Life’s Too Short Special: Interview with Les Dennis

I asked a hundred people if they wanted to read an interview with Les Dennis. You said yes, our survey said…. Ding! Yes, this week I’ve been lucky enough to interview one of the great British legends of TV, Mr Les Dennis, who appears in the Life’s Too Short Special this Saturday at 10pm on BBC 2.

Les, one third of the holy trinity of entertainment (Image: BBC)

Les appears alongside Shaun Williamson and Keith Chegwin as Warwick Davis tries to lead the trio back to the top. Les has had such a wonderful career in entertainment from working with Russ Abbott in the 80s, Family Fortunes, West End productions, Extras and Life’s Too Short. With a TV career that spans more than thirty years he has always been a versatile enough performer to adapt his approach and continuously work in quality productions.

Les Dennis in Family Fortunes

Les started out as a stand-up comedian in working men’s clubs before winning the ITV talent show ‘New faces’ in 1974. This opened the door to numerous light-entertainment shows and then in 1982 he joined Russ Abbot’s Madhouse and then The Russ Abbot Show. After working with Russ, he formed a hugely successful comedy partnership with fellow impressionist Dustin Gee, which led to their own series, The Laughter Show. As we all know Les then went on to host Family Fortunes and presented the show for fifteen years from 1987 to 2002.

But it’s not just TV, Les has worked on numerous theatre productions including Chicago, Skylight and Legally Blonde The Musical and he made his big screen debut in Intimate Relations with Julie Walters.

In 2005 Les was approached by Ricky Gervais to appear in an episode of the hit comedy Extras alongside Gerard Kelly, who played a rather camp theatre director, Bunny. The episode was a huge success and led to a whole host of new TV and theatre projects for Les. In 2011, he worked with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant once again in Life’s Too Short, with Warwick Davis.

Les Dennis in Extras (Image: BBC)

Now, Les is back in the Life’s Too Short Special this Saturday at 10pm on BBC 2, working alongside Shaun Williamson and Keith Chegwin, and it looks to be another comedy classic. I’ve spoken to Keith and Shaun already, so it was a pleasure to speak to the third member of The All Star Funtime Roadshow.

It’s the Life’s Too Short Special on Saturday, are you excited?

I’m really looking forward to it! When we were filming it was just the best fun. Shaun and Keith are so funny and good to work with and of course working with Warwick is a joy. Working with Ricky, Stephen and their team is always such a great thrill. They know what they want. They’ve made a really funny hour of TV. They’ve made Warwick’s character more humble and much more sympathetic in this special. Warwick wants to get me, Keith and Shaun from three Z-listers to one D-list so it’s a very funny scenario.

Shaun says that he is quite low key, Keith is very excitable and you’re in the middle of the two. Is that about right?

Yes, I think so. I think I’m the more grounded one of the three. In the show Shaun is still kind of Eeyore – we’re all playing the twisted, demented parts of ourselves. It’s great and Keith is such a good actor – such a natural! When we all started I don’t think the word ‘celebrity’ was the kind of tag that it is now. At the start of our careers it was all about getting good work and these days it is all about the fame it seems. In the Life’s Too Short Special the three are all chasing the last chance to have another go at being celebrities!

The UK's Most Popular TV Celebrities (Image: BBC)

You’ve worked with Ricky and Stephen in Extras and now Life’s Too Short. How did it all come about?

I had a call from my agent to say that Ricky Gervais wanted to speak to me. I thought it was a wind up, that it wouldn’t be him. He left a voicemail and it did sound like him – I was worried it was John Culshaw winding me up! Ricky is one of the biggest comedy talents in the world. The Office had been such a huge success and I had read about this second project, Extras, and I thought it sounded really interesting. So I got the call and he said he had an episode for me – it was a dream come true! I had a chat with Ricky and Stephen, they asked if there was anything I didn’t want to do, I said no – go as far as you like, and we did!

What was it like on set for the Life’s Too Short Special?

The energy was incredible. Ricky had said that the public wanted this as he was getting tweeted all the time asking ‘when are you going to do something for the three guys?’ I think the little cameos from the first series made a big impact. So I think they always had the idea and if they had time they would make something with the three of us together. When we all got on set, we were like kids in a tuck shop – we were all really excited about the whole thing. Working with those guys is always good. Ricky and Stephen know what they want and we don’t do more than two or three takes. They take it and they don’t overdo it and we’re usually finished by 4pm! There’s one scene where they said to us, go in, you know each other - just play with it a bit. We did and hopefully some of it will make it to the screen. It really is a dream job for any actor. They are such brilliant writers - very creative, and as directors they know what they want. I get a lot of tweets from people saying they can’t wait for the Life’s Too Short Special and I can’t wait myself! The fact that it’s an hour long is just so exciting.

