Toast of London
| Toast of London | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | |
| Directed by | Michael Cumming |
| Starring | |
| Opening theme |
"Take My Hand" by Matt Berry |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 19 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Kate Daughton |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Objective Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | Channel 4 |
| Original release | 20 October 2013 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Toast of London is a British comedy television series created by Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry and starring Berry as Steven Toast, an eccentric, middle-aged actor with a chequered past who spends more time dealing with his problems off stage than performing on it. Three series have currently been broadcast.
Cast and characters
Main cast
- Matt Berry as Steven Toast, the central character of the series. A bumbling, self-important actor, an unsuccessful ladies' man and often the bearer of bad fortune. However, Toast considers himself a success despite his obviously failing career.
- Doon Mackichan as Jane Plough (which she pronounces /plʌf/), Toast's unhelpful agent. Prim and posh, she sees herself as superior to Toast, despite her failure to provide him with decent work. She was played by Fiona Mollison in the pilot.
- Robert Bathurst as Ed Howzer-Black, Toast's landlord and an idle retired actor. At times Ed often seems to be Toast's only friend, though he also shows himself to be somewhat of a pervert and has an unusual taste in women.[1]
- Harry Peacock as Ray Purchase, Toast's fellow actor and rival, and a virulent homophobe. The two hate each other with a vengeance and are constantly in competition. While Purchase often seems to have the upper hand, Toast is still sometimes able to come out on top.
- Tim Downie as Danny Bear, a sound recordist and stereotypical hipster who regularly hires Toast for voiceover work in a London studio.
- Shazad Latif as Clem Fandango, another hipster who is doing work experience in the recording studio.
- Tracy-Ann Oberman as Mrs. Purchase, the wife of Ray Purchase and a prostitute who is having an affair with Toast. Despite being a prostitute, the only person she ever charges for sex is her husband.
Recurring cast
- Adrian Lukis as Colonel Blair Toast, Steven's eccentric older brother. An army veteran, he lost his hand in the Falklands War and now uses a stuffed rubber glove as a replacement.
- Amanda Donohoe as Ellen, Toast's abusive and volatile ex-wife. Despite her poor treatment of him, Toast continues to have feelings for her.
- Alan Ford as Alan, who is both a hypnotist and a homeopath. Ford also appeared as a taxi driver called "Mick Carriage"
- Peter Davison plays a fictional version of himself in several episodes.
- Morgana Robinson has made one appearance in each of the three series, each time as a different character.
- Geoffrey McGivern appeared as three separate one-off characters, all of which were temperamental directors working with Toast.
Episodes
Pilot episode (2012)
| Episode | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot | "The Unspeakable Play" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 20 August 2012 |
| Guest starring: Geoffrey McGivern, Fiona Mollison | ||||
Series 1 (2013)
| Episode | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Addictive Personality" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 20 October 2013 |
| Toast is informed that he will be the recipient of an acting award. Meanwhile, the daughter of the Nigerian Ambassador has been the victim of some unscrupulous plastic surgery, so Ed invites her to stay at the flat to recuperate. Guest starring: Emma Fryer, Morgana Robinson | ||||
| 2 | "Afternoon Tea" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 27 October 2013 |
| Toast is cast in a new play, and the director has a dark and dangerous past. Guest starring: Geoffrey McGivern, Emily Bruni | ||||
| 3 | "Vanity Project" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 3 November 2013 |
| Toast is caught in the middle of an acrimonious and expensive divorce so he needs to find a lot of cash, fast. Guest starring: Alan Ford, John Guerrasio, Stanley Townsend, Alison Pargeter, Daisy Ridley | ||||
| 4 | "Submission" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 10 November 2013 |
| After helping the Royal Navy on a recent project, Toast is invited to the launch of their new nuclear submarine, the "Penetrator". Guest starring: Lisa Jackson, Rachel Shelley | ||||
| 5 | "The End" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 17 November 2013 |
