
Chris Langham
Actor · 1949 – 2026 · London, England, UK
Christopher Langham was an English writer, actor, and comedian. He is known for playing the cabinet minister Hugh Abbot in the BBC Four sitcom The Thick of It, and as presenter Roy Mallard in People Like Us, first on BBC Radio 4 and later on its transfer to television on BBC Two, where Mallard is almost entirely an unseen character. Langham subsequently created several spoof adverts in the same vein. He also played similar unseen interviewers in an episode of the television series Happy Families and in the film The Big Tease. He is also known for his roles in the television series Not the Nine O'Clock News, Help, Kiss Me Kate, and as the gatehouse guard in Chelmsford 123. In 2006, he won BAFTA awards for The Thick of It and Help. On 2 August 2007, Langham was found guilty of fifteen charges of downloading and possessing level 5 child sexual abuse images and videos. Langham was jailed for ten months, reduced to six months on appeal. He was made to sign the sex offenders' register and was banned from working with children for 10 years.
Series23
TV7.1ComedyNewsHilarious, totally-irreverent, near-slanderous political quiz show, based mainly on news stories from the last week or so, that leaves no party, personality or action unscathed in pursuit of laughs.
Have I Got News for You
1990 · 82 votes
TV7.4ComedyThe Comic Strip is a group of British comedians, who do parodies of films, literature and sometimes major events.
The Comic Strip Presents...
1982 · 19 votes
TV8.0ComedyFamilyGo behind the curtains as Kermit the Frog and his muppet friends struggle to put on a weekly variety show.
The Muppet Show
1976 · 364 votes
TV7.7ComedyAn un-scripted comedy show in which four guest performers improvise their way through a series of games, many of which rely on audience suggestions.
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
1988 · 74 votes
TV8.1ComedySet in the corridors of power and spin, the Minister for Social Affairs is continually harassed by Number 10's policy enforcer and dependent on his not-so-reliable team of civil servants.
The Thick of It
2005 · 222 votes
TV6.9MysteryCrimeComedienne Dawn French tackles dark, tongue-in-cheek thrillers as her various characters embark on a different mystery every episode. In one way or another, she is involved with murder — either committing the crime or even getting bumped off herself!
Murder Most Horrid
1991 · 15 votes
TV9.0FamilyComedyAn hour-long anthology series hosted by Jim Henson and generally included two segments. The first, MuppeTelevision, features comedy skits starring the Muppets, as well as frequent guest appearances by popular entertainers. The second often rebroadcasts original productions, primarily The StoryTeller.
The Jim Henson Hour
1989 · 11 votes
TV5.0ComedyA series of benefit shows staged initially in the United Kingdom to raise funds for the human rights organisation Amnesty International. The shows started in 1976 featuring popular British comedians but later included leading musicians and actors. The Secret Policeman's Ball shows are credited by many prominent entertainers with having galvanised them to become involved with Amnesty and other social and political causes in succeeding years.
The Secret Policeman's Ball
1976 · 1 votes
TV7.9ComedyRichie Richard (socially awkward, sexually inexperienced) and Eddie Hitler (carefree alcoholic ) are two social outcasts living on the dole. Trapped together in a squalid flat in Hammersmith, London they are perpetually skint, bored and sexually frustrated. They spend their days scheming, bickering, and being nasty and sadistic to each other.
Bottom
1991 · 148 votes
TV7.3ComedyClassic sketch comedy show satirising the news and culture of the late 70s and early 80s which introduced Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith, Griff Rhys Jones and Pamela Stephenson.
Not the Nine O'Clock News
1979 · 28 votes
TV7.3ComedyA British comedy sketch television series featuring Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones that ran on BBC One and BBC Two from 31 January 1984 to 14 October 1998. From series 5 in 1989 the 'Alas' title was dropped and became simply Smith and Jones.
Alas Smith and Jones
1984 · 20 votes
TV8.2ComedyMel and Howard's wedding is one week away. Howard experiences a series of humiliating disasters in the week leading up to the ceremony.
The Worst Week of My Life
2004 · 23 votes
TV7.1ComedyLinda La Hughes shares a flat with Tom Farrell. Linda is overweight, loudmouthed and not particularly attractive. She thinks she's gorgeous and irrestible, however. She's also sex mad and obsessed with men. Tom is an aspiring actor. He's got an agent, but finds it difficult to get parts. He doesn't like Linda much, in spite of (or perhaps because of) the fact that they share a flat. She isn't completely comfortable with his homosexuality, perhaps because she finds it difficult to live with a man who doesn't find her sexually attractive.
Gimme Gimme Gimme
1999 · 36 votes
TV7.3DramaComedyHappy Families was a rural comedy drama written by Ben Elton which appeared on the BBC in 1985 and told the story of the dysfunctional Fuddle family. It starred Jennifer Saunders as Granny Fuddle, Dawn French as the Cook and Adrian Edmondson as her imbecilic grandson Guy. The plot centred around Guy's attempts to find his four sisters - also played by Saunders, for a family reunion.
