Thinly Veiled Genesis / Gabriel Spoof Doc Airs Monday

Originally given life in a series of comedy webisodes from 2009-2010, Simon Day’s self-satisfied rock star creation, Brian Pern, is to grace our TV screens next week. The first episode of a three-part spoof documentary airs 10-10.30pm on Monday, February 10 on BBC4. Pern’s voice, back-story (public school, then vocal duties in prog-rock monolith Thotch) and range of interests – politics, world music, the ecology, technology, all combined in a Pern-sponsored campaign to teach gorillas how to Skype – make it impossible not to think of Peter Gabriel, perhaps with a soupçcon of Brian Eno thrown in.

Here’s a taste of Pern from the web clip series…

Former Fast Show star Day – Tommy Cockles; Billy Bleach; Competitive Dad – is joined by Paul Whitehouse as estranged Thotch guitarist Pat Quid, and Nigel Havers as keyboard player Tony Pebble. Matt Lucas is legendary but now very deaf rock producer Ray Thomas, and Michael Kitchen plays Pern’s thick-skinned manager John Farrow. Expect game, real-life musicians Jools Holland, Rick Wakeman, David Arnold and Roger Taylor to up the verisimilitude, and brace yourselves for Pern’s cameo in nautical ’80s sitcom, Triangle.

Here’s the trailer...

The Life Of Rock With Brian Pern is directed and produced by rising comedy star Rhys Thomas.