The Catherine Tate Show

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The Catherine Tate Show
The Catherine Tate Show logo
Format	Sketch comedy
Created by	Catherine Tate and Derren Litten
Starring	Catherine Tate Niky Wardley Mathew Horne Angela McHale
Country of origin	UK
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	20 (as of December 25, 2007)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Geoffrey Perkins
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC
Original run	February 16, 2004 – December 25, 2007
External links
Official website
IMDb profile

The Catherine Tate Show is an award-winning British television sketch comedy written by Catherine Tate who stars in all of the show's sketches, which feature a wide range of characters. The Catherine Tate Show airs on BBC Two and is shown worldwide through the BBC. Collectively, the show has been nominated for six BAFTA Awards, two British Comedy Awards and an Emmy Award, and it has won two Royal Television Society Awards, two British Comedy Awards and a National Television Award since its debut in 2004.

Contents 1 History 2 Main characters 3 Catchphrases 4 Characters in each series 5 Series one (2004) 5.1 After series one 6 Series two (2005) 6.1 After series two 7 Series three (2006) 7.1 After series three 8 Charity sketches 9 Awards 9.1 Won 9.2 Nominated 10 Guest stars 10.1 Series two 10.2 Series three 10.3 Christmas specials 10.4 Charity sketches 11 DVD releases 12 See also 13 References 14 External links

[edit] History

The first series of the show, which consisted of six episodes, aired from 16 February to 22 March 2004. A DVD of this series was released in August 2005.

A second series aired from 21 July to 25 August 2005, and a 40-minute Christmas special was aired on December 20, 2005. For this series a new theme tune was introduced. A DVD of series two was released in October 2006.

The third series aired from 14 October to 25 November 2006. There has been speculation that this would be the final series. However, Tate explained in an interview on This Morning that she had never said this and would like to at least do specials in the future.

Tate filmed a Christmas special which aired on 25 December 2007, with viewing figures of 6.4 million.^[1] Tate has announced that there will be no more series after the special.^[2]

[edit] Main characters

Main article: The Catherine Tate Show characters

This is only a list and small description of the most popular or well-known characters.

• Lauren Cooper - An argumentative teenage girl who gets out of awkward situations by repeating her catchphrase, "Am I bovvered?" or "Look at my face, is my face bovvered? Face? Bovvered?"

• Joannie 'Nan' Taylor - The foul-mouthed grandmother who constantly swears at and criticises other people, including her grandson. She often uses the phrases "What a fucking liberty!!", "HUP!", and "What a load of old shit!"

• Kate and Ellen - Two office workers who sit next to each other. While Ellen (played by Ella Kenion) is usually keen to get on with her work, she is frequently disturbed by Kate (Tate), who asks her to guess answers to questions.

• The Aga Saga Woman - An upper middle class English woman who goes into a state of shock and screams in various, seemingly harmless, situations.

• Derek Faye - Derek is a man who shows several signs of being gay but seems to be in denial about his sexuality and becomes extremely offended and defensive when people assume he is gay, often exclaiming, "How very dare you!"

• Janice and Ray - A Northern couple who express their disgust at the various signs of multi-culturalism in their very British circle. Sources of outrage include restaurant meals, due to their perception of over-pricing or the 'exotic' nature of the food such as grapes in a brie cheese sandwich. Especially humorous are their perceptions of global foods as adulterated British fare. They view such culinary transgressions as personal assaults - finally responding with their catchphrase "The dirty bastards!"

• Geordie Georgie - A frequent petitioner, who constantly tries to get her co-worker, Martin, to sponsor her with facts such as "Every 38 minutes ..." then follows her statements up with "If you don't believe me then log on to the website ..."

[edit] Catchphrases

The Catherine Tate Show has many well-known catchphrases. In 2006 Tate's Lauren Cooper catchphrase "bovvered" was named Word of the Year and was even poised to enter the Oxford English Dictionary.^[3] A spokesperson for the OED commented:

'Am I bovvered?' and its follow-up, 'Does my face looked bovvered?' had already come to be seen as the perfect expression of a generation of teenagers and their speaking style." 'Bovvered' is a bastardisation of the word 'bothered'.

