People Like Us
Encyclopedia
People Like Us is a British comedy programme, a spoof on-location documentary (or mockumentary
) written by John Morton
, and starring Chris Langham
as Roy Mallard, an inept interviewer. Originally a radio show for BBC Radio 4
in three series from 1995 to 1997, it was made into a television series for BBC Two
between September 1999 and June 2000.
is an idiot, everyone else is a bigger idiot - Mallard's questions are usually sensible yet misinterpreted.
There are hints (particularly in "The Photographer" – with Bill Nighy
) that Mallard is unattractive – his subjects often ask in passing if he is married, and their reactions range from surprise to incredulity when he tells them he is. Another recurring theme is Mallard's quest for a coffee – or even lunch. At the end of each episode the cast are never credited. Instead, over Dave Brubeck
's "Unsquare Dance
", statements of the kind, "Roy Mallard would like to thank Chris Langham" appear.
The character of Roy Mallard was based on an exaggeration of the writer John Morton himself. Morton had been a fan of Chris Langham's performances since seeing him on Smith and Jones
, and had Langham's voice in mind when he was writing the scripts.
The radio show was critically acclaimed, being awarded "Best Radio Comedy" in both 1996 and 1997 at the British Comedy Awards
as well as winning a gold Sony Radio Award for best comedy.
, David Tennant
, Geoffrey Whitehead
and Tamsin Greig
.
Mallard is hardly visible in the TV episodes. He is usually just out of sight, but viewers can spot him, or part of him, in every episode – on one occasion reflected with the camera in a shop window. Much of the humour is verbal as characters take a literal interpretation of what others say, use redundant expressions and non-sequiturs. Alongside this verbal aspect there was more conventional humour. Mallard encountered bizarre behaviour from his featured characters and their counterparts. For all his own mediocrity and haplessness he could appear sane and competent compared to those alongside him. The lack of laugh-track and the dead-pan approach led some viewers to believe they were encountering a "straight" documentary.
A third series was planned but was cancelled in favour of The Office
.
The TV version was well received, with the first series winning the 1999 Silver Rose D'Or
for comedy.
and DVD
on 16 September 2002. The second was due to be released in 2003 but was cancelled, eventually being released (in Australia only) in November 2007. In September 2009 the complete two series were released in the United States on region 1 NTSC
DVD. The second series was finally released on DVD in the UK on 24 May 2010.
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...
) written by John Morton
John Morton (writer)
John Morton is a British writer and director for television and radio, perhaps best known as the creator of People Like Us, which starred Chris Langham. which starred Chris Langham as the series as the hapless documentary maker Roy Mallard...
, and starring Chris Langham
Chris Langham
Christopher "Chris" Langham is an English writer, actor and comedian. He is most famous for playing MP Hugh Abbot in BBC Four sitcom The Thick of It and as presenter Roy Mallard in People Like Us, first on BBC Radio 4 and later on its transfer to television on BBC Two, where Mallard is almost...
as Roy Mallard, an inept interviewer. Originally a radio show for BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
in three series from 1995 to 1997, it was made into a television series for BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
between September 1999 and June 2000.
Radio version
Each episode features the affable, bumbling Roy Mallard following a day in the lives of representatives of a particular career or lifestyle. This he does in his own manner. A comedy of wordplay and misunderstanding, People Like Us could be a metaphor for life, in that, while the protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
is an idiot, everyone else is a bigger idiot - Mallard's questions are usually sensible yet misinterpreted.
There are hints (particularly in "The Photographer" – with Bill Nighy
Bill Nighy
William Francis "Bill" Nighy is an English actor and comedian. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981, and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991, in which he played the womanizer Prof...
) that Mallard is unattractive – his subjects often ask in passing if he is married, and their reactions range from surprise to incredulity when he tells them he is. Another recurring theme is Mallard's quest for a coffee – or even lunch. At the end of each episode the cast are never credited. Instead, over Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck
David Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...
's "Unsquare Dance
Unsquare Dance
"Unsquare Dance" is an iconic musical piece written by the American jazz composer Dave Brubeck in 1961.Written in 7/8 time, the piece is a typical example of Brubeck's exploration of time signatures. According to Brubeck, it was written during a single trip from his home to the recording studio,...
", statements of the kind, "Roy Mallard would like to thank Chris Langham" appear.
The character of Roy Mallard was based on an exaggeration of the writer John Morton himself. Morton had been a fan of Chris Langham's performances since seeing him on Smith and Jones
Alas Smith and Jones
Alas Smith and Jones is a British comedy sketch television series featuring Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. It was broadcast on the BBC from 1984 to 1998...
