The Morgana Show
Encyclopedia
The Morgana Show is a British television
sketch comedy
written by Morgana Robinson
and James de Frond. The eponymous Robinson also stars in almost all of the show's sketches, which feature a wide range of original character creations and celebrity impressions. The Morgana Show airs on Channel 4
.
and My Family. She also appeared on Channel 4 show The TNT Show in "Gilbert's Special Reports", as an awkward teenage boy who interviews celebrities, along with a blind soundman and a dwarf
camerawoman. The character of Gilbert would later appear in Robinson's own show.
The show was commissioned by Channel 4's head of comedy, Shane Allen, saying: "Discovering, supporting and nurturing new talent is at the heart of Channel 4 comedy’s remit, and in Morgana we really feel we’ve found a fresh performer with a huge amount of potential."
The first season of the show, which consisted of five episodes, aired from 30 November to 28 December 2010.
Madolynn - An alcoholic, "past-her-prime" Hollywood star, often seen drinking heavily and making a fool of herself at formal public places, embarrassing her husband, Norman.
The news reporters - Two reporters who are often seen bickering at each other, making vile remarks about each other - yet they immediately appear to be friends when they begin their live coverage of an event. Before going live, they say "Like each other! Like each other!"
Banker - A misogynistic, arrogant man who is often seen talking loudly on his phone, much to everyone else's annoyance, before receiving his comeuppance at the end of the sketch.
The Hicks - A stereotypical redneck
family, all of whom possess bizarre phonic tics, triggered by each other.
Joyce and Barry - A married couple who run a funeral parlour together. They are seen in a documentary about their business. Joyce is often interrupted by Barry, and is seemingly exasperated with him.
Mimsy - An elderly woman who lives alone in her stately manor. She continues to find everyday objects but names them extraordinary things.
The Chelsea Pensioners - Two war veterans talk about their experiences in the war, one forgetting something and being corrected (or not) by the other.
Monique - Daughter of alcoholic Madolynn, who is represented as a parody of an MTV, The Hills
, girl.
and Dannii Minogue
- Both are seen in a make-up room, presumably on the set of The X Factor
, and are constantly trying to out-do each other. Cole is often seen winking and simpering to the camera.
Fearne Cotton
- Performs ludicrous stunts, while hyperactive, slapping herself in the face and discussing how annoying she is. Her stunts always go horribly wrong, and she is often left dismembered, impaled or otherwise badly injured, while still looking forward to the next stunt.
Lady Gaga
- Seen performing day-to-day tasks, such as ironing or mowing the lawn, while wearing her outrageous costumes. The sketches are always introduced to the theme of Bad Romance
.
Boris Johnson
- Shown as a 12-year-old public schoolboy, bumbling his way through speeches.
, said: "We must part with our celebration of female-fronted comedy, thanks to The Morgana Show, a witless sketch vehicle for newcomer Morgana Robinson. Why has she got her own show? Is it because her agent is the powerful John Noel, who numbers Russell Brand among his clients? I wonder." John Crace of The Guardian
wrote: "At her best, Robinson is one of the sharpest and funniest comics around: unfortunately, this show didn't do her any favours."
However, some critics gave the show a far more positive review. Jane Simon of The Mirror wrote: I know what you're thinking: Morgana who? The funny girl isn't a household name, but we expect that to change after Morgana Robinson's debut tonight[...]This may be the first you've heard of Morgana - it won't be the last." Ruth Margolis of Radio Times
wrote: "Whether or not she makes you laugh, Morgana Robinson is without question a staggeringly brilliant vocal and facial mimic[...]Well done to Channel 4 for not wimping out and stashing Morgana on E4."
Episode 1 of the show received 780,000 viewers.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
sketch comedy
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...
written by Morgana Robinson
Morgana Robinson
Morgana Robinson is an English comedienne, writer and actress, who is probably best known for her The Morgana Show, and her appearance on The TNT Show. She will appear in her own impressions show in 2012, Very Important People.-Television career:...
and James de Frond. The eponymous Robinson also stars in almost all of the show's sketches, which feature a wide range of original character creations and celebrity impressions. The Morgana Show airs 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...
.
History
Robinson has appeared in some British comedy shows, including The Green Green GrassThe Green Green Grass
The Green Green Grass is a British sitcom, created and initially written by John Sullivan, produced by Shazam Productions for the BBC. It is a spin-off of the long running sitcom Only Fools and Horses and stars John Challis, Sue Holderness and Jack Doolan...
and My Family. She also appeared on Channel 4 show The TNT Show in "Gilbert's Special Reports", as an awkward teenage boy who interviews celebrities, along with a blind soundman and a dwarf
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
camerawoman. The character of Gilbert would later appear in Robinson's own show.
