Fast Forward was Australia's highest rating and most critically awarded commercial television sketch comedy show, broadcast for 90 one-hour episodes from 12 April 1989 to 26 November 1992.
The show was produced by Steve Vizard, who was also the Executive Producer, writer and performer, and starred Jane Turner, Gina Riley, Magda Szubanski (the three of whom went on to star in Kath & Kim), Marg Downey, Michael Veitch, Peter Moon, Alan Pentland, Steve Blackburn, Geoff Brookes, Ernie Dingo, the Rubbery Figures satirical puppets, and numerous guests and supporting stars, such as Gerry Connolly and Brian Dawe.
Fast Forward was succeeded by the related series Full Frontal, and subsequently Totally Full Frontal, which were broadcast from 1993 to 1999 and which starred many of the original Fast Forward cast as well as many iconic performers including Eric Bana, Stephen Curry, Glenn Robbins, Shaun Micallef, Kitty Flanagan and Julia Morris.
Fast Forward was directed by Ted Emery. In its second and subsequent series, Andrew Knight joined Steve Vizard and Ted Emery as Executive Producers of the show. They went on to establish the leading Australian Production house, Artist Services, which produced 1400 hours of prime time television including SeaChange, Big Girl's Blouse, Tonight Live with Steve Vizard, The Eric Bana Show, The Shaun Micallef Pogram (sic).
All four seasons plus five 'best of' compilations of Fast Forward have been released on DVD. All four seasons were re-released in 2010.
In 2013, the Network Ten-owned channel, One began airing half-hour long specials titled Fast Forward Funniest Send-Ups which first aired in 1994, making it the first time the show has been shown since 1998.
Video Fast Forward (TV series)
Background
Many of the stars came from a 1985 Seven Network sketch comedy pilot called The Eleventh Hour, which also spawned The Comedy Company, via The D-Generation. Fast Forward was commissioned by Seven in late 1988. It was produced by Vizard's production company, United Film Completion, and broadcast on Seven Network, then part of Christopher Skase's Qintex Group. There were a number of working titles for the show, including Snapped Cable Television, as well as Fast Forward.
Maps Fast Forward (TV series)
Style
Fast Forward was noted for its fast paced satirical comedy which particularly lampooned the media, in particular film and TV, with its precise parodies of well known television shows (such as Kung Fu, Lost In Space, The Munsters, A Current Affair), personalities (such as Clive James, Jana Wendt, Derryn Hinch, Geoffrey Robertson) and commercials (such as Amex, Nescafe) .
Its subjects were also Australian politics, which it attacked through various political impersonations ( including John Howard, Paul Keating), and also using the political puppets, Rubbery Figures, previously seen in small segments on the ABC, based on Peter Nicholson's political cartoons.
Another key distinguishing feature was the use of simulated channel surfing to switch from sketch to sketch, often in the middle of a sketch, sometimes after the punchline. Particularly a sketch would abruptly switch to a momentary segment of static, followed by another sketch, simulating the effect of the viewer repeatedly switching channels. The channel surfing device became a distinctive hallmark of the show that helped move quickly from sketch to sketch.
The television and multimedia subject matter of the sketches, pace, style and devices were real points of difference from predecessor sketch comedy shows of the time, particularly earlier shows such as The Mavis Bramston Show, The Naked Vicar Show, Australia You're Standing In It, The D-Generation, The Comedy Company : Fast Forward was more media-focused and parody-focused; a real difference, and the binding force for the whole show, was the now-famous channel changing device. The white noise and on-screen static that represented the channel change became the modern television equivalent of a curtain being drawn at an old-fashioned vaudeville show.
Fast Forward was also well known for its excellent musical parodies, particularly of current music video clips, many of which featured Gina Riley. Some of the better known music parodies included ABBA, Cher and Dannii Minogue.