| Toast is tired of doing crummy voiceovers and appearing every night in his bad play. With the help of a new agent, Brooke Hooberman, he tries his hand at a new career: an author of erotic literature. Guest starring: Carol Cleveland, Sally Dexter | ||||
| 6 | "Bonus Ball" | Michael Cumming | Matt Berry and Arthur Mathews | 24 November 2013 |
| After losing £20,000 to Andrew Lloyd Webber in a celebrity poker game, Toast finds himself hunted by musical superstar and part-time theatre-land enforcer Michael Ball | ||||
Series 2 (2014)
| Episode | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Match Fit" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 3 November 2014 |
| Toast accepts Ed's invitation to the Celebrities and Prostitutes Blow Football Tournament and becomes obsessed with winning. Guest Starring: Trevor Laird, Louise Jameson | ||||
| 2 | "Desperate Measures" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 10 November 2014 |
| After Ray Purchase snitches on him to the 'Tax People', Toast receives a massive tax bill, and is forced to take on some unappealing jobs to pay off the debt. Guest Starring: Paul Darrow, Trevor Laird, John Nettles, Geoffrey McGivern | ||||
| 3 | "The Moosetrap" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 17 November 2014 |
| A return to the West End stage in the legendary 'whodunnit' play The Moose Trap is seriously jeopardised when Toast reveals the killer's identity in a radio interview. Guest Starring: Peter Davison, Terry Mynott | ||||
| 4 | "High Winds Actor" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 24 November 2014 |
| After the tragic death of his friend Axel Jacklin, Britain's finest exponent of acting in high winds, Toast finds himself in demand for dramatic roles. Guest Starring: Terry Mynott, Stephen Boxer, Peter Davison | ||||
| 5 | "Buried Alive!" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 1 December 2014 |
| Toast is very excited to land a major role in a big movie, but when his co-star, Max Gland, has an accident on set, it has terrifying consequences for Toast's role. Guest Starring: Matthew Holness | ||||
| 6 | "Fool in Love" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 8 December 2014 |
| An old heartbreaker flame of Toast's, Lorna Wynde, turns up in London, but is she still in love with him, or is she trying to make her husband, Josh Homme, jealous? Guest Starring: Morgana Robinson, Josh Homme, Alan Ford, Steve Pemberton (as Francis Bacon) | ||||
Series 3 (2015)
| Episode | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Over the Moon" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 18 November 2015 |
| A tipsy Steven appears on Lorraine chat show and tells a story from his past that could bring down the U.S. government. Later, he suffers stage fright ahead of his starring role in Macbeth. Guest Starring: Alan Ford, Charlotte Cornwell, Lorraine Kelly | ||||
| 2 | "Beauty Calls" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 25 November 2015 |
| With Ed dating former beauty queen Penvelope, Steven hooks up with her friend Clancy Moped. However, their romances are jeopardized when the guys are invited to judge a beauty contest. Guest Starring: Paul Whitehouse, Vic Reeves, Morgana Robinson, Peter Davison | ||||
| 3 | "Hamm on Toast" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 2 December 2015 |
| Toast experiences the charisma of Mad Men star Jon Hamm. Guest Starring: Jon Hamm, Brian Blessed | ||||
| 4 | "Bob a Job" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 9 December 2015 |
| Toast and Purchase perform the "sand dance" at Royal Variety Performance, hosted by Bob Monkhouse. Guest Starring: Bob Mortimer, Pat Shortt | ||||
| 5 | "Man of Sex" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 16 December 2015 |
| When appearing in a play called "Man of Sex", Toast's co star is taken to rehab. Replacing him is the albino twin brother of Ray Purchase, Bill Purchase. Guest Starring: Timothy West, Sinead Matthews | ||||
| 6 | "Global Warming" | Michael Cumming | Arthur Mathews and Matt Berry | 23 December 2015 |
| Toast is set to appear alongside a cast consisting entirely of dogs, in a production of Twelfth Night at the Globe Theatre. Guest Starring: Steve Furst, Sebastian Armesto; Celebrity cameos: Lindsay Duncan, Martin Freeman, Sheila Hancock, Jude Law, Sam Mendes, Tim Pigott-Smith, John Simm | ||||
Book
In 2015, Matt Berry and Arthur Mathews published "Toast on Toast: Cautionary tales and candid advice", a spoof autobiography of Steven Toast. It was also released as an audio book read by Matt Berry.
References
External links
- Toast of London at channel4.com
- Toast of London at British Comedy Guide
- Toast of London at the Internet Movie Database
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