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00:00With any DVD, there is a contractual obligation to provide some DVD extras.
00:19And so we offer you this documentary, The Making of Hooves.
00:23It's the day before the show, and Harry's doing some warm-ups.
00:32He keeps all his props in a self-storage unit in Wandsworth.
00:44There's someone there, look, who's just taken some other stuff.
00:47I think it might be Rory Bremner. I think he has a self-storage unit quite close to Harry's.
00:53Ah, here we are.
01:02The adventure begins.
01:08Harry and his director set off together in a car provided by the production company Avalon.
01:14Yeah, no, it's too blue. I think the thing is, the picture's too blue.
01:18Do you think we should...
01:20There should be a backlight so that it burns the outside out.
01:28Are you going to interview me, do you know what?
01:30Oh, where are we going?
01:32Well, I think...
01:34We're off now to the warm-up session for the DVD hooves.
01:44Somewhere I've never been before in Camberwell called the...
01:47I think it's called the Blue Parrot Cafe.
01:52And we're heading through there, as you can see.
01:58There's the, er...
01:59There's the CD.
02:02Harry is fastidious about the show and even provides the tour manager with some play-in music.
02:08That's play-in music for people coming in, right?
02:09For people to enjoy as they come into the show.
02:12I don't know which track it is.
02:14You're blue, bright blue.
02:18Where's the, er...
02:20Menu?
02:21There's a...
02:22Here we go.
02:23As you know, we went on a big tour.
02:26When I say we, it's a large cast of people.
02:31Um...
02:32We have, um...
02:33Dad, Harry Hilsenio.
02:35It's Stufa, maybe?
02:37Stufa's, er, travelling separately.
02:38You know that Stufa and I don't really get on socially.
02:44No.
02:45This won't be in it, will it?
02:47I mean, when the show, er, Channel 4 show was cancelled, um...
02:52I mean, you know, when I decided that was probably as far as I wanted to take it with the Channel 4 show,
02:59Stufa, er, by then, he'd started drinking.
03:04And it was hanging out with, er, Pete Doherty, from, um, Baby Shambles.
03:12So, er, got to the stage, I would come in and he'd be on the floor, on, er, catnip.
03:22So I'd get the girl up, we'd play tennis, okay?
03:25She goes back down, and then we'd go into the second half, basically, the good life.
03:28Oh, the good life.
03:29He gets on with Steve Brown, the musical director, who, you know.
03:44You cannot predict, you know, who he's going to hit it off with.
03:47I mean, we were fine when I first met him in those years ago, in Nashville.
03:54Um...
03:55Sorry.
03:56I'll be fine in a minute.
04:08Um...
04:09Gary, on the other hand, is very much...
04:11He's, er, very keen to...
04:14To get involved.
04:16Hello, Peter. Hello.
04:17Hello, Peter.
04:19Hi.
04:19How are you?
04:21Did you have a nice time in the...
04:23You know, he has been, um, as you know, he's my son from my first marriage.
04:31I'll keep him in a, er, an outbuilding.
04:35More for his own protection than anyone else's.
04:40Um...
04:40And from the start, he's been up for it.
04:43When I've been to Daddy's acting school, he's taught me a lot of things.
04:47You know, he's taught me tap dancing and singing and, um, acting.
04:54I've, I've learned a lot of acting.
04:57I mean, the problem with Gary, and I would say this to his face, he is not the most talented boy.
05:05Okay, he's my son.
05:07Um, and you stick by family, don't you?
05:10Yeah.
05:10Blood stick in the water and all that.
05:12I guess I was born by cesarean section in, er, in, at home.
05:19Mm-hmm.
05:19So Daddy did it.
05:21Daddy did the cesarean section because he, I think he wanted to keep me quiet.
05:27He didn't want the authorities to know about me.
05:30You see, I don't know why Dad was.
05:31I haven't told him this, but I have actually, er, taken a saliva sample of him, from him.
05:41DNA.
05:41While he was asleep, to run a DNA test to see if I am, in fact, a father.
05:47Because it seems to me he should be able to sing, dance, tell jokes.
