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126-418: Unlike her previous eponymous Fox show , Tracey Takes On... was filmed without a studio audience, on location, single-camera ; instead of upwards of one hundred seldom reused characters, the show focused on a steady rotation of nearly 20. "I wanted to do a show where you could get familiar with the characters, where I could express a point of view, where we could get controversial [...] I also didn't want to do

252-498: A Peter Sellers type. No one does American accents better than him. Look at Dr. Strangelove and Lolita ". As one critic noted, Sellers had American director Stanley Kubrick as his visionary and Ullman would get American television and film director James L. Brooks, the man behind such hit television shows as The Mary Tyler Moore Show , Taxi , and Rhoda , and the films Terms of Endearment and Broadcast News . "I came to America in 1985 and James made me stay. If I had

378-514: A "skitcom". An array of original and diverse characters was created for Ullman to perform. Extensive makeup, wigs, teeth, and body padding were used, sometimes rendering her completely unrecognizable. One original character created solely by Ullman back in Britain was uprooted for the show: long-suffering British spinster Kay Clark . Kay was based on a real woman who worked in a Midlands bank that Ullman kept in touch with long after leaving Britain for

504-630: A bit sappy, but it's more of a battle theme, something that will get people talking." Production on Tracey Takes On... began each year in February with a staff retreat. Three months would then be spent writing the scripts. Pre-production would follow in July and August with filming commencing in September and wrapping in November. The completed season would "ideally" get delivered to HBO by December. The series came to

630-406: A caring person. I think there should be a kid in this. Now, I'm just pitching here. I don't know if this is funny. But I think Tracey should love this kid and maybe there's a moment where she tells the kid something about life.' And I'd say, "Look – I don't want to work with little kids being cute who I eventually adopt'." Ullman's new agent, Martha Luttrell sent her tape to James L. Brooks, who had

756-523: A close after a four season run in 1999. Ullman began conceiving a new show in which she'd play only one or two characters with minimal makeup. "This time I'll play one or two characters [instead of all the characters]. I just don't want to put all that rubber on my face. That began to get really tedious. I've got make it easier on myself, and it'll be easier if I don't have to spend ten hours in make-up." A typical episode consists of two or three long sketches with interstitial character monologues all focusing on

882-425: A deal with Fox. Fox, dubbed America's "fourth network", was looking to create its own brand of original primetime programming. Brooks was bowled over by Ullman's material. "I saw original talent, and how often does that happen to you?" "I started showing [her work] to people like you'd show home movies." "I was just startled by the size of the talent. I got chills." Ullman explained to Brooks her situation at CBS and

1008-444: A designated diving area that watercraft were restricted from entering. With the group was a local veteran divemaster, Iván Díaz. As the group was surfacing from a dive, a powerboat moving at high speed entered the restricted area. MacColl saw the boat coming before her sons did. Louis, age 13 at the time, was not in its path, but Jamie, age 15, was. She was able to push him out of the way (he sustained minor head and rib injuries), but she

1134-860: A different way of doing something. ...Always play to the top of your intelligence. A character should be as smart as you are. And if the character isn't as smart as you are, you can't make a comment about it, you can't make fun of the character." Castellaneta felt that audiences could see right through a character that wasn't done honestly and that The Tracey Ullman Show' s audience were both pretty demanding, as well as intelligent. "They're people who like something different, they're certainly an intelligent audience. And they're an audience that isn't as easily offended as other people might be." Actress Julie Kavner had co-starred in Brooks' spin-off series to The Mary Tyler Moore Show , Rhoda , starring Valerie Harper . Kavner played Harper's younger, socially awkward sister Brenda,

1260-891: A diverse audience that I get. They're all those characters that I portray that are supposed to be politically incorrect. I get these Asian teenagers who come up and I think, 'Aren't you supposed to be offended by my doughnut-shop lady?' and they go, 'Oh, no! There's no one like that on TV. That's like my grandmother. I'd rather you do it than no one at all.'" Beverly Hills madam Madam Nadja was based on Elizabeth Adams (known as "Madam Alex"), of whom Ullman said, "I love that she kept money underneath her bed. She never gets up all day. If she ever has to get out of bed, it's like, 'Dammit, I've got to get out of bed. I've got to get dressed.' That's when something major happens that she has to get dressed. She's very angry because she had to get out of bed today because of some stupid hooker in Venice." The character Chic

1386-479: A doughnut establishment? And I think Mrs. Noh Nang Ning meets all of that." However, she acknowledged, "Asian people don't necessarily see themselves in mainstream television and certainly not comic situations and after Mickey Rooney [as Mr. Yunioshi ] in Breakfast at Tiffany's , I can understand why they're a little gun-shy." The controversy later become comic fodder in season four when Ruby Romaine announces that she

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1512-470: A drawing of the Simpsons exactly as–well, not exactly–almost exactly as they are. Anyhow, everybody said, 'Fine. That's fine. We like them.' And Matt made his deal with Fox." Eventually, producers found that Groening's work suited the show better than Brown's and her segments were no longer used. Tracey Ullman was approached to do one of the voices of the Simpsons, but with her already spending up to three hours in

1638-488: A fan of dialect coaches, this promotional tour would allow her to have ample opportunity to do some character study. "I want to see America a bit, I really do. I've only been to LA and New York, and they make very disparaging remarks about Middle America there. I mean, Des Moines, Iowa, is the place network executives always talk about, like, "Would they like this in Des Moines?' They think you just want Facts of Life and She's

1764-517: A female psychiatrist, Dr. N!Godatu. Producers stopped hearing from Groening when Fox wanted to take over Life in Hell merchandising as part of his deal, resulting in his passing on the project. Estin asked Sakai to ask Groening if he had any characters that he would be willing to allow Fox to merchandise. Groening said that he did have other characters and would send them over for consideration. "Well, two, maybe three days after I spoke to Richard, Matt sends us

