His brand of deadpan slapstick – two seemingly diametric forms of comedy that he somehow makes work – blends the fatuous and the vacuous, toning down where you’d expect excess and building up other moments to outrageous proportions. Nonetheless, Matt Berry is most definitely and defiantly a Marmite actor. The fact that they’re always looked down upon by someone be it Jen Barber in The IT Crowd, the cooler vamps of Manhattan in What We Do in the Shadows, or Ray Bloody Purchase in Toast of London. Their friendships, perhaps, or their struggles. All are preoccupied with sex, all have grandiose ideas about themselves and all are preposterously stupid.Īnd yet, there’s a soft centre when it comes to these characters that always makes them hopelessly likeable. It’s easy to compare Toast to Berry’s other roles such as the sexually voracious boss Douglas Reynholm in The IT Crowd, and the equally lascivious nobleman vampire in What We Do in the Shadows. Who else could elicit a snort by simply responding “Who?” to every mention of Benedict Cumberbatch? However, it’s in between those exaggerated moments that his humour really takes off sardonic asides and nonchalant comments with no gaps for laughter throw us for a loop when we’re expecting excess. Slapstick used to be about family-friendly violence and pain – think Punch & Judy and Chaplin films like His New Job – but Matt Berry has turned it into an utterly delightful filth-fest. Now Berry is a slapstick comedy extraordinaire well-known for portraying pompous though intellectually challenged characters with robust libidos and jarringly low-pitched voices - Steven Toast being perhaps the finest example. Since his debut TV role in 2004’s Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace where he played an over-the-top actor playing a smug doctor with that impossibly baritone voice, he’s never looked back. Somehow, though, the more Matt Berry overacts, the more hilarious he is. The role is certainly an overdone caricature of the failed actor archetype, much like Ricky Gervais’ character Andy Millman in Extras, multiplied by 1,000. That’s not to mention the thorn in his side that is recording studio hipster Clem Fandango who he is forced to endure while doing increasingly ridiculous voiceover work as his main income. Toast is joined on the show by a clueless agent, a genteel landlord who’s also a retired actor, an arrogant acting rival and a casual lover who happens to be that rival’s wife. The mere mention of the show among fans will elicit responses such as “Yes I can hear you, Clem Fandango!”, “Fire the nucular weapons!” and “Well, he can f**k that sky high”. With four seasons down, including this year’s Toast of Tinseltown set across the pond, Toast of London is responsible for some legendary moments in comedy. He plays the obliviously unsuccessful actor and wannabe lothario Steven Toast a man with zero brains and even less grace. If you can believe it, this summer marks the 10th anniversary of BAFTA-winning British comedy series Toast of London’s genius pilot episode, co-created by and starring the ever memorable Matt Berry.
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