05:54Like you didn't.
05:54Like I do.
05:55Otherwise, you know, he's basically, he's going to have to work back in Ladbrokes.
06:04This is Mark.
06:06Oh, Mark is our drummer and producer of the show.
06:10He comes up with all the ideas for the, all the jokes.
06:14Don't you, Mark?
06:15I do.
06:16Yes.
06:16Someone's got it.
06:18Yes.
06:21Gary do this, you know, three and four, three and four back.
06:25Replace, which, you know, basically this sort of timing and talent, you can't teach.
06:31You can't teach, you know.
06:32It's not in his blood.
06:34It's not in his blood.
06:35You know, it's not like, um, Natasha Kaplinsky, who obviously had that talent there.
06:42She was able to read the news, but also able to dance.
06:45And that's a powerful combination.
06:47Dressing room.
06:48Come with me to the dressing room.
06:52There's only one dressing room, I thought, it's not very big.
06:56And here we see the, the rider.
07:00Now, we do insist, when Harry rides the rider, he just does all his eyes.
07:07No egg and no fish.
07:09Let's see what we've got here, shall we?
07:11Egg and cress.
07:16Tuna and sweet corn.
07:20Prawns.
07:22It's all fish.
07:23It's all fish.
07:26It's too blue.
07:27You need to press the white.
07:31You need to press the white ballot.
07:33There we are.
07:36That's better.
07:36Sorry.
07:38So all that's what, all that's wasted.
07:45What a, what's the point?
07:49So, you might be interested to see this as a nice DVD extra.
07:54Is this, is the, how I lay out the, look.
08:01See, look.
08:03Hairdry.
08:04Hairdry.
08:05There's a brush.
08:07There, comb.
08:09It's not, you know, it's not just in the right spot.
08:11The whole, it's told timing is thrown.
08:16How much did you have to drink?
08:18I had four pints of...
08:20No, how much did you have to drink?
08:21One glass of wine.
08:22One glass.
08:24How's the white?
08:26Hmm.
08:27Spanish.
08:27The thing is, you come in, you come round, you're reeking of booze.
08:31You can't operate the white balance on the camera.
08:34You're supposed to be the director of the...
08:36I'm sorry.
08:37In the role of the horse is the character actor, Dave Thompson,
08:42who in an earlier incarnation, play Tinky Winky in the Teletubbies.
08:46Dave has refused to carry Harry on during the warm-ups because of a bad back.
08:51Like a, like an aerobatic pilot, you see.
08:54Instead, they will pretend to play horse tag.
08:59He's a very nice man.
09:01And one of the features of working with him is what we call the rider,
09:05which is the food that they put backstage.
09:09It's a smaller spread than usual today.
09:11I've got very nice sandwiches and cream cakes.
09:16I'm having a little battle with my conscience.
09:17I'm hoping Harry doesn't want the chocolate eclair because that's what he usually likes.
09:21But he's rehearsing on the stage at the moment, so I'm going to have it.
09:25Harry has been taking piano lessons.
09:28He's spent something like £600 going regularly to a lady in Brixton who would teach him.
09:33Unfortunately, the only tune he can play now is this one.
09:49Look at that smile.
09:58Dave knows he's not to take the chocolate eclair.
10:00Did you get the chocolate eclair?
10:03There wasn't one when I went in there.
10:05The chocolate eclair was gone.
10:06I know.
10:09Thank you, sir.
10:11I apologise.
10:13Saku!
10:13Saku!
10:14Saku!
10:15Saku!
10:16Saku!
10:16Saku!
10:18Give him another chance.
10:21But you can see the feeling, the strength of the feeling.
10:25We're a team.
10:26This is where I started, it all started for me.
10:30See this block of flats here?
10:32It's, uh, I think it's private now, but at the time it was council.
10:36And, um, it was in the old days, in the very early days, it was, um, where Charlie Chaplin
10:44used to run his, one of his, uh, workshops, um, Dad worked with him, Harry Hill Sr., as
10:52you know, it was, it was on the, the Channel 4 show, remember that old, you know, the Channel
10:574 show with Stu for him, blah, blah, blah, blah, uh, that I inherited, obviously, from Dad,
11:03and I was hoping that Gary would take it on from me, but, it's not looking like that,
11:08is it?
