ITV drama Whitechapel is the unlikely and somewhat sinister current home of the criminally unappreciated talents of a certain Peter Serafinowicz. As DCI Cazenove he can be seen administering brutal beatings to his beleaguered detectives with as little respect for the code of conduct as Bad Girls' resident evil Jim Fenner. It’s a far cry from the comedic fayre we’re used to seeing the striking Serafinowicz in… and what we are maybe guilty of not seeing him in…
He had his own show didn’t he?
Correctimundo. But you’ll not be proclaimed the king of comedy for remembering The Peter Serafinowicz Show and that it starred a certain sketch-smith known to friends and fans as Peter Serafinowicz.
He’s done stuff with Scotty from Star Trek
Two out of two. Well done. Collaborations are Peter’s forte and he seems to have an unhealthy obsession with being Simon Pegg’s arch nemesis. Not only can he be seen as Duan Benzie in the magnificent pop culture fest that was Spaced, but also as Robin in the much-underrated Hippies, and as humourless flatmate Pete in rom-zom flick Shaun of the Dead.
He was never in Star Wars
Au contraire. Okay, so he wasn’t to be found poking sticks at Yawas on Tatooine in the original trilogy and he never had a Hasbro figure hand-crafted in his own image. But the coolest thing to come out of the plot-less prequels was Darth Maul, no question. And guess who provided the voice-over? No, it wasn’t the Green Cross Code man.
He was in that show with Tim from The Office
If you mean Hardware, yes. Yes he was. Written by Men Behaving Badly’s Simon Nye, Peter played Kenny in all 12 episodes of one of 2003’s ha-ha highlights for Talkback Thames, alongside Martin Freeman and good old Reg Holdsworth.
Did you just mention Talkback Thames?
Segue-tastic. Of course, Peter and co-conspirator Robert Popper created the creepily accurate mock children’s educational series Look Around You. What they can’t tell you about germs, the brain and metals just isn’t worth knowing. I mean, did you know the full name of Iron is Iron de Havilland, dumb-dumb?
Hasn’t he annoyed Alan Partridge?
Who hasn’t? But as Yank-loving Tex and mutual friend of petrol station worker Michael he manages to rile Norfolk’s notorious graveyard shift DJ into something unimaginably green-eyed.
Is he some sort of comedic chameleon?
Just a bit. Whether it be voice over-ring for South Park, Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle, The IT Crowd or putting in a cameo shift in the likes of Black Books, Little Britain and Murder Most Horrid, Serafinowicz has the physicality and voice for every occasion and any comic creation. Damn him and his unrelenting talent.
Might he get pigeon-holed?
Doubtful. As well a taking over the telebox, Serafinowicz has stuck a reverential flag in the interwebs. And it’s got his face on it. The Peter Serafinowicz Show was borne out of the success of skits he posted on YouTube – and his Twitter page has amassed almost half million followers. Twitterati take note.
He has his fingers in many a fun-filled pie, right?
True dat. His rising stock has taken him, like, totally transatlantic, man. He’s currently to be found on Fox’s Running Wilde, brought to us from the creators of acclaimed Arrested Development. Hollywood hasn’t been blind to his talent either – he starred alongside (literal) heavyweights Vinny Vaughn and John Favreau in Couples Retreat.
The poor guy must be tired
Possibly. But that’s not stopping him from putting his native Scouse tongue to good use in the forthcoming re-make of The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine and winning awards for directing Hot Chip music videos. Oh and did we tell you he’s married to Coupling and Green Wing’s Sarah Alexander? When you see him in next week’s instalment of Whitechapel, you’re just not going to see him in the same light are you?
You think there's a comedy cat more ubiquitous than prolific Pete? Someone we didn't realize we were a bigger fan of? Answers on e-postcards, kids...