This sketch shows why Johnny Depp called Paul Whitehouse the greatest actor in the world. The pathos and emotion Paul generates in just a minute long sketch brings me instantly to tears. That long pause at the end so perfectly timed before he says "I was very drunk". We can barely understand a fraction of what he actually says but it's ample to convey the heartbreaking emotion and the loss he blames himself and his alcoholism for. I think this sketch is the greatest piece of dramatic acting I've ever seen.
He's not a comedian, he's a brilliant, truthful actor. No comedian could create a character that has been laughed at weekly and turn it right round to create such powerful, emotional pathos. Really one of those moments where you see the mighty skill of supreme acting.
the great thing is how little time it takes to build that up. there is a character he did on 'vic reeves big night out' during novelty island where he comes on with some kind of singing food in a bag (i can't remember exactly what they were. singing buns, or rolls or something). and quickly builds up a really strong feeling of love between them and him, so that when he walks off and vic reeves starts eating them, you really feel quite sad. it only takes about a minute though.
Quite possibly the most piercing and saddest stare of all televisual time. Unbelievably talented is Paul Whitehouse and does not get the credit he deserves.
it's really profound that we actually have very little idea of what has actually happened. and yet we are somehow hit with what feels like decades worth of intense heartbreak.
Absolutely spot on... I remember watching this after a great night out , expecting to hear the usual laughs at the end.... instead you felt the intense pain and sadness... I remember I was about to take a sip of beer ... I was sobbing my heart out whilst still holding my beer up as though I was going to take a sip....
And you have to wonder if perhaps there is a connection between this story and the fact that every time from then on, he was once again, "very drunk"... absolutely brilliant acting.
I was chatting with a buddy of mine about this very scene the other day, which caused me to search it out (so thanks for uploading it!) His theory - which now I've watched it hit me like a ton of bricks (more than usual!) was that he was recounting her death. Driving her home, crashing, remembering the song on the radio, and holding her feeling how cold she was.... and lamenting that he was very drunk.
It's 2023, it's 1.33 am I'm on holiday in Spain. I've absolutely no idea why this has appeared to me.. Amd I'm in awe of how sad, but yet beautiful it is. I'm also, quite drunk too n!
I can remember watching for the first time with a mate after we go home from a night out, he'd recorded it. The usual Fast Show fare with us laughing like beer fuelled morons. Until that moment. We were speechless. A stunning, beautiful and heart rending moment, a classic piece of British television.
Amazing how a character can be portrayed in such a profoundly different way........I remembered this when it was aired and I sat in front of the TV shocked and quite humbled by this sketch. Paul Whitehouse is a truly talented man!
Truly the greatest piece of acting I have ever seen. I remember the first time I seem it, I got all excited getting ready for a huge laugh as rowley birkin qc always was my fav on the fast show. Then mr whitehouse hit me with his! I couldn't watch the rest of the episode as I was crying really quite hard. Truly the best of the best.
@@ricjuk How hard were you laughing? Were you bent over double, holding your stomach - spilling your tea unable to respond to the frightened look in your infant offspring's eyes as you laugh-scream bits of your last meal through the air?
To put it bluntly, I laughed so hard I followed through even harder and then opted to burn all the clothes I was wearing and the chair I was sitting on in a midnight bonfire rather than subject myself to the humiliation of paying for a professional cleaning service....
Such a perfect one and a half minutes that cements The Fast Show as one of my favourite British shows of all time. It's that sheer implication of the loss, the regret, the war trauma, the impact of alcohol on his life. All wrapped up in a look and a simple repeat of a previously hilarious catchphrase with complete, painful clarity. Amazing.
I think one of the things I love so much about this sketch is that I laugh at the incoherent babble as the sketch starts, "oh it's just old Rowley again, drunken buffoon", and then as he unravels his tail I begin feeling uncomfortable at having laughed at what became a very sad event. Like when you laugh inappropriately just before being told someone's best friend has died. Utter utter brilliance.
shazbig Brilliant: write out the punchline, why don’t you? Why do people do this? Let people watch the damn thing, yeah? Or do you like it when people tell you the ends of stories first? Or the dénouement of films? Or the scoreline of sports matches?
@@chrisvoiceactingvoiceover1431 You don't have to read the comments first and even if you did you wouldn't know when it was said. However reading your comment reveals to people that it was the punchline.
@@chrisvoiceactingvoiceover1431 lol this trend of people writing a line from the video and getting shit loads of thumbs up, has increased a lot since you made this comment lol.