1890-434: A guest spot on the show playing William, lover of 13-year-old valley girl Francesca's (Ullman) father. McMurray recalled his casting: "The first Francesca sketch, they said, 'Play the guy not so gay.' And I said 'I disagree.' I had a big mouth then -— still do. I said, 'I think he's more the woman. I think he's more out there.' So I read and I read it big, and they cast me. It was just a one-off, and then we were on hiatus. I did

2016-748: A hairstylist who worked on many of Woody Allen 's films, while her voice was inspired by Florence Aadland, mother of actress Beverly Aadland , who at 15 had an affair with 48-year-old Errol Flynn . Ullman had played Florence in the one-woman Broadway show The Big Love , for which she had prepared by listening to hours' worth of Florence's dictations to writer Tedd Thomey, for their book of the same name . There are parallels between Ruby Romaine's early days in Hollywood and those of Beverly Aadland, specifically Beverly's affair with Erroll Flynn. The characters Fern and Harry Rosenthal and Linda Granger were created for Tracey Ullman Takes on New York . Ullman had toyed with

2142-465: A joke in the room, he'd say, 'What is this, Nazi, Russia?'" When they won an Emmy, Belson's response was, "This is my first Emmy in color." Sam Simon , like Estin, wrote for Taxi , as well as executive produced the show. Brooks discovered writer Marc Flanagan after watching a piece performed by Meryl Streep and Kevin Klein at a benefit. He asked to speak to the writer and kept him in mind when he worked on

2268-552: A live show [...] Once I inhaled so much remover that I passed out on the makeup room floor. I was resuscitated and went out to give a terrific performance, even though I can't remember being there." She had a year to deliver the show. The 1993 special Tracey Ullman: A Class Act , a satire about the British class system , was shot entirely on location and co-starred actor Michael Palin . The show's success led to American cable television network HBO becoming interested in having Ullman do

2394-587: A man she knew as a teenager in London, who worked in a restaurant and used the come-on line: "Hey, darling, you like sex?" Guest stars marked with an asterisk (*) represent those who made recurring appearances. The series was nominated for 24 Emmy Awards , winning 6, including 1 in 1997 for Outstanding Music, Comedy and Variety Show. The show won a CableACE award in 1996 for Best Comedy Variety Series, 3 American Comedy Awards , and 2 GLAAD Media Awards in 1998 and 1999. On December 26, 2005, HBO Home Video released

2520-516: A memorial bench was placed in Soho Square inscribed with a lyric from the song where fans could pay their respects. In 1995, she released two new singles on Virgin, " Caroline " and a cover of Lou Reed 's " Perfect Day " (a duet with Evan Dando ), together with the "best of" compilation Galore . Galore became MacColl's only album to reach the top 10 in the UK Albums Chart , but neither of

2646-460: A mentor like him in Great Britain, I would've stayed there." "Variety hadn't been done for sometime and we wanted to do a show that would allow me to do the things I like to do and can do," stated Ullman in 1987. "I think, literally, the word unique and mean it," said Brooks in regards to Ullman's talent. "We're so obsessed with comparisons. The only one I could even think of that comparing her to

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2772-895: A number of recordings produced by her husband Steve Lillywhite , most notably " Fairytale of New York " by the Pogues . Her death in 2000 led to the "Justice for Kirsty" campaign. Kirsty MacColl was born in Croydon , Surrey (now in South London ), the daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl (1915–1989) and dancer Jean Newlove (1923–2017). Her father was born in England of Scottish parents. MacColl and her older brother, Hamish MacColl, grew up with their mother in Selsdon , in Croydon , where she attended Park Hill Primary School, Monks Hill High School and John Newnham High School, making appearances in school plays. At

2898-556: A photo gallery (season 2). Seasons 3 and 4 were released by Eagle Rock Entertainment as one DVD set on July 14, 2009 in the United States. While it claims to be "complete", the set's episodes are heavily edited, some to only three to five minutes in length; "Religion" is missing entirely. The set includes three Character Comedies: Virginia, Ruby, and Rayleen. The DVDs are region-free . Seasons 1 through 4 were released for purchase through iTunes and Amazon Video-on-Demand service in

3024-519: A piece should be broadcast, then we will take a stand. We do care about doing characters accurately and in them taking a comic view of life, but when censorship interferes with that, we've got to scream." A typical episode of The Tracey Ullman Show consists of two or three sketches (or playlets ) featuring Tracey Ullman playing an array of characters, along with her supporting cast of Julie Kavner , Dan Castellaneta , Sam McMurray , Joseph Malone, and in season three, Anna Levine . The final sketch of

3150-632: A plaque was unveiled at her former home in Ealing , West London, by her son Louis. MacColl lived at the address from 1985 until her death. Following the death of Shane MacGowan on 30 November 2023, "Fairytale of New York" went to No. 1 in Ireland on Spotify . On 13 December 2023, The Pogues reissued the song as a charity 7-inch single in tribute to MacGowan and to benefit the Dublin Simon Community, an organisation fighting homelessness. In January 2024,

3276-523: A real thrill to me that someone like Kay can be famous in America." For other characters, she drew upon people she either knew or celebrities for inspiration. "I based one character on Maggie Smith , which the script supervisor suggested. I remember her in California Suite saying, 'Well, I don't care if I didn't win the fucking Oscar.'... It sounded good. It made me laugh, and then I felt that I could do

3402-510: A recurring guest star in the series. In 1998, a book based on the series, Tracey Takes On , was released. In 2003, the character Ruby Romaine was spun-off into the HBO television special , Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales . Tracey Ullman and her cast of characters "take on" a different subject for each episode of the series. In 1990, Ullman's husband Allan McKeown , a founding member of

