Al Murray's Multiple Personality Disorder
Encyclopedia
Al Murray's Multiple Personality Disorder is a British sketch show starring comedian Al Murray
. The multi character aspect of the show was a departure from Murray's previous television comedy work, as the sole character The Pub Landlord. The first series ran from 27 February to 12 April 2009, airing in the Friday night prime time
slot on ITV
(ITV1
/UTV
). The first series was commissioned on 4 June 2008
, berating the show for its perceived homophobia
due to the characterisation of Horst Schwul:
This view was backed up by The Scotsman
, which described the characters as "crass" and "one-dimensional", and describing Schwul as "undoubtedly the worst comedy character in the history of civilisation".
By contrast, newspapers such as The Sun
and the Daily Mirror gave the show broadly positive reviews, describing some sketches as "chucklesome", praising Murray and Eclair's performance as the Radio Ad Couple, and suggesting the show demonstrates that "the spirit of Benny Hill
lives on". The Daily Telegraph
noted that, whilst "parts of it may be too crude for some tastes... there are some winning ideas", whilst The Independent
also enjoyed several sketches.
However, these views were not shared by the News of the World
, which described the show as "just [not] that funny" and the characters as "a collection of Little Britain
cast-offs...or Harry Enfield
tributes". The Stage
was similarly disappointed with the show, describing it as "very lazy comedy...dependent upon ridiculous costumes and cod accents to get laughs".
Al Murray
Alastair James Hay "Al" Murray , is a British comedian best known for his stand-up persona, The Pub Landlord, a stereotypical xenophobic public house licensee. In 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy...
. The multi character aspect of the show was a departure from Murray's previous television comedy work, as the sole character The Pub Landlord. The first series ran from 27 February to 12 April 2009, airing in the Friday night prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
slot on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
(ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
/UTV
UTV
UTV is a television channel based in the UK region of Northern Ireland. The channel is the Channel 3 or Independent Television licensee for Northern Ireland and is operated by UTV Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Media.- Terrestrial :* Analogue: Normally tuned to 3 * Freeview : 3...
). The first series was commissioned on 4 June 2008
Characters
- UeberbombBombA bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
fuehrer Horst Schwul (Murray) - A campCamp (style)Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
, gayGayGay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, Nazi officer (Schwul being GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for gay) - Barrington Blowtorch - VictorianVictorian eraThe Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
gentleman thief Barrington Blowtorch (Murray) who talks his way out of trouble when caught by the inspector (Wall) by using unbelievable stories. - Gary Parsley (Murray) - Extravagant, flamboyantFlamboyant (disambiguation)Flamboyant is a style of Gothic architecture.Flamboyant may also refer to:* "Flamboyant" , a 2004 song by the Pet Shop Boys* "Flamboyant" , a song by Big L from The Big Picture...
, 1970s pop star based on Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
. - Peter Taylor (Murray and Eclair) - A husband and wife obsessed with sex who constantly embarrasses his daughter and her boyfriend. He has a prominent West Country accentWest Country dialectsThe West Country dialects and West Country accents are generic terms applied to any of several English dialects and accents used by much of the indigenous population of South West England, the area popularly known as the West Country....
. - Gay Best Friend (Murray) - Gaz, the GeordieGeordieGeordie is a regional nickname for a person from the Tyneside region of the north east of England, or the name of the English-language dialect spoken by its inhabitants...
pretending to be gay to get closer to a girl friend. - Mobile phone shop assistants (Brodkin and Murray) - Two chavChavA chav is a term that is used in the United Kingdom to describe a stereotype of teenagers and young adults from an underclass background.-Etymology:...
s (the cashier and his boss) who epitomise Britain's poor quality of customer service. - Jason Bent (Brodkin and Murray) - A stereotypical premier league footballer with a ScouseScouseScouse is an accent and dialect of English found primarily in the Metropolitan county of Merseyside, and closely associated with the city of Liverpool and the adjoining urban areas such as the boroughs of south Sefton, Knowsley and the Wirral...
accent (Brodkin), speaking to the post match interviewer after the game (Murray). - Duncan's Den' - (Bannatyne as himself, Solon, Murray) Businessman, Duncan BannatyneDuncan BannatyneDuncan Walker Bannatyne, OBE is a Scottish entrepreneur, philanthropist and author. His business interests include hotels, health clubs, spas, media, TV, stage schools, property and transport. He is most famous for his appearance as a business angel on the BBC programme Dragons' Den...
, plays himself, looking to invest £1 million in business venture. A parody of Dragons' DenDragons' DenDragons' Den is a series of reality television programmes featuring entrepreneurs pitching their business ideas in order to secure investment finance from a panel of venture capitalists. The show originated in Japan as "Manē no Tora"...
, where the only ever contestant is hapless divorcee Carole Price, interviewed by host (Murray). - The Celeb News Tramps - Two homeless people who are up to date on all the celebrity gossip as they sleep under tabloid newspapers.