3 years of familiarising ourselves with this wonderful comedic character gave so much weight to this unexpected subversion of his catchphrase, delivered with such heart, by such a surprisingly skilled dramatic actor. Until this point, the majority of us thought of Paul Whitehouse as that funny bloke off The Fast Show, or the other bloke from Harry Enfield's shows. Such a fitting final send off for the character.
It's an indication of how great an actor Paul Whitehouse is when nobody laughs when he says the trademark "I'm afraid I was very drunk" line at the end. If someone had laughed it would have totally ruined the poignancy of the sketch.
Paul Whitehouse, one of the finest actors of his generation. Really right up there with Gary Oldman, and this scene shows why. If you've never seen this character before, go back, watch him fizz and bubble with enthusiasm for all his past adventures - SHANGHAI! and the rest. Then, after you've seen where he's been, and what he's done, watch this. And if you don't cry, you have no soul.
That stare .... he is transported back in time ... To relive the ache and loss all over again ... Amazing skill to captivate and hold the the moment like that ...
I remember seeing this for the first time. And in the same way as you can hear the audience laugh at first I too laughed. Then as the camera closes in and you pick out the words amongst the gibberish you realise where it’s going. As he’s transported back and you go with him and take a glimpse into his past and what he felt at the time. Chokes me up every time I see it. Brilliant (to coin a catchphrase)
Hadn't seen this episode until today. Never liked this character much but I as on the edge of my seat trying to understand the gibberish. Fuckin brilliant.
I was in absolute floods of tears... ...it was very, very cold, and... ...and I held her in my arms... ...I'm afraid I was very drunk. No 3D,no cgi, no $bn budget, just genius.
This is so moving. Highlighting the talents of Paul Whitehouse. Other members of the show apparently shed tears when they viewed it before going to air. There are also moments in the "Ted & Ralph" sketches that are equally moving. Comic genius, and pathos combined. Up there with the "final" scene from, Blackadder goes forth.
As the author put: 'Quiet touching, really'. It is. I love The Fast Show and when I saw this, this really was quite a moment of representing seriousness and reality. It was very well done and I think he made a great job of acting it. It's something that many human beings can instantly relate to or atleast 'feel' the final message. Very well done!
It's the best Rowley Birkin QC segment. And the most moving thing ever, being as the acting is so subtle, there's no music or anything effecting your emotions, it's all in the acting.
this is the best of em TBH. its amazing how Paul Whitehouse makes us really understand his characters. his comedy has a really powerful control over our emotions
Thankyou thankyou for posting one of the finest Fast Show moments, remarkable acting from Paul Whitehouse. I search at least a couple of times every month or so for this, so thanks.
Wow when i saw this as a kid I was amazed! I nearly cried and I made the fast show my favorite programme for a while. You get exactly what the character is about after all this time GENIOUS. Never realized there was a guy in the chair opposite. Thanks for pointing it out youtube.
It's when he says "of course, the war came along" that the whole scene changes and becomes so powerful. Because for some reason we tend to think of old people as being born old. We think of things like WW2 as immutable monoliths in history instead of absolute disasters that young people of the time were unprepared for. They just wanted to have the same stupid lives and do the same stupid things and have the same stupid love we all do. But some asshole on the other side of the planet reckons his big ideas are more important than human lives and so you have to say goodbye to someone wonderful and go step into a meat grinder. It's so insultingly cruel and stupid.
challenging preconceptions in this manner is the hallmark of an insightful comedian. this sketch does it better than any. you can hear the crowd, one by one, figure out that rowley has forgot to put his clown paint on and theres nothing comedic about his words. a masterclass in acting and as potent a demonstration of the power of the entertainer as youre ever likely to see in one and a half minutes this sketch dilivers more than ten crappy hollywood films. the man deserves a knighthood.
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This sketch shows why Johnny Depp called Paul Whitehouse the greatest actor in the world. The pathos and emotion Paul generates in just a minute long sketch brings me instantly to tears. That long pause at the end so perfectly timed before he says "I was very drunk". We can barely understand a fraction of what he actually says but it's ample to convey the heartbreaking emotion and the loss he blames himself and his alcoholism for. I think this sketch is the greatest piece of dramatic acting I've ever seen.
Marvellous old boy
He's not a comedian, he's a brilliant, truthful actor. No comedian could create a character that has been laughed at weekly and turn it right round to create such powerful, emotional pathos. Really one of those moments where you see the mighty skill of supreme acting.