11:09Grandpa's here as well, Harry Hill Sr., have you seen him?
11:13Not yet, but I hope to.
11:15It's a whole family show, three generations of Hills, all travelling around doing the show,
11:20it's wonderful.
11:21It's like the Bose Circus.
11:23Here we meet Harry Hill Sr., but you're just, I'm just anxious to know.
11:30Have you sorted out the chair for tonight?
11:33Yes, I have, but there's some props on it, so I'll have to get it sort of re-sorted again.
11:37Oh, dear, I'm worried now.
11:39No one seems to know what's happening anymore.
11:42I'm so concerned about the show, you see.
11:46I can't control it, really, what's going on, and I know I do my song and then my little dance.
11:53Oh, dear, I think I'm going to have a little sleep now.
12:00Harry arrives at the venue, the Blue Elephant Theatre, in Camberwell,
12:05where the busy crew are expecting him.
12:08There's the proof.
12:09Go ahead.
12:14I'm going to try this bell.
12:15Camberwell is a fairly rough area, and it's not a good idea to be stood on the pavement
12:27for any length of time.
12:28It's a question of park and run.
12:32Showbiz, eh?
12:34Please note, door opens outwards.
12:38Doesn't open a door at the moment.
12:39Ah, hello.
12:43Hiya.
12:46The Blue Elephant Theatre is a tiny venue, seating some 100 people.
12:51That plays all the way through.
12:56Here we meet Matt, the technical advisor for the Blue Elephant shows.
13:01Off-stage announcement.
13:02And then, at the end, stripper.
13:05Blackout.
13:07Light up on the, er...
13:09He doesn't appear to understand what Harry's explaining.
13:12You don't want to do it with you.
13:13Not yet.
13:14No, but we'll sort it out.
13:15This may partly be due to the fact that he's only 14.
13:24Harry, Mark and Steve practice the big finale number with the horns.
13:27Harry bought the horns from a supplier in Germany,
13:38where this sort of entertainment is fairly common.
13:41Most houses in Germany would have one of these in the front room.
13:54Ah, look.
13:55The guy's played with quite some, er, talent and things.
13:59It never leaves you, does it?
14:01Never.
14:04It's ten minutes before the start of the show,
14:07and the boys prepare.
14:09OK, I'll compromise it.
14:11Dave gets into the character of the horse,
14:14practising his rearing up.
14:17You get the collar nice.
14:19Nice and high.
14:20Nice high collar.
14:21Top up.
14:21Collar check.
14:22There's a quick collar check.
14:24Go on.
14:25As the brand of Harry Hill is trademarked,
14:27it's very important that the collar and bald head
14:29are exactly as Harry has them himself.
14:32It'll feel quite the same if you don't brush your teeth before you can,
14:35you know.
14:37I've had some chewing gum instead.
14:39Bad luck.
14:41I'll make myself brush mine then.
14:43You think that's bad luck?
14:44Yeah.
14:45With just seconds to go, Harry is unsure where he is.
14:55Where are we, Campbell?
14:56Was it the blue elephant?
14:59Is it the blue elephant?
15:00Or the blue parrot?
15:01It was the blue whale.
15:02And so the game of horse tag commences.
15:07Although this is vaguely entertaining,
15:09it's not as good as riding the horse on.
15:14Dave went on too early.
15:16Harry is quite upset about it.
15:17Go, boy!
15:18I was supposed to wait for him to cue me to go on.
15:22And I just went on anyway.
15:24I hope I didn't go on too early.
15:27There was a bit of confusion about who was digging who.
15:31It preoccupies him through the entire first half.
15:35He's unable to shake the image of Dave going on first from his mind
15:39and forgets a number of the jokes.
15:43He refuses to come back to the dressing room.
15:45Instead, takes a car home with Steve Brown, the musical director.
