Gareth Hale and Norman Pace rose to fame part of the alternative comedy boom of the '80's, which was strange because strictly speaking, they were far from alternative. Their repertoire of comic characters included the 'Two Rons', thuggish gangsters whose catchphrase was "We are The Management!" ( based on the Kray Twins, who allegedly were fans ), the idiotic children's T.V. presenters 'Billy' and 'Johnny' ( "We know a song about that, don't we?" ), and a pair of drug-addled Hell's Angels. In short, they were the dark side of 'The Two Ronnies'. Traditional in tone, but going just that little bit further.
Following several series in which they played supporting roles, such as 'Pushing Up Daisies' ( later to be retitled 'Coming Next' ), 'Saturday Live', and 'The Saturday Gang', they finally landed their own sketch show in 1988. Made by London Weekend Television, the first edition got them into trouble with an item in which they microwaved a cat ( it wasn't a real one, of course, but a lot of people were upset nonetheless ). A later sketch had frogs used as tennis balls. One of the 'Billy & Johnny' items featured the daft duo engaging in a threesome with Johnny's sexy wife. Another was set in a house constructed entirely from human waste. Gareth and Norman relished in flaunting their political incorrectness - particularly with the Teutonic country and western singer 'Hank Von Schweinhund' whose backing group consisted of sexy, goose-stepping Nazi girls - and audiences loved them for it. As a mark of their popularity they landed guest roles in what turned out to be the last 'Dr.Who' story for sixteen years - 'Survival' in 1989.
The show ran for the best part of ten years in a late Sunday night slot. But not everyone appreciated Hale and Pace's 'poo and pee' humour. A letter writer to 'The Daily Mirror' said: "I agree that Hale and Pale are not afraid to be offensive. They're not very funny either.". The outspoken Alexei Sayle took a swipe at the lads on his B.B.C. show: "When Oliver Hardy went golfing, Stan Laurel would time gags, edit scripts and cut film. When Gareth Hale goes golfing, Norman Pace goes with him. Which explains why their show is so awful!". He had a point. The later 'Hale & Pace' shows looked tired and flat, and they faced tough competition from Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, so they killed it off and crossed over to the B.B.C. to do a new version of 'In At The Deep End' in which they performed unlikely tasks.
'Hale & Pace' is not widely remembered as a comedy classic, but it was fun - at first, anyway - its only major flaw being that the lads didn't know when to call it a day. Nothing lasts forever. Matt Lucas and David Walliams would do well to remember this as they continue to reap the 'Little Britain' dividend.
Following several series in which they played supporting roles, such as 'Pushing Up Daisies' ( later to be retitled 'Coming Next' ), 'Saturday Live', and 'The Saturday Gang', they finally landed their own sketch show in 1988. Made by London Weekend Television, the first edition got them into trouble with an item in which they microwaved a cat ( it wasn't a real one, of course, but a lot of people were upset nonetheless ). A later sketch had frogs used as tennis balls. One of the 'Billy & Johnny' items featured the daft duo engaging in a threesome with Johnny's sexy wife. Another was set in a house constructed entirely from human waste. Gareth and Norman relished in flaunting their political incorrectness - particularly with the Teutonic country and western singer 'Hank Von Schweinhund' whose backing group consisted of sexy, goose-stepping Nazi girls - and audiences loved them for it. As a mark of their popularity they landed guest roles in what turned out to be the last 'Dr.Who' story for sixteen years - 'Survival' in 1989.
The show ran for the best part of ten years in a late Sunday night slot. But not everyone appreciated Hale and Pace's 'poo and pee' humour. A letter writer to 'The Daily Mirror' said: "I agree that Hale and Pale are not afraid to be offensive. They're not very funny either.". The outspoken Alexei Sayle took a swipe at the lads on his B.B.C. show: "When Oliver Hardy went golfing, Stan Laurel would time gags, edit scripts and cut film. When Gareth Hale goes golfing, Norman Pace goes with him. Which explains why their show is so awful!". He had a point. The later 'Hale & Pace' shows looked tired and flat, and they faced tough competition from Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, so they killed it off and crossed over to the B.B.C. to do a new version of 'In At The Deep End' in which they performed unlikely tasks.
'Hale & Pace' is not widely remembered as a comedy classic, but it was fun - at first, anyway - its only major flaw being that the lads didn't know when to call it a day. Nothing lasts forever. Matt Lucas and David Walliams would do well to remember this as they continue to reap the 'Little Britain' dividend.