Toast Of London

brian_t · 17-08-2012 9:00pm #1

The pilot episode for Arthur Matthews new sitcom debuts on Monday 20th August at 10.00pm as part of Channel 4's Funny Fortnight season.

It stars Matt Berry (The IT Crowd) as Steven Toast

Steven Toast is a successful actor. Now in his forties, Toast regularly appears in prestigious television dramas, and on the London stage. However, he has made a recent career faux pas by electing to star in a new controversial West End stage play. The play is considered so outrageous, that Toast is frequently attacked by appalled members of the British public.

In this pilot episode Toast is asked to audition for long-running television series 'Summer Time Murders'. However, the producer has been imprisoned for racial chanting on the set of his own production, so Toast has to audition for the part of a gay corrupt detective during prisoner's visiting time.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/toast-of-london/video/series-1/episode-1/s1-ep1-toast-of-london

Not sure about the clip but I enjoy Arthur Matthews work so I'll watch the pilot anyway.

Skid · 17-08-2012 9:13pm

brian_t wrote: »

Not sure about the clip but I enjoy Arthur Matthews work so I'll watch the pilot anyway.

From past experience Arthur Mathews without Graham Linehan is not in the same league as Mathews and Linehan together, or Graham Linehan by himself.

Arthur Mathews solo work includes Hippies, Val Falvey TD and the movie 'Wide Open Spaces', none of which I really enjoyed.

I hope I am wrong. I will certainly give this pilot a look, but I don't have very high hopes.

Skid · 20-08-2012 10:38pm

That was rather good! Matt Berry is excellent (as usual). I hope it gets picked up for a full series.

heebusjeebus · 21-08-2012 11:36am

Should this not be on 4od? I cant find it.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/4od/catchup

Skid · 21-08-2012 11:47am

heebusjeebus wrote: »

Should this not be on 4od? I cant find it.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/4od/catchup

They have it on their Youtube page (although not on the Channel 4 site for some reason)

heebusjeebus · 21-08-2012 6:57pm

Thanks for the link skid.
I'm was not impressed by it though. Berry was good and I love his music but the show was all over the place and not very funny.
Would prefer to see Berry in a second series of Darkplace.

brian_t · 21-08-2012 8:22pm

Skid wrote: »

From past experience Arthur Mathews without Graham Linehan is not in the same league as Mathews and Linehan together, or Graham Linehan by himself.

That's interesting.

I thought the show itself was reasonable.
I would definitely watch the first episode of a series but at this stage wouldn't commit to watching a whole series.

I didn't realise Matt Berry had a part in the Olympics Closing Ceremony

introducing ELO's 'Mr. Blue Sky' by way of a mock weather forecast.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Berry

Stevecw · 21-08-2012 9:13pm

Watched it there, was very disappointed really. Not funny at all. Berry was good, I always enjoy him but show was very poor. Won't be watching anymore of this.

kwestfan08 · 21-08-2012 10:37pm

I liked it and I don't know why. Berry of course was excellent as always. It's had it moments, like the VO scene and and the scene with the wardrobe at the start.

I'd defiantly give one or two episodes a go if it got commissioned but whether it has the steam for a 6 episode run is another thing

ArtSmart · 22-08-2012 12:07am

all over the shop.

even if it holds onto the absurd, it wont work - because the absurd has to be grounded in the believable to work - eg, Basil Fawlty/ Frazier/ Victor Mildrew/ Fr Ted are absurd characters but they're believable because they could exist. and their everyday environment facilitates this

In this case, the character is pushed to the extreme edge - AND his environment is extreme/ ridiculous, (the production guys in the 'yes' booth', the agent, the old guy 'flatmate' ) so there is no grounding.

there's an old adage in comedy

crazy guy, normal environment (Fawlty)

OR

crazy environment, normal guys (MASH)

a rookie mistake.

sarkozy · 22-08-2012 10:04pm

brian_t wrote: »

The pilot episode for Arthur Matthews new sitcom debuts on Monday 20th August at 10.00pm as part of Channel 4's Funny Fortnight season.

It stars Matt Berry (The IT Crowd) as Steven Toast

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/toast-of-london/video/series-1/episode-1/s1-ep1-toast-of-london

Not sure about the clip but I enjoy Arthur Matthews work so I'll watch the pilot anyway.

Wasn't Arthur Matthews behind Big Train? That was amazing.

Miguel_Sanchez · 22-08-2012 10:51pm

sarkozy wrote: »

Wasn't Arthur Matthews behind Big Train? That was amazing.

