In case you weren’t already aware, there are few things more satisfying than providing an unwanted commentary to a television programme with “oh look, that’s such-and-such out of Star Wars“. Let’s call it one of the gifts of geekdom. One of the things which does beat it, however, is watching Star Wars while pointing out “oh look, that’s him/her out of that comedy show I remember” (at home, obviously – don’t do this in the cinema). Call that one of the gifts of middle-age.
Yes, the stars and supporting players of classic (and obscure) British comedy programmes have been cropping up in the Galaxy Far, Far Away for a long time now, and Lucasfilm’s new addition of Solo: A Star Wars Story is no exception. So let’s take a look at some of the faces who swapped laughter for lightspeed, and went from sitcoms to the stars…
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Providing the voice and motion-capture performance for the already-notable droid L3-37 in Solo, Phoebe will be more familiar to TV viewers for her dramatic role in Broadchurch. But it’s the acerbic 2016 BBC comedy Fleabag where Phoebe really shines, adapted for TV from her own stage play and bristling with millennial angst and outrageously funny moments.
With a raft of awards for the first six episodes and second series currently in the works, we haven’t seen the last of Waller-Bridge on our small screens, but it could be a challenge for viewers familiar with Fleabag to watch L3-37 without imagining the imminent to-camera delivery of the show’s recurring aside, which we can’t print in this article*…
(*seriously, Fleabag is not a sitcom for your padawans)
Adrian Edmonson
Rumoured as far back as November 2016 but cloaked by non-disclosure agreements and professional diplomacy, Ade Edmonson’s addition to the Star Wars canon was a cause of furtive and excited conversation. The Bradford-born performer has taken to dramatic roles in recent years, but to an entire generation he’ll always be Vivian from The Young Ones and Eddie from Bottom.
The Last Jedi‘s Captain Peavey provided the perfect platform for Edmonson, with the First Order officer being stern, pragmatic, but exuding a quiet, comedic exasperation. And better still, he’s alive when the credits roll, so it could well be a part which is reprised in Episode IX…
Ralph Ineson
It’s Finchy! An established character-actor for many years, Ralph Ineson has charmed us in Great Expectations, unnerved us in The VVitch and even used his voice to sooth our stomachs in adverts for a proprietary brand of antacid solution. But perhaps his most engaging moment on the small-screen was as the unbelievably boorish paper salesman Chris Finch in The Office.
The kind of man who defiantly argues the toss over the answer to a pub quiz then launches a hapless colleague’s shoe over a building, we hope Ineson’s Last Jedi character Ansiv Garmuth hasn’t brought those traits to the First Order. Although what a night in the cantina that would be if he has…
Andy De La Tour
It’s Chief Inspector Grobbelar! Yes, we’re back to Bottom and the ‘Parade’ episode, where Andy De La Tour plays a world-weary police chief whose life is made more miserable by having to deal with Eddie and Richie during a line-up. Another seasoned all-rounder, De La Tour crops up in Rogue One as General Hurst Romodi, a reliable cog in the machine of Death Star middle-management (this in itself is ripe sitcom-territory, surely?).
Given that Romodi’s first appearance was in the lead-up to the Scarif attack – and given that we know what happened to the Death Star a few days later – we’re unlikely to revisit him on-screen at any point soon. But he joins the ranks of Imperial administrators who appear to have wandered into the wrong career by accident, only to realise they’re there ’til the end…
Daniel Mays
More traditionally known as a dramatic actor, Daniel Mays nonetheless has great comic-timing which he uses when the occasion arises. What’s more, his first credited screen-appearance was as a supporting character in Lee & Herring’s Fist Of Fun (and yes, that’s Kelly Brook sitting next to him).
There were few laughs to be had with Daniel’s energetic appearance as Tivik in Rogue One of course, the doomed Rebel fanatic ‘released’ by Cassian Andor to spare him a Stormtrooper-interrogation. Never mind Daniel, as part of Saw Gererra’s crew, we could yet see your likeness in future Star Wars spin-off comics…
Paul Putner
More of an honourable mention, here. Another Lee & Herring cohort, the face of the Curious Orange from This Morning With Richard Not Judy and chief archeologist Mike from the Al Murray sitcom Time Gentlemen Please appeared in Pablo Hidalgo’s Rogue One Visual Guide (and subsequently at Wookieepedia) as Milton Putna, the custodian of Imperial records on Scarif.