Sketches and content
Each episode of Fast Forward featured regular characters, a news-based segment, a major parody of a well known television show or film, lampoons of television commercials, political satire, particularly in a segment using the Rubbery Figures political puppets.
Some of the most memorable regular characters included
o Marg Downey; SBS Presenter
o Magda Szubanski; Pixie Anne Wheatley; Chenille the Beautician (with Marg Downey); the Ugly Couple (with Peter Moon)
o Steve Vizard and Peter Moon; Advertising executives, Brent Smythe and Barry; Indian Rug Fakari salesmen;
o Michael Veitch (with Steve Vizard); gay flight attendants; Kelvin Cunnington
o Gerry Connolly; the Queen; Joh Bjelke-Petersen
o Jane Turner (with Peter Moon); Russian news presenters;
o Steve Vizard; Darren Hunch
o Ernie Dingo; Robert Gottliebsen
o Steve Blackburn and Geoff Brookes; the Dodgy Brothers
Some of the most memorable sketches included Dumb Street, a parody of Home and Away and Neighbours; and a lampoon of Skippy. In one memorable sketch that went to air, Moon and Vizard were both visibly trying to contain their laughter through a series of insults in one of their parodies of Kung Fu.
The political puppets Rubbery Figures were made more "commercial" than on the ABC by inserting them into popular situations outside the political Canberra environment. This led to the Star Trek parody where Paul Keating was Mr. Spock and Bob Hawke was captain Kirk. Rubbery Figures was a huge hit and a crucial element in the early success of Fast Forward.
In 1991, there were five Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends skits featuring Ertl Thomas models. These segments involved people complaining about Sodor not having female steam engines, the Fat Controller polluting the countryside by pouring purple slime out of the tankers, drunken punks, the engines going on strike, and the engines getting replaced. In these skits, Thomas would do some human things, such as eating breakfast, writing, and going away for the weekend. Percy was referred to as Bertie two times in the first sketch, Gordon at the end of the fourth, and Henry one time in the fifth. The sketches had five original engine characters, Crazy Bartholomew the Loco Locomotive, who was a Thomas model painted yellow, Alfred, who was a Percy model painted red (he was even referred to as Percy at the start of the fifth sketch), Damian the Diesel, who isn't seen in person, Edgar, who is a mentioned engine character, and one of the female engines, who was a Percy model painted orange with additional detailing. Toby was also mentioned once at the end of the first sketch, and so was Clarabel once in the fourth sketch.
The full length TV or movie parodies which were "stripped" through each the one hour episodes were:
1989 Series
- Episode 1 The Midday Show with Don Lane and Jana Wendt, Burke's Backyard
- Episode 3 Friday the 13th, Geoffrey Robertson's Hypothetical
- Episode 5 The 1989 Logie Awards
- Episode 7 A Night on Manhattan, Batman
- Episode 11 The Towering Poseidon Tidal Earthquake '1977
- Episode 12 Candid Camera
- Episode 13 Beijing TV News
- Episode 15 Tell the Truth
- Episode 16 The Cosby Show, Batman, Beijing TV news
- Episode 17 Batman, MTV
- Episode 18 The Addams Family
- Episode 19 Casablanca
- Episode 20 Get Smart
- Episode 21 Hogan's Heroes
- Episode 22 Lost in Space
1990 Series
- Episode 1 Kung-Fu
- Episode 2 Hawaii Five-O
- Episode 3 A Country Practice
- Episode 4 The Beverly Hillbillies, Four Corners
- Episode 5 The Golden Girls, Beach Party Massacre
- Episode 6 Happy Days
- Episode 7 New Faces
- Episode 8 The Flintstones
- Episode 9 I Dream of Jeannie, NBC Today Show
- Episode 10 Doctor Who
- Episode 11 The Adventures of Superman, Donahue
- Episode 12 Prisoner, Floyd on Australian Cooking
- Episode 13 Play School, Mister Ed
- Episode 14 Sale of the Century, That's Dancing
- Episode 15 The Patty Duke Show
- Episode 16 Sale of the Century, James Bond Goldfinger
- Episode 17 Perry Mason
- Episode 18 Bonanza, Seven Samurai
- Episode 19 Fantasy Island, Dick Smith
- Episode 20 Skippy, Bewitched, Wheel of Fortune
- Episode 21 The Partridge Family
- Episode 22 The Sullivans
- Episode 23 Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, To the Manor Born
- Episode 24 Gilligan's Island
- Episode 25 Cleopatra/The Fall of the Roman Empire, Agatha Christie
- Episode 26 Pride and Prejudice, The Munsters
1991 Series
- Episode 1 M*A*S*H
- Episode 3 Family Feud
- Episode 4 Batman, Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends
- Episode 5 Star Trek
- Episode 6 Donahue
- Episode 7 Are You Being Served?
