Where can you find the cream of Hollywood, rock and roll, and football punditry all on one suburban street? Surbiton, that’s where…or at least Shepherd’s Bush masquerading as Surbiton. We’re taking a trip to Stella Street on Britcom Goes to the Movies! That’s right, this late 90s cult, small-budget, and even smaller cast-list comedy had a 2004 big-screen adaptation! Something that seemed to pass a lot of British comedy fans by, not least Rob Heath.
The genius mind of Peter Richardson, that brought us Comic Strip Presents, was busy in 1997 harnessing the comedy and impersonation talents of the then little-known Phil Cornwell and John Sessions to make an anarchic, foul-mouthed, and downright hilarious mockusoap about some huge stars descending on suburban London. Stella Street saw Michael Caine narrating, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards running the local corner shop, as well as Joe Pesci putting the Psycho in Psychotherapy.
Cornwell and Sessions would play all manner of celebrity inhabitants as well as some less-famous but equally hilarious recurring characters such as Mrs Huggett and Len the arsonist gardener. In 2004, whilst also busy with Churchill: The Hollywood Years, Richardson made a feature-length version of his cult hit show for the Aspen Film Festival. The cast would grow by 33.3% with the addition of impressionist of the moment Ronni Ancona, but the premise remained the same.
We revisit themes of direct spin-offs, recycling of material, and in some cases footage and some dodgy filmmaking, but did any of that matter given the essence of Stella Street was and remains to this day one of the unsung gems of British comedy? Find out by having a listen!
Stella Street Se1 Ep1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI5vEevmbvQ
Stella Street - Brando and Bowie Fight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqDKQ6vfEnc
Stella Street - Bowie and Roger Moore exchange Christmas presents
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbsmqeIdtTg
John Sessions - Whose Line is it Anyway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb_v6ha1blI
Phil Cornwell as Gilbert The Alien
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYyBi2Bgfvg
Stella Street Film Trailer
https://www.imdb.com/video/vi1384841497/?ref_=ttvg_vi_3
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