The show was commissioned by Channel 4's head of comedy, Shane Allen, saying: "Discovering, supporting and nurturing new talent is at the heart of Channel 4 comedy’s remit, and in Morgana we really feel we’ve found a fresh performer with a huge amount of potential."
The first season of the show, which consisted of five episodes, aired from 30 November to 28 December 2010.
Original characters
Gilbert - An awkward teenage boy who is often seen making his own television show, "The Gilbert Shows", filmed by his grandad. The character first appeared on The TNT Show (see above).Madolynn - An alcoholic, "past-her-prime" Hollywood star, often seen drinking heavily and making a fool of herself at formal public places, embarrassing her husband, Norman.
The news reporters - Two reporters who are often seen bickering at each other, making vile remarks about each other - yet they immediately appear to be friends when they begin their live coverage of an event. Before going live, they say "Like each other! Like each other!"
Banker - A misogynistic, arrogant man who is often seen talking loudly on his phone, much to everyone else's annoyance, before receiving his comeuppance at the end of the sketch.
The Hicks - A stereotypical redneck
Redneck
Redneck is a historically derogatory slang term used in reference to poor, uneducated white farmers, especially from the southern United States...
family, all of whom possess bizarre phonic tics, triggered by each other.
Joyce and Barry - A married couple who run a funeral parlour together. They are seen in a documentary about their business. Joyce is often interrupted by Barry, and is seemingly exasperated with him.
Mimsy - An elderly woman who lives alone in her stately manor. She continues to find everyday objects but names them extraordinary things.
The Chelsea Pensioners - Two war veterans talk about their experiences in the war, one forgetting something and being corrected (or not) by the other.
Monique - Daughter of alcoholic Madolynn, who is represented as a parody of an MTV, The Hills
The Hills
The Hills is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from May 31, 2006 until July 13, 2010. The show uses a reality television format, following the personal lives of several young adults living in Los Angeles, California, but tends towards a narrative format more commonly found...
, girl.
Celebrity impressions
Cheryl ColeCheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
and Dannii Minogue
Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...
- Both are seen in a make-up room, presumably on the set of The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
, and are constantly trying to out-do each other. Cole is often seen winking and simpering to the camera.
Fearne Cotton
Fearne Cotton
Fearne Cotton is an English television and radio presenter who is known for presenting a number of popular TV programmes such as Top of the Pops and the Red Nose Day telethon. In 2007, she became the first regular female presenter of BBC Radio 1's Chart Show...
- Performs ludicrous stunts, while hyperactive, slapping herself in the face and discussing how annoying she is. Her stunts always go horribly wrong, and she is often left dismembered, impaled or otherwise badly injured, while still looking forward to the next stunt.
Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
- Seen performing day-to-day tasks, such as ironing or mowing the lawn, while wearing her outrageous costumes. The sketches are always introduced to the theme of Bad Romance
Bad Romance
"Bad Romance" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga. It was released as the lead single from her third extended play , and second major release The Fame Monster . Written by Lady Gaga and produced by RedOne, the track was inspired by Gaga's fear of negative love relationships and the...
.
Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
- Shown as a 12-year-old public schoolboy, bumbling his way through speeches.
Reception
Critical opinion of the show has been somewhat divided. The majority of the reviews, while generally praising Robinson's talented performing and comic timing, have criticised the sketches and writing. The British Comedy Guide wrote that "Morgana Robinson is clearly an acting talent to watch, as she demonstrates a very wide range of characters in this show[...]however, that all said, this is not going to be the TV vehicle that makes Morgana famous - most of the sketches just simply aren't funny enough." Paul Whitelaw, from The ScotsmanThe Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
, said: "We must part with our celebration of female-fronted comedy, thanks to The Morgana Show, a witless sketch vehicle for newcomer Morgana Robinson. Why has she got her own show? Is it because her agent is the powerful John Noel, who numbers Russell Brand among his clients? I wonder." John Crace of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
wrote: "At her best, Robinson is one of the sharpest and funniest comics around: unfortunately, this show didn't do her any favours."
However, some critics gave the show a far more positive review. Jane Simon of The Mirror wrote: I know what you're thinking: Morgana who? The funny girl isn't a household name, but we expect that to change after Morgana Robinson's debut tonight[...]This may be the first you've heard of Morgana - it won't be the last." Ruth Margolis of Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
wrote: "Whether or not she makes you laugh, Morgana Robinson is without question a staggeringly brilliant vocal and facial mimic[...]Well done to Channel 4 for not wimping out and stashing Morgana on E4."
Episode 1 of the show received 780,000 viewers.