Some of the best-known catchphrases from The Catherine Tate Show are as follows:

• "Am I bovvered?" - Lauren Cooper
• "Look, I ain't bovvered!" - Lauren Cooper
• "Face. Look at my face. Is my face bovvered?" - Lauren Cooper
• "Are you disrespectin' me?" - Lauren Cooper
• "Are you disrespectin' my family?" - Lauren Cooper
• "Is It." - Lauren Cooper
• "All right." - Lauren Cooper
• "What a fucking liberty!" - Joannie "Nan" Taylor
• "Oh, they want shooting, they really do!" - Joannie "Nan" Taylor
• "What a load of old shit!" - Joannie "Nan" Taylor
• "'Ere he is." - Joannie "Nan" Taylor
• "Oh, fucking chill out!" - Joannie "Nan" Taylor
• "Don't you say things like that, not in my house you don't." - Joannie "Nan" Taylor
• "You'll never believe what's 'appened to me today." - Paul and Sam
• "I dunno!" - Paul and Sam
• "What are you like? You know what I'm like!" - Paul and Sam
• "You are mental!" - Paul and Sam
• "Stop! I'm gonna wet meself!" - Paul and Sam
• "Have a guess!" - Kate and Ellen
• "We're all going to die!" - The Aga Saga Woman
• "Quick-sticks!" - The Aga Saga Woman
• "I beg pardon!?" - Derek Faye
• "What on earth are you insinuating!?" - Derek Faye
• "Who, dear? Me, dear? Gay, dear? No, dear!" - Derek Faye
• "I find you impertinent!" - Derek Faye
• "How very dare you?!" - Derek Faye
• "I've never been so insulted." - Derek Faye
• "Don't ask!" - Janice and Ray
• "What were it called?" - Janice and Ray
• "The dirty bastards!" - Janice and Ray
• "Listen to this..." - Janice and Ray
• "Mornin' Martin! How was your weekend, pet?" - Geordie Georgie
• "Did you know that every thirty-eight minutes...?" - Geordie Georgie
• "If you don't believe me then log on to the website; www...co.uk". - Geordie Georgie
• "Let's say no more about it, because I wouldn't want it to come between us pet." - Geordie Georgie
• "That's it! Laugh it up!" - Geordie Georgie
• "Morning, Neville..." - Irene and Vern
• "You'll never believe who was here." - Irene and Vern
• "Any sauce?" - Irene and Vern
• "Hi Guys! Welcome to BBJ's. I'll be your waitress for today. My name's Amanda but my friends call me Zebeedee. I'm a fiery Taurean with my moon in Uranus. Careful! I'll do the jokes." - Amanda
• "I can do that!" - Helen Marsh
• "It's like Piccadilly Circus in here!" - Frightened Woman
• "Have you heard about our John? He's a gay man now" - Ulster Mum
• "Whittaker!" - Enigmatic Cop
• "Jeremiah Waynright the Third" - Elaine Figgis

[edit] Characters in each series

Series one Lauren Cooper the teenager Joannie “Nan” Taylor Bernie Paul and Sam Kate and Ellen Elaine Figgis The Aga Saga Woman Information Woman Bunty Carmichael Frightened Woman The Enigmatic Cop New Parents Valley Girl The Drunk Estate Agent The Backhander Woman Last Hit Woman Lady Clown Botox Babe Not Drunk Enough Woman

Series two Lauren Cooper the teenager Joannie “Nan” Taylor Bernie Paul and Sam Kate and Ellen Elaine Figgis The Aga Saga Woman Derek Faye Irene and Vern Janice and Ray Tactless Woman Moo Shepherd Victoria Russel Sandra Kemp (Ginger) Annoying Waitress Trudy and Ivan Sheila Carter Crap Croupier Boob Job Babe DI Angie Barker New Parents

Series three Lauren Cooper Joannie “Nan” Taylor The Aga Saga Woman Derek Faye Irene and Vern Janice and Ray Geordie Georgie Paul and Sam Bernie Elaine Figgis Kathleen (John Reilly's Mum) Ma Willow (Life at Ma’s) Sandra Kemp (Ginger) Helen Marsh the “I can do that” woman Laura Powers the spy Snack Food Woman Frankie Howerd Impressionist

[edit] Series one (2004)

The first series of the show, which consisted of six episodes, aired from February 16 to March 22, 2004. The show's theme tune for the first series was "In These Shoes?" by Kirsty MacColl.

