Extras - S1E4 'Les Dennis'

Yours was a good explanation but somehow I think Mike will enjoy this one more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw 😂

Tom

Was the missing watch a, erm, fist joke?

Jon Read

Watching this through the eyes of Mike & Jess, with no cultural education of Pantomime and Les Dennis etc, and still finding it funny, just shows the quality of the writing works!

Richard Baldwin

just watched it - hilarious! deserves a one-off reaction

paul mac

this is my fav episode of Extras. S1 is prob the best thing they have written together

steven bell

Classic episode! Love that you liked Les so much. Also, the setup is great. Well done and thanks for spending the time to iron out the little improvements. It looks great and you’ve really thought about it all. So thanks guys! Sending love x

James Ryan

Right Said Brett

I was born in 84 so have vague memories of City Lights. But saw him in panto several times and other shows. Les Dennis is the main star of this episode and is funny. But Gerard Kelly was funnier and played this role brilliantly.

Ryan Lynch

You gotta watch this link , it’s for Les Dennis, Keith Chegwin and Barry from Eastenders ..absolute comedy gold 😊 https://youtu.be/n4zeLLOGu0k?si=KiWGP3SvBmfemnCk

Smiley Matt

The actors were literally queuing up to be in it. From Hollywood to our local UK Legends. The writing alone frees up everyone ❤️

Clive Parry

You have to react to the bloopers! So funny

Sofia

Mavis Riley and Derek Wilton were comedy gold on Coronation Street back in the day. Both usually dithering or getting flustered !! Corrie was such a good show when it regularly had these comedy scenes, but nowadays the soaps are much darker. Violent and humour free these days.

South Coast Rich

Perfect analysis of our pantomimes. 👍

South Coast Rich

Never in a million years would I of thought I'd hear Mike and Jess do an impression of Mavis Riley from Corrie, absolutely hilarious 🤣🍻

RedJay77

I was delighted that Barry got much more airtime in S2 and he absolutely nailed it

Schpleeb

Absolutely. Steve Spiers, Keith Chegwin and Robert Lindsay totally steal the show in their respective roles

Schpleeb

There were moments of genius in the whole run of Extras, but there is barely a moment of this episode that is not comedy gold. Pure gold. The whole thing. It is easily my favourite episode of the whole show. Dennis is so utterly fearless in this ... I think this really did make people re-evaluate everything they thought they knew about him. It's iconic. His performance is superb and even for a guy who DID only remember him for Family Fortunes and a Mavis Riley impersonation, I did recognise a brave, risk-taking comedy talent of the first rate. Magnificent.

James Forrest

I think this is my favourite reaction yet! The placement of Mike in front of the full moon was just perfection!

Emily

So fkn good,Les is a legend. The cringe is off the scale. The episodes with the lesser known famous people are the best.

Gary

Family Fortunes here is your Family Feud. He hosted it for 15 years. I first knew him as a kid (me, not him) in the 80s as a sketch comedy actor.

Tom D

Me and my brothers can get into a 'custarrrrrd' loop for minutes lol

Johnny Johnny

Brilliant episode

Brendan Brennan

I took saw him in panto, way back.

Steve Cox

Yes his 'Mavis Riley' from the soap Coronation Street was a staple impression done by the public back in the 1980's. Les was pretty good on Family Fortunes too.

Fordy7169

Yes most people I've heard pronounce Les as Lez, much the same for the short form of lesbian.

Fordy7169

I've had him before. He was swerving all over the road.

Alan

Not gonna lie, not sure I ever picked that up the few times I saw this episode yonks ago. This is why RNTV is the GOAT 😂

Ash C

1. One of my favourite reactions you’ve done, you guys are awesome 😂 2. Les Dennis’ performance here surely has to be not only one of the bravest but also one of the best example of British self deprecation ever? I bigged up Ross Kemp for his episode for that but this.. 3. ‘It’s a Sunday, try to keep the fannies down to a minimum’ is a meme everyone should try to angle into a Sunday conversation. 4. Mike saying ‘could care less’ again instead of ‘couldn’t care less’ is elite level subtle trolling the community. Can’t wait for you to react to David Mitchell’s soap box skit on this very issue. 5. I don’t realllly knooooow

Ash C

cant wait for the work outing :D 😆✌️

TheHigh

Funnily enough you’ll be seeing this exact theatre again soon in IT Crowd 😂

Hallsja

It's Les pronounced Lez and not Less

GeeBee

Most of this episode was filmed at the New Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon, South London (not Guildford). I performed there very recently with a tribute band…it’s a lovely venue but looks exactly the same now as it did 20 odd years ago here (back stage too)!

