Roger Mellie
Encyclopedia
Roger Mellie is a fictional character
featured in Viz magazine. His catchphrase is "Hello, good evening and bollocks!", satirising David Frost's
catchphrase "Hello, good evening, and welcome". The character (like many others in Viz) is foul-mouthed, an obnoxious misogynist who manages to maintain a career as a television presenter. He is shown working on various TV networks and channels, the fictional Fulchester Television (FTV) and the BBC
being his primary employers. He is the ostensible author of Roger's Profanisaurus
(ISBN 1-902212-05-3), a parody of Roget's Thesaurus
.
Vizs founder and main contributor Chris Donald
has said that the character of Roger Mellie was inspired by the off-screen behaviour of Rod Griffiths, a 1980s Northern UK
regional TV presenter but that Mellie is actually nothing like Griffiths in fact and other presenters have been worked into the character, including Look North
presenter Mike Neville. One issue gave Roger's name as "Roger Michael Neville Mellie".
Born Roger Edward Paul Mellie in 1937 in North Shields
, Roger was educated at Fulchester Mixed Infants, Bartlepool Grammar School, and the Oxford Remand Centre. He began his broadcasting career as a cub reporter on the news with Robert Dougall
and shot to fame doing genital mutilation routines at the London Palladium
. Recruited by Fulchester Television he became a popular TV personality and established his own production company
, MellieVision. He often stays at his favourite lap-dancing
club until gone three in the morning but lives in Fulchester
with his 17-year old Thai
wife and 15 Staffordshire Bull Terriers. He has had five previous wives (two 'accidentally' murdered), is undischarged bankrupt,a hopeless alcoholic, extremely sexist, right-wing bigot and a recovering cocaine addict.
Roger's straight man
is Tom, in early strips a director or producer, later a portmanteau figure, agent for Roger or television executive, to suit the script. In one issue, he has a sign reading 'Tom - Straight Man'. Tom's catchphrase is 'Where the Hell is Roger?'. Roger invariably arrives announcing 'Sorry I'm late, Tom'. In one strip, Tom imagines Roger has arrived on time only to discover that it is a life-size cardboard cut-out. Roger and Tom have crossed over into the Billy the Fish
strip occasionally before realising they are in the wrong page. They are used in other Viz strips when a reporter or narrator is needed and on these occasions Roger is generally (although not always) without his usual lecherous and/or violent behaviour.
On one occasion in 2006, while requiring a liver transplant (due to chronic alcoholism), Roger became a hit-and-run driver: he ran over and killed a motorcyclist without stopping, later receiving the dead man's liver for himself, then celebrating the successful liver transplant with a booze-up at the nearest pub. Sometimes the strip follows current or recent events: in a parody of the kidnapping of Alan Johnston
, Roger is kidnapped in Beirut
but after eight days it turns out to be an attempt to seek publicity. Tom discovers that the BBC
is in on the deception and reluctantly takes part by being a fake phone-in contestant on BBC Radio 4
. In 2011 (due to recent news stories revolving around celebrities taking out super injunctions in an attempt to protect themselves from scandal), Roger goes to his crooked solicitor attempting to silence his ex-wife from releasing a book about their violent marriage which also details Roger's 'questionable' hobbies. However it emerges he isn't trying to quiet his wife to protect himself, but is actually releasing this information himself in a new autobiography and he doesn't want her to cash in before him.
In another strip, Roger finally finds mainstream success by presenting Bargain Hunt
only to have it ruined when a dead body is fished out of his swimming pool
. He has also appeared in several other parodies of real TV shows, including a stint as presenter of Springwatch whilst Bill Oddie
was in hospital (Roger had accidentally shot him). Roger's version of the show consisted of him launching live rabbits from a catapult for Jack Charlton
and Ted Nugent
to shoot. Usually Roger has little success hosting mainstream shows but often suggests pornographic reworkings of well-known shows which against all odds prove a success.