You are so right it’s brilliant acting and the comedy value is a bonus
the great thing is how little time it takes to build that up. there is a character he did on 'vic reeves big night out' during novelty island where he comes on with some kind of singing food in a bag (i can't remember exactly what they were. singing buns, or rolls or something). and quickly builds up a really strong feeling of love between them and him, so that when he walks off and vic reeves starts eating them, you really feel quite sad. it only takes about a minute though.
It’s the intense look down the camera after the line “I held her in my arms” that gets me every time. Very powerful.
Quite possibly the most piercing and saddest stare of all televisual time. Unbelievably talented is Paul Whitehouse and does not get the credit he deserves.
it's really profound that we actually have very little idea of what has actually happened. and yet we are somehow hit with what feels like decades worth of intense heartbreak.
Absolutely spot on... I remember watching this after a great night out , expecting to hear the usual laughs at the end.... instead you felt the intense pain and sadness... I remember I was about to take a sip of beer ... I was sobbing my heart out whilst still holding my beer up as though I was going to take a sip....
Well put. You've nailed it
Sad thing is i have met people like that all my life, no cure i am afraid its called being human and being self aware.
And you have to wonder if perhaps there is a connection between this story and the fact that every time from then on, he was once again, "very drunk"... absolutely brilliant acting.
@@stephenkeen6044 His drinking is definitely the only way he can deal with the loss.
One of the greatest moments of comedy - if you can call it that - up there with the final scene in Blackadder IV
Amazing actor
Or the final sketch of That Mitchell & Webb Look
@@indiefruit get lost Mitchell And Webb, doesn't deserve be mentioned in the same breath as this or Blackadder
@@starwarsroo2448 Language, Timothy !
There were a few in the Fast Show. Some of the Ralph and Ted ones were jaw droppingly poignant.
100% This and final Blackadder scene are two greatest tv moments.
That, my friends, is acting. Genius.
I was chatting with a buddy of mine about this very scene the other day, which caused me to search it out (so thanks for uploading it!) His theory - which now I've watched it hit me like a ton of bricks (more than usual!) was that he was recounting her death. Driving her home, crashing, remembering the song on the radio, and holding her feeling how cold she was.... and lamenting that he was very drunk.
Excellent
It's 2023, it's 1.33 am I'm on holiday in Spain. I've absolutely no idea why this has appeared to me.. Amd I'm in awe of how sad, but yet beautiful it is. I'm also, quite drunk too n!
Good lad.😉✌️
Absolutely, hands down, undoubtedly, 1000% the best sketch Fast Show ever did.
The silly, comic character suddenly becomes profoundly human. Brilliantly played!
I can remember watching for the first time with a mate after we go home from a night out, he'd recorded it. The usual Fast Show fare with us laughing like beer fuelled morons. Until that moment. We were speechless. A stunning, beautiful and heart rending moment, a classic piece of British television.
Amazing how a character can be portrayed in such a profoundly different way........I remembered this when it was aired and I sat in front of the TV shocked and quite humbled by this sketch. Paul Whitehouse is a truly talented man!
Truly the greatest piece of acting I have ever seen. I remember the first time I seem it, I got all excited getting ready for a huge laugh as rowley birkin qc always was my fav on the fast show. Then mr whitehouse hit me with his! I couldn't watch the rest of the episode as I was crying really quite hard. Truly the best of the best.
were you actually crying quite hard? As in sobbing, thrashing, reaching for tissues, knocking things off shelves etc?
@@TheDaverobinson You asked the question I was going to ask. But better. The image you painted made me laugh really quite hard.
@@ricjuk How hard were you laughing? Were you bent over double, holding your stomach - spilling your tea unable to respond to the frightened look in your infant offspring's eyes as you laugh-scream bits of your last meal through the air?
To put it bluntly, I laughed so hard I followed through even harder and then opted to burn all the clothes I was wearing and the chair I was sitting on in a midnight bonfire rather than subject myself to the humiliation of paying for a professional cleaning service....
@@ricjuk hahahahahaha love it. There's poo everywhere.
Packs more emotion into 1min 38s than most films! Extraordinary.
Such a perfect one and a half minutes that cements The Fast Show as one of my favourite British shows of all time. It's that sheer implication of the loss, the regret, the war trauma, the impact of alcohol on his life. All wrapped up in a look and a simple repeat of a previously hilarious catchphrase with complete, painful clarity. Amazing.