3528-508: A relative unknown, was asked to read for the show after he was spotted by Ullman at Chicago's The Second City . Castellaneta's portrayal of a blind man who wants to be a comedian brought her to tears instead of making her laugh. Ullman told producers that she wouldn't do the show if Castellaneta wasn't hired. He gave up the opportunity to appear in the short-lived sitcom version of the film Nothing in Common , in which he appeared, so as to star in

3654-416: A role for which she won an Emmy Award . Kavner was at the top of the list of people Brooks wanted to be part of the show. Brooks on Kavner: "When somebody's intrinsically funny – you know, in-their-bones funny – they never have to work at (being funny), so they're free to work on other things. We were all nuts about her work. She was the person we most wanted to work with Tracey." Actor Sam McMurray read for

3780-433: A run-through," said Ullman in 1989. "It's like a drug. If I can get them looking at me and respecting me, and thinking, 'She's done it!' – it's the best feeling.'" But she knew that the only performance that truly counted was the final one recorded in front of a live studio audience. "You just gotta pray you hit that happy, energetic mood on Friday." The cast rehearsals would take place into lunch and dinner hours, usually under

3906-459: A series to begin immediately for her. Saturday Night Live scribe and creator of CBS's Square Pegs , Anne Beatts was hired to write the pilot. While Universal liked the script, Ullman didn't appreciate changes that senior executives wanted to make. Recalling the project: "We'd just hit on an idea, then some white-haired executive – very, very important – would come in from the race track and say, 'I don't like that idea. I think Tracey should be

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4032-404: A series where I had to do 22 or 26 episodes a year. I have two children and have a husband, and there are other things I'd like to do during the year. Ten shows is a good number, and HBO gives me a great (artistic) freedom," said Ullman in 1996. The only character to return from the original Tracey Ullman Show was Kay Clark , as Ullman was the sole creator. Former cast member Julie Kavner became

4158-529: A show that attempted to." To ensure that she was well-versed in American comedy, Brooks began sending her tapes of American sitcoms and variety shows to watch and study. Ullman also began visiting and spending time at the Museum of Television & Radio . "After I made [the 1985 film] Plenty , I thought it was sad that everyone left London to go home to Hollywood. Thought I'd join 'em. [...] I thought of myself as

4284-456: A social satirist's point of view." Whenever she was stuck on particular voice or accent, she would open a phone directory. "If I wanted to do somebody from Brooklyn, I would call the library in Brooklyn and listen to their voice and tape them surreptitiously so they didn't know." Also helping her in her quest for accents was the show's staff. When she had to find a Brooklyn accent distinctive from

4410-543: A solo artist and received critical acclaim upon the release of Kite (LP) in 1989. The album was widely praised by critics, and featured collaborations with David Gilmour and Johnny Marr . MacColl's lyrics addressed life in Margaret Thatcher 's Britain and addressed the vagaries of love in " Don't Come the Cowboy with Me Sonny Jim! ". Although Kite contained many original compositions, MacColl's biggest chart success from

4536-415: A special for them. The only caveat was that she take on a more "American" subject. She chose New York City . That special, Tracey Ullman Takes on New York , was an award-winning success. HBO then broached the idea of a "Takes on" series. Ullman was unsure if she could do it without the help of her "mentor" James L. Brooks who helped launch her American career with The Tracey Ullman Show . "Last year, I

4662-439: A story, to be involved in character. We did not want to do spoofs or takeoffs. You define a show by what you don't want want to do as well as by what you do. We rushed on the air and have been finding the show while we're on the air. You lose a lot of sleep that way, but it's great. Now, we have five or six characters that we repeat from time to time, and new ones are candidates for repetition." When it came to Fox, Brooks stated, "It

4788-581: A top 30 hit in the UK. Despite the song's U.S. chart success, Landlady was not a hit for Virgin Records and in 1992, when Virgin was sold to EMI, MacColl was dropped from the label. MacColl released Titanic Days , informed by her failing marriage with Lillywhite, in 1993, but ZTT Records had agreed only to release the album as a "one-off" and declined to sign her to a contract. The album included "Soho Square", an original composition set in London. After MacColl’s death

4914-441: A way to end one sketch and go into the next. They had considered talking animals, specifically a talking bear. "I don't know why we were so into a bear," explained Ken Estin. "Nobody was in love with that idea, but we just couldn't think of how else to do it. In most variety shows, it was just sketches that were so short that they didn't have to worry about from going from one to the next. Nobody had ever really done this before." Estin

5040-415: A weekly lecture from Harry Shearer . The show would start with no pilot and a 26-episode commitment, and would be produced by Brooks along with some of the top writers from Cheers . Shearer's weekly lecture never materialized. When the time came to go out and promote the show, Fox only allowed Ullman to tour Los Angeles and New York. In 1988, she insisted that she be allowed to tour Middle America. Never

5166-480: Is Peter Sellers – he's the only one you can mention. He could do a variety of Americans. And then you have to add that Tracey sings and dances." The key to getting Ullman ready for primetime was "assembling the right people" according to Brooks. Brooks, along with co-executive Jerry Belson , Ken Estin , and Heide Perlman , went on a retreat in Northern California to think through the show. "We wanted to tell

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5292-414: Is rather thrilling to me when I used to witness her in the local bank in my village. She'd say, 'Hello, Miss Ullman. How's Hollywood?' And to think she's on American television and – she doesn't know!" Ruby Romaine , who Ullman has described as "pure Hollywood white trash", was based on many of the Hollywood union makeup artists sent to make her up over the years. Ruby's look was inspired by Romaine Greene,

5418-527: Is unlikely that any more could be achieved". The campaign's remaining funds were to be divided between two charities, Casa Alianza México and Cuba Music Solidarity , a gesture of which, the statement read, "Kirsty would have approved". In 2001, a bench was placed by the southern entrance to London's Soho Square as a memorial to her, after a lyric from one of her most poignant songs: "One day I'll be waiting there / No empty bench in Soho Square". Every year on

