unseen Material section of the Series 2 DVD. This is the only character so far to have been seen only on a Fonejacker DVD release and not in the actual Series itself.

Episodes

The first standalone series started on 5 July 2007. Due to its popularity, it was repeated on Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

from 7 September 2007. A Christmas Special was then aired on December 20, 2007, with a second series airing from September 18 - October 22, 2008.