Forgone Conclusion

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Forgone Conclusion
Genre	Comedy Mockumentary
Creator(s)	James Cotter
Starring	James Cotter Ash Bibby James Gibbs Tom Heath
Opening theme	'Handbags and Gladrags' by Ricky Gervais
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	10
Production
Running time	Approx. 0:05 (Per Episode)
Broadcast
Original run	February 8, 2007 – March 16, 2007

Forgone Conclusion is a British television comedy series, created and written by James Cotter and directed and started James Cotter, Ash Bibby, James Gibbs along with Tom Heath. The show is a parody of Ricky Gervais's and Stephen Merchant's The Office.

Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Background 3 Cast / Characters 3.1 Paul Wade 3.2 Steve Furst 3.3 Davey Davies 3.4 Ross Wayne 3.5 Simon Holness 4 Crew 5 Episode Guide 6 The Future 7 Influences 8 Trivia

[edit] Synopsis

The show is set in Exeter, in Exeter College. The show has no laugh track and is in the mockumentary style, and mocks and follows the style of other documentaries such as Airport and A Life of Grime (which follow people performing their jobs).

In the college we follow the energetic Paul Wade (Cotter) along with his classes and fellow teachers. Much of the shows comedic success stems from Paul, who frequently makes attempts to win favour with his students and peers with embarrassing or disastrous results. Paul’s character flaws are used to comic effect, including numerous verbal gaffes, unconscious racism, sexism and other social faux-pas.

[edit] Background

Forgone Conclusion came about when the creator James Cotter wanted to film a series of short episodes with a character he had been developing but resisted because it was to similar to David Brent. James Cotter, Ash Bibby, James Gibbs and Tom Heath are all massive fans of Ricky Gervais and his type of humour and were keen to mix new fresh ideas by James Cotter and a old and tested format of David Brent and The Office, because James Cotter had been working on some observations about teachers and older people trying to get down with the kids and approached Ash Bibby, James Gibbs and Tom Heath and said he wanted to do a rip of The Office but with new freshly written scenes. James Cotter written a half and hour episode and along with Forgone Conclusion's script constant Andrea Matthews-Stroud and on Thursday 8th February 2007 went about shooting but very early on the crew ran in to trouble due to a lack of willing actors because the first two scenes involved a black person and a person in a wheelchair, so the crew decided instead to film all of the talking heads written by James Cotter. And after filming the opening talking head, James Cotter felt that they should try to ad-lib the talking heads and see what they could get out of them. In one day the crew filmed around a hour of completely ad-lib footage, which was eventually edited by James Cotter in to a series of ten short episodes which lasted around thirty minutes. After showing the ten shorts to group of friends of the crew, James Cotter, Ash Bibby, James Gibbs and Tom Heath decided to film more. On Monday 12th March 2007 James Cotter and Ash Bibby completed a commentary for the episode which will feature on the DVD. And on March 16th 2007 the crew got back together to film a exclusive documentary as well as around eighteen minutes of bonus footage and a feature called Paul's Tour.

[edit] Cast / Characters

[edit] Paul Wade

Paul Wade who is played by James Cotter, is a media teacher at Exeter College, he is a man who wants and thinks that he's everyone's friend and mentor. He imagines that everyone finds him very funny and loves being around him, yet still respects him and looks up to him as a teacher and even a father figure. He is, of course, spectacularly wrong — his students tolerate him at best, and are more often than not irritated or nonplussed by him.

One of the key aspects of Paul's personality like David Brent who is based completely around, is his complete obliviousness to how other people actually see him, and he lashes out strongly whenever his carefully built veil of ignorance is pierced. For example, Paul asks a person called Dan about the ethnic people and how they are different but much to his annoyance ends the conversation looking like a unfunny racist. He also has a need to be seen as a renaissance man who is exceptionally good at everything, including playing music, drawing, writing poetry and songs, being a rock star, managing a team, dancing, and even dating and marriage. He especially believes himself to be a remarkably talented stand-up comedian, and rarely misses an opportunity to play up to the cameras; his 'material', however, is largely tedious and hackneyed.

Wade has a tendency to promote himself as a politically-correct modern man, but often demonstrates an unwittingly offensive attitude towards ethnic minorities, disabled people and women. However, his various attitudes and faux-pas, cringeworthy and insulting though they may be, are largely not maliciously intended; they are more frequently the unfortunate result of remarkable ignorance and self-delusion combined with an unfortunate tendency to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, and then to make matters worse for himself when trying to backpedal.

