View source for Alexei Sayle's Stuff

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{{Original research|date=December 2011}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Alexei Sayle's Stuff.jpg
| caption              =
| genre                = [[Sketch comedy]]
| creator              = 
| writer               = {{Plainlist|
*  [[Andrew Marshall (writer)|Andrew Marshall]]
* [[David Renwick]]
* [[Alexei Sayle]]
}}
| director             = Marcus Mortimer
| creative_director    = 
| developer            = 
| presenter            = 
| starring             = {{Plainlist|
*  [[Alexei Sayle]]
* [[Angus Deayton]]
* [[Tony Millan]]
* [[Harriet Thorpe]]
}}
| voices               = 
| narrated             = 
| theme_music_composer = 
| opentheme            = 
| endtheme             = 
| composer             = 
| country              = United Kingdom
| language             = English
| num_series           = 3
| num_episodes         = 18
| list_episodes        = 
| executive_producer   = 
| producer             = Marcus Mortimer
| editor               = 
| location             = 
| cinematography       = 
| camera               = 
| runtime              = 30 minutes
| channel              = [[BBC Two|BBC2]]
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1988|10|13|df=yes}}
| related              = {{Plainlist|
* ''[[The All New Alexei Sayle Show]]''
* ''[[Alexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round]]''
}} 
}}
'''''Alexei Sayle's Stuff''''' is a British television [[comedy sketch]] show which ran on [[BBC Two|BBC2]] for a total of 18 episodes over 3 series from 1988 to 1991.

==Cast==
Alexei Sayle's Stuff stars stand-up comedian [[Alexei Sayle]], with a recurring cast including [[Angus Deayton]], [[Mark Williams (actor)|Mark Williams]], [[Arabella Weir]], [[Tony Millan]], [[Jan Ravens]], [[Owen Brenman]], [[Harriet Thorpe]], [[Felicity Montagu]] and [[Morwenna Banks]].

==Synopsis==
Sketches are interspersed with Sayle's trademark angry stand-up monologues, delivered from increasingly odd locations. Sayle is seen traversing the country on a [[moped]] in a vague attempt to catalogue and comprehend all the "stuff" about him. The style of humour is often highly surreal and blunt. The bulk of the content was written by Sayle himself, with [[Andrew Marshall (writer)|Andrew Marshall]] and [[David Renwick]]. Additional material was contributed by longtime collaborator [[David Stafford (writer)|David Stafford]] and comedian and promoter Huw David Thomas. Although Sayle's humour in the programme covers many bases, politics is always a favourite target: "Recently I had to get married, 'cos I got my girlfriend into trouble – got her involved in the civil war in Angola." Various episodes also feature sketches based around BBC2 presentation, including satirical continuity announcers and faux trailers.

[[Image:Steamboat fatty.jpg|thumb|left|A screenshot from the second series of ''Alexei Sayle's Stuff'', showing the spoof cartoon "Steamboat Fatty".]]
At the beginning of series 2, in a sequence spoofing the creation of [[Walt Disney|Disney]]'s [[Mickey Mouse]], a sketch reveals that Alexei Sayle is in fact a cartoon character. Viewers are shown a short extract from Sayle's very first animated appearance from fifty years previously, named "Steamboat Fatty" (spoofing ''[[Steamboat Willie]]'', the first Mickey Mouse cartoon), as well as [[Mickey Mouse Club|Mouseketeer]]-esque children dancing around wearing bald wigs. An edited version of this sketch became the title sequence for series 2.

Series 1's titles feature a handsome young man arriving at BBC Television Centre to the accompaniment of [[Dion DiMucci|Dion]]'s hit ''[[The Wanderer (Dion song)|The Wanderer]]'', with prosthetic make-up and padding being applied to change his appearance to that of Alexei Sayle, followed by a BBC receptionist uttering the phrase "Who is that fat bastard?" which was to become the show's catch-phrase. Series 3's title sequence is a pastiche of [[Zorro]], the theme song being sung [[mariachi]] style ("''This fat renegade / Carves a 'B' with his blade / A 'B' that stands for 'Bastard'.''")

One episode in series 2 begins with a lengthy [[cold open]] of an initially straight scene from ''[[Juliet Bravo]]'' featuring actress [[Anna Carteret]]. Viewers are fooled into believing that the first few minutes of the programme are a ''Juliet Bravo'' episode, the illusion being broken only when one of her male colleagues appears not to "know what a woman is". Similar blending and bending of the boundaries of TV formats continues throughout the series.