Roger enjoys opening supermarkets, swimming (in his 50K pool), Guinness
, dog fighting
, badger fighting, his favourite pub, and golf
. His favourite newspaper is the News of the World
, and his favourite TV show is 'UK Fanny Van' on Red Hot TV. He has also written several books, 'They Don't Call Me Roger For Nothing', 'Sorry I'm Late, Tom', 'Shit Yourself Slim', 'Roger Mellie's Ad Break', and 'Roger's Profanisaurus'.
An animated
TV series
was released on video tape and also broadcast on Channel 4
in 1991, with Peter Cook
providing the voice of Roger, and Harry Enfield
doing all of the other voices. Roger also appeared in the 1991 Viz video game as the commentator for all the races.
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...
featured in Viz magazine. His catchphrase is "Hello, good evening and bollocks!", satirising David Frost's
David Frost (broadcaster)
Sir David Paradine Frost, OBE is a British journalist, comedian, writer, media personality and daytime TV game show host best known for his two decades as host of Through the Keyhole and serious interviews with various political figures, the most notable being Richard Nixon...
catchphrase "Hello, good evening, and welcome". The character (like many others in Viz) is foul-mouthed, an obnoxious misogynist who manages to maintain a career as a television presenter. He is shown working on various TV networks and channels, the fictional Fulchester Television (FTV) and 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...
being his primary employers. He is the ostensible author of Roger's Profanisaurus
Roger's Profanisaurus
Roger's Profanisaurus is a compendium of profanity, featuring the foulmouthed Viz character Roger Mellie, the man on the telly. The title is a word play on Roget's Thesaurus. The book is published in the United Kingdom by Viz, and described as "the foulest-mouthed book ever to stalk the face of...
(ISBN 1-902212-05-3), a parody of Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's Thesaurus is a widely-used English language thesaurus, created by Dr. Peter Mark Roget in 1805 and released to the public on 29 April 1852. The original edition had 15,000 words, and each new edition has been larger...
.
Vizs founder and main contributor Chris Donald
Chris Donald
Chris Donald is the founder of, and one of the principal contributors to, the British comic magazine Viz...
has said that the character of Roger Mellie was inspired by the off-screen behaviour of Rod Griffiths, a 1980s Northern UK
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...
regional TV presenter but that Mellie is actually nothing like Griffiths in fact and other presenters have been worked into the character, including Look North
BBC Look North (North East and Cumbria)
BBC Look North is the BBC's regional television news service for the BBC North East and Cumbria region. The programmes are produced and broadcast from the BBC Broadcasting Centre on Barrack Road in Newcastle upon Tyne with journalists also based at newsrooms in Middlesbrough, Durham, York and...
presenter Mike Neville. One issue gave Roger's name as "Roger Michael Neville Mellie".
Born Roger Edward Paul Mellie in 1937 in North Shields
North Shields
North Shields is a town on the north bank of the River Tyne, in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, in North East England...
, Roger was educated at Fulchester Mixed Infants, Bartlepool Grammar School, and the Oxford Remand Centre. He began his broadcasting career as a cub reporter on the news with Robert Dougall
Robert Dougall
Robert Dougall MBE was a British broadcaster and ornithologist, mainly known as a newsreader and announcer.-Television news:...
and shot to fame doing genital mutilation routines at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
. Recruited by Fulchester Television he became a popular TV personality and established his own production company
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
, MellieVision. He often stays at his favourite lap-dancing
Lap dance
A lap dance is a type of sex work performed in some strip clubs in which a naked or topless dancer performs an erotic dance either in immediate contact with a seated patron, or within a very short distance. With full-contact lap dances, the stripper may engage in non-penetrative sexual contact...
club until gone three in the morning but lives in Fulchester
Fulchester
Fulchester is a fictitious town in North East England where most of the comic strips in the humour-based Viz comic are set. From the accents used and the cultural references, it is presumed that Fulchester is either close to, or based upon, Newcastle upon Tyne. The name was taken from the British...
with his 17-year old Thai
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
wife and 15 Staffordshire Bull Terriers. He has had five previous wives (two 'accidentally' murdered), is undischarged bankrupt,a hopeless alcoholic, extremely sexist, right-wing bigot and a recovering cocaine addict.
