'The Fast Show' was the result of a "marriage"-like writing partnership between Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson.

Charlie Hugson

Charlie Hugson

The duo created the iconic comedy sketch show - which featured the likes of Mark Williams, Simon Day and John Thomson - and Charlie has claimed their contrasting skill-sets were the foundation of the programme's success.

Charlie shared: "It's the same for a writing partnership and a marriage is that you both have to be quite different. You both bring different things to it. If you both bring the same, it doesn't work."

But while Paul formed a similarly successful writing partnership with fellow British comic Harry Enfield, with 'Harry Enfield's Television Programme', Charlie struggled to collaborate with the funnyman.

He explains in 'The Fast Show at 21: An Evening With Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson': "It's quite interesting because Paul has managed to be one half of a comedy writing partnership with two different people, both with me and with Harry Enfield.

"Paul is a certain type of person and Harry and I are the same kind of person. So actually Harry and I we stopped working together. It didn't work out. We're both control freaks. We like to be in that controlling structuring position and Paul just likes to come in and be funny basically."

'The Fast Show at 21: An Evening with Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson' will be available to watch on BBC Store bbcstore.com on November 15 between 12 midday and 12 midnight .


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