Kevin Turvey
Encyclopedia
Kevin Turvey was a British television comedy character created by actor and comedian Rik Mayall
for the BBC
sketch show A Kick Up the Eighties
in 1981.
Turvey was a self-styled "investigative journalist" who lived with his mother, wore a shapeless blue anorak, fancied a local girl called Theresa Kelly (who was never depicted), and rarely ventured outside Redditch
. Each week, his "investigations" amounted to no more than an over-excited, rambling, uninformed monologue delivered to camera.
The theme is the third movement alla marcia from the Karelia Suite
by Sibelius; the first movement, intermezzo, was the theme of ITV's This Week
current affairs programme.
In 1982 a one-off mockumentary
, "Kevin Turvey - The Man Behind The Green Door" was broadcast. In this, a BBC
'fly-on-the-wall' camera crew followed Kevin for a week as he went about his "investigations." Robbie Coltrane
played Mick the lodger (who was AWOL
from the Army), Adrian Edmondson
played Keith Marshall, and Gwyneth Guthrie Kevin's mum. Roger Sloman
appeared as a psychotic park-keeper. Making guest appearances as part of Kevin's band "20th Century Coyote" were Simon Brint and Rowland Rivron
, known as Raw Sex.
Mayall described Turvey as "an accent and a mood from south-west Midlands" where he (Mayall) had grown up.
A subsequent "accent and mood" character called Siadwell appeared on the TV series Naked Video
. John Sparkes
, the comedian behind the Welsh Siadwell, was inspired by Kevin Turvey.
Rik Mayall
Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall is an English comedian, writer, and actor. He is known for his comedy partnership with Ade Edmondson, his over-the-top, energetic portrayal of characters, and as a pioneer of alternative comedy in the early 1980s...
for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sketch show A Kick Up the Eighties
A Kick Up the Eighties
A Kick Up the Eighties was a 1981-1984 BBC Scotland sketch show starring Robbie Coltrane, Tracey Ullman, Richard Stilgoe, Miriam Margolyes, Rik Mayall, Ron Bain and Roger Sloman....
in 1981.
Turvey was a self-styled "investigative journalist" who lived with his mother, wore a shapeless blue anorak, fancied a local girl called Theresa Kelly (who was never depicted), and rarely ventured outside Redditch
Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
. Each week, his "investigations" amounted to no more than an over-excited, rambling, uninformed monologue delivered to camera.
The theme is the third movement alla marcia from the Karelia Suite
Karelia Suite
The Karelia Suite, Op. 11, is a collection of orchestral pieces composed by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.The pieces in this suite are drawn from several independent works he wrote in 1893 for a patriotic historical pageant to be presented by students of the University of Helsinki in Viipuri,...
by Sibelius; the first movement, intermezzo, was the theme of ITV's This Week
This Week (ITV TV series)
This Week was a weekly current affairs series first produced for ITV in January 1956 by Associated-Rediffusion , running until 1978, when it was replaced by TV Eye...
current affairs programme.
In 1982 a one-off mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
, "Kevin Turvey - The Man Behind The Green Door" was broadcast. In this, a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
'fly-on-the-wall' camera crew followed Kevin for a week as he went about his "investigations." Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
played Mick the lodger (who was AWOL
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
from the Army), Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Charles "Ade" Edmondson is an English comedian. He is probably best known for his comedic roles in the television series The Young Ones and Bottom , for which he also wrote together with his long-time collaboration partner Rik Mayall.-Early life:Edmondson, the second of four children, was...
played Keith Marshall, and Gwyneth Guthrie Kevin's mum. Roger Sloman
Roger Sloman
Roger Sloman is an English actor. Born in the Harlesden district of London, he has performed in dozens of television and film appearances since the late 1970s...
appeared as a psychotic park-keeper. Making guest appearances as part of Kevin's band "20th Century Coyote" were Simon Brint and Rowland Rivron
Rowland Rivron
Rowland J. Rivron is a British comedian, musician, writer and television presenter.-Early life: Rivron was brought up in Hillingdon, West London and attended Abbotsfield Secondary School...
, known as Raw Sex.
Mayall described Turvey as "an accent and a mood from south-west Midlands" where he (Mayall) had grown up.
A subsequent "accent and mood" character called Siadwell appeared on the TV series Naked Video
Naked Video
Naked Video was a BBC Scotland comedy series, broadcast between 1986 and 1991 on BBC2, the series was created by Colin Gilbert who also created A Kick Up the Eighties and Naked Radio.-Naked Radio:...
. John Sparkes
John Sparkes
John Sparkes is a Welsh comedian born in Swansea and is more commonly known on Welsh television as Barry Welsh, in the award-winning series Barry Welsh is Coming....
, the comedian behind the Welsh Siadwell, was inspired by Kevin Turvey.
External links
- Kevin Turvey "Leisure" sketch reproduced at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Kevin Turvey "Advice" sketch reproduced at YouTube
- Kevin Turvey "Work" sketch reproduced at YouTube