[edit] After series one

In the months preceding the launch of the second series, BBC Two aired three "best of" episodes, featuring a variety of the funniest clips from the six episodes of series one, including Lauren Cooper the teenager and the Joannie Taylor the foul-mouthed grandmother. Meanwhile, repeats of all six episodes of the first series aired on UKTV G2 (now Dave). Tate also appeared in a comedy sketch with boy band McFly (see charity sketches for details).

In 2004, Catherine Tate won a British Comedy Award for "Best comedy newcomer" for her work on the first series of The Catherine Tate Show.

[edit] Series two (2005)

The second series aired from 21 July to 25 August 2005. Following Tate's Comic Relief appearance with McFly, and news of her non-existent feud with David Schwimmer,^[4] it received slightly more publicity than series one in the run-up to the first episode. BBC Two also promoted the series by running trailers showing Lauren arguing with a furry dog in the shape of the channel's logo.

This series was far more successful with viewing figures than the first. This series secured ratings of 2.89 to 3.92 million, with the final episode receiving higher viewing figures than the episode of Extras which aired beforehand.^[5] Celebrities such as Peter Kay and Jill Halfpenny made guest appearances in series two. The series also had new theme music composed by Howard Goodall. For the opening, various characters are in an open field. The camera closes in on Lauren Cooper, zooms into her eye, then zooms out of Sheila Carter's eye. The camera pans to the right, where Bernie enters. The camera zooms into her eye, then zooms out of Nan's eye, where she is seen laughing. The end of the sequence shows the main title The Catherine Tate Show. The zooming is the same for both series two and three although Shelia Carter does not appear in series three.

The second series began airing (on free-to-air television) in Australia on 4 April 2007 on ABC TV.^[6] Prior to this the BBC-Owned Australian Cable Channel UK.TV had aired the complete series starting in 2004. The re-runs of the series were shown starting from May 6, 2007.

[edit] After series two

In November 2005, Tate was a guest at the 77th Royal Variety Performance, and appeared in the guise of teenager Lauren Cooper, accompanied by Lauren's friends, Ryan and Liese. After Lauren embarrassed herself in front of the audience, Ryan pointed out that the Queen was laughing at her. Looking up at the Royal Box, she asked "Are you disrespecting me?" and mimicked the Queen's accent, asking, "Is one bovvered? Is one's face bovvered?", before adding, "Who is looking after the corgis?"^[7] The Queen was seen laughing at this joke, and Prince Phillip also appeared to take this in good humour. There were, however, reports that the Prince was extremely unimpressed by the performance and complained to the show's executive producer.^[8] She also appeared as Lauren in a special sketch for the BBC's annual Children in Need telethon. The segment was a crossover with EastEnders (see charity sketches for details).

A Christmas show was aired on 20 December 2005. It featured appearances from celebrity guests Richard Park, Charlotte Church^[8] and Chas & Dave. During the show, Paul and Sam's two children were seen for the first time, who looked like, and had identical characteristics to their parents. The characters of Margaret and the enigmatic detective, who did not appear in series two, made appearances in the Christmas special. According to BARB's official viewing figures, over 5.66 million viewers watched the show, making it the most-watched programme at the time and the most watched programme on BBC Two the week it was aired.^[9] The show was also nominated for the People's Choice Award at the British Comedy Awards in 2005, but did not win after it was announced that the show had received less votes than Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.^[10] In an investigation, it was revealed in May 2008 that The Catherine Tate Show was the true winner of the British Comedy Award, and that Ant and Dec were wrongly awarded; Tate had actually received more votes from the public.^[10] A report by independent law firm, Olswang, said "Robbie Williams was invited to present an award. It was understood that he would be happy [to do so] if the recipients were Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly. In order to ensure his attendance, this assurance was given," however it is not known if Williams' comments led to the wrong announcement.^[11] It was also exposed that the second half of the ceremony was not broadcast live but with a delay of half-an-hour, yet viewers were still encouraged to vote for the People's Choice Award, even though the votes had been counted and the trophy presented half-an-hour before.^[11]

