Lenny Henry in Pieces
Encyclopedia
Lenny Henry in Pieces was a British
stand-up
and sketch
show by comedian
s Lenny Henry
and Gina Yashere
. It aired on BBC One
between 2000 and 2003.
The show began with two Christmas specials in 2000 and 2001. The 2000 show won the Golden Rose of Montreux award. This was followed up by a six-part series in March 2002. A second and final series consisting of seven episodes began in March 2003. It is unlikely that the show will return, as The Lenny Henry Show
(2004) also features sketches and is set to return for more series.
The primary feature of the show is the sketches, although Henry has a brief stand-up section in each episode.
s in each sentence. Gloria is a petrol station cashier who spends her time reading cheap novels, and is annoyed whenever someone requires service. Big Tramp is a homeless man who tries to get money out of people by any means necessary. Weekend Dad is a man called Clive, who only gets to see his son Curtis on the weekend, and is still bitter about it towards his estranged wife. Unsuitable Bloke applies for jobs he is unqualified for and has no hope of getting. He believes the only reason for his rejection is because he's a black man, so he ends up getting the job anyway. Uncle Lucas, a friendly pensioner who is everyone's friend, but has a seemingly endless supply of compromising stories about people's childhoods (though he believes them innocent enough), which leads to (among other things), a politician getting run out of town; a high-ranking policeman being arrested for kidnap; a respected judge being exposed as a former teenage prostitute; an undercover detective being executed by a drugs baron; and an illustrious psychologist being driven to insanity. There is also Didi le Gateau, a French
footballer. At the end shows Lenny with a partner (Omid Djalili
) trying to be absolutely discreet to avoid certain death (often being shot) until Omid farts and Lenny bursts into peals of laughter (often trying to muffle in between laughs by putting a garment in his mouth) and they end up dead anyway. An example of this is when Lenny and Omid are P.O.W.s doing the Great Escape under the noses of the Nazis while a curfew is going on.
The second series introduced even more new characters to keep the show fresh, such as Blaxploitation
Pope
, who is Lucius T. Kool III, a ghetto brother and leader of the Catholic Church; President Umbukele, who is an expert in diplomacy and acquiring foreign aid, but then spends it all on silly things; bad influence Granddad; and a family of animated polar bear
s with Brummie
accents, who live at Dudley
zoo
.
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...
stand-up
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
and sketch
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
show by 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...
s Lenny Henry
Lenny Henry
Lenworth George "Lenny" Henry, is a British actor, writer, comedian and occasional television presenter.- Early life :...
and Gina Yashere
Gina Yashere
Gina Obedapo Yashere is a British comedian of Nigerian descent.-Early life:Yashere was born in Bethnal Green, London, England. Her mother was an immigrant from Nigeria...
. It aired on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
between 2000 and 2003.
The show began with two Christmas specials in 2000 and 2001. The 2000 show won the Golden Rose of Montreux award. This was followed up by a six-part series in March 2002. A second and final series consisting of seven episodes began in March 2003. It is unlikely that the show will return, as The Lenny Henry Show
The Lenny Henry Show
The Lenny Henry Show is a comedy sketch show featuring Lenny Henry. In its first incarnation it ran for two seasons on BBC 1, in 1984 and 1985. Each season had six episodes. A 40-minute special was aired in December 1987...
(2004) also features sketches and is set to return for more series.
The primary feature of the show is the sketches, although Henry has a brief stand-up section in each episode.
Characters
Lenny Henry in Pieces introduced many new characters, the more notable examples being Donovan Bogarde, a randy OAP who is attracted to and pursues Mrs Johnson. He uses a series of sexual innuendoInnuendo
An innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging , that works obliquely by allusion...
s in each sentence. Gloria is a petrol station cashier who spends her time reading cheap novels, and is annoyed whenever someone requires service. Big Tramp is a homeless man who tries to get money out of people by any means necessary. Weekend Dad is a man called Clive, who only gets to see his son Curtis on the weekend, and is still bitter about it towards his estranged wife. Unsuitable Bloke applies for jobs he is unqualified for and has no hope of getting. He believes the only reason for his rejection is because he's a black man, so he ends up getting the job anyway. Uncle Lucas, a friendly pensioner who is everyone's friend, but has a seemingly endless supply of compromising stories about people's childhoods (though he believes them innocent enough), which leads to (among other things), a politician getting run out of town; a high-ranking policeman being arrested for kidnap; a respected judge being exposed as a former teenage prostitute; an undercover detective being executed by a drugs baron; and an illustrious psychologist being driven to insanity. There is also Didi le Gateau, a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
footballer. At the end shows Lenny with a partner (Omid Djalili
Omid Djalili
Omid Djalili is a British Iranian stand-up comedian, actor, television producer and writer.-Personal life:Djalili was born in Chelsea, London to Iranian Bahá'í parents and is a Bahá'í himself...
) trying to be absolutely discreet to avoid certain death (often being shot) until Omid farts and Lenny bursts into peals of laughter (often trying to muffle in between laughs by putting a garment in his mouth) and they end up dead anyway. An example of this is when Lenny and Omid are P.O.W.s doing the Great Escape under the noses of the Nazis while a curfew is going on.
The second series introduced even more new characters to keep the show fresh, such as Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, who is Lucius T. Kool III, a ghetto brother and leader of the Catholic Church; President Umbukele, who is an expert in diplomacy and acquiring foreign aid, but then spends it all on silly things; bad influence Granddad; and a family of animated polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
s with Brummie
Brummie
Brummie is a colloquial term for the inhabitants, accent and dialect of Birmingham, England, as well as being a general adjective used to denote a connection with the city, locally called Brum...
accents, who live at Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
.