Modern Toss
Encyclopedia
Modern Toss is a British
series of cartoon booklets and books aimed at adults, and a television series
based on them. It is the creation of Mick Bunnage
and Jon Link; their company is called Modern Toss Ltd, also going under the name '*hitflap' (apparently a euphemism for 'shitflap').
The cartoons feature low-quality drawing, offensive language, violence, and satire of mundane life. Most of the printed cartoons are one page long and consist of one or sometimes a few frames.
The first two issues were also compiled into a book, Modern Toss Book, published by Macmillan
. A further edition compiled from the second two issues is available — entitled Modern Toss Another Book. Also a book entitled Work is available featuring all of their "work" cartoons. Home Clubber was also compiled into a further book, which is entitled "All You Can Eat". In October 2010 Modern Toss published "More Work" this was self published by Modern Toss.
In November 2006, Modern Toss was published in the United States by Simon & Schuster
.
broadcast a partly animated late-night television series closely based on the published cartoons. It includes live action, animation, and cartoons combining the two. The show has a voice cast that includes Mackenzie Crook
, Doon Mackichan
, Paul Kaye
and Simon Greenall
. The animated segments maintain the simplistic look of the books.
The live-action sketches ("I live ere", "Alan", "Drive by abuser", "Customer services", "Accident and emergency", "Citizens advice", "Illegal alphabet") were directed by Ben Wheatley
. The animation was directed by Bunnage and Link, series one animation was produced by 12Foot6
, series two by Spy Pictures
.
Beginning on 4 May 2007 the show aired on Bravo in the UK as part of the adult swim
block.
The first series was released on Region 2 DVD in November 2007, while a second series started on Channel 4 on 23 January 2008. The Region 2 DVD of the second series was released in Spring 2008.
An earlier app The Pocket Shouter was a soundboard iPhone app featuring the Drive-by abuser. It first appeared in 2009 but as of March 2011 is no longer available. A new version is planned for Summer 2011.
The Periodic Table of Swearing is also set to be released as an app sometime in 2011
The following recurring cartoons are in the television version only:
Mr Tourette and Alan appear on the covers of Modern Toss booklets and books and on merchandise.
.
All 5 films in the Random Bandits series are now launched and can be viewed on the Kickers MySpace.
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...
series of cartoon booklets and books aimed at adults, and a television series
Modern Toss (TV series)
Modern Toss is a partly animated British comedy programme based on characters from Modern Toss, a profanity-ridden series of cartoon booklets...
based on them. It is the creation of Mick Bunnage
Mick Bunnage
Mick Bunnage is a cartoonist, journalist, comedy writer and was formerly the bass guitarist of The Deep Freeze Mice. He is the co-creator of the Modern Toss comic, which was also turned into a TV series by Channel 4...
and Jon Link; their company is called Modern Toss Ltd, also going under the name '*hitflap' (apparently a euphemism for 'shitflap').
The cartoons feature low-quality drawing, offensive language, violence, and satire of mundane life. Most of the printed cartoons are one page long and consist of one or sometimes a few frames.
Booklets and books
Since 2004, six issues of Modern Toss have been published as comics. Some of the issues are partly funded by advance subscription, with the names of subscribers listed in the booklet.The first two issues were also compiled into a book, Modern Toss Book, published by Macmillan
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
. A further edition compiled from the second two issues is available — entitled Modern Toss Another Book. Also a book entitled Work is available featuring all of their "work" cartoons. Home Clubber was also compiled into a further book, which is entitled "All You Can Eat". In October 2010 Modern Toss published "More Work" this was self published by Modern Toss.
In November 2006, Modern Toss was published in the United States by Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
.
Television
From 11 July 2006, Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
broadcast a partly animated late-night television series closely based on the published cartoons. It includes live action, animation, and cartoons combining the two. The show has a voice cast that includes Mackenzie Crook
Mackenzie Crook
Paul Mackenzie Crook is a British actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Gareth Keenan in The Office and Ragetti in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.-Life and career:...
, Doon Mackichan
Doon Mackichan
Doon Mackichan is an English comedienne and actress.-Biography:Born in London, Mackichan was brought up in Surrey until the age of 9 when she moved with her family to Upper Largo, Fife. She is a graduate of Manchester University...
