Competition Time!

Benidorm DVD Box Set

To celebrate Benidorm being nominated for Best Comedy at The National Television Awards here is a competition to win a box set of Benidorm DVDs.

So for this LAST chance to win a complete Benidorm set of DVDs (series 1, series 2, Summer Special and series 3) just answer the following question:

Q: What is Derren Litten’s all time favourite film?

One entry per person, email your answer to derrenweb@gmail.com

IMPORTANT:  the subject of your email must read BENIDORM DVD COMPETITION

If t doesn’t them I’m afraid your entry will not count.  Competition closes 12pm on the day of The National Television Awards Wednesday 20th January 2010.

Good Luck!

There is STILL time to vote for Benidorm as Best Comedy for The National Television Awards!

National Television Awards

Clue: http://twitter.com/DerrenLitten

20th Jan 2010

The answer was The Sting.

Congratulations to winner Susan Jackson  a DVD Box Set of Benidorm on it’s way to you.

Everyone's A Critic

I’ve just moved some pictures around in my office to make space to hang something new.  One of the frames I’ve moved onto a different wall is a copy of a BBC memo given to me by my late friend and producer Geoffrey Perkins.  Geoffrey was an amazing man and if you don’t know who he was I suggest you do a google search and see how someone managed to pack five lifetimes into 55 short years.  So one day Geoffrey and I were in his office, he’d just returned after retrieving my latest script of Benidorm from the printer in the main part of Tiger Aspect when and I commented on the copy of a BBC memo which hung on his wall.

“It’s a bit of a risk leaving me alone in your office, I always try and nick that memo off your wall but my coat is never big enough”, I joshed.

“Take it”, said Geoffrey

“No, don’t be silly, I was only joking” I backtracked.

“Honestly, I want you to have it, I don’t need it, I’ve got the original there”.

And there sure enough, slightly further along the wall was the original BBC memo, very well preserved but slightly askew, having been shoved into a 99p clip frame.

The missive in question wasn’t just any internal BBC memo from 1974 but one which, if it had been acted upon (by cancelling the series), would have changed the face of British television comedy history.  The series in question was called, “Fawlty Towers”.   Here it is in close up so you can see exactly what it says.  And hopefully the next time someone is critical about yourself or your work, remember, it’s just one person’s opinion.  And they ain’t necessarily right…

A Great Photo Shoot – And I Am Unanimous in That!

Mr Grainger (Derren Litten) & Mr Rumbold (Nicholas Smith)

It’s not every day you can say you stood on the floor of  Grace Brothers Department store with Miss Brahms, Mr Rumbold, Mr Lucas, young Mr Grace (and his nurses), Captain Peacock, Mr Humphries and the legendary Mrs Slocombe.  Actually I can’t say that either, Mr Humphries  and Captain Peacock couldn’t make it!  No, I haven’t been  at the free Zammaretto, I was taking part in a photo shoot to promote the Wendy Richard charity clothes sale at Selfridges later this month.

Wendy became a friend after she appeared in series 2 of Benidorm and since her sad passing John, her husband, and I have also remained good friends.  It was from John I got a phone call a few weeks ago to ask if I would play Mr Grainger in an Are You Being Served publicity shot with a couple of the original surviving cast and some of Wendy’s friends.  Being a dedicated, life-long AYBS fan I jumped at the chance and started practising my Mr Grainger rubber lipped grimace immediately.

As I got up at 7am this morning and looked out onto the carpet of snow  beneath I was worried that it might be called off and my chance to appear on the Grace Brothers floor would remain nothing but a childhood fantasy; so close to Mrs Slocombe’s pussy yet so far. But no, a car turned up at 7:30am and I was whisked off to a glamorous, secret location (a photographic studio in Parsons Green) where the infamous department store had been impressively recreated.

The only original cast member able to make it today was Nicholas Smith who had just returned from a 3 week tour of America giving television interviews and generally luxuriating in his  cult status as the fastidious Mr Rumbold. Sadly, Frank Thornton (Captain Peacock) couldn’t make it today but will be seemlessly slotted in as if by magic (OK, Photoshop) at a later date.  The other players in this one off “recreation” were Natalie Cassidy (Miss Brahms), James Alexandrou (Mr Lucas), Fern Britton (Mrs Slocombe), and Wendy’s husband John Burns (Young Mr Grace); oh, and some obscure comedy actor called Derek Lipton (or something like that).  Young Mr Grace was naturally flanked by two very ‘attentive’ nurses played by Fleur Bennet (Grace & Favour) and Niky Wardly (The Catherine Tate Show), again, both good freinds of Wendy.

The whole thing only took a couple of hours, it was short but memorable morning, one I’ll never forget and a real childhood ambition come true. As taxis started to arrive for everyone and John thanked us all for making the shoot possible he left with Lily (he and Wendy’s Cairn terrier) only stopping at the door to turn and congratulate us all in true Are You Being Served fashion, “You’ve all done very well!”

The Selfridges Wendy Richard Charity Sale will take place on Tuesday 19th January at 9:30am – 1pm.

The ‘Grace Brothers’ publicity shot & interviews will appear in The Mail on Sunday.

BB or not BB, Is That The Question?

So it’s the last Celebrity Big Brother.  I can’t say I’m heartbroken.  I don’t think I’ve ever watched a full episode of CBB (or BB for that matter).  Of course I saw Vanessa Feltz doing her best Divine impersonation (sadly no dog poo involved), flipping out in a leopard skin coat and dark glasses, barking at Big Brother to “fuck off” while writing obscenities on a blackboard  and Michael Barrymore putting the final nails into his career coffin but I can’t say I’m a follower or fan of the show or that genre of television.

I think part of it is that the thought of celebrity has always slightly embarrassed me, actually what am I saying?  That’s not true at all.  When I was a kid I always assumed I would be famous one day and even at drama school I used to tell Catherine Tate I was baffled when I didn’t cause a sensation by walking onto a busy tube train.  Of course now it’s Catherine that would cause a sensation on a train and the relief of nobody knowing who I am (apart from an extremely small minority) is, for me, palpable.  I’m not sure what changed my attitude towards fame from presumption to abhorrence but I certainly know any feelings of revulsion as far as celebrity goes is increased tenfold by the shameless and almost inconceivable self promotion of the Celebrity Big Brother housemates.  The other thing about Big Brother is I don’t actually find it entertaining.  The bits I’ve ever watched  (celebrity or otherwise) have been either excruciatingly embarrassing or just boring.  But you can’t please all of the people all of the time and I know there is an audience for this show (or rather there was, this being the last series) and I don’t think any less of those who enjoy the show.  While on location one evening, filming for The Catherine Tate Show, I remember Una Stubbs turning to me between takes and asking me if I could find out who had been thrown out of the Big Brother House.  You see, you never know, “they walk among us” as a friend of mine used to say.

I went to see the brilliant Boy George in concert just before Christmas and I think I’ll leave the last wise words to him.  He had just found out that morning (astonishingly, by reading it on Twitter!) that the court had decided he was not allowed to participate in the last celebrity Big Brother as it would breach the conditions of his bail. “I was quite pleased when I made some phone calls and it was confirmed I couldn’t go into the Big Brother House,  after all, I’ve spent the last 48 years trying to avoid reality…”