ADULT comic Viz is being brought into the digital age – with the help of some of the region’s top comedians.
Viz cartoonist Alex Collier has directed three short Viz animations for Channel 4, with help from Steve Coogan’s production company Baby Cow, as part of a project showcasing new comedy ideas.
Called Blaps, the animated shorts bring Viz to life in a way that’s never been achieved before, not least of all thanks to stand-up act Gavin Webster who gives a proper voice to classic characters Sid the Sexist and Biffa Bacon.
South Shields star Sarah Millican and Cumbrian-born Simon Greenall – already a regular voice on the telly as the Compare the Market Meerkat – also have starring roles, as does the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle which provides the setting for a photo story.
“I was very keen to keep these animations as North East grounded as possible,” explained Alex, a former Hookergate Comprehensive pupil who grew up in Rowlands Gill.
“Viz had been done as an animation before, but not brilliantly well. Advances in technology meant we could do things again for a ‘not huge’ budget, and do it better.
“But to stand apart from what went before we decided to make it more like a sketch show, and throw loads of elements of the comic into the mix – Letterbocks, Top Tips, Profanisaurus – so it wasn’t just another extended adventure of Sid or Roger Mellie. That was the idea we initially pitched to Channel 4 and they loved it, luckily!”
The whole production was crafted from various places, with Alex working from home in Sunderland while keeping in close contact with co-director Tim Searle and six other animators.
“You just couldn’t work this way prior to the internet. There is something very nice about being able to work on a professional production from the comfort of home in your pants,” he joked.
“We recorded in London with Simon Greenall and Steve Coogan was live down the line from New York.
“We recorded with Sarah in Manchester – she did a great job and added some homely charm, while managing to swear like a trooper at the same time. We also got Gavin Webster to do the voice of Sid the Sexist and Biffa Bacon because I thought it was really important to get an authentic Geordie voice for those characters.”
“Primarily they are for Channel 4 online – you can see them on the C4 website or on Youtube – but obviously I’d love to see it transfer to TV, so the more people who watch them the better, I imagine.”
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