15:50As they head home, the recriminations start.
15:54How did you think Gary was tonight?
15:56I didn't think Gary was quite on the money.
15:58He didn't totally deliver.
16:02I've told him a thousand times not to do the tap dance on the chair.
16:08They should do it on the floor where they can see him, but no.
16:13He thinks if he jumps up on the chair, somehow makes it more of a spectacle.
16:17Steve stares longingly at Harry's face, as if to say,
16:21if only I could be like you.
16:23I think it's long enough to get it in shape, isn't it?
16:26I think by the second show on Sunday, if you're on.
16:28Bloomsbury, the home of the Bloomsbury Theatre, London.
16:39And Harry is not happy with some of the DVD extra footage that's already been shot.
16:44We now have Mike Dugdale's son filming.
16:47I don't know if you've seen any of the footage that the director's shot of him.
16:50It stinks.
16:55There's like a hiss.
16:55There's like a hiss over it all.
16:57It's got like a...
16:58The white balance is...
16:59It's bright blue.
17:02Never let him go to the pub at lunchtime.
17:04This is the bald boy's outfit.
17:07Dad's outfit here.
17:09Right, I'm going to get these outfits from the first season.
17:12So it goes on.
17:15That's one of the Harry's outfits.
17:17It's like a hugely entertaining, bad aspect.
17:21All alone, Harry returns to his dressing room,
17:28concerned that no one seems to know what's going on in the show apart from him.
17:33What do you want?
17:33I don't know.
17:34I don't know whether it's coming or not.
17:35I suppose not.
17:36Not yet.
17:38This is Mike Dugdale's son, who's filming the DVD extras.
17:44I look back at that and that stuff that he shot the other day.
17:47It's just rubbish.
17:48You lose it so much?
17:49It's dark.
17:50He's got the white balancer on, it's blue.
17:52The sound, there's like a hiss over that entire thing.
17:55And see how he can use any of it.
17:57Can't you put some of your holiday videos on there?
17:59Hello, Peter.
18:00I'm waiting.
18:01All right.
18:01The director, Peter Orton, arrives.
18:04We were just talking about your excellent DVD extras that you shot.
18:08Well, yeah.
18:10Have you seen any of it yet?
18:11Yeah.
18:11You have?
18:12Yeah.
18:12Have you watched it?
18:13Yeah, I watched a fair bit.
18:15It's, um...
18:16Well...
18:17LAUGHTER
18:20Harry now gets his first opportunity to see the stage.
18:26There's a different one.
18:28There's a different colour.
18:29The set has been designed by Harry Banks, who designs all of Harry's sets over the years.
18:34This is square on, right?
18:35Yeah.
18:36TV burp set, the Channel 4 set, even the ill-fated all-new Harry Hill show, which sunk without a trace on ITV1.
18:44They're going to arrive this afternoon.
18:45Fred seems to think it's OK, you can move those back.
18:51Fred is Harry Banks' trusty helper.
18:53I mean, I'm back.
18:55Why don't we start with this?
18:56In fact, we'll start clearing areas behind and let Martin know.
18:59Peter plays nervously with his hair, worried that the set is not quite what Harry wanted,
19:04and is anxious that he does not upset the floppy-collared loon,
19:09as he knows there is a large number of TV projects in the pipeline,
19:12and he hopes that he may make some money out of Harry.
19:15Harry adjusts the whistle on the back of Gary's head and positions his head back in his body.
19:25Gary allows this procedure, but only lets his daddy do it.
19:36So do you want to go through it, then?
19:38From the top.
19:39So we have the play-in music, the lights, the lights fade as the music gets louder.
19:45OK, stand by the stage, here we go.
19:47We're going to just release the opening, then.
19:49Please welcome your show band for tonight.
19:51There it is.
19:55Many of the cameramen are high-functioning alcoholics.
20:05I'll be clearing that camera away during the pizza delivery.
20:08So, you ask me if you've seen Stuford, are you?
20:10Yes.
20:13I say.
20:14Yes.
20:15Where's Stuford, though?
20:16Stuford?
