Wednesday 29 January 2014

"Lenny Henry honoured at Critics' Circle TV Advert Awards"

From the BBC:



Lenny Henry has been honoured by top TV critics for his small screen role in Premier Inn's classic British commercial 'A Great Night's Sleep Guaranteed'.

The comedian, a relative newcomer to voiceovers/cameo appearances, picked up the best 'reader of doggerel' prize at the Critics' Circle TV Awards for his "titanic performance" as anti-hero Bald Bloke With A Beard.

Henry told the BBC the filming had been "a massive emotional journey".

He said: "The day was like a therapy session, but with lots of laughter. And a nice cheque from my agent."

The slot won a Pulitzer Prize in 2012 and is considered one of the great budget hotel advertisements of the 21st Century.

The character of Bald Guy With A Beard, who sits on a bed in a T-shirt, has been played by actors as diverse as John Travolta, Sean Connery and Ben Kinglsey.

"If I'd thought about that going in I wouldn't have left the house," joked Henry.

Like most of his jokes, nobody found it in the slightest bit funny, but his inane mugging clearly indicated that he thought it was.

6 comments:

Tim Almond said...

That's funnier than a Lenny Henry comedy.

proglodyte said...

He peaked in Tiswas, probably the best ever Saturday morning show. Remember Spit the dog?

Tim Almond said...

proglodyte,

I think you may have nailed it. He was fine in Tiswas and Three of a Kind where he was part of a group and was basically a performer. Then he got control, and just isn't a good writer/producer.

He rode in with the alternative comedy, and to put it frankly, because he was the token black guy amongst a group of white, upper-middle class students, many of whom produced a few successes early on and then decades of turgid crap.

Pablo said...

Prg: Yeh, Spit woz greyat!

Mark Wadsworth said...

TS, thanks, but that's not saying much!

Bayard said...

I thought he was good in "Chef".