Can you tell us more about Les Dennis, the character, in the upcoming show?

It’s very much the Les Dennis that appeared in Extras but he’s part of a trio, which Ricky, I think, called ‘The Holy Trinity.’ Les is most grounded of the lot while Keith is the wildcard. You may have seen in the trailer that we get to rap – we perform the Shaggy song, ‘It Wasn’t Me’ – which is hilarious! There’s that, there’s the fact that we are trying to get some success and Warwick is putting his all into it. I don’t want to spoil anything else though!

Is it difficult playing a spoof version of yourself?

It is an acting job – you have to play this demented version of yourself. You are playing something that is outside of yourself, but obviously you’ve got to make it seem like it is Les Dennis – he looks like me anyway! It’s a tricky thing to do but the writing is so good and the chemistry between the three of us and Warwick worked immediately. When something is so well written it is relatively easy to do and a real joy. The lines take care of themselves. They leap off the page and then when you do them, they take that extra leap into being really funny! There are parts of it that are hysterically funny. The crew couldn’t do it for laughing the first time! When we were in a club doing our act we had this audience and they were genuinely loving it! Maybe Shaun, Les and Keith should tour for real!

I’ve asked the same question to Keith and Shaun but would you like the three of you to have your own spin-off show?

We would absolutely love it! I think someone coined the phrase that it would be ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ for the 21st century! Ha! I hit 60 this year, Keith and Shaun are a bit younger than me, but we’re all getting up there, so it would be a real 21st century ‘Last of the Summer Wine!’ I think it could work as a series and hopefully the public would agree.

I grew up watching you in Family Fortunes and it’s just not the same without you. What do you think of the latest version of the show?

It’s a different show now, it’s more celebrity driven but Vernon has done a great job with it. When he took over it I did exactly the same as what Bob Monkhouse did with me, and called him up and wished him the best of luck. You really have to pass on the batten. I don’t have any qualms about that as I gave the show up myself. It’s a different show now but it’s a good show and is holding its own and doing well. It is very kind when people tweet you and say ‘it isn’t the same without you’ – that’s so lovely.

Would you like to go head to head with Vernon Kay for a special version of the show?

Haha! I don’t think it could happen because who would host it? It would have to be Shaun, Keith or Ricky perhaps!

I watched your episode of Extras at the weekend. Do you still get asked to do your famous Mavis impression?

Haha! Yes, occasionally. I get it now from young kids who might have seen Extras. They know I did the ‘I don’t really know’ scene but they don’t know what it is! They only know it from Extras. They say ‘do that line,’ I say ‘what the Mavis impression?’ and they say ‘is that what it is?’ So yes, I still get asked to do it occasionally.

You’ve had a glorious career, but if you had to pick one, which show are you most proud of?

I think I would say that Extras was the show that turned things around for me. It has given me a broader audience and brought people to realise that I an act. It would have to be Extras but I loved Family Fortunes, and I remember my great partnership with Dustin Gee, which was an extraordinary and lovely time, and doing Me and My Girl in the West End, but I think Extras has to be it as it’s come to further fruition with Life’s Too Short. This is a really exciting project. Extras, though, was the turning point in my career.

What are your plans for the rest of 2013 and beyond?

I’m 60 this year so I’m going to try and take things a little easier but if a great project comes up I’m always up for doing it.

Have you got a final message for Life’s Too Short fans?

Anybody who loves the series of Life’s Too Short is going to love this special so much. It takes the series so much further. Warwick is brilliant, more likeable than he has been and the Holy Trinity are totally on form. I haven’t seen any of the Val Kilmer scenes yet but reading them, they are hilarious!

A huge thank you to Les for talking to frogfuehrer.com. Keep up to date with Les on Twitter by following @dennis_les and of course, don’t miss him in action this Saturday in the Life’s Special on BBC 2 at 10pm.

© M. A. Sibson

frogfuehrer.com

Email: tadpolehitler@gmail.com

Twitter: @frogfuehrer

Facebook: facebook.com/entertainmentdictator

Life's Too Short: Exclusive Interview with Shaun Williamson

So far I've caught up with Warwick Davis and Keith Chegwin and today it was time to catch up with another star of the Life’s Too Short Special – Shaun Williamson.

