Rock Profile
Rock Profile was a British television comedy show written by and starring comedy partnership Matt Lucas and David Walliams (both now widely known for the sketch show Little Britain). Rock Profile first appeared on the UK Play channel in 1999 with a second series following in 2000. The series was later shown on BBC Two.
The show comprises a series of spoof interviews, involving Jamie Theakston questioning Lucas and Walliams, who play famous musicians. The interviews are often bizarre and involve broad, unflattering caricatures or just downright fictional characteristics. They are often interspersed with videos by the featured artist, including humorous captions and congratulations from other impersonated celebrities.
A special, Rock the Blind, followed Gary Barlow (Lucas) and Ronan Keating (Walliams) as they recorded a charity single. Ted Robbins appears as Pete Waterman, and Sara Cox as herself. In 2002, during Top of the Pops launch show for their failed revamp under the name The All-New Top of the Pops, various Rock Profile segments for the show were performed backstage, featuring already featured characters in the past. Although many fans of the show heavilly liked the sketches, people who were unaware of the show at the time did not understand the segements. One of these featured Matt Lucas as Elton John talking about his appearance on the show performing "Circle of Life", in which an audience member verbally heckled him, which in reality did not happen.
Cast
- David Walliams
- Matt Lucas
- Paul Putner in series 2 as Robbie Williams and Phil Daniels (in the Blur episode).
- Steve Furst plays Robin Gibb in the Bee Gees episode
- David Foxxe plays Nick Rhodes in the Duran Duran episode.
Many characters bear a great deal of resemblance to Walliams' and Lucas' later project Little Britain, like Lou Reed and Andy Warhol* (Lou and Andy), Geri Halliwell (Majorie Dawes), Shirley Bassey (Bubbles) and Boy George and Marilyn (Vicky Pollard and Sebastian).
- Lou and Andy appeared on a sketch for The Ralf Little Show in 2002. and did not have their own Rock Profile episode.
Episodes
See List of Rock Profile episodes
Examples of characters
- Ringo Starr (Walliams) believes himself to be Thomas the Tank Engine's representative on earth. He claims that Thomas has asked him to do both good and bad things.
- Simon and Garfunkel Hate each other, and both try to prove that they are more successful than the other. They use a curtain or even a brick wall to separate themselves.
- Bono (Walliams) is an irritating Englishman, who loves to phone Salman Rushdie and can't understand why his fellow U2 bandmates persist in speaking with an Irish accent. The Edge (Lucas) points out that it is because they were Irish.
- Elton John (Lucas) is a moody, temperamental prima donna.
- George Harrison (Lucas) speaks with a strong Indian accent and keeps a poppadum in his top pocket, yet cannot understand why people keep talking about his Indian influences. He also produces bizarre films plots, for example, one man's love for his sandal.
- Lee and H from Steps (Walliams and Lucas respectively) are portrayed as five-year-olds.
- Liam Gallagher (Walliams) is a put-upon house husband whose wife, Patsy Kensit (Lucas), constantly embarrasses him and ruins his 'hard-man' image by exposing him as a friend of Mary and Jeffrey Archer.
- Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees is portrayed as a bully who bosses his brothers Maurice (Lucas) and Robin around. In the episode, Barry resembles the Cowardly Lion for The Wizard of Oz. He even has a tail.
- Geri Halliwell (Lucas) is a patronising moron who stalks and has delusions about marrying George Michael (played by both Lucas and Walliams on separate occasions). According to Geri, everything is "Girl Power". "All base metals, Girl Power. The River Nile, Girl Power. Clive Anderson, dictionary definition of Girl Power."
- Paul McCartney (Lucas) is sick to death of people asking about his solo-career. He announces "People keep asking me... what's the hidden message at the end of 'Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time'?... y'know, 30 years ago I was in a band called The Beatles... but no one ever wants to talk about that!". When Theakston, overjoyed at Paul's apparent willingness to talk about the Beatles, questions him on John Lennon, McCartney soberingly muses "Y'know the saddest thing? No-one ever mentions him."
- Dave Stewart (Lucas) of Eurythmics is portrayed as a mad scientist who claims to have created Annie Lennox (Walliams) — a creature similar to that from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein — from parts of corpses.
- Bez of The Happy Mondays is portrayed as a professionally trained dancer who went to the Ramhurst School, claiming that he was in the year above Darcey Bussell.
- Gary Barlow (Lucas) and Howard Donald (Walliams) from boy band Take That dream of reforming the band. Gary is portrayed as a mean-spirited bully, upon whom the child-like Howard waits hand and foot. When Theakston asks Gary if he still speaks to Robbie Williams, Gary responds "Yeah, I phone Robbie up every week — don't tell him it's me though".
- Graham Coxon of Blur (Walliams) is portrayed as a musically inept, paranoid pyromaniac who speaks in hushed tones until he categorically states he didn't "start the fire".
- Andy Warhol (Lucas) is portrayed as living in a flat with his friend Lou Reed (Williams). This sketch was the direct influence for "Lou & Andy" in Little Britain, only Lucas looks more like Andy Warhol and isn't in a wheelchair. They do however both use the exact same voices as Lou and Andy. Reed asks Warhol what he wants for his tea, to which Warhol replies "chippy", to which Reed goes into a long explanation about how he had chippy for his lunch and can't have it twice. Warhol replies "yer, I know", and a catchphrase was born. Reed - "So what do you want then?". Warhol - "Chippy".
- Kylie Minogue (Walliams) and her sister Dannii Minogue (Lucas) are extremely jealous of each other and, during their interview, take great pride in pointing out each other's failures. Dannii tells Kylie "the whole family was so proud when your last single went to number 27 in the charts".
- Prince is portrayed as an alcoholic Glaswegian tramp, performing his hits on acoustic guitar and harmonica as a busker. Although the introduction to the episode claims he is living in Glasgow, he is very obviously busking on the Uxbridge Road in London's Shepherd's Bush.
- Tom Jones (Walliams) often gets people confused with other people and Shirley Bassey (Lucas) claims to have more hits then she does and claims a lot of female singing stars 'don't have the range'.
Both Lucas and Walliams would later go on to work with many of their characters including Boy George, Robbie Williams, George Michael and Elton John
See also
External links
