Whatever I Want

Whatever I Want is a six-part British television sketch show, written by and starring Leigh Francis, that first broadcast on ITV on 7 January 2000. Commissioned by Bellyache Productions, and overseen by Gavin Claxton, the series featured early prototypes of the characters of Keith Lemon and Avid Merrion, as well as a human version of The Bear known as Barry Gibson,who had previously appeared as a roving reporter during the early series of Channel 4's Popworld.[1]

Whatever I Want
GenreSketch show
Written by
  • Leigh Francis
  • Richard Preddy
  • Gary Howe
  • Gavin Claxton
Directed byGavin Claxton
StarringLeigh Francis
Composers
  • Claudio Giussani
  • David Blair
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerJohn Noel
Producers
  • Johnny Lowry
  • Gavin Claxton
CinematographyRupert Wyatt
EditorAlex Hutchinson
Running time30 minutes
Production companyBellyache Productions
DistributorLondon Weekend Television
Release
Original networkITV
Picture format16:9 (576i)
Audio formatStereo
Original release7 January (2000-01-07) –
11 February 2000 (2000-02-11)

The series broadcast at 11:30pm on Fridays in LWT regions only, and has never been repeated since broadcast, nor released on DVD. Each episode featured a number of celebrity guests, including Davina McCall, who first discovered Francis performing in-role stand-up comedy in a southern comedy club, and encouraged him to pursue a career in television. Reworked versions of Keith Lemon and Avid Merrion would later go on to appear as characters in Francis' Channel 4 sketch show Bo' Selecta!.

Characters
  • Barry Gibson; a budding television presenter & antique aficionado.
  • Avid Merrion; a Transylvanian-celebrity "stalker".
  • Keith Lemon; a failed former businessman-of-the-year.

Episodes
Episode Title Guests Original airdate
1"Episode 1"Davina McCall[2]7 January 2000 (2000-01-07)
2"Episode 2"[3]14 January 2000 (2000-01-14)
3"Episode 3"TBA21 January 2000 (2000-01-21)
4"Episode 4"Davina McCall, Claudia Winkleman[4]28 January 2000 (2000-01-28)
5"Episode 5"Claudia Winkleman[5]4 February 2000 (2000-02-04)
6"Episode 6"Mandy Smith, Cleo Rocos, Sarah Cawood, Kate Thornton[6][7]11 February 2000 (2000-02-11)
Keith Lemon enlists the help of Mandy Smith to redecorate an elderly woman's lift. Cleo Rocos helps Keith to give city office manager Brian a taste of the countryside. Avid Merrion stakes out a car park in the hope of bumping into Nicolas Cage. Barry Gibson tries his hand at abstract art, before inviting two close friends, Sarah Cawood and Kate Thornton, round for pizza.

References
  1. "Whatever I Want - ITV Sketch Show". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  2. "Whatever I Want [07/01/2000]". BFI. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  3. "Whatever I Want [14/01/2000]". BFI. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  4. "Whatever I Want [28/01/2000]". BFI. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  5. "Whatever I Want [04/02/2000]". BFI. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  6. "Whatever I Want [11/02/2000]". BFI. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  7. "Early Keith Lemon & Avid Merrion - 'Whatever I Want' - Leigh Francis Before 'Celebrity Juice'". YouTube. 26 January 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
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