I think one of the things I love so much about this sketch is that I laugh at the incoherent babble as the sketch starts, "oh it's just old Rowley again, drunken buffoon", and then as he unravels his tail I begin feeling uncomfortable at having laughed at what became a very sad event. Like when you laugh inappropriately just before being told someone's best friend has died.
Utter utter brilliance.
'And I held her in my arms.....I'm afraid I was very drunk....'
Simply magnificent.
shazbig Brilliant: write out the punchline, why don’t you? Why do people do this? Let people watch the damn thing, yeah? Or do you like it when people tell you the ends of stories first? Or the dénouement of films? Or the scoreline of sports matches?
@@chrisvoiceactingvoiceover1431 You don't have to read the comments first and even if you did you wouldn't know when it was said. However reading your comment reveals to people that it was the punchline.
@@chrisvoiceactingvoiceover1431 lol this trend of people writing a line from the video and getting shit loads of thumbs up, has increased a lot since you made this comment lol.
I well up every time I see this, it's a surperb bit of acting.
3 years of familiarising ourselves with this wonderful comedic character gave so much weight to this unexpected subversion of his catchphrase, delivered with such heart, by such a surprisingly skilled dramatic actor. Until this point, the majority of us thought of Paul Whitehouse as that funny bloke off The Fast Show, or the other bloke from Harry Enfield's shows.
Such a fitting final send off for the character.
Lost love and regret, we've all been there perhaps?
It's an indication of how great an actor Paul Whitehouse is when nobody laughs when he says the trademark "I'm afraid I was very drunk" line at the end. If someone had laughed it would have totally ruined the poignancy of the sketch.
Bugger, it made me cry again.
you wont getter better acting from anyone in Hollywood than this.
Paul Whitehouse, one of the finest actors of his generation. Really right up there with Gary Oldman, and this scene shows why. If you've never seen this character before, go back, watch him fizz and bubble with enthusiasm for all his past adventures - SHANGHAI! and the rest. Then, after you've seen where he's been, and what he's done, watch this. And if you don't cry, you have no soul.
That stare .... he is transported back in time ... To relive the ache and loss all over again ... Amazing skill to captivate and hold the the moment like that ...
This actually makes me cry every time i see it. Really gives you a background to the character portrayed by Whitehouse. Fantastic.
Not at all what we were expecting........so very very touching.....now that IS acting !.
Johnny Depp once described Paul Whitehouse as the greatest actor he'd ever seen.
This is the reason why!!
Oscar wining scene!
A tear just rolled down my face and i didnt even know i was crying
Funny to tear jerking in 10 silent seconds… bravo!!!
Always brings dust to my eye…
Such a great actor, the contrast between this and the rest of these sketches
This is one brutal, absolute genius.
Sentimental Rowley! Lovely.
Paul Whitehouse is a brilliant actor.
One of the few things in the world that brings me close to tears.
THAT is acting
I remember seeing this for the first time. And in the same way as you can hear the audience laugh at first I too laughed. Then as the camera closes in and you pick out the words amongst the gibberish you realise where it’s going. As he’s transported back and you go with him and take a glimpse into his past and what he felt at the time. Chokes me up every time I see it. Brilliant (to coin a catchphrase)
1.20 that look goes right into you.
Hadn't seen this episode until today. Never liked this character much but I as on the edge of my seat trying to understand the gibberish.
Fuckin brilliant.
It’s the most heartbreaking amazingly acted under 2 minutes piece I’ve ever sin
This character is absolutely hilarious in his other sketches, then they come out with this. So beautifully tragic :(
I was in absolute floods of tears... ...it was very, very cold, and... ...and I held her in my arms... ...I'm afraid I was very drunk.
No 3D,no cgi, no $bn budget, just genius.
Absolutely heart breaking.
I'd only seen one of these sketches before, and that was hilarious, but seeing several of them in a row and then this one ... this guy is a genius.
I love this,.paul whithouse..is amazing..how he captured the audiance and reduced them to tears in seconds..
The fast show was always quality, but this shows its true worth it could make a point as well. Superb.
This is piece is fantastic
This is so moving. Highlighting the talents of Paul Whitehouse.
Other members of the show apparently shed tears when they viewed it before going to air.
There are also moments in the "Ted & Ralph" sketches that are equally moving.
Comic genius, and pathos combined.
Up there with the "final" scene from, Blackadder goes forth.
that silence... that stare...
heartrending.
