A collective “oof” emanates from the audience when Charlie Higson reminds us it is 30 years since The Fast Show began. But many of its characters and catchphrases have weathered those three decades: “Scorchio!” from surreal TV parody Chanel 9, and “Suit you, sir!” the refrain of Paul Whitehouse and Mark Williams’ smutty tailors are still quoted with impressive regularity.
The BBC sketch show, which ran from 1994 to 1997, was created by university buddies Higson and Whitehouse, joined by Williams, Arabella Weir, John Thomson, Simon Day, and Caroline Aherne, and they drew in an even wider galaxy of comedy contemporaries, including Vic and Bob, as writers, creating a fast-paced programme packed with original characters.
