That Mitchell and Webb Look

	That Mitchell and Webb Look
Format	Comedy sketch show
Starring	David Mitchell; Robert Webb; Olivia Colman; Paterson Joseph
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	18
Production
Executive producer(s)	Kenton Allen, Jon Plowman
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC Two; BBC HD (2008-present)
Original run	14 September 2006 – present
External links
	Official website

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Robert Webb as the host of Numberwang

That Mitchell and Webb Look is a BAFTA award winning British television sketch show starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, that has currently run for two six-part series. The first episode of the third series aired on June 11th 2009.^[1] The first episode originally aired 14 September 2006 on BBC Two.^[2] A second series was commissioned later that same year.^[3] The second series, consisting of six episodes, aired on BBC Two from 21 February 2008 to 27 March 2008 and was simulcast on BBC HD.^[4] Many of its characters and sketches are first featured in the duo's radio show That Mitchell and Webb Sound.

It is directed by David Kerr, who also directed Mitchell and Webb's previous television sketch show The Mitchell and Webb Situation. As well as Mitchell and Webb themselves, the writers include Jesse Armstrong, James Bachman, Sam Bain, Mark Evans, Toby Davies, Chris Pell, Jonathan Dryden Taylor, Joel Morris, Jason Hazeley and John Finnemore. It is produced by Gareth Edwards. Other cast members include Olivia Colman, James Bachman, Mark Evans, Abigail Burdess, Gus Brown, Sarah Hadland and Paterson Joseph.

The third series began on 11 June 2009 on BBC Two.^[5]

[edit] Recurring sketches

Numberwang - a parody of a game show, with Webb playing the role of the show's exuberant host. Paterson Joseph and Olivia Colman play the contestants, who are respectively named Simon and Julie. In the sketch, the two contestants guess random numbers in various gameplay formats, until the host declares "That's Numberwang!". One skit was performed entirely in German and entitled "Nümberwang" (with Mitchell playing the host), while another featured a variant entitled "Wordwang", in which the contestants guessed random words. Midway through the skits, the board on which the contestants sit is rotated, revealing a non sequitur scene (such as a Nativity scene or two men playing Russian roulette), in an apparent tribute to Deer Hunter before returning to the contestants. Series 2, Episode 1 featured a trailer for a fictional movie called The Numberwang Code (a parody of The Da Vinci Code),^[6] and Episode 6 featured a documentary-like sketch explaining the "history" of Numberwang. In episode 2, a fictional ad was run for a board game based on the sketch.^[6]

Ted and Peter - A parody of television snooker commentary. Ted and Peter (Mitchell and Webb respectively) are a pair of jaded ex-players, who are generally more interested in getting drunk than actually commenting on the match. Their commentary comprises mainly revelations of bad habits, infidelities or crimes committed by players, mixed with mildly homoerotic praise of the players' style and looks. The sketch usually begins with Ted saying "Oh, and that's a bad miss" with the exception of the final episode of season 1 where Ted says "Oh, and that's a...cracking pot!". In season 3 the pair return in a retrospective look at snooker when they reminisce about their own match against one another in the final which took a ludicrous amount of time. This was due to both only playing because all the better players were involved in an accident and the excessive drinking which was acceptable in snooker at the time

The Surprising Adventures of Sir Digby Chicken Caesar - This features Webb and his sidekick Ginger (Mitchell), who believe that they are a pair of detectives in the style of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson when in fact they are drunken, drug-addled tramps. They are so poor that they have to hum their own theme tune (Devil's Gallop), which is usually sung as the intrepid duo are escaping from a crime scene. This purposely recalls the classic radio programme Dick Barton - Special Agent, where Barton and his sidekick solve crimes. They believe that plots are constantly being hatched against them by their "nemesis" described as "some bastard who is presumably responsible". Henchmen of their nemesis turn up in the shape of the police or whoever they happen to stumble in front of. Sir Digby first appeared on radio in the show's precursor, That Mitchell and Webb Sound but was known then as Sir Digby Caesar-Salad.

Big Talk - A discussion show hosted by Raymond Terrific (Webb), who shouts at his panel of "boffins", demanding they solve the world's problems. The experts try to solve these in a calm-headed way, while Raymond yells at them to get results faster. Raymond also (extremely unwillingly) chaired a spin-off called Small Talk, in which a panel of mindless celebrities discussed 'matters of no consequence', such as, "What is your favourite flavour of crisp?" although he visibly detested it.

The Party Planners - A duo preparing a party guest list realise one of their invited guests will bring along a certain companion. At length, they sneer at the behaviour seen during "the previous party", their descriptions revealing said inappropriate companion to be a famous fictional literary or historical figure such as James Bond or Scooby-Doo, behaving in their trademark manner.

The British Broadcasting Corporation - An old fashioned black and white broadcast, in which characters talk about the wonders of the new medium of television, and how it enables people to see them talking to each other, or if it works like a telephone, but as 4 of the 5 televisions were in use at the centre, they were not sure if they were hearing through television or an open door.

Barry Crisp - Crisp (Mitchell) runs a range of attractions which are all unsafe, including charging £2 to jump off a cliff, or offering the chance to swim with a great white shark but with the shark inside the cage along with the diver. His middle class customer (Webb) assumes everything is "fine" because Barry has a sign, so it must be legitimate, and is seemingly oblivious to the obvious danger, always eventually agreeing to take part, much to Barry's surprise.