The second series started airing on UKTV G2 in January 2006. Series one continued on UKTV Gold. The second series was also being screened on BBC America, and repeated on BBC Two, from June 2006. Following the success of series two, Tate launched a range of merchandise based on characters from the show in 2006. In September 2006 The Catherine Tate Show official calendar 2007 was released. Also, on the 2 October 2006 a book was released of the scripts of both Series one and two, called Am I Bovvered The Catherine Tate Show Scripts.

On 13 December 2006, Tate won another British Comedy Award for "Best TV Comedy Actress" for her work in the second series of The Catherine Tate Show.

[edit] Series three (2006)

The third series started on October 26, 2006 and ran until 25 November 2006. Prior to the launch of the series, it had been reported that BBC One controller Peter Fincham hoped to lure Tate to the channel; however, she decided to stay with BBC Two, where she would not be as pressured to secure higher ratings.

The series gained strong viewing figures for BBC Two, ranging from 4.00 to 4.92 million, becoming the top show on BBC Two each week.^[12] There were many more guest appearances in the third series which included Paul O'Grady being featured in a sketch with Joannie "Nan" Taylor when she appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show.

[edit] After series three

On 19 February 2007, Tate appeared again on This Morning and stated that a forty minute Comic Relief special had been made, which aired on 16 March 2007. Several sketches were interspersed throughout the Comic Relief programme, with guests such as the prime minister at the time, Tony Blair (see charity sketches for details). Kim Cattrall has also expressed an interest in appearing on an episode of the show. Cattrall commented that she is a "huge fan" and would like to be given a role.^[13]

Tate has revealed that she is considering taking the characters from the show on the road for a UK stage tour.^[14] Series Three was released on DVD on 12 November 2007. On 31 October 2007 The Catherine Tate Show won the National Television Award for most popular comedy as voted for by the public.^[15]

A new Christmas special episode aired on 25 December 2007 on BBC One,^[16] in which pop star George Michael made a guest appearance. He was featured in several scenes with Irish nurse, Bernie, including one kissing scene.^[17][18] The character of Lauren was killed in a kayaking accident during the episode.^[19] Rumours had emerged about this story line in July 2007.^[20][21] Kathy Burke and Tamzin Outhwaite also guest starred,^[16] and the special averaged with 6.4 million viewers.^[22] The episode was subject to criticism when some viewers complained about the amount of swearing, and accused Tate of bigotry over the depiction of a family from Northern Ireland as terrorists, whose Christmas presents included a balaclava and a pair of knuckle dusters, in reference to The Troubles.^[23] A statement was issued from the BBC that read "Catherine Tate creates characters who are so over the top as to be almost cartoon-like and this is where her genius lies. Her comedy is never meant to offend any viewer and is always based on satire and grotesque exaggeration."^[23] After the complaints were made, an Ofcom report later concluded that the show was not offensive and did not violate broadcasting regulations.^[24][25] An extract from the Ofcom report read "Overall this episode was typical of the Catherine Tate Show and would not have gone beyond the expectations of its usual audience. For those not familiar with the show, the information given at the start was adequate."^[26]

During Tate's appearance on The Paul O'Grady Show on 24 September 2007, Tate did not make a reference to the speculation of there being any more series, but she did state that she may just continue her work on The Catherine Tate Show through one-off specials. It has since been announced by Tate that she does not plan anymore series after the Christmas special.^[2] She commented: "It's hard to keep coming up with ideas. And I'd like to stay in people's good graces, rather than, 'Oh no, she's not doing another series of that, is she?'"^[2] Tate is also concentrating on other projects such as her role as Donna Noble, in series four of Doctor Who.^[27]