Shaun with Keith, Warwick and Les in the Life's Too Short Special (Image: BBC)

Shaun became a household name when he starred as Barry Evans in Eastenders for ten years from 1994 to 2004 and following that he played a comically unemployed version of himself in Extras. Fans of the show will no doubt remember Stephen Merchant constantly calling him Barry! But Shaun has had a very full career. He's a fantastic singer, has appeared in programmes such as Inspector Morse and Waiting for God, has starred in West End stage performances and toured the country in shows such as Ladykillers and Saturday Night Fever. He has also played the leading role in hit children’s comedy drama Scoop.

Shaun as Barry Evans in Eastenders (Image: BBC)

Shaun also played Norman Stanley Fletcher in a stage version of classic UK comedy, Porridge, a script that was newly written by the series co-authors, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais.

He teamed up once again with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant in the hit movie ‘The Invention of Lying’ and obviously, we all know he played a fictional version of himself in the first series of Life’s Too Short.

Shaun with Stephen Merchant in The Invention of Lying

This coming weekend (BBC2, Saturday, March 30th at 10pm) we will see Shaun reprise that role once again in the Life’s Too Short Special, alongside Warwick Davis, Keith Chegwin, Les Dennis and Val Kilmer - and with anticipation bubbling from the fans; we couldn't wait to talk to him.

You've worked with Ricky and Stephen in Extras, Life’s Too Short Series One, and The Invention of Lying. You've obviously built a great working relationship – how did it all come about?

I'm so lucky. I’d never met Ricky and I loved The Office and one day he phoned me up when I was in the garden - he famously phones people direct about his projects. When he phoned Keith, he thought it was a wind-up – he thought it was John Culshaw messing about!

I told Ricky I’d love to be in Extras so I went along to meet him and Stephen and it was all storyboarded out in their office and he said ‘we've hopefully got Kate Winslet for this one, and Ben Stiller for that one’ and I was like, wow! It was really early days but I wanted to be a part of it. In the first series I was only in a few scenes but I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought ‘well, that was fun’ and when the second series dropped on my lap I was in every episode including scenes with David Bowie so that was absolutely amazing! Then they put me in the Christmas Special, then in The Invention of Lying, then in Life’s Too Short and then the Special. I've got a terrific agent and I constantly do theatre tours but those two guys have single-handedly been responsible for keeping me in quality productions on television and I owe them everything for that.

Shaun with Stephen and Ricky in Extras (Image: BBC)

They write brilliantly but some people just don’t get it and say ‘do you enjoy playing a loser?’ The reality is that I'm in one of the hottest comedy shows on TV - so it’s a pleasure to make myself look like an unemployed loser for them! I've still never asked why they cast me – I don’t know if Ricky was a fan of Eastenders or not, but I assume he must have watched it and know roughly who I was– it’s crazy really! Looking back, the call from Ricky was one of the most important phone calls I've received in my life.

What was it like working with Ricky and Stephen on the Life’s Too Short Special?

The Life’s Too Short special is incredibly funny – I read the script and kept laughing – it is amazing! On set you very quickly realise that Ricky’s mad! Ha! I'm in a lot of scenes with Stephen, and Ricky would direct them. He’d be sitting 20 feet away from us in front of a monitor and he’d be screaming with laughter! We’d have to constantly shout ‘cut’ and once he had to be sent out else we’d never be able to get it done! I love that sense of fun, but Ricky and Stephen come in with a really solid plan of what they want to do and if they want to change it on the move, they will, but they know exactly what they want and often you could be done by 3.30pm because they are such professionals. Everyone wants to work with Ricky and Stephen because you can finish early! But it is a testimony to their thoroughness, not only as actors but as directors – they know what they want.

Shaun with the Life's Too Short Special team

People like to work with the same people and Ricky and Stephen always work with the same team, so you know the cameramen, you know the soundmen – you walk on set and it’s the same crew and that’s brilliant – everything runs smoothly and it’s an amazing atmosphere.

Can you tell us more about Shaun Williamson, the character, in the upcoming Life’s Too Short special?

I play the washed-up side of me. I famously have this face that doesn't show much joy – I always look a bit miserable, so Ricky and Stephen play on that. I've got a speech in the Special where I say ‘this is the happiest I've ever been in my life’  but you wouldn't know it from looking at my face – deadpan and miserable so they've picked up on that! It is a depressed and desperate version of myself – what I would have been like if I’d never worked since Eastenders.