, Paul Kaye
Paul Kaye
Paul Kaye is an English comedian and actor. He achieved notoriety in 1995 portraying the character of Dennis Pennis, a shock interviewer on The Sunday Show...
and Simon Greenall
Simon Greenall
Simon Greenall is a British actor, writer and voice artist from Longtown in Cumbria. He has appeared in a wide variety of roles in television, film, radio and the theatre, and is probably best known for his role as Michael in the TV series I'm Alan Partridge and as the voice of headmaster Iqbal in...
. The animated segments maintain the simplistic look of the books.
The live-action sketches ("I live ere", "Alan", "Drive by abuser", "Customer services", "Accident and emergency", "Citizens advice", "Illegal alphabet") were directed by Ben Wheatley
Ben Wheatley
Ben Wheatley Animator, Director of internet viral ads, TV idents, TV adverts TV comedy shows and feature films.-Early life:Wheatley was born in Billericay, Essex. He went to Haverstock School in North London and it was here during the sixth form that he met Amy Jump who is now his wife and...
. The animation was directed by Bunnage and Link, series one animation was produced by 12Foot6
Dave Anderson (cartoon writer)
Dave Anderson is a British writer and creator of cartoons and animations including Bastard Bunny and the BAFTA nominated animation shorts, The Terribles...
, series two by Spy Pictures
Spy Pictures
Spy Pictures was established in 1999 as a London based production company making short films, commercials, music promos and title sequences, mainly animated...
.
Beginning on 4 May 2007 the show aired on Bravo in the UK as part of the adult swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
block.
The first series was released on Region 2 DVD in November 2007, while a second series started on Channel 4 on 23 January 2008. The Region 2 DVD of the second series was released in Spring 2008.
Merchandise
There is also a range of Modern Toss merchandise, including T-shirts, soft toys,DVDs, books, comics, magnets, posters and art prints.Apps
The Daily Toss: Your Daily Serving of Modern Toss is an iPhone and iPad app developed by Modern Toss and Aimer Media. Cartoons from the Modern Toss archive are presented in a dated sequence in seasonal batches.An earlier app The Pocket Shouter was a soundboard iPhone app featuring the Drive-by abuser. It first appeared in 2009 but as of March 2011 is no longer available. A new version is planned for Summer 2011.
The Periodic Table of Swearing is also set to be released as an app sometime in 2011
Recurring cartoons
Though some of them are one-off, most of the cartoons follow recurring themes (or in a few cases loosely sequential stories). The following all appear in the publications and many also in the television series:- Mr Tourette: a French sign-writer who produces offensive signs bearing no relation to his customers' instructions. This usually culminates in his customer being totally unhappy with the work and Mr Tourette calling them "some kind of cunt"
- Alan: a sociopathic, scribble-like creature who plays extreme practical jokes on his middle-class brother-in-law, usually involving Alan turning up uninvited to a social event, causing a large amount of destruction to the tune of "I Like To Move ItI Like to Move It"I Like to Move It" is a 1994 music track performed by Reel 2 Real , featuring ragga vocals by Trinidad and Tobago rapper The Mad Stuntman...
" by Reel 2 RealReel 2 RealReel 2 Real is a house music and reggae-influenced duo which had seven Top 10 hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the 1990s.-Biography:...
before running away, leaving his brother-in-law to shout "Come back, Alan, you wanker!" - Prince Edward, Royal Entrepreneur: the princePrince Edward, Earl of WessexPrince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
tries to make money out of anything associated with the Royal family, no matter how tasteless - Cheese and Wine: satire of boring 'small talk' made at parties, such as 'I hear Peter's new business is in trouble' meeting with the reply 'Peter's a cunt'
- Citizens Advice: irate and often illogical complaints from members of the public about goods, services and employers, usually concluding with the question "where do I stand legally?"