Ben Marshall

Ha! Ha! Probably the first Americans to do a Mavis Riley impersonation! Brilliant. Great reaction. I've actually seen Les Dennis in pantomime back in the early 1990s - and you'll be glad to hear that the theatre was packed! Might be of interest to you to do a History of British Pantomime reaction - I think there's a few on YouTube to react to. xxx

Carol

It does surprise me how short-forms of names such as Les, which have been around forever in the UK and Australia, seem not to have crossed the Atlantic.

Tom

Loved your reaction after knowing nothing about Les Dennis. This episode was excellent for Les, and proved what a lovely, comedic genius he is.

Karina Bailey

I really hope you watch the outtakes for this lol. Also for the office! so funny!

Nevermore

Jess “I want your face and you can have mine” 🤣🤣🤣

Annabel Andrews

Don't forget the detail the main guy she was cheating on him with was Bob The Builder - or at least his voice. That would see off most blokes.

Andy

Fantastic episode. Les Dennis never did much acting before but he's so damn good in this.

Patrick Coyle

Did Mike just say, I could care less again haha? 😛 I mean, I couldn’t care less either way 🙈😆

Mark Rudd

They're the best reactors.

Don Stanton

Gotta be trolling with that TBBT comment 😂

makadeni123

Agree i laughed so hard 🤣

Mark P

I To Are Watching These Bloopers yet Again - thanks again, defo my fave!!!!

Claire Smillie

lol I dooont really nuuu. Love the reaction guys. Stephen merchant is actually really funny when he wants to be when he plays characters.. he was great also in 'the big bang theory' in a couple of episodes. And TBBT is my all time favourite comedy by a long shot. Beats our british sitcoms any day lol

Demceez

Aww 🤦‍♀️ listen - I Am so, so Sorry…..do u think I should delete that? Think I should - sorry again 👍

Claire Smillie

You're the first reactors I've ever seen who got the call back when Maggie tries to give an excuse to get out of the party. Fair play.

David Mannion

It's one of those Americanisms that'll never change lol

Ian

Thank you SO much for listening and ditching the purple and green boxes ...... that looks much better. We really enjoyed that reaction, and were pleased you both 'got it' despite not knowing who Les Dennis was. Bunny was such a hilarious character, vile, but hilarious. Look out for a little cameo from him in season 2. Glad you're still enjoying the show, we look forward to seeing your reactions every Tuesday, its our TV highlight of the week 😀

Jules & Kev Morrissey

Agreed. This 2 are the only reason I signed up to it.

james mcloughlin

The Bowie episode is also amazing, can’t wait for them to see it

Julian

Wont need to watch now. 😂

Col Boro

There all funny

Col Boro

T & T, Mike T & T

emu cat

Les Dennis’s comedy partner was Dustin Gee who died tragically young. Les was obviously devastated and had to continue in light entertainment on his own. He seems such a lovely man. Love this episode.

Susan Jack

Apparently she never actually said it!

Rachie

I have a mate who plays in Gareth Gates’s band, apparently he’s such a funny guy, really nice chap.

Adam

Les Dennis is mostly known for being the host of Family Fortunes for 15 years or so, which is the UK version of US gameshow Family Feuds. He later went onto appearing on Celebrity Big Brother , about a year before Extras, and it was incredibly awkward as his marriage was on the rocks at the time. He was married to Amanda Holden, who was about 17 years younger than him. But she cheated on him , and they temporarily broke up before getting back together for a bit, this lead to the newspapers calling him a cuck (which is what he was referring to with the stuff in the papers about him). He came across as a manic depressant discussing all this stuff on Big Brother, so good on him being able joke about it. As a nicer bit of trivia he later went to play King Arthur alongside Warwick Davis in a version of the play Spamalot, which is a musical play based on a part in Monty Python's Holy Grail

Danny

I read years ago, that he left all his money to the actor who is most famous for playing Karl Fletcher in the football drama - Dream Team

Danny

People saying this is the best episode really haven’t seen the Davies Bowie episode then?

Alfie Baker

Darren and Barry are by far the funniest part of Extras :'D

Agent Squirrels

The actor that played Buuny was Scottish actor Gerard Kelly. He sadly passed away back in 2010 age 51

The Puzzler 99

Good ole Les Dennis...Hosted family fortunes and then went through a tough time. He now does Only Fools and horses the musical and plays Grandad in the West End of London....Brilliant bloke is our Les !!!

Your Precious Prints

What a great episode to enjoy on my day off, the reactions are spot on as well! Haven't been this entertained for a long time.

Central Hub

Laughed hysterically at you both Mike & Jess. Watched philomena Cunk (Diane Morgan) on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert - OMG - She said she is 99% Cunk - 8 mins 13 secs interview and she is the exact character she plays - he Asked her Who she would like to interview & replied Elon Musk - wonder how he would have taken her questions 😂

Claire Smillie

Back when this came out on tv, Anytime me and a mate of mine would hear anyone singing at work or anywhere, We would interrupt them an say 'no, no, no, noooo. There see if something's worth doing, it's worth doing correctly' 😂

Adam G

There's something I never thought I'd see: M & J doing impressions of Mavis from Corrie!