Roger's straight man
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
is Tom, in early strips a director or producer, later a portmanteau figure, agent for Roger or television executive, to suit the script. In one issue, he has a sign reading 'Tom - Straight Man'. Tom's catchphrase is 'Where the Hell is Roger?'. Roger invariably arrives announcing 'Sorry I'm late, Tom'. In one strip, Tom imagines Roger has arrived on time only to discover that it is a life-size cardboard cut-out. Roger and Tom have crossed over into the Billy the Fish
Billy the Fish
Billy the Fish is a long-running cartoon strip in the British comic Viz that first appeared in 1983.Created by artist Chris Donald and writer Simon Thorp Billy the Fish is, like many Viz strips, a lampoon of British comics – In Billy the Fishs case, that of football-themed strips such as Roy of...
strip occasionally before realising they are in the wrong page. They are used in other Viz strips when a reporter or narrator is needed and on these occasions Roger is generally (although not always) without his usual lecherous and/or violent behaviour.
On one occasion in 2006, while requiring a liver transplant (due to chronic alcoholism), Roger became a hit-and-run driver: he ran over and killed a motorcyclist without stopping, later receiving the dead man's liver for himself, then celebrating the successful liver transplant with a booze-up at the nearest pub. Sometimes the strip follows current or recent events: in a parody of the kidnapping of Alan Johnston
Kidnapping of Alan Johnston
The kidnapping of Alan Johnston, a BBC journalist, by the Palestinian Durmush Hamula in Gaza City began on 12 March 2007 and lasted for nearly four months ....
, Roger is kidnapped in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
but after eight days it turns out to be an attempt to seek publicity. Tom discovers that 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...
is in on the deception and reluctantly takes part by being a fake phone-in contestant on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC 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...
. In 2011 (due to recent news stories revolving around celebrities taking out super injunctions in an attempt to protect themselves from scandal), Roger goes to his crooked solicitor attempting to silence his ex-wife from releasing a book about their violent marriage which also details Roger's 'questionable' hobbies. However it emerges he isn't trying to quiet his wife to protect himself, but is actually releasing this information himself in a new autobiography and he doesn't want her to cash in before him.
In another strip, Roger finally finds mainstream success by presenting Bargain Hunt
Bargain Hunt
Bargain Hunt is a British television programme in which two pairs of contestants are challenged to buy antiques at a fair and then sell them in an auction for a profit. It has aired on BBC One since 13 March 2000 in a daytime version and from 22 August 2002 to 13 November 2004 in a primetime version...
only to have it ruined when a dead body is fished out of his swimming pool
Michael Barrymore
Michael Kieron Parker , better known by his stage name Michael Barrymore, is a British comedian who appeared as a presenter of game shows and light entertainment programmes on British television in the 1980s and 1990s. These included Strike It Lucky, My Kind of People, My Kind of Music and Kids Say...
. He has also appeared in several other parodies of real TV shows, including a stint as presenter of Springwatch whilst Bill Oddie
Bill Oddie
William "Bill" Edgar Oddie OBE is an English author, actor, comedian, artist, naturalist and musician, who became famous as one of The Goodies....
was in hospital (Roger had accidentally shot him). Roger's version of the show consisted of him launching live rabbits from a catapult for Jack Charlton
Jack Charlton
John "Jack" Charlton, OBE, DL is a former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup...
and Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
to shoot. Usually Roger has little success hosting mainstream shows but often suggests pornographic reworkings of well-known shows which against all odds prove a success.
Roger enjoys opening supermarkets, swimming (in his 50K pool), Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
, dog fighting
Dog fighting
Dog fighting is a form of blood sport in which game dogs are made to fight, sometimes to the death. It is illegal in most developed countries. Dog fighting is used for entertainment and may also generate revenue from stud fees, admission fees and gambling....
, badger fighting, his favourite pub, and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
. His favourite newspaper is 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...
, and his favourite TV show is 'UK Fanny Van' on Red Hot TV. He has also written several books, 'They Don't Call Me Roger For Nothing', 'Sorry I'm Late, Tom', 'Shit Yourself Slim', 'Roger Mellie's Ad Break', and 'Roger's Profanisaurus'.
An animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
TV series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
was released on video tape and also broadcast on Channel 4
Channel 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...
in 1991, with Peter Cook
Peter Cook
Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...
providing the voice of Roger, and Harry Enfield
Harry Enfield
Henry Richard "Harry" Enfield is a BAFTA-winning English comedian, actor, writer and director.-Early life:...
doing all of the other voices. Roger also appeared in the 1991 Viz video game as the commentator for all the races.
Selected TV shows
(Note that the links direct to the genuine show on which Roger's version was based.)- Bargain CuntBargain HuntBargain Hunt is a British television programme in which two pairs of contestants are challenged to buy antiques at a fair and then sell them in an auction for a profit. It has aired on BBC One since 13 March 2000 in a daytime version and from 22 August 2002 to 13 November 2004 in a primetime version...
- Blind ShagBlind Date (UK TV series)Blind Date is a British dating game show produced by London Weekend Television. An unscreened pilot was made with comic Duncan Norvelle as presenter but it was eventually hosted by Cilla Black, who already hosted the LWT series, Surprise, Surprise...
- Blue RogerBlue PeterBlue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
- Blinkery BlankBlankety BlankBlankety Blank is a British comedy game show based on the 1977–1978 Australian game show Blankety Blanks ....
- Pimp My RidePimp My RidePimp My Ride is a TV show produced by MTV. Each episode consists of taking one car in poor condition and restoring it and customizing it.The original United States version was hosted by rapper Xzibit...
- Call My Muff
- Challenge RogerChallenge AnnekaChallenge Anneka is a British television programme, produced by the independent production company Mentorn for the BBC, which aired on Friday, later Saturday evenings on BBC One between 8 September 1989 and 15 October 1995. It was announced in 2006 that the series is returning, but this time on...
- The Bristol MazeThe Crystal MazeThe Crystal Maze was a British game show, produced by Chatsworth Television and shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom between 15 February 1990 and 10 August 1995. There was one series per year, with the first four series presented by Richard O'Brien and the final two by Ed Tudor-Pole, who made...
- CuntdownCountdown (game show)Countdown is a British game show involving word and number puzzles. It is produced by ITV Studios and broadcast on Channel 4. It is presented by Jeff Stelling, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and over sixty-five...
- The Mellie ReportThe Cook ReportThe Cook Report was a British current affairs television programme shown on ITV, produced for the network by Central Television from 1987 to 1998.-History:...
- Celebrity Bumhole
- Whose Line Is It Now?Whose Line Is It Anyway?Whose Line Is It Anyway? is a short-form improvisational comedy TV show. Originally a British radio programme, it moved to television in 1988 as a series made for the UK's Channel 4, for a 10 series run...
- Marbles Up Their Arseholes
- Farting About With Mellie
- Celebrity Shit In A Bucket
- MellieTubbiesTeletubbiesTeletubbies is a BBC children's television series targeted at pre-school viewers and produced from 1997 to 2001 by Ragdoll Productions. It was created by Ragdoll's creative director Anne Wood CBE and Andrew Davenport, who wrote each of the show's 365 episodes. The programme's original narrator was...
- Look Fulchester
- Fuck A Duck
- Blowing The Lid Off Britain's Brothels
- Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television game show which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television International. The maximum cash prize is one million pounds...
- Roger Mellie's Live Russian Roulette
- 'Roger', daytime show
- Jackass UKJackass (TV series)jackass is an American reality series, originally shown on MTV from 2000 to 2002, featuring people performing various dangerous, crude, ridiculous, self-injuring stunts and pranks...
- The Bollock Naked Chef
- Pano-fucking-ramaPanoramaA panorama is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film/video, or a three-dimensional model....
- Who Do You Think You Are?
- Celebrity Genital Mutilation
- Girls of the Razzle HouseThe Girls Next DoorThe Girls Next Door, also known as The Girls of the Playboy Mansion, is an American reality television series broadcast on the E! cable television network...
External links
- Roger's Profanisaurus online at Vizs website
- Flash scan of strip from Viz website:Roger Mellie: The Man On The Telly