Bubbles DeVere
Encyclopedia
Denise or Mavis DeVere is a fictional character
in the second and third series of the BBC
television sketch show Little Britain
and its US spin-off. She is played by Matt Lucas
.
). She talks in a nasal upper-class British accent, mispronouncing many words including marriage ("mari-Age"), dangerous ("dangereuse") and divorce ("diworce").
Despite her appearance, she considers herself to be a "rather beautiful woman". She is completely oblivious to people's reactions to her nude appearance, which are usually of shock and horror. However, her ex-husband admits to finding her attractive.
In keeping with the style of Little Britain, Bubbles has many catchphrases, such as "Hello Dahlin, with which she addresses many people, including Gita the spa therapist (played by Yuki Kushida
). She also often says "Call me Bubbles, everybody does!" and "Champagne! Champagne for everyone!". Generally, Bubbles is polite, kind and not normally offensive to those around her, except when she strips
and in her behaviour towards Desiree DeVere (described below). She is, however, never hesitant to break rules, and believes that seduction means reducing bills.
She claims to be an actress, to have doubled for Shelley Winters
in The Poseidon Adventure, and for Free Willy
in long shots. This is because she claims to be a champion swimmer (which may be true, as she was able swim after the cruise ship after being put off in Rio de Janeiro in Little Britain USA episode 5). She also claims to be a former Olympic gymnast, a former mistress of Prince Phillip and a former body double for Joan Collins
.
The creators of Little Britain seem to have taken a political stance with some of their characters. The name Bubbles DeVere seems to be a play on the names of the right-wing
newspaper proprietor Vere Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere
and his first wife Pamela Harmsworth, Viscountess Rothermere
, whose nickname was "Bubbles". De Vere is also the name of a chain of conference venues and hotels in the UK, of the kind in which Bubbles likes to stay.
Bubbles once lay in a sunbed
for over three hours to avoid discussing the payment situation with Mr. Hutton. When she finally came out, burnt and smoking, she asked a shocked Mr. Hutton if she could be excused as she was little bit on fire".
Bubbles believes that Mr. Hutton finds her attractive and that he will accept being seduced by her as compensation for her unpaid bill. When she finally arrives in Hutton's office with a cheque, she tears it up and removes not just her silver dress but also her wig, revealing herself to be bald and even more unattractive.
At the end of the second series, Bubbles arrives naked at one of Mr Hutton's board meetings, and it is made clear that she is not to have any more spa treatments until her bill has been paid. She ends up sitting on the owner's lap demanding "Champagne!" and then drops his pen, bending down to pick it up.
Mr. Hutton does not feature in the third series (2005), and so the situation is never clarified; it is unknown whether the bill was ever paid. It may have been resolved, however, as she still lives at the spa and has not been made to leave. She can also receive treatments, which were denied her until she paid her bill).
) and his new-found wife Desiree (Walliams), a former Miss Botswana and sometime international showjumper who is even larger than Bubbles. Desiree refers to everyone, including Bubbles, as "baby" , in contrast to Bubbles' "Dahlin. The couple arrive at the spa for their honeymoon, much to Bubbles' discomfort. Roman apparently has a fetish for obese women
, and apparently had divorced Bubbles because she had lost a lot of weight.
Bubbles cannot bear to see the man she still loves with a new wife, and she often tries to rekindle their relationship whenever Desiree is out of sight, to the extent that Desiree often finds them in compromising positions, becomes jealous and starts a fight with Bubbles. Roman gets very excited watching the two women he loves battle for his attention, as they are often in the nude. Despite this, Bubbles maintains that she would rather be rid of him, as well as of Desiree.
Roman and Desiree leave the spa earlier than planned at the end of the third series, leaving Bubbles heartbroken and covered in acupuncture needles.
, in which she is taking a cruise on an American liner to Rio de Janeiro
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the second and third series of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television sketch show 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...
and its US spin-off. She is played by Matt Lucas
Matt Lucas
Matthew Richard "Matt" Lucas is an English comedian, screenwriter and actor best known for his acclaimed work with David Walliams in the television show Little Britain; as well as for his portrayals of the scorekeeping baby George Dawes in the comedy panel game Shooting Stars, Tweedledee and...
.
Personality
Bubbles DeVere is a morbidly obese, bald (though she wears a wig) woman who prefers being naked to wearing anything at all. She occasionally goes shopping in the nude, though she usually wears a small silver dress or a white dressing gown. For over a year, she has been a permanent resident at Hill Grange Health Spa (a reference to the British children's programme Grange HillGrange Hill
Grange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...
). She talks in a nasal upper-class British accent, mispronouncing many words including marriage ("mari-Age"), dangerous ("dangereuse") and divorce ("diworce").
Despite her appearance, she considers herself to be a "rather beautiful woman". She is completely oblivious to people's reactions to her nude appearance, which are usually of shock and horror. However, her ex-husband admits to finding her attractive.
In keeping with the style of Little Britain, Bubbles has many catchphrases, such as "Hello Dahlin, with which she addresses many people, including Gita the spa therapist (played by Yuki Kushida
Yuki Kushida
Yuki Kushida is an English-speaking actress and teacher of Japanese origin living and working in England as a language teacher at Chatham Grammar School for Boys....
). She also often says "Call me Bubbles, everybody does!" and "Champagne! Champagne for everyone!". Generally, Bubbles is polite, kind and not normally offensive to those around her, except when she strips
Strips
The term strips has various meanings:* A financial option composed of one call option and two put options with the same strike price* A treasury security acronym for Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities, which are the securities obtained when trading the coupons and...
and in her behaviour towards Desiree DeVere (described below). She is, however, never hesitant to break rules, and believes that seduction means reducing bills.
She claims to be an actress, to have doubled for Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006...
in The Poseidon Adventure, and for Free Willy
Free Willy
Free Willy is a 1993 family film directed by Simon Wincer, and released by Warner Bros. under its Family Entertainment label. The film stars Jason James Richter as a young boy who befriends an orca whale, named "Willy."...
in long shots. This is because she claims to be a champion swimmer (which may be true, as she was able swim after the cruise ship after being put off in Rio de Janeiro in Little Britain USA episode 5). She also claims to be a former Olympic gymnast, a former mistress of Prince Phillip and a former body double for Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
.
The creators of Little Britain seem to have taken a political stance with some of their characters. The name Bubbles DeVere seems to be a play on the names of the right-wing
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
newspaper proprietor Vere Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere
Vere Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere
Vere Harold Esmond Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere became the 3rd Viscount Rothermere in 1978, having been widely known as Vere Harmsworth. He controlled large media interests in the United Kingdom and United States...
and his first wife Pamela Harmsworth, Viscountess Rothermere
Pamela Harmsworth, Viscountess Rothermere
Patricia Evelyn Beverley Matthews Harmsworth, Viscountess Rothermere was an English socialite and actress. As Beverly Brooks, she appeared in several films, such as Reach for the Sky ....
, whose nickname was "Bubbles". De Vere is also the name of a chain of conference venues and hotels in the UK, of the kind in which Bubbles likes to stay.
The second series
In her introductory scene in Little Britain, Bubbles is harassed by Mr. Hutton, the manager of Hill Grange Spa, about her unpaid bill, which amounts to more than £25,000. After unsuccessfully trying to lay the blame on her husband in Monte Carlo, she constantly strips in front of Mr. Hutton to try to get out of paying the bill.Bubbles once lay in a sunbed
Sunbed
A sunbed , tanning bed or sun tanning bed is a device which emits ultraviolet radiation to produce a cosmetic tan. Regular tanning beds use several fluorescent lamps that have phosphor blends designed to emit UV in a spectrum that is somewhat similar to the sun...
for over three hours to avoid discussing the payment situation with Mr. Hutton. When she finally came out, burnt and smoking, she asked a shocked Mr. Hutton if she could be excused as she was little bit on fire".
Bubbles believes that Mr. Hutton finds her attractive and that he will accept being seduced by her as compensation for her unpaid bill. When she finally arrives in Hutton's office with a cheque, she tears it up and removes not just her silver dress but also her wig, revealing herself to be bald and even more unattractive.
At the end of the second series, Bubbles arrives naked at one of Mr Hutton's board meetings, and it is made clear that she is not to have any more spa treatments until her bill has been paid. She ends up sitting on the owner's lap demanding "Champagne!" and then drops his pen, bending down to pick it up.
Mr. Hutton does not feature in the third series (2005), and so the situation is never clarified; it is unknown whether the bill was ever paid. It may have been resolved, however, as she still lives at the spa and has not been made to leave. She can also receive treatments, which were denied her until she paid her bill).
