The Scousers
Encyclopedia
The Scousers was a sketch from the Harry Enfield's Television Programme
comedy show of the early 1990s.
It featured a set of stereotyped Liverpudlian characters or Scousers, "Ga'", "Ba'" and "Te'" (Gary, Barry and Terry) played by Gary Bleasdale
, Harry Enfield
, Joe McGann
, and Mark Moraghan
. The original inspiration for the Scousers sketches were Barry Grant
and Terry Sullivan
, two characters from the soap opera
Brookside
, set in Liverpool.
The Scousers were usually depicted with curly Kevin Keegan
-esque permed
hairstyles and bushy moustache
s, wearing shell suits
, and speaking in exaggerated Scouse
accents. Common catch phrases they came up included "Eh? Eh? Eh?" "Dey do do dat dough don't dey dough" ("They do do that though, don't they though").
Whenever a potential problem or dispute arose, this would result in The Scousers repeating to each other their most famous catch phrase
:
This catch phrase was Bleasdale's input as he changed the scripted original, which was "Break it up 'ey, come on, break it up", during the first rehearsal. McGann brought "Dey do dough, don't dey dough" to the sketches. The characters had allegiances to the city's football teams with "Ga'" being an Everton fan while "Ba'" & "Te'" were Liverpool fans. This leads to even more disagreement.
The actors Paul Usher
and Brian Regan
who played Brookside characters "Barry"
and "Terry"
also appeared in a "The Scousers" sketch "Terry Gets Married".
One of The Scousers re-emerged in Enfield's latest sketch show Harry and Paul.
Harry Enfield's Television Programme
Harry Enfield's Television Programme was a British sketch show starring Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse...
comedy show of the early 1990s.
It featured a set of stereotyped Liverpudlian characters or Scousers, "Ga'", "Ba'" and "Te'" (Gary, Barry and Terry) played by Gary Bleasdale
Gary Bleasdale
Gary Bleasdale is an actor and playwright, born on Merseyside England in 1962. Gary has appeared in many television programmes since 1978 when his first role was playing the lead in an episode of the final series of Z Cars. He played Kevin Dean in The Black Stuff , and in Boys From the Black Stuff,...
, Harry Enfield
Harry Enfield
Henry Richard "Harry" Enfield is a BAFTA-winning English comedian, actor, writer and director.-Early life:...
, Joe McGann
Joe McGann
Joseph 'Joe' McGann is an English actor. His most well known role is the lead role of Charlie Burrows, the "housekeeper" in the TV comedy series The Upper Hand . He is also known as a television reporter on the BBC's South Today programme, reporting on local events in the south of England...
, and Mark Moraghan
Mark Moraghan
Mark Moraghan is a British actor and singer. He has appeared in many British drama series including Peak Practice and Heartbeat...
. The original inspiration for the Scousers sketches were Barry Grant
Barry Grant
Barry Grant is a fictional character in the defunct Channel 4 soap opera Brookside. He was portrayed by Paul Usher and was in the series from episode one in 1982 until 1995 with several sporadic guest appearances in 1997, 1998 and the final episode in 2003....
and Terry Sullivan
Terry Sullivan (Brookside)
Terry Sullivan is a fictional character in the British Soap opera Brookside, played by Brian Regan. Terry first appeared a few episodes after the series began in 1982, making his debut in episode six. He was the best friend of Barry Grant having grown up with him, and in many ways Barry's mother...
, two characters from the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Brookside
Brookside
Brookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
, set in Liverpool.
The Scousers were usually depicted with curly Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
-esque permed
Permanent wave
A permanent wave, commonly called a perm, involves the use of chemicals to break and reform the bonds of the hair. The hair is washed and wrapped on a perm rod and waving lotion is applied with a base. This solution creates a chemical reaction that softens the inner structure of the hair by...
hairstyles and bushy moustache
Moustache
A moustache is facial hair grown on the outer surface of the upper lip. It may or may not be accompanied by a type of beard, a facial hair style grown and cropped to cover most of the lower half of the face.-Etymology:...
s, wearing shell suits
Tracksuit
A tracksuit is an article of clothing consisting of two parts: trousers and a jacket usually with front zipper. It was originally intended for use in sports, mainly as what athletes wore over competition clothing and would take off before competition. In modern times, it has become commonly worn...
, and speaking in exaggerated 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...
accents. Common catch phrases they came up included "Eh? Eh? Eh?" "Dey do do dat dough don't dey dough" ("They do do that though, don't they though").
Whenever a potential problem or dispute arose, this would result in The Scousers repeating to each other their most famous catch phrase
Catch phrase
A catchphrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through a variety of mass media , as well as word of mouth...
:
" Eh! Eh! Alright! Alright! Calm down! Calm down!"
This catch phrase was Bleasdale's input as he changed the scripted original, which was "Break it up 'ey, come on, break it up", during the first rehearsal. McGann brought "Dey do dough, don't dey dough" to the sketches. The characters had allegiances to the city's football teams with "Ga'" being an Everton fan while "Ba'" & "Te'" were Liverpool fans. This leads to even more disagreement.
Influence of "The Scousers"
Even though the TV series finished over a decade ago, the catchphrases, the haircuts and the dress senses of the characters are still often associated with people from the city of Liverpool, particularly young-to-early-middle-age males, despite such fashions being fairly short-lived and even outdated before the show actually began, or the fact that none of it is based on the image of any particular Liverpudlian person.The actors Paul Usher
Paul Usher
Paul Usher is an English actor.He was educated at St John Plessington Catholic College, Bebington, and is best known for playing Barry Grant in Brookside, from the first episode until the last , and PC Des Taviner in The Bill from 2001 to 2004.He has also appeared in Liverpool...
and Brian Regan
Brian Regan (actor)
Brian Regan is a British actor known for playing Terry Sullivan, one of the lead roles in the Channel 4 soap Brookside, during the 1980s and 1990s. He has also had small parts in other television series...
who played Brookside characters "Barry"
Barry Grant
Barry Grant is a fictional character in the defunct Channel 4 soap opera Brookside. He was portrayed by Paul Usher and was in the series from episode one in 1982 until 1995 with several sporadic guest appearances in 1997, 1998 and the final episode in 2003....
and "Terry"
Terry Sullivan (Brookside)
Terry Sullivan is a fictional character in the British Soap opera Brookside, played by Brian Regan. Terry first appeared a few episodes after the series began in 1982, making his debut in episode six. He was the best friend of Barry Grant having grown up with him, and in many ways Barry's mother...
also appeared in a "The Scousers" sketch "Terry Gets Married".
One of The Scousers re-emerged in Enfield's latest sketch show Harry and Paul.