The Honeymoon's Over - Mitchell plays a rude, mean, condescending man who takes a variety of different jobs, in all of which he does his best to demean his customers (Webb and Colman) and make them feel uncomfortable and inferior. When Webb and Colman ask about the nice people they had seen in a previous visit Mitchell would always reply "She/He's gone, they're all gone, and we're back!" Jobs have included being a vicar, waiter and a tailor.

The Helivets - A pair of heroes clad in pink jumpsuits who claim they can rescue any pet in peril. A parody of TV shows following the Emergency Services.^[7]

Lazy film/TV writers - In a parody of film and TV genres, two script writers, John Gibson (Webb) and Andrew Turner (Mitchell), can never be bothered to be original for their next project. Instead, they pick a genre, take its signature aspects, and put them together, to create something that is clearly a cheap cash-in on the genre. For example, in series 2 episode 3, they endeavored to write an "underdog" sport film about cricket despite knowing nothing about the sport.

Colin and Ray - Webb and Mitchell are co-workers in the same office, who have different jobs which tend to involve extraordinary plots. Colin works as a hostage negotiator, while Ray writes the plots to pornographic films.

Car boot sale - A car boot seller (Webb), amongst the normal tat, has unique items, such as the Holy Grail and the Wardrobe from the Chronicles of Narnia books, at ridiculously low prices.

The Quiz Broadcast - A television quiz show broadcast by the British Emergency Broadcasting Service set some time in the year 2013 after "The Event", a never-explained incident which led to the apocalypse. All of the questions and answers in the show are wrong, with "The Event" destroying knowledge of the previous society. Example questions include: "What is the name of this pre-Event leader?" with a picture of the comedian Eric Morecambe being shown and the "correct" answer being Heston Blumenthal. Prizes are vital supplies such as fuel and food. The show is constantly interrupted with messages reminding viewers to "REMAIN INDOORS".

Get Me Hennimore! - A parody of 1970s sitcoms, each episode featuring Hennimore (Webb) being given an important task by his boss (Mitchell) which always ends in disaster due to Hennimore's often understandable confusion as the items and rooms he must not mix up actually look identical. For example, in one episode he is told that a group of Korean chefs in Room 1 should not come into contact with a group of dog lovers in Room I, but the room signs get mixed up.

[edit] Production

The show follows on from the duo's earlier TV series The Mitchell and Webb Situation, and is an extension of their Radio 4 sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Sound. The show's producer Gareth Edwards commented that the show's pitch to the BBC "was the shortest pitch I've ever written", citing that the show "has worked on the radio, just like Little Britain worked on the radio and Dead Ringers worked on the radio, and they transferred successfully to TV, so why don't you [the BBC] transfer this one to TV as well?"^[2]

A pilot for the show was filmed on 27 January, 2006 at BBC Television Centre,^[8] with a full series being later commissioned.^[9] Preview nights for the show were held at The Drill Hall in London on 11 January, 2006 and 20 March, 2006, and at Ginglik in Shepherd's Bush in London on 14 May, 2006 and 21 May, 2006. These took the form of a radio recording, with verbal prompting to the audience for any visual element that would be required. The series was shot on location in June, 2006 and three audience recording sessions were held in Studio 4 at BBC Television Centre on 14 July 2006, 21 July, 2006 and 28 July, 2006.

Following the first series, the pair went on a tour of forty-four UK venues between October and December 2006, entitled The Two Faces of Mitchell and Webb, featuring many of the same sketches as That Mitchell and Webb Look.

A preview night for the second series was held on 18 May 2007 at The Drill Hall in London. This series was shot in high-definition^[10] on location during June/July 2007 and three studio recordings with an audience were held at TC8 in Television Centre on 3 August, 10 August and 17 August, 2007.

Two preview nights for series three were announced on 30 June, 2008 on the BBC Tickets website; all tickets were booked in less than 24 hours. The first preview night took place on 13 July, 2008 at The Drill Hall, with the second held there on 10 August, 2008. Two audience recording sessions at Television Centre — with additional live sketches — were announced on 3 October 2008, and took place on 31 October and 7 November, 2008, again in high-definition in studio TC8. A third recording session at the BBC Radio Theatre was announced on 10 October, 2008, taking place on 18 November, 2008.

[edit] Reception

The show was nominated for two British Comedy Awards in 2006, in the categories of "Britain's Best New TV Comedy" and the "Highland Spring People's Choice", it won neither of the awards.^[11] However, the show did go on to receive a BAFTA in 2007, in the category "Best comedy programme or series".^[12]

[edit] DVD release

The first series was released on DVD in the UK on 29 October, 2007. Extras include Outtakes, Behind the Scenes footage and a Mitchell & Webb documentary.^{[citation needed]}

The second series was released on DVD in the UK on 20 October, 2008. ^[13]

[edit] Worldwide broadcast

Region	Channel
United Kingdom	BBC2 / BBC HD/ Dave (TV channel)
Israel	Yes stars Comedy
Australia	ABC2
Canada	bold
Sweden	TV400
Finland	Sub (TV channel)
Denmark	DR2
United States	BBC America^[14]
Holland	Nederland 3
South Africa	BBC Entertainment