Never Mind The Horrocks (Channel 4, 1996)
This is another comedy show that I have read about and been interested in seeing for a while, and once again YouTube has delivered for me. Jane Horrocks is someone who caused a stir with her performances as the rather dotty Bubble in sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, so it was decided to give her a show of her own, to show off some more of her talent.
Never Mind The Horrocks was a 50-minute show that featured a combination of comedy sketches and music. It does have to be said that there really was a terrific support cast, who were Alexander Armstrong, Martin Clunes, Rebecca Front, Mel Giedroyc, David Haig, and Philip Pope, while TV host Angela Rippon also made a guest appearance.
Indeed, such was the talent on display that they all threatened to overshadow Jane to some extent, as this show was intended to mainly be a showcase for her. Some of the characters who she did play were rather memorable though. These included an old-fashioned children’s TV host, and a rather frazzled rock singer, who only appeared briefly.
She also took the opportunity to do some impressions, including Cilla Black, and perform some songs, which she was definitely rather good at, including one in the style of Marlene Dietrich. And she proved herself to be someone who would go to any length for a laugh, and well, French And Saunders couldn’t have done any better themselves really.
There was only one edition of Never Mind The Horrocks, and maybe this was intended to be a one-off, but the combination of all this was promising enough that a full series could’ve been made. But after this, Jane has gone on to further success, including more series of Absolutely Fabulous, the film Little Voice, the sitcom Trollied, and, er, that Tesco advert.
ADAM'S NOSTALGIC MEMORIES 