Johnny
Vegas makes Ideal return to ´óÏó´«Ã½ THREE
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Ideal is written by Graham
Duff
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"Ideal isn't about drugs, it's about people. The drugs are just a device to get the characters in the same place, at the same time." - Graham Duff
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Ideal is written by Graham Duff who has also written and starred in two series
of Radio 4's hit sci-fi sitcom Nebulous, which features the League
of Gentlemen's
Mark Gatiss in the title role.
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"I learnt my craft on radio where you can really experiment with ideas without it costing a fortune. On TV, set-ups take longer and everything costs more money.
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"I use a lot of word play in my writing and I think
perhaps that comes from my radio background."
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Additional material on Ideal is provided by Mancunian
stand-up, Tony Burgess (Paul and Pauline Calf's Cheese and Ham Sandwich).
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Burgess also plays Moz's brother Tory – a paranoid 'old
skool' raver who runs his own pirate radio stations from his bedroom
in the airing cupboard.
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For Duff, the fact that Moz is a dope dealer was always
secondary to the fact that his profession allowed a variety of characters
to drop in and out of the plot.
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"Moz isn't a big player in the world of drugs – far from it. Despite
his profession, he actually has principles and won't deal in anything other than
cannabis.
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"And he only sells to a small select group of acquaintances.
However, this constant flow of customers means Moz seldom leaves
the flat."
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As Duff explains, this was a deliberate tactic: "I focussed
the action on Moz's flat because it really stresses the claustrophobic
nature of his chosen career.
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"As a hash dealer, Moz only sees snatches
of peoples lives – the
bits they choose to parade in front of him – but he doesn't see the truth
of these people.
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"The
drugs are just a dramatic device. Ideal isn't about
drugs, it's about the people who have this one thing in common and how
their lives interact due to their shared need.
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"Moz is a typical dealer
in that he seems to have lots of friends but in reality they're
just work acquaintances who are obliged to spend time with him.
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"Working
with Johnny Vegas is always exciting." says
Duff. "He's
a prodigious comic talent and I find
him really interesting as an artist.
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"People always seem to perceive Johnny
as this loud, chaotic, larger than
life guy – which
is essentially just his stage persona.
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"In reality, he's actually an incredibly
subtle actor – something
he's not been given much credit
for to date. But with his roles
in Ideal and Bleak House, I think
people will come to realise that
he's a highly accomplished actor,
as well as a comic.
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"Such a large
supporting cast provides
a rich assortment of characters for
Duff to work with.
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"I
love the fact that a character
can make an impact with 10
lines of dialogue then not
appear again for several
episodes. Yet they are as
integral to the plot as a
character who appears every
week."
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Duff also has a role in Ideal as the ultra-camp Brian.
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"Brian
is a good foil for Moz," says Duff. "Lots
of people visiting
the flat are living downbeat lives
whilst Brian always
lives his life passionately, and
always turns up having
managed to bag a new boyfriend.
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But
he's not
looking for the love of his life, just the
next love
of his life. He's definitely into treble figures
on the boyfriends
now, but he genuinely believes that
all of them
are truly 'scrummy'.
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"Several of the characters, including Brian, are based on people I used to know
when I lived in Blackburn.
That's why I wanted Ideal to be set in the North West.
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"Writers
I
most admire include Galton and Simpson [Hancock and Steptoe
and Son]
and I think the League of Gentlemen is one of the best programmes ever.
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"It's had a huge influence on TV comedy, breaking
down established attitudes and paving the way for shows with a darker
edge such as Nighty Night, Little Britain and Ideal.
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"I also admire
Funland [a collaboration
between EastEnders' Simon
Ashdown and The League of Gentlemen's Jeremy
Dyson] and Peep Show.
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About Graham Duff
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Graham was born in Blackburn but now lives in Brighton.
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Worst moment
on Ideal: "Having
to work with Moz's cat, Mrs Slocombe.
She'd never do anything we wanted her to
do. I got rid of her for the second
series; I didn't even dignify her
with a proper write out, I just made
her disappear!" Ìý
Duff
co-wrote Dr
Terrible's House
of Horrible with Steve
Coogan and
Henry Normal;
starred in
his own
´óÏó´«Ã½ radio
series, Stereonation and is
also the
script editor
on Radio
4's critically
acclaimed Count
Arthur Strong's
Radio Show.
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If he wasn't a
writer or
actor, he'd
be running
his own
weird little
record label.
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