5544-534: The Duchess of Kent 's hats, and Princess Anne 's teeth. Ullman sent a copy of the show's "Royalty" episode to Princess Diana feeling that she could use a laugh, and Diana, through her lady-in-waiting , expressed that she had enjoyed it. The show's Asian doughnut shop owner, Mrs. Noh Nang Ning, was modeled after a real-life doughnut shop owner Ullman met while writing the show's first season in Los Angeles. The character

5670-583: The Meridian Broadcasting consortium, placed a bid for the ITV television franchise in South East England . Along with the bid he included a potential programming lineup which included a Tracey Ullman special. Ullman, who had just ended four seasons of her eponymous Fox series, had just given birth to their second child and was quite content staying at home. In September 1991, McKeown was elated when he

5796-591: The O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire , to support her favourite charity, The Music Fund for Cuba. MacColl continues to receive media exposure; in 2004, Kirsty MacColl: The One and Only, a biography of MacColl by Karen O'Brien, was published. A retrospective three-CD set spanning her full career, From Croydon to Cuba , was released in 2005. Titanic Days was re-released in 2005 as a deluxe 2-CD set, and Kite and Electric Landlady were also remastered and rereleased with additional tracks. Her first album, Desperate Character,

5922-461: The UK Singles Chart . MacColl recorded a follow-up single, " You Caught Me Out ", but felt she lacked Stiff Records's full backing, and left the label shortly before the song was to be released. The single was pulled, and only a few "white label" promo copies of the single are known to exist. MacColl moved to Polydor Records in 1981. She had a number 14 UK hit with " There's a Guy Works Down

6048-490: The Ullman show as writer and producer. SCTV writers Dick Blasucci and Paul Flaherty wrote and co-produced as well. For each show, a table read would take place on Monday mornings in the presence of writers and producers. Not unusually, rewrites could go past midnight. What worked in the writers room would sometimes fall flat once in the hands of the actors. The best readings were the result of numerous rewrites. "I love cracking

6174-503: The world music -inspired (particularly Cuban and other Latin American forms) Tropical Brainstorm , which was released in 2000 to critical acclaim. It included the song " In These Shoes? ", which garnered airplay in the U.S., was covered by Bette Midler and featured in the HBO show Sex and the City . After MacColl's death it was adopted by Catherine Tate as the theme tune for her BBC programme The Catherine Tate Show , and featured on

6300-629: The "Days" single), "Girls on Bikes" (a reworking of B-side "Am I Right?") and, with comedy duo Raw Sex, the Frank and Nancy Sinatra hit " Somethin' Stupid ". She continued to write and record, releasing the album Electric Landlady in 1991. The album's title was coined by Johnny Marr as a play on the Jimi Hendrix album title Electric Ladyland . It included her most successful chart hit in North America, " Walking Down Madison ", co-written with Marr and

6426-425: The 1993 special Tracey Ullman: A Class Act . Trevor was based on a real British Airways steward and an observation Ullman made about crewmen who would "butch up" when leaving the galley. Ullman said of him, "I love Trevor. I've always wanted to do one of those gay air stewards because they're always so lovely to me. As Linda [Granger] says ... 'I have a wonderful homosexual fan base, and I love them!'" Since playing

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6552-647: The BBC, singing during the 1995 Hootenanny a rendition of " Miss Otis Regrets " with the Pipes and Drums of the Irish Guards . MacColl appeared in the 1991 Channel 4 historic musical fantasy The Ghosts of Oxford Street as Kitty Fisher , performing "Fairytale of New York" opposite Shane MacGowan as the Duke of York. Her last television concert was recorded in Glasgow on 14 March 2000 and

6678-580: The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis ", from her critically acclaimed debut album Desperate Character . In 1983, Polydor dropped her just as she had completed recording the songs for a planned second album (to be called Real ) which used more synthesizers and had new wave-styled tracks. She returned to Stiff, where pop singles such as " Terry " and " He's on the Beach " were unsuccessful, but a cover of Billy Bragg 's " A New England " in 1985 reached number 7 on

6804-460: The Pogues on " Fairytale of New York ", singing a duet with Shane MacGowan . This led to her accompanying the Pogues on their British and European tour in 1988, an experience which she said helped her temporarily overcome her stage fright . In March 1989, MacColl sang backing vocals on the Happy Mondays ' Hallelujah EP. After the contract issue was resolved, MacColl returned to recording as

6930-491: The Queens accent she used for her character, United States postal worker Tina, she had the show's staff make a long compilation tape of genuine Brooklyn accents (recordings from radio stations and even randomly placed phone calls placed to random Brooklynites). Ullman would also call car dealerships in different parts of the country pretending to be interested in buying a car just to hear how the people there spoke. Dan Castellaneta,

7056-543: The Sheriff , that you really want that type of television, and I don't really believe that you do. There's no intelligence, no truth in anything like that. I think you want something a bit smarter. [...] We take pictures everywhere [on this promotional tour]; we're taping people's voices. I'm taking it all in, and it's great. Some journalist once said that I was a 'social satirist,' and I thought, 'That sounds quite intelligent, doesn't?' So that's what I'm doing, I'm meeting people from

7182-518: The Sunday nearest to MacColl's birthday, 10 October, fans from all over the world hold a gathering at the bench to pay tribute to her and sing her songs. MacColl was honoured in 2002 with a memorial concert in London at the Royal Festival Hall , featuring a number of musicians who had worked with her or been influenced by her. A similar memorial concert took place on her birthday (10 October 2010) at

