The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon
| The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon | |
|---|---|
 VHS cover | |
| Genre | variety, parody |
| Written by | Steve Coogan Henry Normal |
| Directed by | Geoff Posner |
| Starring | Steve Coogan |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers | Geoff Posner David Tyler |
| Camera setup | Multiple camera |
| Production company | BBC |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Two |
| Release | 1 January 1997 |
| Related | |
| Introducing Tony Ferrino - Who? And Why? - A Quest | |
The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon is a British comedy written by and starring Steve Coogan and produced by Pozzitive Television. It centres around a show given by the Portuguese singer Tony Ferrino (played by Coogan), a music and dance spectacular which featured pop stars Mick Hucknall, Kim Wilde and Gary Wilmot in guest roles.[1]
The spoof choreography was led by Bruno Tonioli, and a recorded version of Steve Coogan as Tony Ferrino singing Tom Jones's "Help Yourself" was released by RCA Records at the same time as the TV show was released.[2]
As part of the illusion that Tony Ferrino was a real character, the BBC also showed a fake documentary interview about Tony Ferrino's life - Introducing Tony Ferrino - Who? And Why? - A Quest.[3] The interview was conducted by Peter Baynham, in character as Ross Woodward, a put-upon and nervous interview host.
Reception
[edit]The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon was very positively received, and Coogan revived the character in his 1998 national tour 'The Man Who Thinks He's It'. It won a Silver Rose at the Rose D'Or awards in Montreaux.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Comedy, Pozzitive. "Pozzitive: The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon". pozzitive.co.uk.
- ^ "Help Yourself by Tony Ferrino" – via Amazon.
- ^ "Introducing Tony Ferrino: Who and Why? A Quest" – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ "Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival (1997)". IMDb.