==Memorable sketches==
* ''Social Workers'' – the first sketch, per se, of the series. Description of various atrocities from history, [[Vlad the Impaler]], Herod's [[Massacre of the Innocents]] etc. followed by interrogative journalism of English [[Nanny state]] social workers as to why they failed to take action on these events.
* ''Beauty Miss'' – personal beauty products, as used by [[George Bernard Shaw]] and [[Berthold Brecht]]
* [[Oscar Wilde]]'s "The Noble Art of Verbal Abuse" – for protection against [[Millwall F.C.|Millwall]] fans
* An interview with "Sir [[Freddy Krueger]]," new head of the [[English National Opera]]
* Joan Alone – [[Joan of Arc]] plugging her autobiography, record, etc., during interrogation
* [[Unemployment]] and [[Teletext]] – twin scourges of the 1990s
* ''Issues'' – A treatise on Islamic politics with waitresses Samantha, Tina, and Babs
* ''Hooray for British Films'' – a satirical attack on the then dire state of the British film industry
* A brigade of cowardly [[firemen]] who each suffer crippling phobias, such as [[Claustrophobia]] and [[Pyrophobia]], that undermines their roles as firemen by preventing them from tackling a house fire – much to the house owner's frustration.
* [[International Olympic Committee]] looking round a [[council house]] in London with a view to staging the games inside it
* A drinks party with [[Triffid]]s
* Firemen get dainty new uniforms and prance around like fashion models while out on the job
* ''Santa Claus : Polar Czar'' – ''[[The World at War|World at War]]''-style expose of [[Father Christmas]] as murderous dictator.
* Investigative journalists try to get an impromptu interview with [[God]] (Sayle) after hearing from various people who have each suffered comical misfortunes. God is portrayed as a reclusive man who 'moves in mysterious ways' by flailing around ridiculously as he walks.
* ''A Few Moments With Lord [[William Rees-Mogg]]'' – in episode 2 of series 3, on seven occasions throughout the show a photograph of Rees-Mogg was displayed on screen while Herb Alpert's ''The Swinger from Seville'' ([[burlesque]]-style music with an audience clearly audible in the background) was played over the top. After the first time it was shown, the BBC2 voiceover (Angus Deayton) apologised and assured the viewers at home that it would not happen again. It was then immediately brought back to the screen.
* A man who was decapitated and had to have an artificial head attached, in a documentary called "Man or Chess Piece?".
* ''Word Association'' – A music video for Sayle's eponymous 1985 song in which a game of [[word association]] gradually reveals his dirty mind to an attractive [[psychiatrist]] against his will. Despite initially being horrified and confused by Sayle's words, the psychiatrist ultimately falls in love with him.
* A spoof news broadcast detailing how [[Margaret Thatcher]] uses the [[TARDIS]] from [[Doctor Who]] to go back in time and visit a [[Black Plague]] clinic, then goes forward to visit an [[National Health Service|NHS]] hospital in the future, which looks exactly the same. She is quoted as saying that people should stop worrying about the [[Daleks]] exterminating people and instead focus on the opportunities they bring to the [[electronics industry]].
* Most episodes in Series 3 feature the recurring character "Monsieur Aubergine", a mime artist who is part [[Mr. Bean]] and part [[Marcel Marceau]].

==Home media releases==

Three complete episodes were included in separate editions of ''BBC Video World'', a fortnightly subscription-only service – primarily for expatriates – that delivered a three-hour selection of BBC programming on VHS cassettes:

* Vol. 1 No. 11 (August 1989) = Series 1 Episode 2
* Vol. 1 No. 16 (November 1989) = Series 1 Episode 6
* Vol. 1 No. 18 (December 1989) = Series 2 Episode 2

''The Best of Alexei Sayle's Stuff'', a 79 minute compilation featuring selected clips from the first two series, was released on VHS by BBC Video in 1990.

Series 1 was released on Region 2 DVD by 2entertain in 2005, followed by Series 2 and Series 3 in 2006. Each release was a single-disc edition containing the complete series, and no extra content. Only Series 2 was released on Region 4 DVD. As is common practice, certain sketches were omitted or truncated on the DVD releases, likely due to music licensing rights, or copyright issues. This included the removal of all of the linked "Michelin Film Awards" sketches from Series 2 Episode 2, which were complete on the ''BBC Video World'' release.

==Legacy==
''Alexei Sayle's Stuff'' was a critical success and a prelude to his 1994 series ''[[The All New Alexei Sayle Show]]'', which was broadly similar in content and was likewise followed by ''[[Alexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round]]'' in 1998.

==Sources==
*[http://www.eskimo.com/~rkj/a.htm Johnson RK, ''British TV Show Reviews'']
*[http://www.memorabletv.com/britcom/britishcomedy1.htm "UK Comedy" on ''Memorable TV''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070504220017/http://www.memorabletv.com/britcom/britishcomedy1.htm |date=4 May 2007 }}

==External links==
*{{BBC programme|b008jyy8}}
*{{BBC Online|comedy/alexeisaylesstuff|''Alexei Sayle's Stuff''}} (Archived BBC Comedy page)
*{{IMDb title|id=0094412|title=Alexei Sayle's Stuff}}
*{{Screenonline TV title|1020695}}

{{InternationalEmmyAward Popular Arts Programming}}

[[Category:BBC television sketch shows]]
[[Category:1980s British television sketch shows]]
[[Category:1990s British television sketch shows]]
[[Category:1988 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1991 British television series endings]]
[[Category:British English-language television shows]]