Favourite incidental Sitcom characters

[Guest PaddyBerger15]

A brief session of intercourse with Noos (is there any other kind ?) on another thread about classic comedies, lead me to thinking about characters in sitcoms who arent the lead, but appear and steal a scene, make an episode, make a programme...do you have any favourites that in some ways are better than the main characters(s) or make you snort when they deliver their little cameo ?

 

Examples would be something like Trigger or Boycie in Only Fools or Melchett in BlackAdder etc ....

 

Il start it off with some of my show stealers...

 

Elmo Putney, the barman in Brush Strokes.

Gerry the oddjob man in George and Mildred played by the late great Roy Kinnear.

'Orrible Ives in Porridge played by Ken Jones.

Ralph Dring the show stealer in Dear John

Jerzy Bolowski the landlord in the Young Ones.

Trigger obviously...

Jimmy (Cock up on the catering front) from The fall and rise of Reggie Perrin

Sid from the cafe and Wally Batty from Last of the Summer Wine

 

 

Feel free to add your occasional/support characters that make a show for you.

[Guest TK-421]

Spudgun and Dave Hedgehog from Bottom.

[Guest PaddyBerger15]

Spudgun and Dave Hedgehog from Bottom.

 

Quality....."so why do they call you Hedgehog?"...."give me a hedgehog and I'll show you".

[Ted]

Lionel Hutz.

Barry Zuckercorn.

Carl Weathers.

Newman.

Tyres.

Super Hans.

Bishop Len Brennan.

[Juniper]

Off the top of my head it would have to be George and Kramer from Seinfeld

 

Admittedly not really ‘support characters’ per say, as they feature a lot on each episode but genius all the same and easily beat Jerry Seinfeld in the laugh stakes.

[gazelle]

Ray Barone - RIP.

[Juniper]

Oooh and Hans Moffman from The Simpsons

[Guest PaddyBerger15]

Lionel Hutz.

Barry Zuckercorn.

Carl Weathers.

Newman.

Tyres.

Super Hans.

Bishop Len Brennan.

 

Nope...never heard of any of those.

[Ted]

Nope...never heard of any of those.

 

I sincerly hope that's sarcasm brother.

[Guest PaddyBerger15]

I sincerly hope that's sarcasm brother.

 

Only marginally bro...

Im not really a devotee of American Sitcoms...as you see from my list, Im very much a fan of Britsh and 70s and 80s mainly.

[Guest PaddyBerger15]

Off the top of my head it would have to be George and Kramer from Seinfeld

 

Admittedly not really ‘support characters’ per say, as they feature a lot on each episode but genius all the same and easily beat Jerry Seinfeld in the laugh stakes.

 

Yeah, I'll have that :yes:

[Stu Monty]

I immediately thought of one man and he really is a thread-stealer. Zapp. He is by some distance the greatest incidental character ever.

 

And Barry Zuchercorn is a very good shout too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luwXPg2SbdM

[wiiksie]

Lionel Hutz.

Barry Zuckercorn.

Carl Weathers.

Newman.

Tyres.

Super Hans.

Bishop Len Brennan.

Vintage list there Terrence.

 

Id add:

 

Sue White

Bilbo Bagshot

Kenny Senior

Alan Johnson

Holly

[Guest TK-421]

Johnson, the business obsessed guy in Peep Show in the episode where Mark thinks he's turning gay. "I'm Johnson! I'm Johnson driving his car!".

[Juniper]

Another one for me

 

Stephen Merchant on 'Extras', over the course of two series he got funnier and funnier. Came into his own in the second series and made me laugh more just by being in a scene.

 

This for me was his best scene

 

[Guest PaddyBerger15]

I immediately thought of one man and he really is a thread-stealer. Zapp. He is by some distance the greatest incidental character ever.

 

And Barry Zuchercorn is a very good shout too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luwXPg2SbdM

 

Yep, I'll have that aswell after watching that clip...and played by the legendary Henry Winkler, which means that Id have to add Pottsy from Happy Days to the list of incidental scene-stealers.

[Ted]

Good shout on Zap Stu. Also stick Sideshows Mel and Bob in there. Would anyone define Susie Green from Curb as incidental? If so, she's there to.

[dirty_sanchez]

Keith from "The Office"

Michael from "I'm Alan Partridge"

Leo from "That 70's Show"

[Guest PaddyBerger15]

Michael from "I'm Alan Partridge"

 

:yes: :thumbup:

[Stu Monty]

Another one for me

 

Stephen Merchant on 'Extras', over the course of two series he got funnier and funnier. Came into his own in the second series and made me laugh more just by being in a scene.

 

This for me was his best scene

 

 

He was one of three main characters though?

[gazelle]

and the polish bird - she is funny

Frank Baron (did i already mention him!)

Cat

Kryton

[Juniper]

I would class him as a support character myself, as Andy Millman and Maggie are the two main characters.

 

There’s no one else in the series that keeps re-appearing every few episodes apart from Greg the knobhead actor, so on that I would base Barry and Darren Lamb on being support characters, given most episodes they don’t have much screen time.

[Guest PaddyBerger15]

and the polish bird - she is funny

Frank Baron (did i already mention him!)

Cat

Kryton

 

yep, Cat and Kryten are good shouts (although probably could be classed as main characters by series 3).

[Guest TK-421]

Cat

Kryton

 

I like Peterson and Lister's other mates in early Red Dwarf. Peterson - "I am very good at making love". It's one of the guys from the Fast Show (this week I have been mostly eating) and some old Eastenders actor plays one of Lister's other mates.

[Duff Man]

Towelie

Butters

That little Krusty-look-a-like dude in The Simpsons who plays the achordian and does a little jig when you give him a cent.