People in real life who would be good TV characters

[Cartman]

This new job at the parts delivery depot has got me thinking about this. There's this bloke in the warehouse who is one of those people who is just unintentionally funny and he doesn't realise that he is. He's permanently p***ed off everything is ****ing ***t and it seems that everything is too much trouble. Today a customer phoned up wanting an urgent delivery and it was "what the **** does this ******g wet wipe want? He then screwed up the invoice into a ball and put it in his mouth, when I asked why he was eating paper it was " I'm biting this before I bite some ****s head off!

He's comedy gold and would be brilliant in something like Auf Weidersien Pet, or a bit part in the Sweeney. 

[Gene Hunt]

I've got a feeling you'll enjoy the upcoming meet more than you think....

[Del Boy]

A bloke I know would work well as a Minder character. He is always a good laugh and often tells stories that wouldn't go a miss in a Minder episode. The usual stuff like of getting into scrapes with the law and with other small time crooks who frequent his local. There's often boasts regarding liaisons with females too. Thing is he has a habit of proving it by showing self made videos of these conquests to people who are trying to eat breakfast in the work canteen. He settles down though when it's time for his morning grub which is usually last night's leftover Doner Kebab that he buys everyday on the way home from the pub. 

It's a well known fact that Leon Griffiths and John Sullivan based many a story of Minder and Only Fools on real life characters just like the two mentioned in this thread.

[Sam Tyler]

Funny that you mention kebab there Del-Boy as there is a bloke I work alongside now that is like a 65 year old version of Harry Enfield's character Stavros. At any time I could imagine him saying "Hullo matey pip!" as his accent is identical but he has been known to use typical Stavros words such as "He daft, he blood stoopid!"

Although the original post is for people that would be good unique TV characters, I can't help but think that a 65 year old Stavros would be a good character in a similar manner to Luigi in A2A.

Sam.

[Sparky]

I shall put forward the Detective Inspector who lives 3 doors up from me - a total supporter of Jack Regan & Gene Hunt Police Procedure.

He's even got a photo of Regan and Mr Hunt on his office wall (beside the dartboard!).

Jack Rosentahl used to carry a notebook everywhere he went - and if he saw an "interesting character" or heard something amusing, he'd take note and use it to help create characters based around real people.

Most, if not all of the characters used in his plays were based on people he knew or had met.

Everytime I go out to work - every single crew I have worked on over the last 30years - there are always a handful of members who are identical to those characters used in "Ready When You are Mr Mcgill" in 1976, and the remake in 2003.

The accuracy of that play is frightening.

Haircuts might change - people don't!

Director Tom Clegg did the same - so when he had a load of Extras; he'd always give them something interesting / good to do instead of just being there in the background.

[Arthur Pringle]

I used to work in a homeless shelter in Ireland, it housed about 20 residents of mostly older men, the place was full of characters as you can imagine. One elderly man who had been a tinker like Paddy the ghost in Auf Wiedersehen Pet used to stay in his room & only ever come out to get his meals, he never washed nor changed his clothes, I couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw him.

Another was a man who couldn't read or write & had been a bare knuckle boxer, the palms of his hands were like tough leather, he told me he used to drink Brasso when he couldn't get any alcohol. Another character used to keep an alarm clock in his back pocket instead of a watch, in his other back pocket was a shoe brush which he used to brush his hair.

I thought at the time that the place would make for good tv, in fact one of the residents likened the place to 'The Muppet Show' & suggested we put a sign up inviting people in to watch.

This Cutting Edge documentary on a shelter for homeless alcoholics gives an idea of what goes on, except the place I worked at was far less rowdy as alcohol was forbidden.  

Note- Very Strong Language

[Dirty Epic]

I'm sure I remember seeing that programme or a similar one around that time Arthur. IIRC isn't there a easily led character in it who is told what to do by the mouthy one who then scores a council flat and does the exact opposite...

Reckon your experiences in Ireland could make a good TV/Film piece too.

[Arthur Pringle]

I don't think there's such a scene in this one Dirty, it's well worth watching though if only for a hilarious character wearing a syrup who keeps cropping up throughout the documentary.

There was another character in the hostel, a very tall bloke from London. One day I mentioned to him that I'd watched 'Mc Vicar' on video the previous day, he said 'I was in that!', he claimed to have been in the background during a scene. I didn't believe him of course. Days later he was attacked by another resident with a hammer for winding the guy up, fortunately as he was much bigger he managed to overpower & restrain him.