Popular British Sketch Comedy (2004-2007) show written and performed by comedienne Catherine Tate, as the name suggests. It was based on a number of regular characters and introduced many catchphrases, including "Am I bovvered?", "What a fucking liberty!", "How very dare you!", "Who, dear? Me, dear? Gay, dear? No, dear!", "Have a guess!", "I can do that!" and "The dirty bastards!"The best known recurring characters were Lauren, a cheeky "chav" schoolgirl with attitude; and Nan, a foul-mouthed grandmother.A one-off Christmas Episode, Nan's Christmas Carol, aired in 2009.
All There in the Manual: The script books gave names to some of the characters who were never named in the show, including the office workers (Kate and Ellen), the croupier from series two (Hayley) and the spy from series three (Laura Powers.)
Berserk Button: Derek, whenever someone assumes that he is gay.
Dawson Casting: It's a sign of Tate's acting skill that she can play opposite Matthew Horne as both his high school love interest (Lauren) andhis grandmother (Nan). Horne himself is in his thirties.
Expy: Some say Lauren is a lot like Vicky Pollard from Little Britain. One key difference is that Vicky is genuinely dim, but with Lauren there are some sketches where it's quite clear she's smarter than she pretends to be, though she seems not to care. She's also shown to be able to quote William Shakespeare, hold a conversation in French and recite part of the periodic table of elements.
It's pretty clear that David Tennant's Ghost of Christmas Present is a parody of Russell Brand.
Felony Misdemeanor: The entire point of the Posh Family sketches, where something very mundane and ordinary (eg. almost running out of extra virgin olive oil or not using organic eggs in an egg and spoon race) is treated as a massive crisis.
Grave Humor: With the death of Lauren in the 2007 Christmas special.
I Resemble That Remark: The Ghost of Christmas Present when Nan calls him effiminate. Derek when he is assumed to be gay denies is while mentioning something about himself that seems gay.
I Want You to Meet an Old Friend of Mine and Actor Allusion: A sketch featured David Tennant (Tate's co-star in Doctor Who) as Lauren's new English teacher, Mr. Logan. After she makes fun of his Scottish accent and resemblance to the Doctor, Mr. Logan finally snaps when she mentions Billie Piper. He reveals that he really is the Doctor, and turns her into a Rose Tyler action figure with his Sonic Screwdriver. ("A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet.")
Tennant also appeared in Nan's Christmas Carol as the Ghost of Christmas Present. To quote Nan: "That's all I need - a Scots ghost with a comedy ringtone!"
Mistaken for Gay: Derek, though in this case he's probably just in deep denial.
Motor Mouth: Lauren especially. After she says "Am I bovvered?" the first time, she doesn't stop.
No Longer With Us: In one of the "information-desk worker" sketches from series one.
The Other Darrin: The actor who played Ray in the "couple on sofa" sketches was wordlessly replaced in series 3. The actor who initially played John in the "embarrassing Irish mother" sketch was replaced by Colin Morgan of Merlin fame for the 2007 Christmas special.
Colin Morgan's casting is Hilarious in Hindsight considering his most famous role is the eponymous Merlin, a show famous for its Ho Yay by the bucketload.
Reality Subtext: A common theme is bullying of redheads, which Tate claims to have experienced in real life. She also admits to basing "Geordie Georgie" on a woman who wrote to her from Newcastle asking for charity donations.
She's also mentioned that Nan was inspired by an elderly woman who, when Tate was performing at a nursing home, yelled something to the effect of, "Is she going to stand in front of the telly all fucking day?"
Tear Jerker: "No one's come up t' see me ... No one's come up t' see me ..."
"In Loving Memory / Lauren Cooper / 1992-2007"
Averted: "I Still Ain't Bovvered"
This Is Unforgivable: In the Christmas Special, when Nan refuses to let her family members stay and leaves them out in the cold, her grandson decides this is the worst thing she's ever done and cuts her out of his life. With intervention from The Ghosts of Christmas Present, Past, and Future, she decides to treat them better.
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