Fantabulosa on BBC4!

Did anyone else see Fantabulosa on BBC4 this evening? A sort of TV verison of the Kenneth Williams diaries. I thought it was very good and quite moving towards the end.

I must admit I am enjoying the BBC4's themed evenings of late. The Jackanory one the other week was also rather fun to watch.

I notice they have a remake of A for Andromeda coming up too.

They should have an evening dedicated to Saturday morning television.

Don't know why but it would be interesting.

Michael Sheen was good as Williams, especially the voice - but looked nothing like him (apart from the prosthetic nostrils).

As for making Sheen 'age' during the film by applying tippex to the front of his hair was quite frankly laughable.

I'm cursing myself for missing Fantabulosa last night. Does anyone know if it'll be repeated on BBC One or Two in the near future?

I thought the entire evening was tremendous, from the performances to the archive footage.

I do remember watching Kenny doing the chat show circuit, and he really did repeat the same stories again and again.

That said, I would have watched them all again with pleasure had he not had such an untimely death.

Don't know about One and Two but it's being repeated on Four a number of times.
Monday 13 March 2006 9pm-10.20pm; 1.30am-2.50am; Friday 17 March 10pm-11.20pm; Monday 20 March 12.30am-1.50am (Sunday night)

Having read 'The Kenneth Williams Diaries' twice, I knew that any television adaptation of them would go for the more 'obvious' reoccuring parts of his life (devotion to his mother, the 'Barclays', his needing to work yet hating the jobs, his relationship with his friends etc, etc) and guess what? It didn't fail.
The only thing I didn't like getting the Williams sneering voice to read the coronors report into the surroundings to his death. A caption for the audience to read would have suffice.

I thought Michael Sheen's brilliant vocal impression made up for the slightly off visual representation of Williams, and by and large the supporting cast did look like the people they were playing (with the exception of Sid James - who without the machine gunning laugh would make you wonder who that was)

The onscreen look was pretty much spot on (bar one small continuity flaw with the 2004 built houses across from Pinewood Studios crept in to the 1960's gatehouse scene), and there was a very interesting use of genuine archive material, by mixing in the actual interviewer questions from Nicholson, Wogan and Parkinson with shot footage of Sheen answering the questions as Williams - a very nice touch.

I just wonder how Nicholas Parsons felt, playing himself as host in Just A Minute while someone else was playing Williams perfectly?
No doubt it'll be on BBC Two at some point in the near future - but this is yet another example of BBC Four playing a blinder, and showing how good digital television can be for showing contemporary drama.

According to MediaGuardian, Fantabulosa has picked up BBC Four's highest ever viewing figures.

I also watched this last night and I can only agree with all the positive comments above. It was public service broadcasting at it's best, and it is the type of drama that the BBC should be making more of.

It's a sad story really, it reminded me of moments in my own life...

A bit of a carry on?

"Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me..."