Paul08031977

That bad father Bunny was in a series here in Scotland called “City Lights’ I was very young so very vaguely remember it, it was funny back in the day - I actually worked With Gerard Kellys brother soon after he sadly passed away - we worked in huge warehouse got friendly with him because he was hysterical, Stevie Kelly is his name and every day 10 times a day he would leave his work area to come find me, had me nearly peeing myself with all his stories - my line manager kept catching him in my area and constantly told him to get back to own area and leave this young lassie alone…..had few more visits from him b4 complaints were made and he was told never to leave his area and to leave me alone. I was gutted as he got me thru the early shift and I laughed all day. He talked about Gerard a lot - Tragic he died young 💜

Claire Smillie

Just keep watching these please! Brilliant reactions, amazing program

Simon Gildea

One of my fav eps. Almost forgot about 'Bunny' 😂

Adam G

Claire Smillie

The fact that Jess is fully invested in the comedy of cringe while Mike is still searching for empathy, makes these reactions gold. Can’t wait to see what Mike makes of Alan Partridge 🤣

Tom

Mike, it's 'I COULDN'T care less. ;-p David Mitchell will tell you that.

Wilss

Another episode of extras!? Oh yes oh yes oh yes! That’s me kicking my feet in glee.

Noster

BTW the bit where the guy removes his daughter's top skirt is a call back to when the UK won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981 (yes, kids, that really did used to happen once :-) ) with "Making Your Mind Up" by Bucks Fizz. Some people, jaded, cynical people, would say that part of the act was the main reason for the win. I couldn't possibly associate myself with such negative attitudes :-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpA5gECelwU

Neil's Radios

Maggie struggling with the sister excuse 😆 Great episode, Les is such a good sport for this, it's one thing for a celeb to play a twisted version of themselves but this one probably touched on a lot of real stuff for him. And the whole girl being pushed into showbiz thing was tragic. Lots of funny moments though, and your impressions at the end were perfect 😂

Dextrous (Lewis)

Great episode!

bobby g

£4 cant go wrong with

Col Boro

Keith chegwin 😂 ill say no more lol

Col Boro

Oh my Les Dennis was brilliant in this I don’t think I had watched the full episode before . In about 2000 I saw Les Dennis with his ex wife Amanda Holden in the bar at the Savoy (only time I’ve been anywhere that posh) and they both looked as miserable as sin. Anyway great reaction. I’m not easily shocked but that birthday party performance was diabolical 😩😆

Erica

Yes there what b list celebrities has beens or never was’s do at Christmas

Col Boro

I loved Ricky and Stephen for doing this. As others have mentioned, much of this is based on Les's own life. He married a younger woman who just used him to further herself before cheating on him (with another actor you may encounter in the future). He was made a whipping boy by the press, where it was deemed perfectly acceptable to ridicule him relentlessly for no fault of his own. This episode helped to hand him back his dignity while showing he could make fun of himself. It gave a new lease for his career, and he's had a prominent role in one of the UK's most popular soaps (Ironically his most famous impression is from that very same show). I also enjoyed the subtle little dig at the aforementioned ex wife. I can't remember if you've ever reacted to the comedian Tommy Cooper, but he passed away from a heart attack while performing live on television in 1984. This is infamous in the UK, because the audience thought it was part of the joke and so kept laughing as he fell. Les Dennis was the last person he spoke to backstage before entering the stage. Jess said "Ricky looked good when he came out" - Interesting choice of words considering he was playing a gay genie 🤣

ElvisLee

"Les" is just a short form of Leslie. I guess it's not that common a male name state-side? But you will be familiar with Leslie Nielson. Anyway, I only recently joined your Patreon, and am loving your reactions. Do you only do British shows? How about (Northern Irish) Derry Girls? I think you would love it.

Elliot

I saw Les Dennis in panto (with Gareth Gates) in Manchester in 2018 and he was really very good as one of the ugly sisters

GERRY VICKERS

The bit where he says "I'm famous for more than Mavis Riley and Family Fortunes aren't I?" and Andy struggles for an answer ... sadly I think that would be most people's reaction. He was a star of Saturday night variety TV when most Saturday night TV in the UK was, well, a bit crap. So most people of my age at the time didn't watch it. Actually I can't stand Saturday night TV nowadays either so maybe it's just me :-)

Neil's Radios

That's her full name in my house.

ElvisLee

Yes, I was going to suggest this as well - most of them are international superstars, but the likes of Ross Kemp, Jonathan Ross and Les Dennis, maybe Dame Diana Rigg, might need a little research beforehand.

