Three of a Kind

1981

Seasons & Episodes

  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
7.1| NA| en| More Info
Released: 22 July 1981 Ended
Producted By:
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

Three of a Kind was a British comedy sketch show starring comedians Tracey Ullman, Lenny Henry and David Copperfield. Three series were made by the BBC between 1981 and 1983. The show bolstered the careers of Ullman and Henry, as well as being an outlet for young writers including Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, Ian Hislop and Nick Revell. Ullman and Henry went on to greater success after the show, with Ullman initially launching a brief but successful pop career in 1983 before starring in the ITV sitcom Girls On Top in 1985 and then going on to a high profile career on American television. Henry was given his own BBC series The Lenny Henry Show in 1984 and he remains a semi-regular fixture on British television to this day. Copperfield, however, garnered less success and has been seen relatively little since the series ended.

Genre

Comedy

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Three of a Kind Audience Reviews

Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place
FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.
MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting
ShangLuda Admirable film.
RaspberryLucozade 'Three Of A Kind' was what really put both Tracey Ullman and Lenny Henry on the comedy map in Britain throughout the early '80's. It was also the first comedy show to use Teletext style jokes ( named here as 'Gagfax' ). Also in the cast was David Copperfield, who surprisingly seemed to vanish after the show ended.Like Russ Abbot's 'Madhouse' series which ran on ITV, 'Three Of A Kind' got laughs purely from its simplicity. Songs were commonplace, the best of all being a spoof of The Crystals' 'Da Do Ron Ron', with Tracey, Lenny and David as The Ruinettes. Some gags were corny but then that was part of the show's charm. This was my favourite gag.LENNY: I'm a policeman, but for a laugh I let people arrest me at parties!TRACEY: I'm an avon lady, but for a laugh I let people sell me things at parties!DAVID: I'm a taxidermist. I hate parties!'Three Of A Kind' ended in 1983 after its third series. Tracey Ullman later went over to the States to pursue a film career, whilst Lenny Henry became heavily involved with 'Comic Relief'. However, as I said at the start of this review, David Copperfield, just simply disappeared.
Prismark10 Three of a kind was a fast paced sketch comedy show. Its use of Ceefax type gags gave it a cutting edge added to the mix that it pushed alternative comedy to the mainstream.Lenny Henry was the best known star and this was his first big vehicle for the BBC after spending the last few years doing kids TV on ITV.Tracy Ullman was the breakout, the one who would go on to crack America and give birth to The Simpsons, who had a segment in her show.David Copperfield was the more traditional comedian but his Medallion man act was fun.Not only did the series showcased rising stars but also new writers that would revolutionise 1980s television comedy.
ShadeGrenade 'Three Of A Kind' crept into B.B.C.-1's schedules in 1981 with very little fanfare, yet by the time of its third season two years later it was firmly established as one of the most popular comedy sketch shows on the air. Other than Lenny Henry ( familiar to viewers because of 'New Faces', 'The Fosters' and 'Tiswas' ), the cast - Tracey Ullman and David Copperfield - had had little or no T.V. exposure, giving the show an unmistakable freshness. Various recurring characters developed; there was Henry's Rastafarian rap artist 'Fred Dread', Copperfield's 'Medallion Man', all gold rings and sharp suits, while Ullman's upper-class trendy 'Ros' gave the world the exclamation "Ya!". Alternative humour this wasn't; even though Ben Elton and Angus Deayton were among the writers, some of the sketches ( such as 'Australian Blue Peter' ) could have come out of 'Russ Abbot's Madhouse'. One very funny item parodied the sickly pop group 'Dollar' ( or 'Dollop' as they were renamed, with Ullman as 'Thereza Bazar' and Copperfield as 'David Van Day' ), another took off the American series 'Fame'. After it ended, Henry landed his own show, Ullman went to the States, only Copperfield failed to achieve the expected solo stardom.'Three Of A Kind' glittered like a 500W light bulb in its short run, ensuring it is fondly remembered by a generation of thirty somethings.
Zeech Three of a Kind, The humour, the social commentary, the sarcasm, the absolute lack of sexist and racist humour. Back then, this was pretty ground breaking. Sure it had been going in at 'alternative cabarets' etc. around London and Student Union's, but would the mainstream monocultural couch potatoes be able to appreciate this 'new wave of humour'? Three of a Kind worked, and how, reaching a wider audience than the narrow intellectual trendy students, it showed how what had been called alternative humour could go mainstream.And yes, Tracy was there, and flanked by Dave and Lenny...Killer combo. Rent it just to see the Social Worker Stint.