Who Is This Guy, Super Hans?

I am in complete and utter despair as I've just finished watching the last episode in Series 9 of "Peep Show" on Netflix. I had started watching this show years ago and then never picked back up on it until quite recently. Once I started, I was absolutely hooked. And I will tell you, I'm a bit of a British TV connoisseur. Just ask around - I can give you references.  I love the woesome and absolutely ridiculous predicaments that Mark (David Mitchell) and Jez (Robert Webb) get themselves into. 

Throughout the many seasons, there have been quite a few cast of characters who thoroughly incite the idiocy of these two fellows.  One of them is the character Super Hans played by Matt King. Who is this guy?  He's an actor, comedian and writer. He's been in films such as Guy Richie's "Rocknrolla" and Nicolas Winding Refn's "Bronson". You might have also spotted him as Cook's Dad on the show "Skins" (one of my faves!) as well as his own self-penned sketch show called "Dogface". Keep an eye out for this bloke as I'm sure he'll be crossing the pond soon to the States for even bigger roles. 

Check out this clip of some top Super Hans moments on "Peep Show". 

The 5er: Comedian Naz Osmanoglu

Comedian Naz Osmanoglu

Worst advice: "Yes, you should definitely wear that funny hat onstage."

 As y'all know, I have a slight sick sense of humour, which means I have a huge affection towards british humour.  I even spelled "humour" like they do.  So, when I was introduced to funnyman Naz Osmanoglu (yes, that's his real name), I was intrigued and that was just the beginning.  He's half English, half Turkish and well, a prince as wikipedia reports, "Prince Şehzade Nazım Ziyaeddin Nazım Osmanoğlu, Imperial Prince of the Ottoman Empire more commonly known as Naz Osmanoglu."  I'm suddenly feeling so inadequate and not worthy. 

Nonetheless, "The 5er" jumps the pond this week to chat it up with the comedian to find out what or rather whom inspired him to jump onto the comedy bandwagon, how maybe a "born again" experience on stage can help one become a better performer and who he name drops as his one-night stand dream girl.  You never know, Naz, your dream may come true here in Hollywood with Ms. Cattrall!

Tell me a little about your comedic background and why you think you're funny.

Well, it all started when I saw Richard Ayoade (Director of "Submarine" & ex Cambridge Footlights (comedy troupe)) do a twenty minute stand up set at my school when I was about 14. It was amazing and I didn't really understand what was happening, I just knew I wanted to do that thing that he was doing. Then I watched Eddie Murphy's "Delirious" and worried that I would never be able to so easily make stuff up like that on the cuff and got quite disheartened...but after a few years I realised it was a craft and it wasn't actually all improvised there on the spot and so I decided to give it a go at university with my mates who now are my colleagues - we write sketches for TV as WitTank and I also do stand up.

Why am I funny? Because I was a MASSIVE loser as a kid. Big time social reject. Short, podgy, scared of people (especially girls) and terrible at sport. Slowly, I realised if I could make people laugh, they forgot to bully me about all the other stuff...

 Richard Ayoade - Comedian/Director/Writer

I'm obsessed with British TV.  Ask our friend Ed as I constantly ask him for suggestions on what the latest brit shows I should watch. Do you have any fave shows? Do tell!
My favourite British TV shows: "Peep Show" (amazing but not for the faint hearted, it's not a feel good show), "The Thick of It" (Malcolm Tucker is amazing), Garth Marenghi's "Darkplace Illumination" (Richard Ayoade is in this - it is a spoof horror doc and it's probably the best one ever). If you like sketch shows, the best one in my opinion is "Big Train" (Simon Pegg, Mark Heap - consistently hilarious)....

Many people think - "How hard can it be to get up on stage and tell a joke or two?!?"  I know that' s not the case.  So, what's one of the biggest challenges that you never realized existed in your journey to becoming a successful comedian? 
Well, the most difficult part of stand-up is being consistently good. It takes literally years to learn how to play all the different rooms, how to unify all the different crowds, how to deal with different types of people... and that is a slog, especially when dying onstage is part of the learning process. You have to die in order to learn and when you first start out, that can be particularly challenging. Worst death I've ever had was my first ever 20 min set in front of more than 100 people. No one laughed for 17 minutes then there was some coughing. I was quite sweaty after.