Yup. But he wrote it with Graham Linehan. None of his stuff since he stopped writing with Linehan has been as good.

ArtSmart · 23-08-2012 5:36pm

yeah wasn't that utter mess 'Hippies' by Mathews alone? (no ones gonna mention Val Falvey, of course...)

but yeah, one, even two misses is fine. but 3? all over baby.

ArtSmart · 23-08-2012 5:42pm

Skid wrote: »

From past experience Arthur Mathews without Graham Linehan is not in the same league as Mathews and Linehan together, or Graham Linehan by himself.

Arthur Mathews solo work includes Hippies, Val Falvey TD and the movie 'Wide Open Spaces', none of which I really enjoyed.

I hope I am wrong. I will certainly give this pilot a look, but I don't have very high hopes.

missed this post. so yeah, hippies and that other vacuous piece wide open spaces. christ. give it up dude.

Skid X · 11-05-2013 2:20pm

Toast of London has been commissioned for a six part series

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-05-10/matt-berrys-toast-of-london-gets-full-series

Channel 4's comedy commissioning editor Rachel Springett said, "We are thrilled to be making a series of Toast of London with the exceptionally talented Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry. After appearing in The IT Crowd and Garth Marenghi's Dark Place, Matt Berry is ready for his own show; and combined with the comic brilliance of Arthur Matthews, it makes for an exciting and tantalising project – the perfect fit for comedy on Channel 4."

"I hope I can deliver and satisfy," added Berry. The six half-hour episodes will begin filming in June

I liked the pilot, and more Matt Berry on TV has to be a good thing.

brian_t · 12-10-2013 1:24am

Skid X wrote: »

Toast of London has been commissioned for a six part series

It starts on Sunday, October 20th at 10.40pm

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/toast-of-london/episode-guide/series-1/

Ep.1 Things are looking up for Steven. His agent Jane Plough gives him some exciting news: he's won a 'Best Actor' award from trendy Bra'z' Magazine

JP Liz V1 · 20-10-2013 9:07pm

brian_t wrote: »

It starts on Sunday, October 20th at 10.40pm

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/toast-of-london/episode-guide/series-1/

Bump reminder for tonight

JM Skipton · 21-10-2013 11:05am

Have to say I p**sed myself laughing at this, the Bruce forsyth plastic surgery joke:D I mean how does somebody even come up with something so warped it was brilliant. Although maybe it's me that has the problem.

zoobizoo · 21-10-2013 12:02pm

Best tv I've seen in ages.

Beekeeper, Brucie, the surreality, the puns, canal poetry..... it al added up to something great.

Skid X · 21-10-2013 5:48pm

I think it has the makings of a true marmite programme - a lot of people won't like it at all, but I thought it was great. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Also, Steven Toast is a dead ringer for Dickie Davies, who used to present World of Sport on ITV a long time ago. That silver streak in black hairnever went out of fashion

Dozen Wicked Words · 22-10-2013 12:45pm

Disturbing Brucie in women's night attire aside, it was brilliant. Matt Berry is fantastic.

Dozen Wicked Words · 04-11-2013 1:52am

Still enjoying this, some really funny bits in it, unless it's a better time slot than I imagine, channel four aren't doing it many favours with the scheduling, tucking it away late on a Sunday night.

Skid X · 06-12-2013 2:04pm

Good news, Toast - Renewed for a second series

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/dec/06/toast-of-london-second-series-channel-4

Toast of London was critically lauded but little watched – averaging about 400,000 viewers in its 10.40pm Sunday slot. Channel 4 is understood to have ordered a second series partly because of the show's older, upmarket ABC1 audience demographic.

Gamayun · 06-12-2013 4:13pm

Skid X wrote: »

Good news, Toast - Renewed for a second series

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/dec/06/toast-of-london-second-series-channel-4

Toast of London was critically lauded but little watched – averaging about 400,000 viewers in its 10.40pm Sunday slot. Channel 4 is understood to have ordered a second series partly because of the show's older, upmarket ABC1 audience demographic.

I wasn't aware of that social grade demographic category system:

Social Grade Social Status Occupation
A upper middle class higher managerial, administrative or professional
B middle class intermediate managerial, administrative or professional
C1 lower middle class supervisory or clerical, junior managerial, administrative or professional
C2 skilled working class skilled manual workers
D working class semi and unskilled manual workers
E those at lowest level of subsistence state pensioners or widows (no other earner), casual or lowest grade workers

Glad to see that this is getting a second series, really enjoyed the first.