- Episode 8 Miami Vice
- Episode 9 The Adventures of Robin Hood
- Episode 10 Blind Date
- Episode 11 The Six Million Dollar Man
- Episode 12 Dallas
- Episode 13 The Poseidon Adventure
- Episode 14 I Love Lucy
- Episode 15 Dracula
- Episode 16 Skippy, Embassy
- Episode 17 Sherlock Holmes and The Hound of the Baskervilles
- Episode 18 Charlie's Angels
- Episode 19 Petticoat Junction
- Episode 20 Alien, All Creatures Great and Small
- Episode 21 Lost in Space
- Episode 22 Fantastic Voyage
- Episode 23 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
- Episode 24 Oprah, Young Talent Time
- Episode 25 Miss Teen USA
- Episode 26 The Midday Show, The Saturday Show
1992 Series
- Episode 1 Star Wars, The Dating Game, 60 Minutes
- Episode 2 The Flying Nun, Flipper, The Book Show, Dumb Street
- Episode 3 Apocalypse Now, America's Funniest Bloopers, Backchat, Amazing Stories, A Current Affair
- Episode 4 Frankenstein, Mother and Son, Donahue
- Episode 5 Hard Copy, Godzilla, New Faces, The Book Show, Edith Piaf
- Episode 6 The Movie Show, Burke's Backyard, The Hunt for Red October, Four Corners
- Episode 7 Picnic at Hanging Rock, Four Corners
- Episode 8 The Wizard of Oz, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
- Episode 9 The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Strictly Ballroom, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Sylvania Waters
- Episode 10 Gone With the Wind, Sylvania Waters
- Episode 11 Casablanca, Open University, Sylvania Waters
- Episode 12 Chariots of Fire, Psycho, Romeo and Juliet
- Episode 13 King Kong, Blood Frenzy Massacre 2, 4 Corners
- Episode 14 E.T.
- Episode 15 Blake's 7, The Saturday Show
- Episode 16 Play School, The Sound of Music
Cast
Regular cast members comprised:
- Geoff Brooks
- Jane Turner
- Magda Szubanski
- Marg Downey
- Michael Veitch
- Peter Moon
- Steve Blackburn
- Ernie Dingo (1989)
- Steve Vizard (1989-1991)
- Bryan Dawe (1990)
- Alan Pentland (1990-1992, recurring previously)
- Gina Riley (1990-1992)
- Brendan Luno (1991, recurring previously)
- Gerry Connolly (1991, recurring previously)
- Glenn Robbins (1991-1992)
Guest stars included:
- Alan Pentland (1989)
- Bryan Dawe (1989)
- Brendan Luno (1989, 1990, 1992)
- Alan Fletcher (1990)
- Gerry Connolly (1990, 1992)
- Glenn Robbins (1991, Episodes 3.1-3.13)
- Glenn Butcher (1991)
Awards and ratings
Fast Forward consistently won the ratings for all of its 90 episodes, generally rating in the mid to high 30s.