Also heckling is sometimes hard, although I tend to enjoy them now. Worst heckle I ever had was: WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?  

What's the best advice you've ever received? And the worst advice?
Best advice: "Keep going, keep writing, keep gigging". I'ts the only way to get better, by constantly pushing yourself.

Worst advice: "Yes, you should definitely wear that funny hat onstage."

If you could have a one night stand with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
Kim Cattrall. She had it "Mannequin", she had it in "Sex And The City" (and yes I have watched it all) and she still has it now. I don't know why, but I really think we would just get on...

Check out these fresh clips of Naz's work.  This here bit is of his character "Antonio".



And here's a sketch he did for WitTank called "The Break Up".

The 5er: Channel 4's Ed Webster

(Photo Disclaimer: I clearly did not interview a baby so obviously the interviewee subject is on the left. LOL)

For the best British TV recommendations, I often consult my friend, Channel 4's Ed Webster, for which he is now the reason for my absolute addiction to the infectious show, "Peep Show".  Get deeper inside his mind for more of his fave shows - albeit some of them American ones, what American-isms he fancies and why Gene Kelly is so appealing to him.

What is currently your favorite show on Channel 4?
The brilliantly written, shot and acted "Peep Show".  I'm very glad that it's coming back for another series (or season as you would say!) later this year.

 Peep Show

  
What is currently your favorite show not on Channel 4 and why?
I'm catching up with various box sets. I'm a huge fan of the "West Wing". It makes me proud to be an American. At least it would if I was.

Out of current shows, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" which I tried to get Channel 4 to acquire for the UK. It's the funniest thing I've ever seen on TV.  "Boardwalk Empire" is amazing - I'm going to New York to visit my friend Anatol Yusef this year, who plays "Meyer Lansky". While I'm there I'm going to try and persuade him that his character should have a brother.  From there it's a short walk to my own spin off series, which would like to be a musical comedy show. I'll let you know what they say.

Anatol Yusef

If you could live anywhere else than London, where would it be?
I absolutely love New York (though you never once invited me over when you lived there. I'm over it) And I could very happily live anywhere along the California coast - so beautiful. Even thinking about it makes me happy.

What makes you laugh the most about us silly Americans?
The Writers/Cast of 'It's Always Sunny...', Seth McFarlane, Oliver Hardy, Steve Martin, legal disclaimers on commercials, The 'World' Series, and the way you spell 'favourite'.

What is your favorite all-time film and why?
I want to say "The Godfather" but I think I have to go for "Singing in the Rain". When I grow up, I want to be Gene Kelly.

Love "Peep Show" - It's Not What You Think!

It'’s time to add some new fun and humour (as the Queen’s English spells it) to your “watch instantly” queue on Netflix by adding in the brit comedy, "“Peep Show"” starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb.  Never mind that you probably haven’t heard of either one of these funny fellows but they are a comedic duo who have starred in and written several sketch comedies such as “"The Mitchell and Webb Situation"”, "“That Mitchell and Webb Sound"” and most recently “"That Mitchell and Webb Look".”  "“Peep Show"” is in it’s eight season and is now the longest running comedy having ever been broadcast on Channel 4.

This quirky comedy is shot in the point of view of each main character with voice-overs made by the characters, Mark and Jeremy.  “"Peep Show"” is centered around two men in their twenties and their lives as roommates, their loves, jobs and every single awkward situation known humanly possible to mankind.  Mark is an unhappily employed and socially awkward especially around the neighborhood kids who constantly bully him.  Jeremy moves into Mark’s flat after a recent break-up and struggles to find employment while working on what he believes to be his true calling, a musician, much to everyone else’s dismay.  Neither one is incredibly successful with the ladies although Jeremy does fair a bit better with the birds.

British humour, in general, is a little more dry and ironic however “"Peep Show"” fully delivers causing outloud laughs when watched.  The predicaments that Mark and Jeremy find themselves into alone are embarrassing enough to make you blush but to watch it presented from their own eyes and voice, makes it feel even more personally humiliating for both the character and the viewer.  As with many british tv shows, there was an attempt to recreate a US version of this show on Fox in 2005 but it was deemed unsuccessful.  Creators of the UK show, Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain criticized that the flop of the show was due to the lack of using a point-of-view filming like the original show.  This show is one of my favorites and I hope you will feel the same.