- Work: conversations with disgruntled or complacent employees; for example, a man phones in from home, saying, "I've heard the printer's broken so I won't be coming in"
- 999: emergency phone calls from people in bizarre situations
- Emergency services: people with bizarre health complaints
- Daytrippers: two men discuss plans for various violent outings
- Planet chat: everyday conversations between celestial bodies
- Space argument: astronauts arguing on the moon
- I live 'ere: a farmer who recounts his violent assaults on members of the public
- Drive-by abuser: a man on a moped who shouts pointless insults at people, animals or inanimate objects he drives past. Typical examples include:
- "You're a traffic light, yeh? Changing colours, yeh? Yeh, fucking looks like it an' all"
- "Well good luck to ya, 'cause I wouldn't have the fucking nerve"
- "Why not though eh? It's your life innit?"
- "See ya around, yeah?"
- Fly talk: conversations between flies about humans they've encountered, sometimes mentioning celebrities including Chris MartinChris MartinChristopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin is an English song-writer, who is the lead vocalist, pianist and rhythm guitarist of the band Coldplay. He is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow.-Early life:...
and 50 Cent50 CentCurtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
.. - Home clubber: provides a panel of insight into the latest exploit of an amoral entrepreneur. These cartoons appear weekly in the "Guide" section of the GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- Weekend: tedious domestic conversations
- Medieval Kneval: exploits of a medieval stuntman
- Peanut: the saga of a disbanded pop group and their manager
- Park: dog excrement related events in a park
- Dogkiller: novel methods of luring dogs to their death
- And what do you think?: vox pop interviews
- Customer Services: Customers returning purchased items to shops with absurd complaints about the item's quality, i.e.: "This CD I bought off you, made me kill someone!" Or: "This kitchen I bought off you, gave me manic depression!"
The following recurring cartoons are in the television version only:
- Gnat burglar: a giant gnat which sucks the entire contents out of things and injects it into other things
- Underground wolf gobbler: a giant semi-human monster that pops up out of the ground and eats things, bears a passing resemblance to Rupert MurdochRupert MurdochKeith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
(Actually editor Rob Hill's Dad Bob) - Peace & quiet: a man who seeks peace and quiet in his garden, but is plagued by noise from neighbours and others nearby
- Barney: a man who periodically turns into a red Incredible HulkHulk (comics)The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
-like monster at the mention of Alan TitchmarshAlan TitchmarshAlan Fred Titchmarsh, MBE DL is an English gardener, broadcaster and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a garden journalist, he established himself as a media personality through appearances on gardening programmes...
& during everyday minor fustrations, and causes destruction in a mad rage, followed by embarrassment at what he has done - Illegal Alphabet: a large number of human-sized letters that congregate in a field to form rude words (including bizarre portmanteaus such as "pipecock"); they are then ambushed by police. These scenes end with a BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
-style voiceover announcing e.g. "That was Illegal Alphabet in 'unsanctioned piss meeting' followed by 'unauthorised shitcasket'" - Sneezeman: a little man with a huge nose who is propelled backwards at great speed when he sneezes, usually hurting himself and destroying property
- Seawalker: this has only appeared once so far in the television series — a man with very long legs walks out of the sea onto the beach, whereupon his legs are severed by people playing frisbee
Mr Tourette and Alan appear on the covers of Modern Toss booklets and books and on merchandise.
Tag Lines
- "Modern Toss - the stink of excellence in a world gone tits up!"
- "Modern Toss. Watching a TV program yeah? Looks like it an' all!" both delivered by a female voiceover (Doon MackichanDoon MackichanDoon Mackichan is an English comedienne and actress.-Biography:Born in London, Mackichan was brought up in Surrey until the age of 9 when she moved with her family to Upper Largo, Fife. She is a graduate of Manchester University...
)
Kickers sponsored series
Modern Toss writers Mick Bunnage and Jon Link have partnered with shoe company Kickers in 2009 to present Random Bandits, a suite of cartoons in the style of other Modern Toss productions. They have developed 3 strands of film themes which appear as short skits in each of the episodes that make up the Kickers presents Random Bandits series. The films feature voiceovers by comedy actor Mackenzie CrookMackenzie Crook
Paul Mackenzie Crook is a British actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Gareth Keenan in The Office and Ragetti in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.-Life and career:...
.
All 5 films in the Random Bandits series are now launched and can be viewed on the Kickers MySpace.