- The PC P.C.s - (several) This spoof of The BillThe BillThe Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
satirises the excessive political correctnessPolitical correctnessPolitical correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
in the British policePoliceThe police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
force. - Lee Nelson (Brodkin) - A chavChavA chav is a term that is used in the United Kingdom to describe a stereotype of teenagers and young adults from an underclass background.-Etymology:...
walking his dog who philosophises on life. - The Radio Ad Couple (Murray and Eclair) a couple who can only ever converse in the style of radio adverts.
- Intolerant Vicar (Murray) A vicar who is constantly outraged at the inappropriate untraditional song selection for services.
- Roger Dennis (Murray) A pilot whose pre-takeoff announcements are always inappropriate
- Big Baby (Murray) A life size baby as an executive businessman.
- Wayne Upman (Murray) A man who has always had it harder than anybody relating a bad experience to him.
Writers
- Al Murray
- Simon Brodkin
- Mark Augustyn
- John Camm
- Chris England
- Paul HawksbeePaul HawksbeePaul Hawksbee presents the Hawksbee and Jacobs show alongside Andy Jacobs on talkSPORT and has also presented You're on Sky Sports on the Sky Sports subscription TV channel....
- Tony MacMurray
- Will Maclean
- Daniel MaierDaniel MaierDaniel Maier is a comedy writer and performer for television, radio, print and the stage.Since 2002 he has been part of the writing team for ITV1's Bafta Award-winning Harry Hill's TV Burp...
- Matt Simpson
- Laura Solon
- Paul Powell
Supporting cast
- Simon BrodkinSimon BrodkinSimon Brodkin is a British comedian who performs on the stand-up circuit and in comedy television series. He is best known for playing a character called Lee Nelson, but also performs as other comedy characters...
- Jenny Eclair
- Sadie Hasler
- Colin HoultColin HoultColin Hoult is a comedy actor/writer in television, radio, theatre. He studied at Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre....
- Laura SolonLaura SolonLaura Solon is an English comedian, actor, writer, and winner of the 2005 Perrier Comedy Award, only the second woman to win as a solo performer .-Background:...
- Kim Wall
- Katy WixKaty WixKaty Wix is a Welsh actress who has appeared in Not Going Out, Comic Relief Special, Rush Hour, Miranda and Torchwood.She also has numerous recurring roles in Horrible Histories...
Guest appearances
- Rebecca FrontRebecca FrontRebecca Front is a BAFTA Award–winning English comedian and actress best known for her performances in The Thick of It in the late 2000s, and series of critically acclaimed satirical comedies in the early 1990s: On The Hour, The Day Today and Knowing Me, Knowing You...with Alan Partridge...
- Police boss (ep 1) - Peter DavisonPeter DavisonPeter Davison is a British actor, best known for his roles as Tristan Farnon in the television version of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small and the fifth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, which he played from 1982 to 1984.-Early life:Davison was born Peter Moffett in Streatham,...
- Doctor (ep 4) - Michael WinnerMichael WinnerMichael Robert Winner is a British film director and producer, active in both Europe and the United States, also known as a food critic for the Sunday Times.-Early life and early career :...
- self (ep 6) - Sylvester McCoySylvester McCoySylvester McCoy is a Scottish actor. As a comic act and busker he appeared regularly on stage and on BBC Children's television in the 1970s and 80s, but is best known for playing the seventh incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1987 to...
- various (ep 6) - Sally LindsaySally LindsaySally Lindsay is an English actress best known for playing the role of Shelley Unwin in the long-running ITV1 Soap opera Coronation Street...
- various (ep 6) - John BarrowmanJohn BarrowmanJohn Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
- Camp American Airman (ep 7)
Critical reception
Al Murray's Multiple Personality Disorder provoked considerable controversy, receiving very sharp criticism from some quarters of the press, whilst attracting positive reviews from others. In particular, a scathing review of the show by Tim Teeman was published in The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, berating the show for its perceived homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
due to the characterisation of Horst Schwul:
This view was backed up by The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
, which described the characters as "crass" and "one-dimensional", and describing Schwul as "undoubtedly the worst comedy character in the history of civilisation".
By contrast, newspapers such as The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
and the Daily Mirror gave the show broadly positive reviews, describing some sketches as "chucklesome", praising Murray and Eclair's performance as the Radio Ad Couple, and suggesting the show demonstrates that "the spirit of Benny Hill
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
lives on". The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
noted that, whilst "parts of it may be too crude for some tastes... there are some winning ideas", whilst The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
also enjoyed several sketches.
However, these views were not shared by the News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
, which described the show as "just [not] that funny" and the characters as "a collection of Little Britain
Little Britain
Little Britain is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was first broadcast on BBC radio and then turned into a television show. It was written by comic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas...
cast-offs...or Harry Enfield
Harry Enfield
Henry Richard "Harry" Enfield is a BAFTA-winning English comedian, actor, writer and director.-Early life:...
tributes". The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
was similarly disappointed with the show, describing it as "very lazy comedy...dependent upon ridiculous costumes and cod accents to get laughs".