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Here’s a solid, undeniable fact… people do not express themselves using barbershop often enough.

I actually used to despair in that fact, until I met Barbershopera. These guys are talented. Like, really talented. If I was in charge of Radio 4, 5 Live… actually any radio station where people could speak, I’d get these guys on. Thanks to producer Ben Walker (who co-produced our Doc Brown comedy vids) we collaborated and made a spoof music video in time for the royal wedding. It’s called I Could Have Married Kate and features four dejected people and one horse who thought they had a shot with Kate Middleton… but in the end it just didn’t work out.

The video was featured in The Sun, ICanHasCheezburger CBC Canada, WhatsOnStage, Chortle UK, Chortle Australia, Comedy.co.uk, CurrentTV, Euronews, AsiaOne, Kontraband, Prankies, The Poke, 3 News New Zealand, Stuff New Zealand, KateMiddleton.com, local news in Bolton, Derbyshire, Birmingham, Amersham and Brockley and was played on Australian breakfast TV where they showed the bit with Prince William with a cock and balls on his head LOLZ.

It was a great project, we turned it around really quickly and I can’t wait to do more music video and comedy projects now I’m freelancing full time. The whole thing fell together easily and I’m really proud of what we’ve created.

If you know anyone who needs a director… call me.

“Bring on the dancing girls!” *clap clap*

…I’ve heard this phrase said in so many Sinbad the Sailor-esque movies but I never thought I’d be lucky enough to say it myself. That is until we shot a rap video in a stretched Hummer with champagne, bling and grinding beyatches in bikinis (that’s rap speak, not my words).

I can safely say this is something I can now tick off my ‘list of things I might one day shoot if I’m VERY lucky’. Things left on the list include…
- filming a dinosaur
- filming a laser war in space
- filming a fight between a whale and a giant squid
- filming the discovery of the lost city of Atlantis
- filming a talking penguin
- filming a stunt man attempting to break a world record but it all goes wrong and he has a horrendous accident and technically dies for a few minutes but then he comes back to life and gets up, insisting that he does the stunt again, breaking the record by more than double and bringing everyone to tears with his bravery and awesomeness.

You know, the usual.

The whole video is about how the term ‘pimp’ is used in rap songs as though it’s something good, when in reality the life of a pimp is just plain nasty. We had great fun dirtying Doc up with used condoms and pizza stains on his shirt, and Doc was especially proud of his yellow shoes and tracksuit bottoms combo. Fact attack: those shoes were worn by a member of Finley Quaye’s band to the Brit Awards. That’s true, swear down.

Finally, a big thank you to Emma for putting up with being a comedy lady of the night for two days. Also to Richard, the man who can pull the funniest faces in television, as I’m sure you’ll agree when you see the bank manager scenes…

The wonderful chaps and chapettes at BBC Comedy recently published our new Doc Brown films on their website and I’m ecstatic. This first one is called Grandpa Dave and is about wishing a celebrity was your relative. I directed and edited this one and we shot in two great locations…

The first was the famous Maida Vale studios, a place so steeped in history that someone as un-musical as me had no right to set foot in. Little fact for you quiz fans, we shot the piano scenes in same studio as Bing Crosby made his last recording before he died in 1977. Pay attention, there will be a test at the end.

The other location was the Horniman Museum in South London. This is a cracking place created in 1901 by a tea trader called Frederick John Horniman. What he traded it for I don’t know (biscuits?) but his business became the biggest tea company in the world.

What a guy John was, travelling the world picking up interesting stuff, e.g. an actual walrus, and bringing it home to display in his house. And when his house got too big he built a museum. And when he died he gave that museum and the surrounding land away to the people of London… forever!

When I grow up I want to be just like him.

Anyway, fact attack over with, the test is cancelled. I hope you enjoy the comedy rapping talents of Mr Doc Brown and I’ll blog with the other videos soon…

By some massive stroke of awesomeness, I got to film with the Big Dawg himself – TIM WESTWOOD – on Thursday night… one of my favourite celebrities of all time.

Now Westwood is one of those people it’s easy to underestimate. Yes, he’s over 50, white, the son of a Bishop, and is from the less-than-sexy town of Lowestoft – all things that aren’t considered very street. But for 25 years he’s been the best hip hop DJ in the country, and he’s very, very funny. I saw him with my mate Tom in 2003 and it was, and always will be, the best DJ set I’ve ever seen.

So Thursday came and it was time to direct him in one of our new Doc Brown comedy vids we’re shooting for the beeb. In the film Doc tries to convince Tim that he’s the best rapper in the world because he has the most elaborate hand gestures. Cue Tim, throwing himself into it with full gusto – “WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT YOU, SON!?… SECURITY! GET THIS CLOWN OUTTA HERE!”

It. Was. Awesome.

Soon we had the pair playing a game of rock, paper, scissors, which turns into a slappy bitch fight and ends with Westwood putting Doc in a headlock and really teaching him a lesson. I’ll be honest, Westwood thought we were mental, but still threw himself into it. Then there was just time for the final scene, as Westwood sums up what he thinks of Doc’s new song…

“THAT WAS RUBBISH!”

Hopefully that’s not what everyone will say when the films are finished… *gulp*

PS – I was directing on behalf of Trev who couldn’t be there… check out his blog, he’s funny.