7308-521: The Top 20 in subsequent years, and has now spent more time in the top 20 than any other song. With the exception of the 2005 and 2012 re-releases, the seasonal re-charting in the 21st century is due to download sales, and not due to further releases (download sales counting toward the singles chart since 2005). A 7" single was produced in 2012 to mark the 25th anniversary of its original appearance (Rhino Records WEA400), backed with an instrumental version. In 2023,

7434-425: The UK charts. This included two extra verses specially written for her by Bragg. Also around this time, MacColl wrote and performed the theme song "London Girls" for Channel 4 's short-lived sitcom Dream Stuffing (1984). In the United States, MacColl was perhaps best known as the writer of "They Don't Know". Tracey Ullman 's recording of the song was a Billboard Top Ten hit. Ullman's version reached No. 8 on

7560-512: The US Hot 100 in April 1984 (and did even better in the UK, hitting No. 2 in September 1983). MacColl also sang back-up on the track, providing the "Baay-byy" because it was too high a pitch for Ullman. It was played over the closing credits of Ullman's HBO show Tracey Takes On ... in 1996. Ullman also recorded three more of MacColl's songs, "You Broke My Heart In 17 Places" and "You Caught Me Out", as

7686-599: The Ullman show. "Tracey always says, 'You're so lucky, Dan. You can always go back to Nothing in Common ," joked Castellaneta in a 1988 interview. Describing the show, Castellaneta stated, "Essentially what dictates it is that there are no parodies and even if it's an unusual situation, Tracey and (executive producer) Jim Brooks try to keep things as believable and real. You've got to be honest." He would continue to stay true to his Second City philosophy when playing comedy and characters. "Don't ever do what's expected. Always try to find

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7812-501: The United States in 2009, but are currently unavailable in either store. The episodes were heavily edited; some episodes were combined to make up for lost running time due to editing. In 2012, the entire series of 65 episodes could be streamed through Hulu , including all 15 unaired Character Comedies episodes. The Tracey Ullman Show The Tracey Ullman Show is an American television sketch comedy variety show starring Tracey Ullman . It debuted on Fox on April 5, 1987, as

7938-417: The United States. "Kay" would ask her about Hollywood on the telephone; Ullman would subsequently do the voice she heard on the other line to her dog. She had been obsessed with spinsters ever since she was a small child, and kept a mental file on them. She never saw "Kay" and imagined what she looked like. Tracey Ullman Show costume designer Jame Ruhm suggested a drooping bust and cellulite-covered hips for

8064-695: The Wonder Stuff , among others. She appeared in the videos " Welcome to the Cheap Seats " for the Wonder Stuff and " (Nothing But) Flowers " for Talking Heads (along with Johnny Marr , ex-member of the Smiths ). MacColl also set the track sequencing for U2 's acclaimed breakthrough album The Joshua Tree , for which Lillywhite provided mixes. MacColl re-emerged in the British charts in December 1987, reaching number 2 with

8190-652: The album was the cover of the Kinks ' song " Days ", which gave her a UK top 20 hit in July 1989. A bonus track on the CD version of Kite was a cover of the Smiths song "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby". During this time, MacColl featured on the British TV sketch comedy French and Saunders , appearing as herself, singing songs including "15 Minutes" and "Don't Come the Cowboy with Me Sonny Jim!" (from Kite ), "Still Life" (the B-side of

8316-1197: The best." Over the course of four seasons, Tracey Ullman played upwards of 100 characters; some were repeated, but not on a weekly basis. The show's supporting cast also had their own characters, usually playing opposite Ullman's, but sometimes in sketches solo. The following is a list of recurring characters performed by Tracey Ullman, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, and Sam McMurray. They are listed in order of appearance. Played by Tracey Ullman and Dan Castellaneta Played by Tracey Ullman Played by Dan Castellaneta Played by Tracey Ullman Played by Tracey Ullman Played by Tracey Ullman Played by Tracey Ullman and Julie Kavner Played by Tracey Ullman Played by Tracey Ullman Played by Tracey Ullman Played by Sam McMurray Played by Tracey Ullman and Dan Castellaneta Played by Tracey Ullman Played by Tracey Ullman Played by Sam McMurray and Tracey Ullman Played by Tracey Ullman Played by Tracey Ullman Played by Tracey Ullman and Robert Costanzo Played by Tracey Ullman Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl ( / m ə ˈ k ɔː l / , mə- KAWL ; 10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000)

8442-472: The blame. MacColl's family launched the Justice for Kirsty campaign in response to the events surrounding her death. Among the group's efforts: On 20 August 2009, Carlos González Nova died at 92 of natural causes. In December of that year, the Justice for Kirsty Campaign Committee issued a statement announcing that the campaign was being terminated since it "was successful in achieving most of its aims" and "it

8568-451: The character, every male steward Ullman has encountered is convinced that she based it on them. "And I always say I did. I go, 'You're right, I based it on you,' because that way I get free caviar." Fashion magazine editor Janie Pillsworth was an amalgamation of British editors such as Tina Brown and Anna Wintour . Feeling that it would have been passé to play a talent agent, Ullman opted instead to play an attorney, Sydney Kross, apropos in

8694-469: The character. Ruhm created a costume complete with "hydraulic pistons". "Tracey is really, really interested in what her characters look like," revealed Ruhm. "She is constantly going around collecting pictures of people and coming to me and saying, 'I want to do a character dressed like this!' I file that in my memory, and then we'll get a script and I'll say, 'That character that you wanted to do, can we use it on this?' She'll say, 'Yeah!' And we'll go." "It's

8820-431: The character." She based the character Francesca on a neighbor, an awkward teenaged girl, who would come to visit her in her kitchen and would sheepishly stand in the corner. "I wanted to portray painful adolescence, but not an adolescent that was spoiled. I'd seen so many that were just, 'Like I really want to go to the movies, and you're totally stupid.' I didn't want to play a horrible kid." Ullman believed in progressing