GERRY VICKERS

Pantomime (Panto) is a Christmas tradition in almost every town and city the UK. Lots of TV stars and pop stars (many on the way down in their careers, but not always) sign up for shows like Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Aladdin. They are essentially kids shows, but also jam-packed with double-meanings for the adults. We used to take our sons every year and really enjoyed them. Some of the adult jokes were very near the knuckle and the fact that the little ones had no clue made them funnier.

Tom

I think he did once have to give someone the money himself IRL. In Family Fortunes, that is, not some slapper he picked up in a bar :-)

Neil's Radios

Aaaaaand I’m off to watch the bloopers for the x200033 time

Ally A

Les is most well known for being the host of Family Fortunes (Family Feud for you). Your equivalent personality would be Steve Harvey

Baalegdeh

Great episode! Les Dennis was pretty big on gameshow TV about 30 years ago, seems a good sport though. His impression was from a character off a soap called Coronation Street, I don't even know who she is. I've heard him say it more than her haha.

Karlos

British are masters of taking the piss out of themselves as proved by Les Dennis & others playing themselves in this show

Ian D Outram

Yoss - just about to watch - was soooo hoping This episode would turn up soon - I think it’s my Favourite & Friends - The Bloopers for this one is hilarious - just like them all I Suppose 🩷 thank you xx

Claire Smillie

Mike and Jess doing a Mavis Riley/Wilton impression was not on my bingo card. Happy to hear it

Daz Parker

"Good bye"✌️ "I don't really know" 😂

Mark R

There used to be sort of behind the scenes videos of every episode in Youtube called "An Extras night in..". In it Les talked about his situation at the time, which was somewhat aligned with the character he's playing. Basically Ricky called about the role and he just immediately accepted and you can see he put some of his real feelings into the role.

Suixamoht

The little clue you couldn’t have known was from the start it was a “panto” which is a pantomime basically kids play - we don’t have them in NZ so much but I think they’re everywhere in UK but not super well respected

SimonNZ

Yes Jeff

NameJeff

I'm sure other people have recommended this already, but for sure watch (and react to!) Extras bloopers after you've finished it! Among others, Ricky cracking up during his genie outtakes made me laugh sooooo much😂

Sinead R

That was quite funny if you knew who the people were and your right john Cleese was very good

Col Boro

I swear subscribing to this patreon is the best thing i've done lol, SO MANY VIDEOS!!!

josh a

I agree its Crazy to think 30 yrs later an American is doing the mavis riley impression

Col Boro

Where do you want to go from? "About 1992..." is such a line. Every episode of this show is absolute dynamite. The next one has a subplot in it that is brilliantly excruciating even by their standards.

Schpleeb

Its pronounced "Lez", the shortened version of Lesley.

JEFF!?!

Lee dennis is a legend the show he mentions is the show steve harvey does in america think it called family fued in usa.

Liam Caseyy

This is how I was introduced to Les Dennis, with his comedy partner Dustin Gee who sadly died in 1986. To be fair, Dustin’s impressions were better, his John Cleese is really good here 😂. In the 90s Les was known for presenting Family Fortunes/Family Feud. https://youtu.be/FNatm2mBoqI?si=QDBb6ipsQFNDCLbx

Sean Amor

Les Denis is kinda the equivalent of Steve Harvey on Family feud.... But a bit of a washed-up 90s version

Mn B

Les Dennis was a good sport in this. He married a 22 yr old when he was 40. They broke up when she had an affair. Ricky and Stephen do an amazing job of persuading people to make fun of themselves.

Julian

Is your daughter feeling better now?

Josh Read

This is one of my favourite episodes T and T

Julian

Mike, your impression was amazing

Col Boro

I think Mike doing a Mavis Riley from Coronation Street impression might be the most surreal thing I've ever seen and heard!

Simon Cross

You two crack me up 🤣 Great reaction 😀

Bikeaholic

Les Dennis presented Family Fortunes, known as Family Feud in USA, for a few series.

Silk

I've never seen this episode, just the bloopers.

Athan Immortal

Great episode 👏 I used to share a house with the cousin of the actress who played lizzy. Never met her though.

Josh Read

Credit to Les for doing this after the whole Amanda Holden s**t.

Gem Lou

Hi Mike and Jess. I am really enjoying watching you enjoying this series. I definitely recommend you look up each guest star before to give you a little insight because the beauty of this series in many ways is that the guest star plays utterly against type or the public perception of them. ( although Vinnie Jones didn’t really ) 👍🤓

Nathalie Grainger Bradbury

Agreed the very best episode. Les Dennis is an English television presenter, actor and comedian. In his later years he was wrongly considered bland and a bit boring and he played upon that perception of himself wonderfully in this episode.

Tom65

I did give some background in the last vid, but they re-uploaded it and I couldn't be bothered to re-add the comment

DS292

Best episode of the series... probably need to do a little reading up on Dennis first though, a lot in this you won't be familiar with

Jason