We also know that Paul had a wife who has left him and his boss and head of department name is Andrea Matthews-Stroud who makes a cameo in Paul's Tour and is in fact the real life Script Constant for the original script. One of Paul's biggest heroes is David Brent who he thinks is real and a very popular guy that's why he acts like he does to day. James Cotter who plays Paul Wade has commented that one of the reasons for making Forgone is that it is satirically shedding light on people who believe what they see on TV and satirically sending up most modern college teachers.

[edit] Steve Furst

Steve Furst played by Ash Bibby appears in episode eight of Forgone Conclusion. He is one of Paul's students and is not happy with the lack of work in the class and comments on how Paul is more interested in having a laugh then teaching. Paul also comments on Steve's Furst for learning, a pun on his name. Paul also comments on Steve's lack of looks and how he is probably having difficulty with the ladies then latter accuses him of being gay which he denies vigorously with the famous phrase “I’m not gay”. Steve although stating he didn't need counselling takes the number which Paul offers him at the end of the episode. Ash Bibby who plays Steve is keen to play him again.

[edit] Davey Davies

Davey Davies played by Ash Bibby is a dwarf who is patronised by Paul Wade in the bonus footage. He appears in the lift with Paul and then in a interview for Dwarf Relief headed up by Paul who comments on how he mustn’t get out much by Davey says he just like a normal eighteen year old guy but Paul constantly tries to belittle eventually says that Davey is disfigured and probably burnt him self in a chip oven fire when according to Paul he slipped off his stole when making midget chips and began to inhale smoke and burns.

[edit] Ross Wayne

Ross Wayne played by Tom Heath is a Keith Bishop like character from The Office. He is boring and he's like a human statue who just constantly chews gum. He is very slow-talking, emotionless and suffering from eczema on his feet and he says few words. He has a fond likeness of the internet and has a GCSE in ICT. He is no relation to John Wayne and is being bullied by a lesbian and a dwarf. He is another of Paul students and Tom Heath who play him invented the character in the excusive documentary filmed before the bonus footage, that is Ross's first appearance.

[edit] Simon Holness

Simon Holness played by Tom Heath is based on a minor character in The Office also called Simon who is a computer geek. The name in fact comes from Simon the commuter geek and the second name of the actor who played him Matthew Holness. Simon is Paul's nemesis because he refuse's to listen to Paul's stories and will bluntly tell him to shut up and will bring him down. Simon is married to Sharon Holness and has a grandmother called Pauline. He regularly visits Ibiza with some friends and although he is married he slept with a girl in Ibiza.

[edit] Crew

• James Cotter - Actor, Director, Writer, Creator, Producer, Researcher
• Ash Bibby - Actor, Director, Camera, Researcher
• James Gibbs - Actor, Director, Camera, Researcher
• Tom Heath - Actor, Camera, Sound, Researcher
• Andrea Matthews-Stroud - Script Constant
• Dan Kemp - Actor

[edit] Episode Guide

#	Episode	Original airdate
1	"The Laughter Of Hate"	N/A
Paul talks about how he wants to have a laugh with his students but doesn’t want something he calls the anti-laugh and the laughter of hate.
2	"Black Is Funny"	N/A
Paul talks about the college being a multi cultural society, and the varied amounts of difference in the college. He also comments on how other people see him, I.e. a laugh and the funny bloke. And he lists his favourite comedians, black people especially Lenny Henry who according to Paul “doesn’t have to say anything, because I know he’s black so I’m gonna laugh”.
3	"Paul Loves Black People"	N/A
Paul talks about black people and how he doesn’t cross the street when he sees one because he knows they haven’t got diseases but other people do, much to Paul’s annoyance.
4	"Embrace Difference"	N/A
Paul talks about embracing difference and liking fellow funny people. And tells a story about a girl who is concerned with the lack of work in his class in which Paul compares life in his class to that of life in Africa were there a bit miserable for Paul’s liking, Paul’s answer to that is to send him self over to cheer them up and to tell them to stop moaning because dwarfs are worse off.
5	"Paul’s Ten Commandments"	N/A
Paul lists his top ten rules/guidelines, in which number one is black people must be respected at all times this includes in a fire when according to Paul they must get priority over women and children. Paul also comments on seeing a black person without a shirt on and how muscular they seem, because Paul thinks they could carry down a dwarf down a staircase if needed.
6	"Martin Luther King Is A Dog"	N/A
Paul talks about Comic Relief and how he loves all black people and how he thinks Martin Luther King would be proud of him for sticking up for black people. Paul also questions is Comic Relief for having a laugh. And ends up calling black people dogs.
7	"R2D2"	N/A
Paul questions if college is for learning or for having a laugh. And talks about the class dwarf Steven who is deaf, fat and a dwarf and is ambition in life is to become a R2D2 look a like.
8	"I’m Not Gay"	N/A
Paul gets interrupted while masturbating in his office by a student called Steve Furst who he chats to. Steve is unhappy with the lack of work in the class and accuses Paul of just having a laugh the whole time rather then teach. Paul then accuses the boy of being ugly and being gay something which he denies vigorously with the famous phrase “I’m not gay”.
9	"Little Black People Are Funny"	N/A
Paul talks about being a entertainer and how he bumped into a dwarf on the stair case, he also comments that little is funny and black is funny.
10	"Don’t Kill Black People"	N/A
Paul talks about Comic Relief again and how it’s a great laugh. And compares Victoria Beckham to a dying Africa in weight. Paul comments on how black people are cool and gives the message to not kill black people because there are enough dying in Africa.

