Top 10 Little Britain Sketches

This eccentric hotel owner lives in a far out fantasy world where sprites inhabit radios and taxes are paid for with magic beans. As such, he flat-out refuses to give a simple answer to a simple question, because life’s never that straightforward. Obviously. Armed with a piccolo and an over-enthusiastic tone of voice, he’s ready with a riddle at a moment’s notice… Leaving his customers understandably confused.

For Bubbles DeVere, the Hill Grange Health Spa is her own permanent holiday resort. But her freeloading flamboyance comes to a head here, when the spa manager tries to settle her sizeable bill.Unperturbed, DeVere shamelessly continues to outstay her welcome, using the facilities as if she owns them. And when the manager refuses to be blatantly fobbed off, Bubbles truly turns on the charm.

The softly spoken Mr Mann has a very particular taste in almost everything he buys, making him a nightmare for Matt Lucas’ humble shopkeeper. But the well-prepared proprietor always tries his best, with more than a little help from the never-seen but often-heard Margaret. So, with Mr Mann browsing for books, the shop owner surprises him by having exactly what he needs. The rest of the transaction isn’t quite so successful, though.

A recurring character, Dennis Waterman is a direct (if slightly strange) parody of the actual actor and singer. Played by David Walliams, he’s extremely small and exceptionally timid - reporting to his agent in the hope of landing a dream role - as long as he can, well, you know... A joke that’s rooted in the real life Waterman’s apparent tendency to sing his own title tunes, the actor was reportedly unimpressed by the cariacature at first. But he still appeared as a special guest for “Little Britain Live”.

This one really was a long time coming. For an ongoing sketch, Sebastian Love aides the Prime Minister, all the while harbouring an almighty crush on his boss. And, as the PM puts on a party to celebrate another election win, the stars seem to finally align for him and his assistant. With George Michael on the speakers and a slow dance on the cards, Sebastian makes his move. But the moment doesn’t quite play out how he’d planned it.

As a leading “Little Britain” character, Marjorie Dawes does not mince her words. She heads a local FatFighters club, and spends most of her time insulting the members and delivering absurd dieting tips. But, when Vanessa Feltz hosts a Q&A, Marjorie cuts a conflicted soul. She flits between flattering her guest and trying to humiliate her, always believing she’s one step ahead. Until the tension overflows in outrageous fashion.

Setting new standards for poor customer service, Carol Beer’s also responsible for one of the most successful sketch show slogans of all time. An unhelpful employee extraordinaire, for the show’s third series she works in a travel agents, routinely ruining holidays for every single customer. With an infectious lack of enthusiasm, she quickly curtails this family’s excitement, by turning their Disney dream into a dreary nightmare. And when the other options seem bleak, does Carol let them down gently? No. No, she doesn’t.

Another instantly recognisable character, Matt Lucas’ Daffyd Thomas staunchly believes he’s the only homosexual around, despite the ongoing and increasingly obvious evidence that he clearly isn’t. But while Daffyd shows off his sexuality whenever he can, he never actually acts upon it. And, though he claims he wants to meet other gay people, he’s far from friendly in this introductory scene. This village just isn’t big enough for the both of them.

Teenage delinquent Vicky Pollard is never far from trouble.And whether she’s breaking the law by stealing from a supermarket or trading her baby for a Westlife CD, she’s got an answer for everything. Turning mid-noughties chav culture into an inescapable catchphrase, in this sketch she encounters a rival group of girls on her estate - and the two gangs find an unusual way to settle their differences. But Vicky definitely wins, yeah? But, no. But.

Today’s winners are arguably the best known faces from the show. And we all know the drill. Lou looks after Andy, who pretends to need a wheelchair, but leaves it to perform a series of surprising actions whenever Lou’s back is turned. Throw in a few memorable one-liners, and you have a firm fan favourite. Even Matt Lucas has said he liked playing Andy Pipkin more than most characters. Their shenanigans at the swimming pool are amongst their most famous. What a kerfuffle!