Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ ONE, Friday 30 April 2004, 9.00-9.30pm
Get a sneak preview of The Lenny Henry
Show
In his first topical series since Saturday Live, Lenny Henry returns
to his stand-up roots with his unique blend of comedy.
Joined every week by Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ THREE favourites Ninia Benjamin, Tameka Empson
and Jocelyn Esien of 3 Non-Blondes fame, Lenny combines
topical stand-up, character sketches and music performance in this fast
moving show.
Only Lenny Henry could provide viewers with his unique impersonations
of Beyonce and 50 Cent alongside characters including Ronson, the poetry
writing prisoner, and a church going woman.
All the characters in Lenny's new series are based in Holder, a fictional
part of London, and include Lister, the affable, elderly,
opinionated West Indian who owns and runs the cornershop.
Ronson is a prisoner-poet who has been encouraged
by the education unit at Holder Prison to try his hand at creative writing.
The Nail Bar Girls are Vivienne, who owns Kreation
Nails and has aspirations to branch out to the West End; Joan, an experienced
beautician who follows the lead of Tina Turner in the bid for eternal
youth, and Shanissa, Vivienne's strikingly incompetent, chatty cousin.
The Big Hatted Ladies, Tiny and Daphne, attend the
Pentecostal church, sit in the back row and talk about what women talk
about, with added sauce.
The African Midwife, Funkazi, takes a dim view of
the fuss that British women make when it comes to giving birth: "They
are not contractions! Are you going to give birth to a pencil? Now keep
your mouth shut."
The Chuggers: Charity Muggers, Sam and Chris, accost
passers-by in the street with a tabard, a grin and a clipboard and pride
themselves on the fact that they will go to any lengths to get another
signature.
Pushy Mum, Mrs Omokorede, is obsessed with the desire
to be the mum of a famous doctor. Her daughter Fumi is just 12 years
old.
Community Radio DJ is an insanely cheerful, chatty
radio presenter, working from a tiny room that overlooks Holder High
Street and provides a window directly onto 'the weather', 'the travel'
- "Well, there's a few cars about" - and 'what's happening in Holder'.
Ragga Girl, 22-year-old Tanya, hangs around on street
corners, posing in her new Moschino jacket and waiting for her friends
to take her clubbing. They are yet to arrive.
Stepdad Mike is the new man in Jan's
life. Jan's copping out, not giving the discipline required to keep
her teenage daughter under control. She regularly sets Mike up to do
the telling off, then abandons him when her daughter responds with teenage
traumas.
In another new addition to the series, Lenny is joined each week by
a celebrity guest in a spoof CNN sketch - Sound Bite News Digest - where
Lenny and his long suffering co-host, Tamsin Greig (Black Books), provide
a round-up of the world news.
Guests will include Meera Syal, Shane Ritchie,
Alison Steadman, Harry Enfield and Nigel
Havers.
Lenny Henry plays Lister and Ronson.
The Nail Bar Girls are playd by Ninia Benjamin, Tameka Empson and Jocelyn
Esien of 3 Non-Blondes fame.
The Big Hatted Ladies are played by Lenny Henry and Marsha Millar.
The African Midwife is played by Ninia Benjamin.
The Charity Muggers are played by Tony Gardner and Gresby Nash.
Pushy Mum is played by Gina Yashere.
Community Radio DJ is played by Jocelyn Esien.
Ragga Girl is played by Gina Yashere, Stepdad, Mike, is played by Lenny
Henry and Jan by Robin Weaver.
Click on the image below
to get a sneak preview of The Lenny Henry Show - Lenny as Beyonce
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