8946-547: The characters, adamant that they didn't stagnate. "You have to advance the characters [...] you have to find new situations for them [...] They have to do something or say something or grow as people. And they have to be unusual." Like Kay, another character created and performed by Ullman first for British television ( Three of a Kind ) and then adapted for the Fox show was impoverished housewife Betty Tomlinson. Producers decided to add animated segments when they had trouble figuring out

9072-403: The credits roll. She chose the phrase "Go home," because she could not think of anything clever for the ending. Her closing monologue is, "Oh, you got sore bums. Go home!" George Clinton was hired to write and perform the show's funk -infused theme song, "You're Thinking Right". Brooks hired animation and graphic-design company Klasky Csupo to design the show's title sequence. It would become

9198-680: The dynamic that was forged from it, it's singular and it works." The last to be cast was dancer Joseph Malone. He was originally hired for a guest shot– acting as a cop who also danced with a possible jumper on a ledge, which led to him becoming a series regular. He had worked with Michael Jackson , Lily Tomlin , and Barbara Mandrell . The show now had its cast. During the 1987–1988 season (the show's 2nd season), Julie Kavner asked to be let out of her contract to be able to concentrate on making movies; Kavner had been living in New York while The Tracey Ullman Show taped in Los Angeles. Actress Anna Levine

9324-451: The episode's subject. However, every season featured one or two episodes which deviated from the show's regular format in favor of a single storyline (e.g., "Vegas", "Hollywood", "Road Rage", "The End of the World"). Each episode of season one opened with Ullman asleep in bed, musing about the topic she would be taking on in that particular episode. This was her only appearance out of character in

9450-445: The fact that she was now pregnant. Brooks convinced her to get out of the CBS deal, and after she had her baby, they would do a show together. Brooks felt that a sketch show would best suit her assets (acting, singing, and dancing). "Why would you do something with Tracey playing a single character on TV when her talent requires variety? You can't categorize Tracey, so it's silly to come up with

9576-536: The first two seasons of Tracey Takes On... to DVD. The second season's "They Don't Know" lip-syncing title sequence has been removed and replaced with a black screen with the episode title, with an instrumental version of the first season theme. The closing credits feature the first season's theme song as well. Extras on the sets include the original HBO special Tracey Ullman Takes On New York (season 1), commentary on one episode per season by Tracey, previously unreleased Character Comedies, character bios (season 1), and

9702-399: The glasses, the suit, but then I put these teeth in, and it made me move my mouth in a certain way. And I filed my nails square. Women in L.A. have these square white nails, reeeelly square...." When it came to Sydney's personality, Ullman found inspiration from an agent she had in Los Angeles named Holly, "who was insane." Always wanting to find some redeeming quality in all her characters, she

9828-766: The idea of giving Fern her own show but found that playing Fern left her "feeling like a limp rag" and that her husband avoided her afterward. She described Fern as "Loud, emotional with 'I'm from the suburbs' written all over her. She sat behind me at matinees of Cats and Les Misérables , not too shy to shout out to the performers, 'Speak up, darling, we can't hear you!'" When asked who had inspired washed-up Hollywood actress Linda Granger, and who they were, Ullman cited Loni Anderson and actresses that ended up guest-starring in episodes of Murder, She Wrote : "the kind of women that Ruby Romaine made up." The characters Trevor Ayliss, Virginia and Timothy Bugge, and Janie Pillsworth, along with her mother Jackie, were originally created for

9954-409: The makeup chair, adding voice-over work was not feasible. Fellow cast member Julie Kavner then agreed to do it. Groening approached Ullman sporadically about doing a guest voice for the shorts, but with her heavy workload, she never had the time. Early reports regarding the show's premise were: The focal point would be Ullman starring in one, 12-minute-long "playlet", a shorter sketch, some music, and

10080-463: The network's second original primetime series to air, following Married... with Children , and ran for four seasons and 81 episodes until May 26, 1990. It was produced by Gracie Films in association with 20th Century Fox Television . The show blended sketch comedy with musical numbers and dance routines, choreographed by Paula Abdul , along with animated shorts. The format was conceived by co-creator and executive producer James L. Brooks , who

10206-621: The new singles, nor a re-released "Days", made the Top 40. MacColl did not record again for several years; her frustration with the music business was exacerbated by a lengthy case of writer's block. MacColl herself admitted that she was ready to give up her music career and become an English teacher in South America. In 1998, the album What Do Pretty Girls Do? was released, containing BBC Radio 1 live sessions (featuring Billy Bragg on two songs) that were broadcast between 1989 and 1995. After several trips to Cuba and Brazil, MacColl recorded

10332-403: The night usually includes a musical or dance number featuring Ullman either solo or with other members of the cast. Paula Abdul was responsible for choreographing all of the show's dance routines. Interstitial cartoon shorts ("Dr. N!Godatu", "The Simpsons") were featured before and after each commercial break. The show's producers toyed with the format during the show's first season. A variety act

10458-439: The one week, and I had a friend coincidentally who used to write, a guy named Marc Flanagan, and he was on the show as a staff guy. He called me up and said, 'Did they call your agent?' I said, 'No, why?' He said, 'They wanna make you a regular.'" McMurray, who did not become a full-fledged cast member until the sixth episode, did not find himself feeling terribly comfortable at first with the show. McMurray: "[T]he social dynamic of

10584-466: The pseudonym Mandy Doubt (1978). Stiff Records executives were not impressed with the band, but liked her and subsequently signed her to a solo deal. Her debut solo single " They Don't Know ", released in 1979, peaked at number two on the Music Week airplay chart. However, a distributors' strike prevented copies of the single getting into record stores , and the single consequently failed to appear on

10710-434: The scripts and kowtowing to advocating groups. A sketch consisting of a nun (played by Ullman), a priest, and last rites was pulled midproduction. Producers were given the option of either watering down the skit or not doing it at all. Ullman had no problem with the piece. Brooks responded: "They're smart enough to know that they can't have a bland network that responds to every pressure and be successful ... If we really believe