[edit] The Future

The future of Forgone Conclusion is uncertain, the crew is keen to film more if they can keep the show at the same level of comedy as it was at the beginning. The crew has still not filmed any of the original script and that could be a possibility as well of crew filming more ad-libed scenes. James Cotter was keen to stress that he wants to make more episodes pushing the boundaries of comedy even more because "Even though we had The Office people still haven't realised that it is not ok to behave in the way Paul Wade or David Brent does, quite a few people have see both programmes and think it's real and that is an example of how to behave but if people are not realising that The Office and Forgone Conclusion are spoofs and the laugh is on the people like Wade and Brent not with them. The only way comedians can prove this it seems is to push the boundaries even further and if any one complains well quite frankly there stupid if they don't get it after we've pushed it even further".

[edit] Influences

The main influences of Forgone Conclusion are Extras, The Office, Lead Balloon, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Royle Family. Forgone Conclusion uses similar humour to that of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, because both use similar kinds of comedy like Embarrassment, Boredom, Idiocy, Under Achievement, Excruciating Cringe Worthy Scenes, Characters Deeply Dissatisfied With Life, Obscurity, Disappointment, Social Awkwardness, Annoyance, Political Correctness, People Degrading Themselves Just For Attention. There are also similarities in the camerawork, and the absence of a laughter track, of Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm. Jack Dee’s Lead Balloon which is similar to all of the above programmes has influenced Talent because of it‘s use of turning every day situations like Jack Dee character Rick Spleen not find any teaspoons in his house funny and entraining. The Royle Family has also contributed to Forgone because of the same use of no set piece jokes and use of normal day to day situations rather than exaggerated silly scenes also they both use something that’s becoming a theme in British comedy which is to leave some of the dull bit’s in to show a sense of real life something the audience could relate to, examples of this are shots of people working in The Office. Christopher Guest is a huge influence because of the style of humour and the way he nearly always uses a ad-libed mockumentary in the same style of Forgone Conclusion. And programmes like The Day Today, Brass Eye and Arrested Development are influences.

[edit] Trivia

• In several scenes you can clearly see a Wernham Hogg pencil case owned by Paul Wade, this is a homage to The Office.
• On the same day as filming the ten shorts, all four of the crew went to Cardiff to watch Ricky Gervais Live.
• There were three different offices for Paul Wade.
• The shows theme tune is taken from The Office and is performed by Ricky Gervais.
• The name Forgone Conclusion actually comes from one everything Paul does is a Forgone Conclusion that he'll muck it up and it also comes from the name of David Brent's band mentioned in episode four, series one of The Office.
• In episodes one, six and ten the background wallpaper is of Martin Luther King.
• In most episodes Paul is seen frequently wearing his Red Nose.
• All of the bonus footage, Excusive Documentary and Paul's Tour were filmed on Red Nose Day.
• Every scene except for the first is completely ad-libed and none of it is written down.
• The name Steve Furst is in fact the name of the actor Steve Furst who appears in Little Britain and the orange adverts.
• The name Wade comes from the Prince song When Doves Cry when Prince shouts something that resembles Wade.