 | 12 July 2009 Accessibility help Text only |
| |
| BBC Homepage | | |
| |||
| Contact Us Like this page? Send it to a friend! | | |
People Like Us In each episode of spoof-documentary series People Like Us, fictional interviewer Roy Mallard (played with perfect deadpan wit by Chris Langham) films a day-in-the-life of a representative from a particular profession or lifestyle Characters visited in the first series include a managing director, estate agent, police officer, solicitor, photographer and headteacher.  The second series features vicar, mother, journalist, actor, bank manager and airline pilot. His films reveal these subjects in all their amusing idiosyncrasies, cutting through their mangled jargon, to expose them as the vulnerable frauds they all are - feet ferociously paddling beneath the surface as they desperately try to maintain a façade of control.  The show features beautifully subtle performances from the cream of British acting talent including Bill Nighy, David Tennant, Julia Davis, and Tamsin Greig. The popularity of fly-on-the-wall docu-soaps and 'real people' shows on British television in the 1990s inspired a wave of spoofs including That Peter Kay Thing, Boyz Unlimited and The Office.  However, what set People Like Us apart from other television comedies in this field was its satire of the documentary genre itself. Roy's banal narration littered with useless statistics, confused clichés and non-sequiturs, was as much a source of the show’s humour as its depiction of contemporary life in Britain. He is played almost entirely out-of-shot (bar the odd accidental reflection or stray limb), but struggles to maintain his professional stance as a 'mere observer', becoming embroiled in all manner of awkward situations with his subjects, often through his own clumsiness or over-earnestness.  Written by John Morton and directed by Paul Schlesinger, People Like Us began life on BBC Radio 4 and ran for three series (with Langham in the same role) before being adapted for BBC TWO. After two popular series, a third was declined in favour of producing The Office, which shared the show's style of humour deriving from awkward situations, as well as its mockumentary approach. Cast
Crew
Watch and ListenRelated LinksAlso on BBC ComedyAlso on bbc.co.ukThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites. |
| | About the BBC | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy |