Kevin the Teenager
Encyclopedia
Kevin Patterson is a character created and played by the British
comedian
, Harry Enfield
.
as an annoyingly energetic boy who constantly vexed his older brother with his irritating catchphrases and habit of bursting into his room when he was with a girl.
In the first episode of Harry Enfield and Chums (the new name for the show), Kevin, now without his older brother, reached his thirteenth birthday. The sketch showed his parents watching in horror as Kevin lost his sense of dress, courtesy and posture as the clock struck midnight on the day of his thirteenth birthday, thus becoming Kevin the Teenager, one of the most memorable of Enfield's comic creations.
the wrong way round and with his red hair flopping over his face, Kevin is rude to his despairing parents, frequently shouting "I hate you, I wish I'd never been born!" at them, and insisting that everything is "so unfair!". In one sketch, when his father asks him to wash his car, Kevin ends up taking the entire day to complete the task due to his inability to get out of bed before noon and an apparent allergy
to work, and in another sketch, though wide awake, he made the most primitive of attempts at tidying his room when required to do so. The character is also heavily dictated by peer pressure
, and was seen in various other sketches trying to sound like Ali G
, or people in Oasis
.
His best friend is another teenaged boy named Perry (played by the actress Kathy Burke
, and based on an early character Burke portrayed on various Channel 4 shows). They starred in a 2000 feature film, Kevin & Perry Go Large
.
The sketches suggest that teenage boys are always very polite to all parents except their own. Kevin and Perry heap immense amounts of abuse on their own respective parents (though Perry shouts at his down the phone rather than face to face) yet are very polite to each other's parents. In one sketch, Kevin's plans to host a party go wrong and ends with the house being trashed. Despite his frequent declarations of hatred towards his parents, Kevin ends up crying whilst his long-suffering mother gives him a much needed hug.
Aside from playing video games, Kevin's one aim in life is to lose his virginity
, or at least to prove that he has a girlfriend. From boasting about the (imagined) joys of sex to placing the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner
to his neck to look as though he has received a love bite, he is determined to prove that he has "done it". He eventually does lose his virginity in one sketch during a drunken party. The following morning, he wakes up transformed into a nice, polite and helpful young man, this however does not last.
to describe any adolescent who is bad-tempered or rebellious ("He's a right Kevin!"). It can even be applied to female adolescents.
and later by Stephen Moore
. In Kevin & Perry Go Large, Kevin's father was played by James Fleet
(who had previously appeared in a sketch as one of Kevin's teachers). Kevin's mother has been played by two actresses, the most frequent being Louisa Rix
, who played his mother from Harry Enfield and Chums to Kevin & Perry Go Large
. Caroline Quentin
played his mother in Harry Enfield's Television Programme
, before Kevin was a teenager.
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=Kevin+The+Teenager&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rlz=1C1CHKB_en-GBAU427AU427&tbm=isch&tbnid=sPIjYaLmx233GM:&imgrefurl=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2017144/Surly-teenagers-likely-suffer-ill-health-later-life.html&docid=ZTT1mxB9L7GuYM&w=468&h=405&ei=C9gzTtmgEKnwmAXt-_zwCg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=620&vpy=306&dur=4393&hovh=209&hovw=241&tx=149&ty=154&page=2&tbnh=153&tbnw=177&start=30&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:30&biw=1366&bih=677
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, Harry Enfield
Harry Enfield
Henry Richard "Harry" Enfield is a BAFTA-winning English comedian, actor, writer and director.-Early life:...
.
Evolution
Kevin first appeared in the "Little Brother" sketches of Harry Enfield's Television ProgrammeHarry Enfield's Television Programme
Harry Enfield's Television Programme was a British sketch show starring Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse...
as an annoyingly energetic boy who constantly vexed his older brother with his irritating catchphrases and habit of bursting into his room when he was with a girl.
In the first episode of Harry Enfield and Chums (the new name for the show), Kevin, now without his older brother, reached his thirteenth birthday. The sketch showed his parents watching in horror as Kevin lost his sense of dress, courtesy and posture as the clock struck midnight on the day of his thirteenth birthday, thus becoming Kevin the Teenager, one of the most memorable of Enfield's comic creations.
Personality
Wearing a baseball capBaseball cap
A baseball cap is a type of soft cap with a rounded stiff brim. The front of the cap typically contains designs or logos of sports teams ,...
the wrong way round and with his red hair flopping over his face, Kevin is rude to his despairing parents, frequently shouting "I hate you, I wish I'd never been born!" at them, and insisting that everything is "so unfair!". In one sketch, when his father asks him to wash his car, Kevin ends up taking the entire day to complete the task due to his inability to get out of bed before noon and an apparent allergy
Allergy
An Allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. Allergic reactions occur when a person's immune system reacts to normally harmless substances in the environment. A substance that causes a reaction is called an allergen. These reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid...
to work, and in another sketch, though wide awake, he made the most primitive of attempts at tidying his room when required to do so. The character is also heavily dictated by peer pressure
Peer pressure
Peer pressure refers to the influence exerted by a peer group in encouraging a person to change his or her attitudes, values, or behavior in order to conform to group norms. Social groups affected include membership groups, when the individual is "formally" a member , or a social clique...
, and was seen in various other sketches trying to sound like Ali G
Ali G
Ali G is a satirical fictional character invented and performed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Originally appearing on Channel 4's Eleven O'Clock show, Ali G is the title character of Channel 4's Da Ali G Show, original episodes of which aired in 2000 and on HBO in 2003–2004, and is the...
, or people in Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
.
His best friend is another teenaged boy named Perry (played by the actress Kathy Burke
Kathy Burke
Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke is an English actress, comedienne, playwright and theatre director. She is best known for her portrayals of Perry in the Harry Enfield film Kevin and Perry Go Large, and of Linda La Hughes in the British sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme...
, and based on an early character Burke portrayed on various Channel 4 shows). They starred in a 2000 feature film, Kevin & Perry Go Large
Kevin & Perry Go Large
Kevin & Perry Go Large is a 2000 British comedy film based upon the Harry Enfield sketch Kevin the Teenager. The film was directed by Ed Bye and was written by Dave Cummings and Harry Enfield. Enfield, Kathy Burke and Louisa Rix all return to their roles after previously appearing in Harry...
.
The sketches suggest that teenage boys are always very polite to all parents except their own. Kevin and Perry heap immense amounts of abuse on their own respective parents (though Perry shouts at his down the phone rather than face to face) yet are very polite to each other's parents. In one sketch, Kevin's plans to host a party go wrong and ends with the house being trashed. Despite his frequent declarations of hatred towards his parents, Kevin ends up crying whilst his long-suffering mother gives him a much needed hug.
Aside from playing video games, Kevin's one aim in life is to lose his virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
, or at least to prove that he has a girlfriend. From boasting about the (imagined) joys of sex to placing the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner
Vacuum cleaner
A vacuum cleaner, commonly referred to as a "vacuum," is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal...
to his neck to look as though he has received a love bite, he is determined to prove that he has "done it". He eventually does lose his virginity in one sketch during a drunken party. The following morning, he wakes up transformed into a nice, polite and helpful young man, this however does not last.
Reception
Due to Kevin and the other characters in Harry Enfield and Chums getting positive feedback and statements of the truth behind the writers' observations, the term "Kevin the Teenager" (often shortened to simply a "Kevin"), has entered British vernacularVernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
to describe any adolescent who is bad-tempered or rebellious ("He's a right Kevin!"). It can even be applied to female adolescents.
Kevin's parents
Kevin's father has been played by three different actors. He was originally played by Duncan PrestonDuncan Preston
Duncan Preston is an English actor probably best known for his appearances in television productions written by Victoria Wood. His best remembered roles are Clifford in the Victoria Wood As Seen On TV soap opera parody Acorn Antiques , and Stan in dinnerladies.In July 2010, Preston revealed he was...
and later by Stephen Moore
Stephen Moore (actor)
Stephen Moore is an English actor, known for his work on British television since the 1980s. He is known for his appearances in Rock Follies and other TV series such as The Last Place on Earth, the children's series The Queen's Nose and the drama Mersey Beat and the British TV comedy series Solo,...
. In Kevin & Perry Go Large, Kevin's father was played by James Fleet
James Fleet
James Edward Fleet is an English actor. He is most famous for his roles as the bumbling and well-meaning Tom in the 1994 British romantic comedy film Four Weddings and a Funeral, and the dim-witted Hugo Horton in the BBC situation comedy television series The Vicar of Dibley.-Personal life:Fleet...
(who had previously appeared in a sketch as one of Kevin's teachers). Kevin's mother has been played by two actresses, the most frequent being Louisa Rix
Louisa Rix
Louisa Rix is a British film and television actress.She is the daughter of the farce actor Brian Rix.-Notable appearances:...
, who played his mother from Harry Enfield and Chums to Kevin & Perry Go Large
Kevin & Perry Go Large
Kevin & Perry Go Large is a 2000 British comedy film based upon the Harry Enfield sketch Kevin the Teenager. The film was directed by Ed Bye and was written by Dave Cummings and Harry Enfield. Enfield, Kathy Burke and Louisa Rix all return to their roles after previously appearing in Harry...
. Caroline Quentin
Caroline Quentin
Caroline Jones known by her stage name Caroline Quentin, is an English actress. Quentin became known for her television appearances in Men Behaving Badly, playing Dorothy, and playing Maddy Magellan in Jonathan Creek for three years.-Early life:...
played his mother in Harry Enfield's Television Programme
Harry Enfield's Television Programme
Harry Enfield's Television Programme was a British sketch show starring Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse...
, before Kevin was a teenager.
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=Kevin+The+Teenager&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rlz=1C1CHKB_en-GBAU427AU427&tbm=isch&tbnid=sPIjYaLmx233GM:&imgrefurl=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2017144/Surly-teenagers-likely-suffer-ill-health-later-life.html&docid=ZTT1mxB9L7GuYM&w=468&h=405&ei=C9gzTtmgEKnwmAXt-_zwCg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=620&vpy=306&dur=4393&hovh=209&hovw=241&tx=149&ty=154&page=2&tbnh=153&tbnw=177&start=30&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:30&biw=1366&bih=677