Is it difficult playing a spoof version of yourself?

No – I'm not always jumping for joy anyway! If anything I’m more depressive than excitable. I don’t mean I'm depressed but I veer more to that side than someone that’s always animated. Keith is exactly the opposite of me and Les is somewhere in the middle – which is quite nice!

I've seen you, Les and Keith referred to as The Holy Trinity – would the three of you like to do a spin-off?

Haha! If there was a good script we’d surely do it! We’d love to work together again!

When would you say you first became interested in performing comedy?

I've always been one to crack jokes even when I was a postman – I could always tell a joke well, but it wasn't until I got into amateur acting at age 26 that I discovered I had the ability to act well in comedy. I'm certainly better in comedy than I am tragedy. I think it’s something you’re born with. Although comedy acting is something you can learn, if it isn't in you in the first place – the comic timing for example – you wouldn't be as good as somebody who was born with it. All performers have got different talents. Ray Winston is a tough guy and he can act that brilliantly but I can’t remember seeing him in a comedy. He can play nicer characters obviously like in Indiana Jones, but he, like all good performers know their forte. In acting you have to look in the mirror and be honest with yourself.

I realised from a young age that I’d never play James Bond and if I make a name for myself by playing a fat loser comedian, then so be it, even if I’d like to be playing a suave tough guy! If it ain't guna happen, it ain't guna happen! But saying that, that’s the beauty of stage acting where I've just finished doing Ladykillers where I play a Romanian psychopath so I get far more offers to spread my wings on stage than I do on television.

Shaun Williamson in Ladykillers

You’re a stand-up comedian, singer, television and stage/screen actor, presenter, entertainer, cabaret performer and after dinner speaker – if you had to pick just one do to for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

It would have to be singing to be honest. I started off as a singer, I was a Pontins Bluecoat and I sang – it’s probably what I do best. I can hold my own doing anything but there’s reasons why Michael Mcintyre and John Bishop are where they are, why Ray Winstone is a great tough guy actor, and the thing I'm best at is singing, in my opinion. It’s the one thing where I can really impress and surprise people. There are better singers, don’t get me wrong, but I can really hold my own.

What are your plans for the rest of 2013 and beyond?

I'm writing; I've had more stage and TV offers – things crop up all the time. It’s one of the beauties of what it is I do. You never know what’s around the corner and although it can be nerve-racking, it’s also part of the appeal in my line of work – in a sick way! There’s an excitement but nervousness about it.

I'm sure you’re very proud of being Barry from Eastenders, but do you get sick of being referred to that by the public?

I do, but there’s that human weakness where if nobody said it for a week, I’d start to worry like I've done something wrong! It’s a bit odd if you lose your anonymity but are still remembered for something you haven’t done for 10 years. If you’re a film star like Jude Law you’d expect to get recognised all the time and talk about your latest project but if people want to talk about something you haven’t done for 10 years, it’s a bit odd. At the same time it’s quite touching as they remember it and want to talk about it! I’ve been out of the show for ten years, had a hair transplant and lost two stone but people still call me Barry! It’s weird!

A huge thank you to Shaun for talking to frogfuehrer.com - we can't wait to see you in action! With the Life's Too Short Special airing on BBC 2 this Saturday at 10pm, we've also been lucky enough to talk to Les Dennis and the full interview is coming here later this week. For updates, follow us on twitter @frogfuehrer.

© M. A. Sibson

frogfuehrer.com

Email: tadpolehitler@gmail.com

Twitter: @frogfuehrer

Facebook: facebook.com/entertainmentdictator

Life’s Too Short: Exclusive Interview with Keith Chegwin

Keith Chegwin started his career as a child actor, but is probably most renowned for being a popular kids television presenter during the 1980s. He appeared in Multi Coloured Swap Shop, Saturday Superstore and of course, Cheggers Plays Pop!

You’ll know doubt remember him from Channel 4’s Big Breakfast where he presented ‘Down Your Doorstep’ and used to run around the streets shouting “Wake up beggars, it’s Cheggers!’ Keith also worked on GMTV for seven years, has presented game shows and you’ll have recently seen him strutting his stuff on Dancing on Ice.

I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Keith because once again he’s working alongside Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant for the Life’s Too Short Special, which airs on BBC 2 on Saturday, March 30th at 10pm.

