Great Sitcom Characters - Ben & Sam

Here's a clip from one of my favourite sitcoms, Lead Balloon, featuring the brilliant scene-stealing characters Ben and Sam (Rasmus Hardiker and Antonia Campbell-Hughes). A self-indulgent post for the simple reason today is Rasmus' 25th birthday.

If you're not familiar with the show (then you're missing out), Sam is the daughter of Jack Dee's character Rick. Ben is her boyfriend (although I can't imagine them Doing It because that would require them finding some energy).

They're never in the show for more than a couple of minutes but every week they bumble in, scrounge all Rick's money and come up with half-hearted ideas for things to do. Sometimes I relate to these guys a bit TOO much!

All of this is made even funnier when delivered with Rasmus' laid-back Birmingham accent.

A 4th series has been promised and the series 3 DVD is well overdue, so I hope they hurry up. Funny BBC sitcoms are getting a bit thin on the ground, sadly.

Happy Birthday To The Young Ones

Today is the 31st birthday of singer, actor, national treasure and reality talent shows' Original Gangsta Will Young.

From a country that treats its reality contestants as a bit of fluff for a Saturday night but rarely supports them long after Simon Cowell's moved off to the next incarnation of his cash cow, Will's longevity has been like a diamond in the rough. There's no doubt that if he hadn't won the very first series of Pop Idol and then taken firm control over his own career, those major stars who have come from the Idols or X Factor franchises, such as Leona Lewis, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood or more recently JLS and Alexandra Burke, would not have had the chance to enjoy the massive careers they have now.

Love the reality format or hate it, there's no doubt it's one of the major cultural markers of the early 21st century. With the news that Simon Cowell is leaving American Idol to launch X Factor USA (over which he'll have more control) and that his Syco company has signed a new deal with Sony to unify its TV, music and merchandising projects, there's every chance it will continue to dominate our screens and radios well into the 2010s.

Will's 2002 debut Evergreen/Anything Is Possible achieved sales of 1.8 million, making it the biggest selling single of the decade. With the shift towards downloads, which you can get whenever you want rather than just when the CD is in the shops, this is an achievement which is very unlikely to be beaten.

Will's best loved song, though, came out in November 2003 launching his second, most successful, album Friday's Child. Leave Right Now, written by Eg White and produced by Steve Lipson, became one of those seminal love songs that struck a chord with fans, thanks to its theme of really wanting to get back with an ex but forcing yourself not to because you know it would be bad for you.

It was promoted by one of the classic pop videos of recent years, directed by 10CC's Kevin Godley. All done in one shot (and needing 19 takes), it shows Will pestering someone at an art gallery and causing chaos in his wake.

Click the still to see the video (and note the waitress' obsession with the 2005 Rear of the Year!)

Not only is it's Will's birthday, but also his twin brother Rupert. As Will learned to cope with his new found fame, he was hiding the fact the person closest to him was struggling with depression and alcohol problems. Thankfully Rupert has come out of the other end much the better and is now running his own charity. The Mood Foundation helps people with mental health problems, especially those who can't afford private treatment or who fall outside the threshold to qualify for mainstream services.

Will helping Rupert in his fundraising mission to ride a pedalo up the Thames in 2008. Also pictured is songwriter Karen Poole.

Click here to find out more about The Mood Foundation.

Happy Birthday Doctor Who

46 years ago today (which was a Saturday) the BBC aired the very first episode of its new family adventure series.  The story was about two school teachers becoming concerned about one of their pupils who was behaving oddly and giving her address as a place that didn't exist.  Deciding to tail her home, they discover her bizarre real life living in a police box with her crotchety grandfather.

In that moment, one of the greatest British icons of the twentieth century was born.

Sadly, the TV schedules were overshadowed by the tragic shooting of President John F Kennedy the day before, so the BBC took the wise decision to repeat episode 1 of Doctor Who the following Saturday, forming a double bill with episode 2.

In week 5 the Doctor's most famous enemy, the Daleks, made their first appearance and the series grabbed the public's imagination in a way very few shows have ever done, before or since.

So, performing my duty to show you the very best in art, design and media, here's that very first episode, An Unearthly Child, in all its YouTubed glory.  Compare and contrast with David Tennant to your heart's content.

Birthday Boy - Matt Smith

Happy 27th birthday to Doctor Who-elect Matt Smith, currently filming his first full series to be shown next year.

Smith was a shock choice to land the role of the much-loved time traveller, being so young and fairly inexperienced. It's not the quantity of roles that matters, though, it's the quality of them. Smith has crammed some impressive starring roles into his 5 years as an actor, notably the Sally Lockhart Mysteries, Party Animals, The Street and Moses Jones.

Party Animals was an excellent, but short lived, BBC drama from 2007. It followed the lives and loves of an opposing Labour and Conservative MP, their researchers and assorted hangers-on. As well as Smith, it also starred up-and-coming actors Andrea Riseborough and Andrew Buchan.

In this scene which opened the first episode, MPs Jo Porter (Raquel Cassidy, Lead Balloon) and James Northcote (Patrick Baladi, The Office) are debating in the House of Commons. Porter comes off worse and researcher Danny (Smith) knows why...

(Warning for the easily offended: contains a little bit of effing and jeffing.)

Birthday Girl - Jemima Rooper

Today is the 28th birthday of my favourite actress, Jemima Rooper.  To celebrate, here's a brilliant clip of her in the Sky 1 supernatural thriller, Hex, shown in 2004.

In this scene, schoolgirl witch Cassie (Christina Cole) is possessed by the evil fallen angel Azazeal (Michael Fassbender).  It's up to her best friend, Thelma the lesbian ghost (Rooper) to save her and she can only do that by electrocuting her.