Happy Families
1985 · 6 votes
TV8.3ComedyPeople Like Us was a British radio and TV comedy programme, a spoof on-location documentary written by John Morton, and starring Chris Langham as Roy Mallard, an inept interviewer. Originally a radio show for BBC Radio 4 in three series from 1995 to 1997, it was made into a television series for BBC Two that aired from September 1999 to June 2000.
People Like Us
1999 · 16 votes
- TVComedyDrama
A satirical comedy-drama exploring the absurdities of modern life, politics, and society through a series of sketches and parodies.
TV7.4ComedyChelmsford, Britain in the year AD 123; there is a power struggle between Roman governor Aulus Paulinus and the British chieftain, Badvoc. Britain is a miserable place, cold and wet – just the place to exile Aulus for accidentally insulting the Emperor's horse, but also give him something useful to do. Aulus, probably a play on Aulus Platorius Nepos, the governor of Roman Britain between 122 and 125, was a rather delicate Roman, who was usually outwitted by the scheming Badvoc, who hadn't had a haircut for twenty-five years.
Chelmsford 123
1988 · 7 votes
TV7.0Talk ShowActress and writer Pamela Stephenson is now a successful therapist – Dr Pamela Connolly – with a private practice in Los Angeles. She draws upon her professional training when interviewing A-list celebrities.
Shrink Rap
2007 · 3 votes
TV7.1ComedyThe Gaffer is an ITV situation comedy series of the early 1980s starring Bill Maynard and written by businessman Graham White. 20 episodes were shown between 1981 and 1983. It was made for the ITV network by Yorkshire Television
The Gaffer
1981 · 7 votes
- TV4.2Documentary
Margi Clarke presented the show which was broadcast on late nights on ITV. The show ran for three series. The Good Sex Guide which gained unheard-of audience figures of 13 million for a show that aired at 10.35pm. She was rewarded with a win at the RTS Awards for "Best Female Presenter" in 1994. A second series was equally successful, and a third, The Good Sex Guide Abroad, soon followed. Clarke turned down an offer to take the series into a late night chat show format, the host eventually being Toyah Wilcox.
The Good Sex Guide
1993 · 5 votes
- TV10.0Documentary
London is a 2004 three-part BBC history documentary series about the history of London, presented by Peter Ackroyd.
London
2004 · 1 votes
TV5.4ComedyHelp is a BBC television comedy series first screened on BBC Two in 2005. Written by and starring Paul Whitehouse and Chris Langham, it concerns a psychotherapist and his therapy sessions with a variety of patients almost all played by Whitehouse.
Help
2005 · 5 votes
TV7.8ComedyA look into the everyday life of a counsellor, Kate, who must not only manage her clients' problems, but must also help her neighbours and unsuccessful business partner, Douglas.
Kiss Me Kate
1998 · 6 votes
Movies22
Movie7.8ComedyBrian Cohen is an average young Jewish man, but through a series of ridiculous events, he gains a reputation as the Messiah. When he's not dodging his followers or being scolded by his shrill mother, the hapless Brian has to contend with the pompous Pontius Pilate and acronym-obsessed members of a separatist movement. Rife with Monty Python's signature absurdity, the tale finds Brian's life paralleling Biblical lore, albeit with many more laughs.
Life of Brian
1979 · 5.1K votes
Movie6.9ComedyCrimeCharles Dreyfus, who has finally cracked over inspector Clouseau's antics, escapes from a mental institution and launches an elaborate plan to get rid of Clouseau once and for all.
The Pink Panther Strikes Again
1976 · 644 votes
Movie6.4TV MovieComedyEscaping the dreary wet weather of 1930s England, an eccentric family uproot and ship themselves to the sunnier climes of the Greek island of Corfu.
My Family and Other Animals
2005 · 27 votes
Movie5.9ComedyThinking he's competing in Los Angeles' hot Platinum Scissors contest, Scottish hairstylist Crawford leaves Glasgow with a film crew to capture the event. When he learns he's a mere audience member, Crawford must find a way to become the mane event.
The Big Tease
1999 · 25 votes
Movie6.3ComedyMusicFollowing the success of the 1979 show and the financial benefits accruing to Amnesty from the spin-off movie, TV special and record albums – Cleese, Lewis and Walker planned the next show to be a more spectacular event. Cleese focused on broadening the comedic talent to be presented at the show. In addition to the Amnesty show stalwarts drawn from the Oxbridge/Monty Python/Beyond The Fringe orbit, he invited newcomers such as Rowan Atkinson’s colleagues from the BBC TV show Not the Nine O'Clock News including Pamela Stephenson and Griff Rhys Jones; comedian Victoria Wood and regional comic Jasper Carrott. Lewis secured a return appearance by Billy Connolly and a debut appearance by "alternative" comedian Alexei Sayle who Lewis had recently discovered and was managing. Building on the success of Pete Townshend's 1979 appearance Lewis recruited other rock musicians to perform at the 1981 show including Sting, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Donovan and Bob Geldof.