, and had Langham's voice in mind when he was writing the scripts.
The radio show was critically acclaimed, being awarded "Best Radio Comedy" in both 1996 and 1997 at the British Comedy Awards
British Comedy Awards
The British Comedy Awards is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year.-History:...
as well as winning a gold Sony Radio Award for best comedy.
TV version
Eleven of the radio episodes were adapted for TV, with one original episode – The Actor. The TV version featured an array of acclaimed guest stars including Bill NighyBill Nighy
William Francis "Bill" Nighy is an English actor and comedian. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981, and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991, in which he played the womanizer Prof...
, David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
, Geoffrey Whitehead
Geoffrey Whitehead
Geoffrey Whitehead is an English actor. He has appeared in a huge range of television, film and radio roles. In the theatre, he has played at the Shakespeare Globe, St...
and Tamsin Greig
Tamsin Greig
Tamsin Greig is an English actress principally known for two Channel 4 television comedy parts: Fran Katzenjammer in Black Books and Dr. Caroline Todd in Green Wing...
.
Mallard is hardly visible in the TV episodes. He is usually just out of sight, but viewers can spot him, or part of him, in every episode – on one occasion reflected with the camera in a shop window. Much of the humour is verbal as characters take a literal interpretation of what others say, use redundant expressions and non-sequiturs. Alongside this verbal aspect there was more conventional humour. Mallard encountered bizarre behaviour from his featured characters and their counterparts. For all his own mediocrity and haplessness he could appear sane and competent compared to those alongside him. The lack of laugh-track and the dead-pan approach led some viewers to believe they were encountering a "straight" documentary.
A third series was planned but was cancelled in favour of The Office
The Office (UK TV series)
The Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictitious...
.
The TV version was well received, with the first series winning the 1999 Silver Rose D'Or
Rose d'Or
The Rose d’Or is one of the most important international festivals in entertainment television. It was founded in Montreux in 1961 and has taken place in Lucerne since 2004. Producers, executives from independent and public service broadcasters and heads of production companies from over 40...
for comedy.
Home video release
The first TV series was released on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and 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....
on 16 September 2002. The second was due to be released in 2003 but was cancelled, eventually being released (in Australia only) in November 2007. In September 2009 the complete two series were released in the United States on region 1 NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
DVD. The second series was finally released on DVD in the UK on 24 May 2010.
Radio series
| Series | Episode | Title | First broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | The Farmer | 10 June 1995 |
| 2 | The Headmaster | 17 June 1995 | |
| 3 | The Journalist | 24 June 1995 | |
| 4 | The Vicar | 1 July 1995 | |
| 5 | The Doctor | 8 July 1995 | |
| 6 | The Solicitor | 15 July 1995 | |
| Special | 1 | Unnamed (a.k.a. The Christmas Panto) | 23 December 1995 |
| 2 | 1 | The Managing Director | 8 June 1996 |
| 2 | The Artist | 15 June 1996 | |
| 3 | The Ski Courier | 22 June 1996 | |
| 4 | The Estate Agent | 29 June 1996 | |
| 5 | The Policeman | 6 July 1996 | |
| 6 | The Hotel Manager | 13 July 1996 | |
| 3 | 1 | The Mother | 19 July 1997 |
| 2 | The Bank Manager | 26 July 1997 | |
| 3 | The Air Line Pilot (a.k.a. The Pilot) | 2 August 1997 | |
| 4 | The Photographer | 9 August 1997 | |
TV series
| Series | Episode | Title | First broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | The Managing Director | 20 September 1999 |
| 2 | The Estate Agent | 27 September 1999 | |
| 3 | The Police Officer | 4 October 1999 | |
| 4 | The Solicitor | 11 October 1999 | |
| 5 | The Photographer | 18 October 1999 | |
| 6 | The Head Teacher | 25 October 1999 | |
| 2 | 1 | The Vicar | 20 May 2001 |
| 2 | The Mother | 27 May 2001 | |
| 3 | The Journalist | 3 June 2001 | |
| 4 | The Actor | 10 June 2001 | |
| 5 | The Bank Manager | 17 June 2001 | |
| 6 | The Airline Pilot | 24 June 2001 | |
External links
Comedy Guide- An episode guide for the TV and radio series
- Fansite for Michael Fenton Stevens, who stars in Series 2, Episode 1
- Brief Programme Summary
- A Summary of the Radio Show