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On Have I Got News for You
Kathy guest hosted Have I Got News for You last night: a rare accolade given to Britain’s finest characters (and occasionally famous idiots). Starring alongside the usual team leader Ian Hislop and Paul Merton was Ken Livingstone – recently beaten in the London Mayoral election – and some funny fella with a good beard. Thanks to the power of the Internet, you can watch the whole episode below (at least until the BBC complains and it’s taken down). Kathy is a terrific host of course and you can expect to see her pop up on other shows soon. HIGNFY S43E06 – Kathy Burke, Ken Livingstone… by bobalmighty
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Q&A: Kathy Burke
The Guardian What is your earliest memory?Sausage and chips at Auntie Joan’s. What was your most embarrassing moment?In my 20s, walking past a building site and getting my first and last wolf whistle – I was so shocked I did the classic bumping into a lamppost. What would your super power be?Rendering a person speechless with a stony stare. What do you most dislike about your appearance?Happy with all of it – it’s other people who have expressed “dislike”. If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose?Sammy Davis Junior. Who would play you in the film of your life?Beyoncé. What is your most unappealing habit?Smoking. What is your…
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Kathy Burke: ‘A national treasure? I’m the opposite!’
After four near-death moments, Kathy Burke is returning to directing – and acting. The Telegraph Kathy Burke keeps being mistaken for someone quite different. But it’s not a problem. In fact, she couldn’t be happier about it. The director and actress, widely loved for playing such roles as Perry (from Kevin and Perry) and Waynetta Slob (catchphrase: “I am smokin’ a fag!”) alongside Harry Enfield, takes up the story. “People come up to me all the time and say, ‘All right, Perry? How’s Kevin?’ It could be annoying, but I’m actually really glad. I’m knocking on 50, and I’m still getting recognised for playing a 14-year-old boy. It makes me…
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Return to the big screen
There’s been a fair amount of press in the past week about Kathy’s return to the big screen. She will be playing the role of Connie Sachs, a key supporting role in the spy book Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy which is currently being filmed. Also starring is old friend and collaborator Gary Oldman – who most likely persuaded Kathy to take the part – Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, and others. According to one press report, whose source appears to be the film’s executive producer, Kathy has called the part “blinding”. The character of Connie Sachs is an eccentric alcoholic spinster who both mothers and flirts with the MI6 agents. She’s…
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On Desert Island Discs
Kathy appeared this morning on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs – one British institution meeting another. The radio show is a long-time favourite mostly because of its clever format: guests are asked to select eight records that they would take with them to a desert island, and those songs are used to gain insight into who they are and where they come from (they are also allowed a luxury item and a book). As ever, Kathy spoke honestly and movingly about her life and her experiences, including making peace with her alcoholic Dad before he died, her contentedness in living a single life, the pleasure of winning Best Actress at…
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Getting the Horne
The BBC has put out a press release about Horne and Corden, calling it “most successful first series of a comedy on BBC Three”. The series attracted an average of 929,000 viewers – impressive but plenty of critics have been mean enough to point out that the audience dropped off rapidly, with nearly 1.4 million watching the first episode but less than half that – 675,000 – watching the last. The BBC feels it has a success on its hands (talks are “underway” for a second series) but the critics have been pretty much universally negative calling it crude and unfunny.
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Last call for Corden
The last episode of Horne and Corden was shown today. For in-depth details of the show and an episode guide, go to the British Comedy Guide website. There is an official website for the series on the BBC website.
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Direct this!
An amusing spoof of Kathy’s directing and role in British comedy filed on the set of Horne and Corden has been posted on YouTube by BBC Three. Pasted below.
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From Waynetta to director
She’s given up acting – much to the delight of Britain’s hottest comedy duo. The Independent Hanging in pride of place over the dining room table in Kathy Burke’s north London home is a still from the set of Nil by Mouth, the acclaimed domestic-violence drama for which she deservedly won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes film festival in 1997. But there’s a surprise. The photo depicts the film’s director, Gary Oldman, leaning over to whisper something to her co-star Ray Winstone. Burke is not in the picture. It’s an apt image. For Burke, one of our most adored actresses, is now far happier to be absent from…
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New gig
Kathy has been named as the director for a new BBC comedy sketch series with the working title Horne And Corden Have Come. According to a press release, the BBC Three show is “designed as a traditional comedy entertainment show in the style of Morecambe and Wise”. It will be consist of new comedy characters as well as performances in front of a live studio audience. The production company, Tiger Aspect, has a few sparse details about the series on its website. A fan site for one of the two stars – James Corden – has a lot more. And the BBC’s Newsbeat has an interview with the two about it. Of working with Kathy, they…