Keith on stage, with Shaun and Les in Life's Too Short Special (Image: BBC)

After having worked with the comedy duo on Extras, as well as the first series of Life’s Too Short, Keith is once again reprising the role of Keith Chegwin, where he, Warwick Davis, Shaun Williamson and Les Dennis play spoof versions of themselves. The special also stars Val Kilmer, 25 years after he worked with Warwick on the hit movie Willow.



With only so much time, I thought it’s best to interview the biggest stars first, and get to Val if I have time, so without further ado, ‘wake up beggars, it’s Cheggers!’

You’ve worked with Ricky and Stephen in Extras and Life’s Too Short. What was it like working with them?

It’s like working with the crown jewels of comedy – it’s fantastic. They’re two of the most generous people in our industry. I've been in this business for 45 years and never came across anybody else like them – they want to make you look good all the time! I found that really weird because a lot of comedians like to keep the best lines for themselves or keep the best gags, but no, they want to make you shine! It’s like working with a comedy dream team. Mind you, you do have your problems with Ricky because he keeps laughing all the time! So many times we’ll do a take and the sound guy will say: “we can’t use that – he’s laughing!” But what some people don’t appreciate is that Ricky Gervais is so big – he’s massive – a huge global star! Les and I were walking down Tottenham Court Road recently chuckling to ourselves on the way back to my car. Les said: “I can’t believe it – we've got two of the world’s top scriptwriters writing lines for you and I!” It’s the most bizarre thing in the world, but lovely.

Ricky, Warwick, Keith, Shaun and Les during filming

You’re quite new to Twitter – how are you getting on with it?

When we were filming Ricky gave me a lesson on how to use Twitter. He said ‘Oh no, you’re doing it all wrong.’ He was right, I was doing it all wrong and I’m still doing it all wrong - haha! But I’ve got about 130,000 followers – it’s great – I've got more followers than people that watch me on national TV! Some programmes don’t even get those figures – haha! I’m a great fan of technology but on Twitter I can’t respond to that many people – so I just put up jokes. I could spend all day on it but I have to work; so rather than not acknowledge some individuals I don’t acknowledge anyone – so it’s the same for all!

Can you tell us more about Keith Chegwin, the character, in the upcoming Life’s Too Short Special?

Well it’s really weird actually; it’s like playing a caricature of yourself. I find that really odd. But the thing with Life’s Too Short is that I've had to do two characters in this one. One is the normal Keith Chegwin that you see – wahey! – on the TV performing, but the other Keith Chegwin is a bit, sort of like, thick! If you've watched Extras you’ll see that second character there. I play a very low key Keith Chegwin, but this time because there’s performance in it, like appearing on stage and doing part of my act and things, I can be the normal Keith Chegwin too. It’s nice to play both parts!

So which Keith Chegwin are you most like in real life?

Ooh – the cheery Keith Chegwin! It’s funny because when I was in Extras Ricky allowed me to play this very down, thicko Keith and I quite enjoyed playing that part and then when we did Life’s Too Short with Warwick, I did the same character in that. For this Life’s Too Short Special Ricky wanted to keep the same character but obviously I've got to change it because I appear on stage so I've got to give the impression of ‘Oh, there's Keith Chegwin!’ and then there’s the off-stage Keith, so it’s quite a weird part to play really.

Warwick is extremely proud of the Life’s Too Short Special. How do you feel about the final result?

Well I haven’t seen it yet – I won’t see it until early next week, but judging by the performances during filming, it’ll be just amazing because I’m working with such good quality actors. You know, people look at Keith Chegwin, Shaun Williamson and Les Dennis and they don’t know what we can do so it’s so nice to be given the opportunity. What amazes me is that Ricky and Stephen, two of the world’s greatest scriptwriters, say to you: ‘Here’s our material, for you, because we think you can do it really well – haha!’ And that is such an honour - I can’t tell you how grateful I am to be given this opportunity. Les and Shaun are such fantastic actors and Warwick is an absolute dream to work with – I can’t tell you how professional he is. It was all so much fun. I've had five months of Dancing on Ice working solidly – four hours a day skating, and don’t get me wrong, I loved every minute of it, but it was very intense and then I go onto Life’s Too Short and I have to say I have never enjoyed myself so much in all my years working in television. We had such a ball, you know, literally, the Monday to the Friday I couldn't stop laughing! It’s a really lovely, happy production to work on.

Keith Chegwin - photo taken by Ricky Gervais

I've seen you, Les and Shaun referred to as The Holy Trinity - isn't that the perfect name for a spin-off?