10836-416: The show is an odd one. I spoke with (executive producer) Jim Brooks about this later and I said, 'You know, it's like we're all square pegs, aren't we?' And he said, 'Yeah,' and that the same thing occurred on The Mary Tyler Moore Show . Everybody was from a different discipline on that show, – somebody had been from sitcoms, somebody came from the stage, and somebody had been a stand-up comic, and yet whatever

10962-400: The show, stating that she was "constantly challenged and happily tortured by a unique group of people." She also thanked Fox "for letting somebody no one ever heard of do a show on a network that didn't exist." Brooks stated that The Tracey Ullman Show was "the hardest work any of us ever did, and we would have continued forever if she had wanted us to [...] I'm just glad I appreciated it as it

11088-415: The show. This would end up becoming an issue for some viewers as many were unaware that Ullman was playing every character. The theme song was an original song performed by Ullman, describing the show's characters as "company in between [her] ears." A new opening was conceived for season two in which she opened the show with an anecdote or monologue in relation to each episode's subject. The show's theme song

11214-402: The show. Tired of waiting, Ullman decided to pull the plug herself. When Ullman and the show won at the 1990 Emmy Awards, The Los Angeles Times remarked, "Tracey Ullman gets last laugh." Later, Ullman admitted that she would have liked an additional year to try out all the characters she wanted to play. She was proud, though, of what they achieved: "no compromises, no giving up, always wanting

11340-529: The soundtrack to film Kinky Boots . However, despite the relative success of Tropical Brainstorm , MacColl had been dropped by V2 Records prior to her death. MacColl featured regularly in the third series of the French and Saunders Show , a comedy show on the BBC. Unlike other guests on the show, she was not part of any of the sketches but sang her songs whilst performing as in a music video. She also made regular appearances on Jools Holland 's TV shows, also on

11466-490: The studio and meets George Clinton; a person tries to get her opinion on a costume; Paula Abdul attempts to go over choreography with her. Next, she visits the makeup room and greets her fellow castmates – this includes the Simpson family . She then looks at a pushpin board, and stills of that week's sketches are posted. Season four featured a title sequence similar to the first two seasons. After four seasons, Ullman decided to end

11592-492: The studio's big break. In addition to handing the show's opening, they also produced the show's animated bumpers. The opening title sequence in seasons one and two followed a brief introduction by Ullman to the studio audience. For season three, however, the opening was scrapped, and in its place, a live-action farce was used; Ullman pulls up to the 20th Century Fox lot in her car and hits a pedestrian. She attempts CPR in front of onlookers and revives her victim. She then rushes into

11718-419: The team was Jerry Belson; he also acted as executive producer. Belson had written for such television comedies as The Dick Van Dyke Show . Belson was the writer to whom Ullman warmed immediately; he was always in her corner. In an interview with The Nerdist Podcast , she recalled Belson saying, "'Leave her alone, Jim, she's tired.' [...] He was one of those funny writers [who] if you said that you didn't like

11844-504: The time of her birth, and since 1956, her father was also in a relationship with folk singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Peggy Seeger (a relationship that would continue until his death in 1989), and already had a son with Seeger. She came to notice when Chiswick Records released an EP by local punk rock band the Drug Addix (originally called Tooting Fruities) with MacColl on backing vocals ( The Drug Addix Make A Record ) under

11970-518: The title tracks of her first and second albums respectively, and "Terry" which was released as a single in 1985. In 1986, MacColl contributed backing vocals for the Smiths song " Ask ". She contributed backing vocals to the Simple Minds 1984 album, Sparkle in the Rain . Her vocals can be heard on the tracks "Speed Your Love to Me" and "Street Hassle". When Stiff Records went bankrupt in 1986, MacColl

12096-427: The tutelage of director Ted Bessell. Around 3:30 pm each day, writers and producers, led by Brooks and Belson, would arrive for a run-through. They would observe, shout out suggestions, make additions and subtractions, and work out any kinks in the production. The show would then be ready to tape by Friday at 7:00 pm. One "writer" frequently credited on the show, Bonita Carlisle, was actually a nom de plume chosen by

12222-479: The wake of the OJ Simpson trial and Court TV . Critics immediately took note of the character’s uncanny resemblance to real-life attorney Leslie Abramson , who defended Lyle and Erik Menendez . Ullman noted, "She has a fascinating look.... I think she'll recognize herself physically but not her personality.... I've got some things physically which [aren't her]. I've [had] some teeth [made] that look like sharks. I had

12348-420: The writers' room indicating that the sketch had been a group effort. Guest stars such as Steve Martin and Mel Brooks also got heavily involved in their sketch's writing, as well. While the Fox network was liberal when it came to the material it would allow the show to put on, by 1989, after controversy stemming from Married... with Children , the network's standards and practices department began monitoring

12474-482: Was Saturday Night Live territory. She instead chose to do amalgamations of many real-life everyday people, and in some instances, famous ones. The only character to return from The Tracey Ullman Show was Kay Clark , as Ullman was her sole creator; Fox owned the rights to all the other characters that appeared on that show. "I love Kay. I'm very fond of her. This little British spinster – she's so courageous, and to think she's sort of on national television in America

12600-631: Was 35 years old, and I thought, 'It's time to do it myself really. I thought, 'I know the premise, I know what I want to do...' I sat at the head of the table and made myself a boss." Production on season one of Tracey Takes On... began in Los Angeles in 1995. Characters created for her previous two HBO comedy specials were carried over for the series: gay airline steward Trevor Ayliss, British Conservative MP wife Virginia Bugge, British magazine editor Janie Pillsworth, Long Island housewife Fern Rosenthal, and faded Hollywood actress Linda Granger. Ullman