In 1990, Fast Forward won two Logie awards; it also received two Australian Television awards (Penguins) for Excellence in Make-up and Achievement in Production. Also in 1990, the company was bestowed with two AWGIES, the Australian Writers Guild Awards; one for Fast Forward for best Comedy/Revue/Sketch and the other for Vizard, Co-writer Best Sketch Comedy - Fast Forward. The Variety Club awarded Vizard Comedy Artist Of The Year and Rolling Stone Magazine awarded him Television Performer of The Year. At the Aria Awards Fast Forward picked up Best Comedy Record.
At the 1991 Logie Awards Steve Vizard won the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television. Vizard also won Most Popular Male Light Entertainer. Magda Szubanski won Most Popular Female Light Entertainer and Fast Forward was awarded Most Popular Light Entertainment Program. Also in 1991, the Fast Forward writing team won an AWGIE for Best Sketch Comedy for Fast Forward.
At the 1992 Logies, Magda Szubanski once again picked up the award for Most Popular Female Performer - Light Entertainment and Fast Forward received the Logie for Most Popular Light Entertainment Program. The Australian Writers Guild presented an AWGIE to Fast Forward for Best Sketch Comedy. Fast Forward also picked up a People's Choice Award for Most Popular Program on Australian Television.
The following year, 1993, Fast Forward won a Logie for Most Popular Comedy Program. The production team and cast decided in late 1992, despite offers to renew from Channel 7, to end the program 'on a high', feeling that they did not want it to go downhill and tarnish its legacy as one of Australia's best ever sketch comedy shows.
DVD releases
- Fast Forward In Rewind: Funniest Moments Vol. 1 (2 Disc Set) - 24 April 2004
- Fast Forward In Rewind: Funniest Moments Vol. 2 (2 Disc Set) - 12 May 2004
- Fast Forward: Funniest TV Send Ups: Vol. 1 - 22 March 2005
- Fast Forward: Funniest TV Send Ups: Vol. 2 - 24 June 2005
- Fast Forward: Funniest TV Send Ups: Vol. 3 - 1 July 2005
- Fast Forward: The Complete Season 1 (5 Disc Box Set) - 20 March 2006
- Fast Forward: The Complete Season 2 (6 Disc Box Set) - 23 October 2006
- Fast Forward: The Complete Season 3 (6 Disc Box Set) - 5 December 2006
- Fast Forward: The Complete Season 4 (5 Disc Box Set) - 18 January 2008
- Fast Forward: Series 1 (6 Disc Set) - 22 March 2010
- Fast Forward: Series 2 (6 Disc Set) - 22 March 2010
- Fast Forward: Series 3 (6 Disc Set) - 8 June 2010
- Fast Forward: Series 4 (5 Disc Set) - 8 June 2010
- NOTE: There is a mistake on the cover for 'Fast Forward: Series 2 (6 Disc Set)'. It states that there are 22 Episodes when there are actually 26.
Specials
- A Royal Commission into the Australian Economy (1993, 60min).
- Standing on the Road (1994, 60min)
- The Making of Nothing (1994, 60min)
- 37 and a Bit (1994, 60min)
- Fast Forward's Funniest Send-Ups (1994, 12 half-hour episodes).
- Fast Forward's Funniest Moments (1998, 12 one-hour episodes).
- Fast Forward: Ten-Year Bash (October 2002, 48min).
- Fast Forward: One More Round (2003, 60min).
- Fast Forward: Dragging up the Past (2003, 60min).
Adaptation
The show was adapted for German television under the name "Switch" by order of TV station ProSieben. It was aired for the first time in 1997.
References
- Pentland, Alan (Editor) (1992). Fast Forward in freeze frame. Melbourne: Mandarin Australia. ISBN 1-86330-166-6. CS1 maint: Extra text: authors list (link)
External links
- Fast Forward on IMDb
- Fast Forward at TV.com
- Fast Forward at the National Film and Sound Archive
- The Unofficial Fast Forward Guide
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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