Haha! Oh I don’t know, it’s so funny – I've heard that phrase mentioned! If there was a spin-off it would be absolutely fantastic! I did my first ever Extras in two thousand and whatever, and I thought, ‘oh well, that’s it, Ricky’s not going to call me again,’ and then he does phone me again and asks if I’ll be in Life’s Too Short! And then I thought, ‘well, that was fantastic, that’ll never happen again,’ and then all of a sudden the Special comes up and I’m so gobsmacked - third time lucky! If there’s a fourth time I’ll be over the moon!

You've had an immense career. Is there one particular highlight you look back on most fondly?

That is so tough! Well, I know it sounds a bit coy and a bit like ‘oh it’s because I’m working with Ricky Gervais,’ but it was that moment when Ricky phoned me up and said ‘ I've got a part for you in Extras, but it’s not Keith Chegwin, it’s an acting job!’ He said: ‘Can you act?’ Haha! I said: “Well, I’ll give it a go!” I did acting as a kid but to be asked that was such a joy to me because it was the first time in loads and loads of years that somebody trusted me with their material, because most of what I do is ad-lib, suck-it-and-see TV as I call it, and I just enjoy myself; but this was really quite important. And when Life’s Too Short came around I asked him who else was on it and he said, “Well there’s Johnny Depp, Liam Neeson and, er, you!” Haha! It’s quite bizarre to be mentioned in the same breath as two big Hollywood names!

People know me for who I am, but this is a different ball game, it’s serious acting. People think acting is an easy job, it’s not, it’s the toughest thing in the world! I've done 3,000 or 4,000 live television shows but acting is a standalone business and it’s quite hard to pull it off. I did acting as a kid including things like Open All Hours, Black Beauty and Macbeth, and I never thought that in my latter years I would be calling on that experience from long ago – but it’s been a joy to do!

Dancing on Ice – I take my hat off to you as I couldn't do it! Was it as hard as it looked?

Oh god it was, really hard, but saying that, I loved every minute of it! And reading about the viewers’ votes, I thought I would be down at the bottom every week, but I wasn't  The viewers put me at the top and the judges put me at the bottom – haha! It’s quite an enlightening thing. At one point I got something like 24% of the public vote but when you add that with the votes from the judges, if they mark you low – you could be out! I loved every minute of it and because I didn't want to be the guy that messed up, I really worked hard. I wanted a real challenge and I wanted to do well. It may not look like it but I worked my socks off!

Keith strutting his stuff on Dancing on Ice (Image: ITV)

Are you keeping up the exercise?

Yeah! I skate twice a week and also I’m doing tap dancing lessons. I wanted some sort of physical exercise that I could do anywhere. I can’t ballroom dance anywhere, I can’t skate anywhere, I can’t go to the gym any time because I’m working, but I can tap dance! Whether the hotel bedroom, the kitchen or even whist waiting to act, I tap!

If Ricky Gervais approached you and asked you to do a keep fit video for his new YouTube channel, would you do it?

Oh god yeah I’d do it! But I’d have to change the name and call it “Keith Fit!” The advertising slogan for it would be: “You too could look like me in six years! Send me your money now and I’ll promise you you’ll lose pounds!” Haha!

What are your plans for the rest of 2013 and beyond?

Chaos this year – I’m doing Daybreak, I’m busy all year round and I even know what I’m doing at Christmas – I’m doing panto!

Thanks Keith for talking to frogfuehrer.com - it was a pleasure to chat to you yesterday. In case you're wondering, Keith is exactly the same over the phone as he is on TV - so full of energy!

I can't wait to see Life's Too Short on Saturday, but before then, don't miss our interview with Shaun Williamson - coming soon! For updates, follow us at @frogfuehrer on Twitter.

© M. A. Sibson

frogfuehrer.com

Email: tadpolehitler@gmail.com

Twitter: @frogfuehrer

Facebook: facebook.com/entertainmentdictator

Life’s Too Short Special: Interview with Warwick Davis

The Life’s Too Short Special starring Warwick Davis comes to BBC Two on Saturday, March 30th and we’re being treated to an hour-long episode, starting at 10pm!

Warwick Davis is back in the Life's Too Short Special (Picture: BBC)

This special picks up from the end of the last series and follows the ups and downs of Warwick as he continues life in the uncertain world of show business. With special guests Shaun Williamson, Les Dennis and Keith Chegwin, as well as some little known actor called Val Kilmer, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have penned what looks to be another classic comedy.