[edit] Charity sketches

Tate made an appearance during the BBC's Comic Relief telethon in March 2005, in the guise of Lauren Cooper. In a section of the show which features fans of McFly asking questions to the group, Lauren decides to ask, "Why are you so rubbish?" When told by Simon Amstell, who is hosting the segment, that only positive questions are allowed, Lauren uses a variety of her catch phrases, including "Am I bovvered?" and "Are you calling me stupid?" Lauren is then "ordered" to ask a more positive question to the group, and confuses them with Busted, asking "Are you gutted that Charlie left?" When told to leave the set, on her way out she asks Danny Jones from McFly to sign her knee, walking away promptly saying "You can't even spell."^[28]

In November 2005, Tate appeared as Lauren in a special sketch for the BBC's annual Children in Need telethon. The segment is posed as a crossover with EastEnders, featuring Barbara Windsor as Peggy Mitchell, Kacey Ainsworth as Little Mo and Lacey Turner as Stacey Slater. The sketch sees Lauren arrive in Walford in search of revenge on Stacey, who has apparently stolen her boyfriend. When she makes an appearance in the Queen Vic, Peggy finds herself getting increasingly frustrated with Lauren, who asks, "Are you a Cockney? Are you a Cockney sparrow?" (pronounced 'Cock-er-ney') and "Do you know Chas & Dave? Are you their mum?" repeatedly. Peggy also unintentionally uses some of Lauren's catchphrases, such as "Are you disrespecting my family?" and "Are you calling me a pikey?" Lauren eventually leaves the pub after mixing some famous lines from the soap, including "Hello princess" and "Rickaay!" with her usual catchphrase, "Bovvered?".^[29]

In the BBC's Sport Relief, Tate created a sketch as "Nan", commenting on the 1966 world cup win and the comments of Kenneth Wolstenholme. The sketch involves "Nan" and her grandson watching a David Beckham football game, where she expresses her disgust at the objective of football by exclaiming "What a load of old shit!"^[30]

On 16 March 2007, Catherine Tate appeared on Comic Relief as many of her well-known characters from the show. The sketches were interspersed throughout the Comic Relief programme. Guests in sketches include David Tennant (who acts as Lauren Cooper's teacher and actually turns out to be the real Doctor), and Daniel Craig as another one of Elaine Figgis's boyfriends whom she has met through the internet. During his time as prime minister, Tony Blair made a cameo appearance in a sketch which features Lauren Cooper on work experience at 10 Downing Street. Upon Lauren attempting to tell Blair who the most famous person she has met is, he asks her if he is "bovvered". ^[31][32] Geordie Georgie made an appearance with Lenny Henry when he does his own fundraising for Comic Relief, and Joannie Taylor also appeared on game show Deal or No Deal hosted by Noel Edmonds.^[33] The DVD of the sketches was available exclusively to Amazon and became the most pre-ordered DVD the site has ever seen.^[33]

[edit] Awards

[edit] Won

• 2004: Banff Rockie Award — Best Comedy
• 2004: British Comedy Award — Best TV Comedy Newcomer
• 2006: British Comedy Award — Best TV Comedy Actress
• 2006: RTS Television Award — Best Comedy Performance
• 2006: RTS Television Award — Best Entertainment
• 2007: National Television Award — Most Popular Comedy Programme

[edit] Nominated

• 2004: British Comedy Award — Best TV Comedy Actress
• 2004: RTS Television Award — Best Make Up Design in Entertainment and Non-Drama Productions
• 2005: BAFTA TV Award — Best New Writer
• 2005: BAFTA TV Award — Comedy Programme or Series Award
• 2005: British Comedy Award — Best TV Comedy Actress
• 2005: British Comedy Award — People's Choice Award (Polled most votes but award not received)
• 2005: Emmy — Best Performance by an Actress
• 2006: BAFTA TV Award — Best Comedy Performance
• 2006: BAFTA TV Award — Best Comedy Programme or Series "production team"
• 2006: National Television Award — Most Popular Comedy Programme
• 2007: BAFTA TV Award — Best Comedy Programme
• 2007: BAFTA TV Award — Best Make Up & Hair Design