But the character described in the encyclopaedic entry appears to have been played by another actor in the final cut of Rogue One. Exactly why this might be is currently unknown, but Bothan spies are working to unravel the mystery as you read this…
Simon Pegg
Another high-profile cameo, Simon Pegg spent years cutting his comedy-teeth with the likes of Steve Coogan and in BBC sketch show Big Train before his iconic role of Tim Bisley came to our screens in Channel 4’s 1999 sitcom, Spaced.
A vocal fan (and critic) of the Galaxy Far, Far Away for many years, Simon eventually voiced bounty hunter Dengar in the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, before donning the latex fat-suit to portray junk-dealer and ration-distributor Unkar Plutt in The Force Awakens (and check out the film’s deleted scenes to watch Pegg help demonstrate the Wookiee-reputation for rapid arm removal).
Peter Serafinowicz
Another Spaced alumni, Peter Serafinowicz was the cool, collected voice of Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace. The Zabrak assassin was a being of few words of course, but those lines he did utter reinforced Maul’s psychological aesthetic as more than just Palpatine’s blunt object.
Serafinowicz’s dialogue in the film would go on to be referenced directly in Spaced by his character Duane Benzie, one of the series’s myriad pop-culture (not to mention Star Wars itself) Easter-eggs…
Celia Imrie
An established and versatile character-performer, Celia Imrie worked alongside Victoria Wood for many years, through the latter’s BBC sketch and stand-up shows and the spoof soap opera, Acorn Antiques.
So imagine the 1999 audience’s surprise when Celia appeared suddenly in The Phantom Menace, as pilot Bravo Five in the Battle of Naboo. It was a fleeting role to be sure, but when you’re up against the droid fighters of the Trade Federation, every proton torpedo counts…
Brian Blessed
Back to voice-work now, and what a voice. The barely disguised tones of Brian Blessed boomed from the auditorium speakers as Mexborough’s finest became grouchy Gungan supremo Boss Nass in The Phantom Menace.
His 1980 performance in Flash Gordon has become the stuff of cinematic legend of course, but Blessed also portrayed King Richard in BBC’s 1983 sitcom The Black Adder, joyfully bellowing lines in his own inimitable style.
Claire Davenport
But Star Wars‘ comedy connections didn’t begin with the prequel-era. Back in 1983, Jabba The Hutt’s flamboyant dancer Yarna d’al’ Gargan in Return Of The Jedi was portrayed by Claire Davenport, perhaps more recognisable to audiences as Mrs. Wilson from BBC’s Fawlty Towers.
Claire only appeared in ‘The Germans’ episode (and had a wide and varied career across television and cinema elsewhere), but the rewatch value of Fawlty Towers is such that her deftly delivered lines are enough to forever secure a place in the Torquay hotel every bit as much as the Galaxy Far, Far Away…
Bruce Boa
Staying at Fawlty Towers, and in a markedly more sizeable role, Bruce Boa played tourist Harry Hamilton, who spent the ‘Waldorf Salad’ episode trying to order the titular dish and an American cocktail in a 1970s British hotel.
But Bruce was also the face of the Rebellion’s General Rieekan, leading the evacuation of Echo Base in The Empire Strikes Back. And at least if he manages to get a Screwdriver on Hoth, it should arrive nicely chilled…
Harry Fielder
And because it would be rude (negligent, even) to leave out A New Hope, our final entry in the list spotlights the fleeting appearance of Mr. Harry Fielder, the laundry van driver (he’s the chap on the left) from Fawlty Towers ‘The Kipper And The Corpse’ episode, something of a demotion from his stint on the Death Star a couple of years previously (he’s the chap on the right).
But there are no small parts in classic comedy, and certainly none in Star Wars. To those who’ve made us laugh on Earth then gasp among the stars, May The Force Be With You…
So, who did we miss? Which other Brit-com stalwarts are lurking in the back of a cantina or Imperial installation? Let us know in the comments below!