Ahead of the show we've been lucky enough to once again speak with the star, Warwick Davis, about reprising the role of, er, Warwick Davis!

How was it to be reunited with your former Willow co-star Val Kilmer?

As its now 25 years since Willow, when I first found out about Val I thought it was an absolutely brilliant idea. That’s what’s so great about the cameo stars in the series, they’re not shoehorned in, they fit into the storyline so well and Val is a great example of that. He certainly fits into my world and the storyline in particular. It was great to have him back. It’s the first time for me and Val on screen for 25 years and we picked up exactly where we left off – there was that same onscreen chemistry we had when we filmed Willow – and once again we had a blast. He’s a great comic actor and was certainly willing to send himself up – all of the guests have to be willing to go into territory that other people might not want to. You must be able to look at yourself and laugh and Val can certainly do that – without giving too much away!

After 25 years, Warwick and Val are reunited onscreen (Picture: BBC)

How was it working alongside ‘The Holy Trinity’ of Shaun, Keith and Les?

To me those guys are absolute legends anyway, having grown up watching Keith and seeing Les on a Saturday night – it was brilliant. I’ve got the upmost respect for what each of them have achieved in their careers. They are so willing to have fun with their personas as well, which makes great comedy situations. There are also quite a lot of moments when the three of them have to do very straight acting and they’re all very good at that. When you’re used to seeing, for example, Keith running around in a crazy manner, and then to see him play a straight scene, it’s really very charming, and extremely funny as well – but that’s how comedy works.

You all play spoof versions of yourselves – that must be quite hard to get right?

We play them as a character – that’s the key to it – you treat them as we would any other character that you’re playing and approach it that way. For me in the special, Warwick is a little different to usual. He’s looked back at the documentary before and realised the reaction to it and he’s also acknowledged that he wasn’t a very nice person. His new girlfriend has allowed him to see the world slightly differently and he’s determined to make a change. You’ll see him going through that and the resulting consequences pan out across the episode.

Can you tease us with anything else?

I could but I don’t want to spoil it for you! It’s quite unique and it’s an hour as well, which is a nice amount of time for Ricky and Stephen to flesh out a lovely, full story. All the old favourites are back, Cheryl’s back, and of course my accountant is back, played by the excellent Steve Brody, Brian is back - my psychic adviser, and there are some fantastic scenes. It’s lovely to get together with everybody and have fun making the TV show. That’s the unique thing about working with Ricky and Stephen – it is so much fun to do. There are very few projects you work on that are like that and it leaves you wanting more every time. It’s a pleasure. They’ve also assembled a great crew, the same crew you will find working on Derek or Extras, the same camera operators, same sound recorders. It’s an established team who know how to work together and they all enjoy themselves. It’s hard work but very rewarding for everyone and a lot of fun at the same time.

I’m immensely proud of the special I must say. It’s lovely to go to work, to do a job and be really proud of what you’ve achieved. I’m in anticipation of people seeing it – I can’t wait! I was entirely happy with how it turned out and that’s down to working with Ricky and Stephen – they know exactly what they want and they make sure that’s what goes down on tape and it leaves you with a really good feeling about it.

Knowing how many fans there are out there who ask me when they can see more Life’s Too Short, it’s lovely to be able to deliver this for them – the fans – these people have supported the show and that’s why we do what we do – for the audience and its lovely that they’re anticipating this.

You’re the main star of the show; do you have any input into the script?

Ricky and Stephen know me so well. They know the character very well and they know my life and can draw on my actual experiences which they do quite a lot. The show is very tightly scripted and when Ricky and Stephen are happy they may ask us to have some fun where we do a little improvisation and that allows us to try new things.  But what they write is so brilliant and flows so well that there’s very little need to do anything else. Now and again we’ll have a stroke of inspiration where we want to try something out, or a moment will occur that we can elaborate on.

Warwick and Ricky on set for the Life's Too Short Special (Picture: BBC)

Some critics claim that the show was cruel and offensive. What is your reply to such comments?

I don’t think that’s now. That’s not how people look at the show retrospectively – that was something that kind of kicked off before anybody had even seen any of it. It came from people seeing that Ricky was writing a show about somebody that was short and they made assumptions. They were the wrong assumptions, and when you see the show as a complete series, you can understand it’s not about Warwick being short, it’s actually about the person he is. He’s not a particularly nice person. Ricky and Stephen took somebody who was perceived as physically disabled and showed him in a non-sympathetic way, which is unusual. You usually sympathise with a character like that but it was hard to because he was such an arrogant egotistical buffoon. You were then supposed to enjoy him having his comeuppance, whether it was him falling out of his car or something going wrong for him – we’re supposed to enjoy that.

