Three of a Kind (1981 TV series)

Last updated

Three of a Kind
Starring Tracey Ullman
Lenny Henry
David Copperfield
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes17 (16 plus 1 special)
Production
Running time30 minutes
Release
Original network BBC1
Original release1 July 1981 (1981-07-01) 
8 October 1983 (1983-10-08)

Three of a Kind is a British comedy sketch show starring comedians Tracey Ullman, Lenny Henry and David Copperfield. Three series were made by the BBC between 1981 and 1983. [1]

Contents

The show bolstered the careers of Ullman and Henry, as well as being an outlet for young writers including Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, Ian Hislop and Nick Revell.

Ullman and Henry went on to greater success after the show, with Ullman initially launching a brief but successful pop career in 1983 before starring in the ITV sitcom Girls on Top in 1985 and then going on to a career on American television. Henry was given his own BBC series The Lenny Henry Show in 1984, which ran in various iterations until 2005, and has continued appearing on British television, or series produced in Britain ( The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power as of 2022). While Copperfield continued to appear on television, including his own series Lift Off! with Coppers & Co!, he has had more success as a stand-up comedian in the years since Three of a Kind.

Commercial releases

Books

Video and DVD

A single video of the show, entitled Three of a Kind and released under the "Best of British Comedy" banner, appeared in 1988 from 20th Century Fox. It contained the four episodes of the first series edited together into one programme without the musical guest performances.

The same video was released earlier in the UK in 1984 by BBC Video and re-released in 1998 under Paradox Videos. In 2005 and 2006, DVDs of each series were released in the United Kingdom by 2Entertain (BBC Worldwide).

Vinyl

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracey Ullman</span> British actress with American citizenship, comedian, singer, director, producer and writer

Tracey Ullman is a British-American actress, comedian, singer, writer, producer, and director. Her earliest mainstream appearances were on British television sketch comedy shows A Kick Up the Eighties and Three of a Kind. After a brief singing career, she appeared as Candice Valentine in Girls on Top with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.

<i>French and Saunders</i> Television series

French and Saunders is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring comedy duo and namesake Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders that originally broadcast on BBC Two from 1987 to 1993, and later on BBC One until 2017. It is also the name by which the performers are known on the occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act. The show was given one of the highest budgets in BBC history to create detailed spoofs and satires of popular culture, movies, celebrities, and art. French and Saunders continued to film holiday specials for the BBC, and both have been individually successful starring in other shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenny Henry</span> British stand-up comedian and actor

Sir Lenworth George Henry is a British actor, comedian, singer, television presenter and writer.

Kevin Paul Jackson, credited as Paul Jackson; sometimes as K. Paul Jackson, is an English television director, producer and executive, known for his production roles within the BBC, ITV, and previously, Carlton and Granada. His most famous television work includes The Two Ronnies and The Young Ones, and as the original producer for the sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf. In 2006, Jackson was named Director of Comedy and Entertainment at ITV.

Dick Clement is an English writer, director and producer. He became known for his writing partnership with Ian La Frenais for television series including The Likely Lads, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Porridge, Lovejoy and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.

<i>The Tracey Ullman Show</i> Television program

The Tracey Ullman Show is an American television variety show starring Tracey Ullman. It debuted on Fox on April 5, 1987, the network's second original primetime series to air following Married... with Children, and ran until May 26, 1990. The show was produced by Gracie Films. The show blended sketch comedy with musical numbers and dance routines, choreographed by Paula Abdul, along with animated shorts. The format was conceived by creator and executive producer James L. Brooks, who was looking to showcase the show's multitalented star. Brooks likened the show to producing three pilots a week. Ullman was the first British woman to be offered her own television sketch show in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

<i>Tracey Takes On...</i> Television series

Tracey Takes On... is an American sketch comedy series starring Tracey Ullman. The show ran for four seasons on HBO and was commissioned after the success of the 1993 comedy special Tracey Ullman Takes on New York. Each episode focuses on specific subject in which Ullman and her cast characters comment on or experience through a series of sketches and monologues.

<i>A Kick Up the Eighties</i> Television series

A Kick Up the Eighties was a 1981–1984 BBC 2 comedy sketch show starring Robbie Coltrane, Tracey Ullman, Richard Stilgoe, Miriam Margolyes, Rik Mayall, Ron Bain and Roger Sloman.

The Funny Side of Christmas is a Christmas special broadcast by BBC1 on 27 December 1982.

<i>Tracey Ullmans State of the Union</i> Television series

Tracey Ullman's State of the Union is an American sketch comedy series starring Tracey Ullman. The series was written by Ullman along with Hollywood satirist Bruce Wagner. Gail Parent and Craig DiGregorio acted as contributing writers to the series' first season. The show ran for three seasons on Showtime. On May 17, 2010, it was announced that the show would not be returning for a fourth season.

David Copperfield is a British comedian who is best known for his role in the 1980s BBC sketch show Three of a Kind, in which he starred alongside Tracey Ullman and Lenny Henry.

<i>Tracey Ullman: A Class Act</i> 1993 comedy television special

Tracey Ullman: A Class Act is a sketch comedy television special starring Tracey Ullman, along with Michael Palin, playing a variety of original characters. It originally aired on ITV; subsequently HBO in the United States on 23 November 1993.

Kim Fuller is an English writer for film, radio and television. He is the brother of music manager and Idols series creator Simon Fuller.

The One... is a comedy sketch television series starring Ronnie Corbett, of The Two Ronnies, Lenny Henry of The Lenny Henry Show, Jasper Carrott, comedian and former presenter of ITV game show Golden Balls and Welsh comedian and actor Griff Rhys Jones, also presenter of ITV clip series It'll Be Alright on the Night. It was devised by Matt Lucas, David Walliams and Geoff Posner for Little Britain Productions. Walliams departed the project by the time of the full series.

<i>Tracey Ullmans Show</i> British TV series or program

Tracey Ullman's Show is a British sketch comedy television series starring Tracey Ullman. Tracey Ullman's Show premiered on BBC One on 11 January 2016. The programme marks her first project for the broadcaster in over thirty years, and her first original project for British television in twenty-two years.

<i>Tracey Breaks the News</i> British TV series or program

Tracey Breaks the News is a British topical comedy programme starring Tracey Ullman. It premiered on BBC One on 27 October 2017 following a one-off special that aired on 23 June.

"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the British comedy series Tracey Breaks the News starring comedian Tracey Ullman. The series was commissioned by the BBC for BBC One. It is thematically inspired by the aftermath 2017 United Kingdom general election, as well as the one year anniversary of the Brexit vote, and was recorded shortly thereafter. The special is a reformatted version of Tracey Ullman's Show. "Tracey Breaks the News" is the second special Ullman has done for British television; her first since 1993's Tracey Ullman: A Class Act, and her fifth overall. The show aired on 23 June.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracey Ullman on screen and stage</span> British-American actress

Tracey Ullman is a British-American actress who has had an extensive career in television, film, and theatre. She has worked in both comedy and drama. Her sketch comedy television programmes have won her numerous awards in both the United States and the United Kingdom. She began her stage career in the mid-1970s starring in various West End musicals and dramas. Her first television appearance came in 1980 playing Lisa Mackenzie in the British drama series Mackenzie. In 1981, the BBC offered her her own television comedy programme, a first for a female British performer.

References

  1. "BBC - Comedy - Guide - Three of a Kind". BBC Online. Archived from the original on 17 December 2004. Retrieved 30 November 2014.