20:17This is the back of the director's head.
20:19He wears glasses on occasion to make himself appear more clever.
20:25This was the very early show where only two people turned up.
20:39We decided not to include this in the main body of the DVD and instead look on into some
20:44sort of rehearsal.
20:45Martin, the lighting director, gently fiddles and toys with the lights that he has at his
20:56disposal to create the fabulous lighting effects that you see on the DVD.
21:00I'll just check with you after you've done the VIX, Stuford, is this filling when you're throwing through?
21:07Yes.
21:09Martin?
21:11Martin?
21:12Harry Hill Senior practices the wig routine.
21:16Martin?
21:17Who's done that today?
21:20In which a wig is pulled from his bald head.
21:23Harry Hill Senior is not really bald.
21:25That is, in fact, a clever bald wig.
21:28It is half past seven and the audience begin to arrive at the Bloomsbury Theatre, which is
21:38run largely by students.
21:44Floor manager Vivian Ackland-Snow sticks her tongue out and takes bets on how the show will
21:51go.
21:52We're nearly there, Harry.
21:54OK, we are recording.
21:55APPLAUSE
21:56With just seconds to go, Harry climbs onto the chair, which will position him perfectly
22:05to jump on the back of Dave Thompson, who has agreed to carry Harry on as it's a DVD.
22:11Turn to stop my lighting.
22:12London's glittering West End.
22:14Please show your appreciation for your show band for tonight.
22:17And lighting.
22:17And Harry's!
22:19Harry has peeped through the curtains to see if there are any bald men in that he can do
22:23his jokes about bald people on.
22:25He spots one in the front row.
22:27Harry jumps onto the back of Dave Thompson, the character actor, in preparation for his entrance.
22:56Meanwhile, the director is panicking.
23:08He's never seen the show before and wonders what's going on.
23:11Harry thinks to himself how much better the show is when he rides Dave on and makes a mental note to see if he can get hold of another actor who's got a stronger back.
23:36And for safekeeping.
23:37Meanwhile, Fred holds the special chair that Harry needs when working with Stouffer.
23:44What's Stouffer?
23:45Stouffer?
23:46I haven't seen him all day, Steve.
23:48Mr. Harry.
23:49I'll see if I can see him, Steve.
23:56I'll see if I can have a...
23:57Mr. Harry.
23:58Stouffer?
23:59Stouffer are you now?
24:02Mr. Harry.
24:06Hey!
24:07There he is!
24:08No!
24:08Harry only knows one dance, and that's the one he does.
24:16Shall I do this?
24:17Shall I do the old...
24:18It's a bit of fun.
24:19Harry has come up with a clever post-modern take on the old Eric and Ernie sketch, where Eric pretends to strangle himself.
24:27It involves a Greek man.
24:28Get off me!
24:37Some of the more observant amongst you may notice that that is in fact Dave Thompson, the actor who plays the part of the horse.
24:44It's that Greek broke again.
24:46Hello.
24:48Hello.
24:50You've got a fancy line.
24:51Dave knows he has a little time to get changed into the ball boy character.
24:55Who's had all me crack?
24:57He limbers up backstage, worried about his back.
25:02Who's had all me crack?
25:03He feels it has been weakened by carrying Harry on.
25:06Can we have a chair here?
25:07Can we have a chair?
25:08Except it's for a crime.
25:11Ooh!
25:15Dave Thompson in the role of ball boy.
25:19It's the end of the show, and the cast go on to take their bows.
25:23Mr. Horsey!
25:24Come on out, Mr. Horsey!
25:27I know what you're thinking.
25:30If Dave Thompson's there, who's in the horsey outfit?
25:35Well, to enable Dave to take his bow as the ball boy, we employ another actor to play the horse for the bows.
25:43Though this is an extra expense, Harry feels it is worthwhile.
25:45Well, the cast take their bows, and the horse, because it's the first time he's done it, is slightly later than all the others.
25:54Great. Thank God for that.
26:05The show is over, and as Harry mops the sweat from his bald head, he knows he can relax now, until he records his next DVD.
26:35ы