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball
1982 · 6 votes
Movie6.8ComedyDramaNapoleon, exiled, devises a plan to retake the throne. He'll swap places with commoner Eugene Lenormand, sneak into Paris, then Lenormand will reveal himself and Napoleon will regain his throne. Things don't go at all well; first, the journey proves more difficult than expected, but more disastrously, Lenormand enjoys himself too much to reveal the deception. Napoleon adjusts somewhat uneasily to the life of a commoner while waiting, while Lenormand gorges on rich food.
The Emperor's New Clothes
2001 · 45 votes
Movie3.9ComedyChristopher Columbus believes he can find an alternative route to the far East and persuades the King and Queen of Spain to finance his expedition...
Carry On Columbus
1992 · 46 votes
Movie4.9ActionTV MovieAn American's family jewels are stolen during her trip to London and she reluctantly teams up with a private investigator-in-training to try and recover them.
Bejewelled
1991 · 5 votes
Movie7.7ComedyMusicAfter the criticisms of the 1987 show’s disproportionate focus on music - and the financial disaster of its music-only Festival Of Youth weekend concert in 1988, Amnesty returned to the original formula that had been so successful in the 1976-1981 era with a primary focus on comedy. Pat Duffy was dropped from organising any further benefit events for Amnesty and for the 1989 show, Amnesty hired producer Judith Holder.
The Secret Policeman’s Biggest Ball
1989 · 3 votes
Movie6.0DocumentaryA look behind the scenes of satirical sketch show Not the Nine O'Clock News.
Not Again: Not the Nine O'Clock News
2009 · 1 votes
Movie5.0DramaComedyBased on a true story, the movie tells the story of two pigs, named Butch and Sundance, who staged a dramatic escape from an abattoir in January 1998 and remained at large for a week ...
The Legend of the Tamworth Two
2004 · 2 votes
Movie6.2ComedyThe Thompson family is accused of murder when a stranger dies at their dinner table. Six months later, family friend Tim visits freelance therapist Dr. Eric Sacks and the story finds it's way to the press. The facts are bent and the details spun as the Thompsons become known to the public as 'The Family of Killers'.
Black Pond
2011 · 25 votes
Movie7.0ComedyParody of 1960's spy capers.
The Preventers
1996 · 1 votes
Movie6.5DramaThrillerPaul Hatcher has a habit of spying on the neighbors across the way, something that gets him into deep trouble. Hatcher is a movie critic, and for awhile it looks like his main problem is keeping reality and the silver screen separate. But then a double murder occurs across the street after some mobsters cannot find an incriminating negative. After Hatcher discovers where the negative is hidden, he is bumped to the top on the assassins' hit list.
The McGuffin
1986 · 2 votes
Movie6.0ComedyAli is a young Egyptian screenwriter determined to succeed in London, where he has been a student. He loves the artistic and political freedom, the colours, the music, the individualism. But he has little money, his student visa is about to expire and he has been thrown out of his lodgings. And so Ali moves in with a succession of eccentric and colourful London flatmates: Mark, a photographer with a very individual style, Linda, a young, blonde, very sexy model and Marilyn Monroe impersonator, and Miss Stevenson who is convinced that Ali is the reincarnation of her long dead Egyptian lover.
Room to Rent
2001 · 8 votes
Movie5.8RomanceComedyA romantic comedy set in space, or - to be more specific - planet Earth which follows world-weary banker Zac on his search for his eccentric sister, Alice, who goes missing while on a narrowboat trip with her new boyfriend.
The Darkest Universe
2016 · 12 votes
Movie10.0ComedyThrillerStephen Poliakoff's parody of the spy-thriller genre. A Russian diplomat becomes convinced that he is at the centre of a Foreign Office plot.
Soft Targets
1982 · 1 votes
Movie6.5ComedyAttention, comedy fans: NOT THE NINE O'CLOCK NEWS is the real thing. This is scathing, no-holds-barred Brit humor at its best. Rapid-fire skits starring Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) are as politically incorrect as they are side-bustingly funny, sparing no one as they take on the British Royal Family, Margaret Thatcher, Scotland Yard, country music, Christianity, devil worship, punk rock and bathroom etiquette. NOT THE NINE O'CLOCK NEWS is so irreverent that when the pilot was due to air in April 1979, the BBC cancelled it due to its incendiary political content. When at last it aired, the greatest comedy group to hit England since Monty Python's Flying Circus stormed the airwaves and revolutionized British and American television alike. Discover the show that set the standard for the anarchic cynicism that defined the alternative comedy of the 80's.
The Best of Not the Nine O'Clock News Volume One
2003 · 4 votes
Movie5.9DramaAdaption of George Eliot's novel. When a respectable weaver is wrongfully accused of theft, he becomes a virtual hermit until his own fortune is stolen and an orphaned child is found on his doorstep.
Silas Marner
1985 · 14 votes
Movie6.3ComedyFamilyGonzo the Great talks about the Muppets creator Jim Henson and what he did before the television show was made in 1976.
I Love Muppets
2002 · 14 votes
Movie6.6DocumentaryDocumentary about the work of puppeteer Jim Henson and his team in creating The Muppet Show.
Of Muppets & Men
1981 · 5 votes
Movie8.5DocumentaryDramaDramatised biography of writer George Orwell.
George Orwell: A Life In Pictures
2003 · 2 votes