[edit] Guest stars

[edit] Series two

• Brian Murphy - with Irene and Vern
• Geraldine McNulty - with Paul and Sam
• Jill Halfpenny - with The Aga Saga Woman
• Michael Brandon - with Boob Job Babe
• Paul Whitehouse - with Paul and Sam
• Peter Kay - with Joannie "Nan" Taylor
• Roger Allam - with Bernie
• Siobhan Redmond - with Gingers For Justice
• Una Stubbs - with Trudy and Ivan

[edit] Series three

• Bonnie Langford - with Derek Faye
• Jools Holland - with Helen Marsh
• Rhona Martin - with Helen Marsh
• Leslie Phillips - with Joannie "Nan" Taylor
• Natalie Cassidy - with Lauren Cooper
• Nick Sidi - with Derek Faye
• Patsy Palmer - with Gingers For Justice
• Paul O'Grady - with Joannie "Nan" Taylor
• Sheila Hancock - with Joannie "Nan" Taylor
• Siobhan Redmond - with Gingers For Justice
• Tom Ellis - with Ma Willow
• Una Stubbs - with Ma Willow
• Dominic West - with Frankie Howerd impressionist

[edit] Christmas specials

• Charlotte Church - with Joannie "Nan" Taylor
• Chas & Dave - with Joannie "Nan" Taylor
• George Michael - with Bernie
• Kathy Burke - with Joannie "Nan" Taylor
• Philip Glenister - with Ma Willow
• Richard Park - with Lauren Cooper
• Tamzin Outhwaite - with Paul and Sam

[edit] Charity sketches

• Daniel Craig - with Elaine Figgis
• David Tennant - with Lauren Cooper
• Lenny Henry - with Geordie Georgie
• Kacey Ainsworth - with Lauren Cooper
• McFly - with Lauren Cooper
• Noel Edmonds - with Joannie "Nan" Taylor
• Barbara Windsor - with Lauren Cooper
• Simon Amstell - with Lauren Cooper
• Lacey Turner - with Lauren Cooper
• Tony Blair - with Lauren Cooper

[edit] DVD releases

DVD Name	Release Date	Additional Information	Photo
The Catherine Tate Show - Series One	August 2005	One Disc DVD set, containing all six episodes from the first series. Special features: 2005 Comic Relief Appearance Behind the scenes interview with Catherine Tate Interviews on how the characters came about
The Catherine Tate Show - Series Two	October 2006	One Disc DVD set, containing all six episodes from the second series. Special features: 2005 Christmas Special Character sketch selection
The Catherine Tate Comic Relief Special	April 2007	One Disc DVD set, containing all sketches featured on Red Nose Night. Exclusive to amazon.co.uk. Special features: An extended version of the Nan Deal or No Deal sketch
The Catherine Tate Show - Series Three	November 2007	One Disc DVD set, containing all six episodes from the third series. Special features: Episode commentaries Character sketch selection
The Catherine Tate Show: Series One & Two (Australian Release)	April 2007	Two Disc DVD set, containing all twelve episodes from both Series One (2004) and Series Two (2005. Exclusive to ABC Shops, ABC Centres & ABC Online Stores. Special Features: Episode Selection 2005 Christmas Special
The Catherine Tate show Christmas special	December 2007	One disc DVD set, containing all sketches from the 2007 Christmas special. Special features: Behind the scenes documentary 2007 Comic Relief sketches

[edit] See also

• The Catherine Tate Show characters

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Catherine Tate Show at TV.com
• The Catherine Tate Show at the Internet Movie Database
• Catherinetateshow.co.uk — Fansite
• Catherinetate.co.uk — Fansite
• The Catherine Tate Show Scripts