The third series
The third series introduces Bubbles' ex-husband Roman DeVere (played by Rob BrydonRob Brydon
Rob Brydon is a BAFTA-nominated Welsh actor, comedian, radio and television presenter, singer and impressionist...
) and his new-found wife Desiree (Walliams), a former Miss Botswana and sometime international showjumper who is even larger than Bubbles. Desiree refers to everyone, including Bubbles, as "baby" , in contrast to Bubbles' "Dahlin. The couple arrive at the spa for their honeymoon, much to Bubbles' discomfort. Roman apparently has a fetish for obese women
Fat fetishism
Fat fetishism is the strong or exclusive sexual attraction to overweight or obese people.As well as traditional attraction, the topic also incorporates feederism and gaining, where sexual gratification is obtained via the process of gaining body fat...
, and apparently had divorced Bubbles because she had lost a lot of weight.
Bubbles cannot bear to see the man she still loves with a new wife, and she often tries to rekindle their relationship whenever Desiree is out of sight, to the extent that Desiree often finds them in compromising positions, becomes jealous and starts a fight with Bubbles. Roman gets very excited watching the two women he loves battle for his attention, as they are often in the nude. Despite this, Bubbles maintains that she would rather be rid of him, as well as of Desiree.
Roman and Desiree leave the spa earlier than planned at the end of the third series, leaving Bubbles heartbroken and covered in acupuncture needles.
Bubbles' real name
Mrs. DeVere's real name is the subject of much debate. A bill in the second series gives it as Mavis, but the programme guide for the stage show states that it is Denise. However, in Little Britain USA she gives her name as Geraldine."Little Britain Abroad"
Bubbles appeared in two sketches of the "Little Britain Abroad" Christmas special:- In one, she seems to recovered from her husband leaving her, and visits Ronnie CorbettRonnie CorbettRonald Balfour "Ronnie" Corbett, OBE is a Scottish actor and comedian of Scottish and English parentage who had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the British television comedy series The Two Ronnies...
's holiday home in Monte Carlo. Insisting he knows her and evading the question of why she is there, she eats a Ferrero RocherFerrero RocherFerrero Rocher is a spherical chocolate sweet made by Italian chocolatier Ferrero SpA. Introduced in 1982, the chocolates consist of a whole roasted hazelnut encased in a thin wafer shell filled with hazelnut cream and covered in milk chocolate and chopped hazelnuts. The sweets each contain 73...
very slowly and tries to take another. While his butler calls the police, she tries to seduce him. At that moment his butler enters, saying that the police will arrive in 5 minutes, to which Corbett responds "could they make it ten?" - In another, she tries to con a shop assistant in a Swiss ski resort into giving her a free designer dress, by pretending to be someone famous who is having a party given for her by Prince Charles. When this fails, she makes a futile attempt to claim she is friends with Jilly CooperJilly CooperJilly Cooper OBE is an English author. She started her career as a journalist and wrote numerous works of non-fiction before writing several romance novels, the first of which appeared in 1975. She is most famous for writing the Rutshire Chronicles.-Early life:Jilly Sallitt was born in Hornchurch,...
, by pretending (unconvincingly) to answer a phone call from her. She then chooses a dress that is far too small for her, rather than one that would fit her ("I'm not Kate WinsletKate WinsletKate Elizabeth Winslet is an English actress and occasional singer. She has received multiple awards and nominations. She was the youngest person to accrue six Academy Award nominations, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Reader...
, Dahlin!"). When she tries it on, and her huge size rips it to pieces. (At the start of this scene Bubbles is seen fully dressed for the first time ever).
Little Britain USA
Bubbles appears in the US version of Little BritainLittle Britain USA
Little Britain USA, an American television series, originated as a spin-off of the British BBC's Little Britain show.As in the British series, Matt Lucas and David Walliams play the majority of the characters: originals such as Lou and Andy, Daffyd Thomas,Sebastian Love, Marjorie Dawes and Vicky...
, in which she is taking a cruise on an American liner to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
.
- In her first sketch, she is shown gambling away everything she owns (including her clothes and her wig), and inventing poor excuses in an attempt to get her possessions back.
- In the third episode, she tries (unsuccessfully) to seduce the ship's captain into paying off her debt.
- By episode five, the captain has put Bubbles off the ship in Rio, as she was travelling on a fake card, but she manages to swim back to the ship, arriving naked and covered in seaweed.