Those early negative reactions haven’t carried through because people have seen it and understand it – it’s sophisticated comedy. Ricky and Stephen are very clever writers. We’ve seen what they’ve done with The Office, Extras, Life’s Too Short and Derek – its clever comedy. They could have taken the easy route with Life’s Too Short but they didn’t – they wanted to make it interesting and watchable and to make you think. I wouldn’t have seen it any other way and I stand by the show because it reflects my life. A lot of stuff in the series has actually happened to me and if society has a problem watching that then I can understand because they see their own attitudes and prejudice and that can be difficult to watch.

People are wondering why you opted for a special and not a second series, can you tell us?

There was an opportunity to do a special because that’s all we had time to do. It’s a much easier process to write a one hour special than it is to do an entire series. You only need two weeks to film a special so with Ricky and Stephen so busy, this is what we could do for now – it’s what we could fit in. But it’s nice to do a special – it’s like a mini-movie in a way.

I enjoy watching the first series as a whole complete thing. There’s a story running through it and it helps you understand the character and the Special works in the same way – you can see the story develop as Warwick tries to do better.

A big thank you to Warwick for taking the time to speak with me and I urge all of our readers to watch the Life’s Too Short Special on BBC Two on Saturday, March 30th at 10pm.

Later this week we’ll also be speaking to Shaun Williamson about the show. For updates, follow us at @frogfuehrer on Twitter.

© M. A. Sibson

frogfuehrer.com

Email: tadpolehitler@gmail.com

Twitter: @frogfuehrer

Facebook: facebook.com/entertainmentdictator

Life's Too Short Special Announced

The hotly anticipated 'Life's Too Short Special' is to be screened on BBC Two on Saturday, March 30th at 10pm!

So what's it all about? Well, now working hard for his clients at 'Dwarves For Hire', Warwick Davis is a changed man - no longer does he take all the best jobs for himself, it's all about putting other people first.

Things are going well and look as if they are going to get even better when his old friend Val Kilmer drops by to discuss a sequel to Willow - but it comes at a cost.

With money to find, Warwick holds an investment seminar while also persuading 'The Holy Trinity' - Keith Chegwin, Les Dennis and Shaun Williamson to join forces and put together a cabaret show to tour pubs and clubs - The All Star Funtime Roadshow.

Warwick, Shaun, Les and Keith during filming

With advice on hand from his accountant, spiritual leader and ex-wife, plus old friends Ricky and Stephen, Warwick has his hands full as he tries to balance his agency clients, the roadshow and Val Kilmer's dreams of Willow 2.

We can't wait to see the show and this week we've been speaking exclusively to Warwick Davis and you'll be able to read the interview on FrogFuehrer.com by the end of the week!

Gervais Keeps Brent Alive

Ricky Gervais is to keep David Brent alive thanks to his YouTube channel plumplard.

Brent lives on thanks to Gervais and Youtube

The Office manager wowed us all with Equality Street as part of Comic Relief and today Gervais teased us that Brent will be back with "Learn Guitar with David Brent, Episode 1: Inside Freelove Freeway" exclusively on YouTube. Lets just hope he wasn't joking!

If you've not seen Equality Street, starring Gervais and Doc Brown, where have you been living? Well anyway, here is the masterpiece:

Gervais has received fresh investment from YouTube iteself for his channel and will begin producing a range of podcasts, sketches and interviews, amongst other things. YouTube have stepped up efforts to create more original content for the video sharing platform and Gervais is leading the way.

Gervais said: "Working with YouTube is a fantastic opportunity for new content to be made available without the limitations of schedules and international restrictions. Viewing habits are changing. And anyone who doesn't realise that will be left behind. I am very excited to be working with a platform that is so instant and accessible."

YouTube's head of content partnerships, Ben McOwen Wilson, added: "Ricky Gervais already has a huge fan base on YouTube and they'll be thrilled to see what he's got up his sleeve including the next adventures with the infamous David Brent."

The content will be produced by Ricky's company, Derek Productions.

Take the David Brent 10 Minute Challenge

Have you got what it takes to watch David Brent sing "bidilibidilibidilibong" for 10 minutes? Take the challenge and let me know how long you can take it!

David Brent comes back as part of Comic Relief in a special episode called The Office Revisited later this month. Keep checking @frogfuehrer for updates!