This scene tears me up every time I see it, and I've seen it many times...Johnny Depp says he thinks Paul Whitehouse is one of the best actors ever.
So moving.
The noise of the clock in the background just adds to the brilliance.
beautiful.
Bloody hell... wasn’t expecting that... superb... simply superb.
Brilliant acting demonstration right there... those last few seconds... Poignant
Heartbreaking
just listen as the laughter dies down then that period of absolute silence!! Pure genius!!
Never fails to move me to tears!
Simply.....extraordinary.
As the author put:
'Quiet touching, really'.
It is. I love The Fast Show and when I saw this, this really was quite a moment of representing seriousness and reality. It was very well done and I think he made a great job of acting it.
It's something that many human beings can instantly relate to or atleast 'feel' the final message.
Very well done!
This still gets to me each time. Genius.
Gets me every time.
It's the best Rowley Birkin QC segment. And the most moving thing ever, being as the acting is so subtle, there's no music or anything effecting your emotions, it's all in the acting.
genius. when comedy becomes something else......
very moving.
this is the best of em TBH. its amazing how Paul Whitehouse makes us really understand his characters. his comedy has a really powerful control over our emotions
This is one of my favourite sketches from the Fast Show and I like it because of how long he holds the camera. It's amazing acting!
I love poignant moments that the fast show had. This sketch gets to me every single time I watch it.
One of my (many) favourite sketches.
Pure brilliance.
I was looking for this particular sketch for quite some time, thank you for posting this.
Pure pathos. Always excellent.
Best one ever, very moving and fantastic acting my Mr Whitehouse
Thankyou thankyou for posting one of the finest Fast Show moments, remarkable acting from Paul Whitehouse. I search at least a couple of times every month or so for this, so thanks.
Absolutely heartbreaking 😭 totally brilliant 👍
Simply brilliant
And nearly ruined by the applause. Should have cut away to the sound of the clock. Silence is golden.
Floods of tears here. Gets me every single time. If only it they had omited that bloody canned laughter!!
thank you paul, i have just quietly shed a tear, possibly the greatest actor of a generation, SERIOUSLY! i love you x
the finest acting ive ever seen, hands down
Superb pathos . Brings a chill to the spine every time you watch it. Quite brilliant.
true genius - timeless and clever
this one always touches me. i remember the first time i saw it i got very emotional, and it stll hits me hard now
One of the finest pieces of acting you'll ever see anywhere.
The only comedy sketch capable of reducing me to tears.
Wow when i saw this as a kid I was amazed! I nearly cried and I made the fast show my favorite programme for a while. You get exactly what the character is about after all this time GENIOUS. Never realized there was a guy in the chair opposite. Thanks for pointing it out youtube.
Good comment. I, too have been looking for this one. The best in my mind. It some how lifts the other Rowley Birkin sketches.
there's an actual tear in my eye
The one that got away that doesn't need words to describe. This struck my soul.
Beautiful.
It's when he says "of course, the war came along" that the whole scene changes and becomes so powerful. Because for some reason we tend to think of old people as being born old. We think of things like WW2 as immutable monoliths in history instead of absolute disasters that young people of the time were unprepared for. They just wanted to have the same stupid lives and do the same stupid things and have the same stupid love we all do. But some asshole on the other side of the planet reckons his big ideas are more important than human lives and so you have to say goodbye to someone wonderful and go step into a meat grinder. It's so insultingly cruel and stupid.
Beautiful.
Gets me everytime.. Paul Whitehouse is a remarkable actor.
challenging preconceptions in this manner is the hallmark of an insightful comedian. this sketch does it better than any. you can hear the crowd, one by one, figure out that rowley has forgot to put his clown paint on and theres nothing comedic about his words.
a masterclass in acting and as potent a demonstration of the power of the entertainer as youre ever likely to see
in one and a half minutes this sketch dilivers more than ten crappy hollywood films. the man deserves a knighthood.
Yes!
More talent than he is often given credit for !.
1 minute 39 seconds long and its those 15 seconds of absolute silence that says the most if you know what I mean.
and I held her in my arms .........
That compares with the very final scene of the Blackadder series when they go 'Over the Top'.
rgadave Why? What happened then? Tell us more, yeah?
i was thinking the exact same thing
Completely agree with you.
I know were your coming from, but no where near as poignant
think it was the very last episode, amazingly well acted.
Perfection
Very, very good actor.
Genius
Wow! No words..
incredible