If you like your TV comedy to
be surreal, silly and short, don’t
miss BBC2’s The Mind of Herbert
Clunkerdunk, which returns this
week for a series of four quirky new
episodes – all just 10 minutes long.
Last year’s BAFTA-nominated
pilot introduced us to childlike
aspiring actor Herbert and his weird
and wonderful imagination, which
includes talking household objects
and bizarre musical interludes.
‘Herbert is a lovable idiot,’ says
comic Spencer Jones, who plays
him. ‘The comedy is silly – it’s all
about going back to being like a kid.
Hopefully it will take people away
from all the serious things in life.’Jones developed the character
during his stand-up routines.
‘I’ve been doing comedy for a
long time and went on a clowning
course – not red-nose clowning but
just learning a different way to make
people laugh,’ he explains. ‘I fell in
love with it, and it fused with what
I was doing in my act at the time.
‘I never intended to write Herbert
as comedy for all the family, but I’ve
had a lot of messages from people
who watched the pilot with their
kids. There’s a bit of swearing, but
I’m glad it has wide appeal.’CHILD STARS
The series features some new faces,
including an annoying couple who
live on Herbert’s street, while there’s
a welcome return for his eye-popping
neighbour Jonny (Dom Coleman),
plus some special guest stars.
‘My kids wanted to be in the
show, so we cast them as Herbert’stwo children,’ reveals Jones. ‘They
are probably better actors than I am- but they’re already asking about
when they are getting paid!’
This week’s two episodes see
Herbert get the chance to record
an audition tape for a big musical.
Could this be his breakthrough?
‘I’m quite like Herbert in that
I’m always flipping between one
thing and another,’ explains Jones.
‘I wanted to have a lot of music in
the show as I have been into singing
and songwriting since I was really
young. It felt like I had to chuck that
into the mix as well.’
Also returning is comedian Lucy
Pearman, who plays Herbert’s loyal
and supportive wife Bobby.
‘Bobby finds Herbert utterly
charming and hilarious – although
sometimes she has to bite her lip,’
reveals Pearman. ‘But ultimately
she believes in him and knows that
he is just trying his best. The new
episodes have a very funny scene
about standing in dog poo – that
was a highlight for me.’
The two comedians became
good friends after meeting on
the stand-up circuit, and also star
together in BBC1 comedy Mister
Winner – which returns soon for
a full series – as the hapless Leslie
Winner and his fiancée Jemma.
‘I’m Spencer’s telly wife,’ laughs
Pearman. ‘When I first saw him
perform, I thought, “Wow, I’m not
mad.” Our humour has a lot in
common – we are kindred spirits.’W
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NEW COMEDY
The Mind of Herbert
Clunkerdunk
Sun, BBC2 HD, 10pm & 10.10pm
(NI, Thu, 11.45pm & 11.55pm)Jonny (Dom
Coleman)
and Herbert
(Spencer Jones)The Looming Tower’s Tahar Rahim stars in this
upcoming eight-parter, which tells the true story of
Charles Sobhraj, who murdered up to 20 young
travellers across the South-east Asian hippie trail
during the 1970s. He evaded capture and became
Interpol’s most-wanted man, with a chase across
several countries until he was brought to justice.Yo u like d ... Now try this...
This week on TV
Enter the weird and wonderful world
of TV’s most lovable idiot...
The three-part drama told the story of
real-life serial killer John Christie (Tim Roth)
and how he strangled at least eight people
at 10 Rillington Place, London, in the 1940s
and 1950s. His tenant Timothy Evans
(Nico Mirallegro) was wrongly accused
of two of the murders and hanged.Rillington Place on BBC1 The Serpent on BBC1 and Netflix
Lucy Pearman
plays Herbert’s
supportive wifeBOX SET
All episodes of The Mind
of Herbert Clunkerdunk will be
on BBC iPlayer from 3 August.