12726-409: Was a British singer-songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl . She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including " There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis " and cover versions of Billy Bragg 's " A New England " and the Kinks ' " Days ". Her first single, " They Don't Know ", had chart success a few years later when covered by Tracey Ullman . MacColl also sang on

12852-417: Was added and then scrapped by the third episode. Ullman began opening the show as herself by episode five; this was dropped altogether by season three in favor of an elaborate opening title sequence. The final segment of all four seasons has Ullman, clad in a pink robe, delivering a closing monologue to the studio audience before ending the show with her signature catchphrase, "Go home! Go home!" and dancing as

12978-510: Was also changed to her 1983 cover version of the Kirsty MacColl song " They Don't Know ", with Ullman and her characters lip-syncing and dancing to it. In February 1998, Ullman revealed that some viewers were still unaware that she was playing all the characters, "We still get letters asking, 'Can I have a picture of Tracey and the rest of the cast?'" Famed caricaturist Al Hirschfeld 's artistic rendering of Ullman surrounded her characters

13104-404: Was also familiar with Groening's work. Polly Platt , producer of his film Terms of Endearment had given him a cartoon called "Success and Failure in Hollywood" drawn by Groening as a gift. Platt suggested that he do a special on the characters. Heide Perlman found another artist to do animated segments – M.K. Brown , who worked for National Lampoon . She agreed to do a cartoon based around

13230-453: Was anything above Webster standard [in America]. I was wrong." Her British agent put together a compilation of her work and began circulating it around Hollywood. Her tape landed in the lap of Craig Kellem, vice president of comedy at Universal Television . "I could not believe my eyes. It was just about the most extraordinary piece of material I'd seen in a long time." He wanted production on

13356-417: Was based on a real New York City cab driver who once drove writer Allen Zipper to LaGuardia Airport . The line "You want to fuck me or you want to fuck my Mercedes ?" was an actual comment from the driver, about how women in Los Angeles only cared about money. Ullman had a similar experience and spent the entire ride wondering how she could turn herself into the driver. The character was also partially based on

13482-479: Was behind Mickey Rooney's look in Breakfast at Tiffany's . True to form, Ruby doesn't understand the controversy and declares that she should have won an Oscar. Mrs. Noh Nang Ning was retired after season three; Ullman had been complaining for years that the character's makeup felt like being buried alive. In fact, people of color, including Asian Americans, made up the show's largest fan base; Ullman commented, "It's such

13608-656: Was broadcast by BBC, in December 2001, as Kirsty MacColl: The Boxed Set . In 2000, after she participated in the presentation of a radio programme for the BBC in Cuba, MacColl took a holiday in Cozumel , Mexico, with her sons and her boyfriend, musician James Knight. On 18 December 2000, she and her sons went diving at the Chankanaab reef, part of the National Marine Park of Cozumel, in

13734-431: Was found guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced to two years and ten months in prison. He was allowed under Mexican law to pay a punitive fine of 1,034 pesos (about €63, £61 or US$ 90) in lieu of the prison sentence. He was also ordered to pay approximately US$ 2,150 in restitution to MacColl's family, an amount based on his wages. People who said they spoke to Cen Yam after the killing said he received money for taking

13860-475: Was found herself stuck at first when it came Sydney. "[I]t seemed she had no redeeming features: she's horrid, cold, impersonal." But then she found a "humanizing trait": loneliness. "She's so aggressive, and so ugly! She's got adult acne, and her teeth are terrible! [...] She became sort of appealing to me. All of my characters have a sadness or inadequacy about them." Her Royal Highness was a combination of Queen Elizabeth 's voice, Princess Margaret 's lifestyle,

13986-501: Was given its first CD issue in 2012 on the Salvo label. On 7 August 2005, The Best of Kirsty MacColl , a single-disc compilation that included a "new" single, "Sun on the Water", made its debut on the UK album charts at number 17, climbing to No. 12 a week later. MacColl's collaboration with the Pogues, " Fairytale of New York ", remains a perennial Christmas favourite. In 2004, 2005 and 2006, it

14112-421: Was given with a drawing of Life in Hell by Matt Groening from Richard Sakai . "It was very different. It was smart. It was unusual. It was drawn poorly, which I thought added the charm [...] I said, 'What if we have this guy do these little cartoons in between the scenes? Is that possible? Does anybody like that idea?' They all said they liked the idea. This is how Matt ended up being our guy." James L. Brooks

14238-466: Was happening and not just in retrospect ... Tracey is one of the most talented people alive." The show earned Fox its first Emmy Award, racking up a total of 13 nominations, and garnering four wins, by the end of its run. Brooks did not mince words when Fox chairman Barry Diller was announced to be stepping down in 1992. "I thought The Tracey Ullman Show should have stayed on as long as she wanted to do it." Diller had been dragging his feet in renewing

14364-489: Was helpful for us to do the show without any preconceived context. Not only were we new, but so was Fox. There was no notion of something to fit into." Fox was reportedly backing the show with nearly $ 1,000,000 per broadcast. The series landed an initial 26-episode commitment deal, unheard of for a television comedy; Fox ordered a further 30 episodes in October 1987. Describing the show proved difficult; creator Ken Estin dubbed it

14490-495: Was informed that his bid was successful; he was subsequently responsible for all of Meridian's comedy programming. Ullman dreaded the idea of doing another show. "I was really not prepared to do TV again. I had an extraordinary run at FOX in the late '80s with the Tracey Ullman Show, and couldn't imagine putting forth that amount of energy again. [...] The type of makeups I liked to disguise myself under had not been conducive to

14616-536: Was left unable to record in her own right, as no record company bought her contract from the official receiver . However, she had regular session work as a backing vocalist, and she frequently sang on records produced or engineered by her husband, Steve Lillywhite , including tracks for The Rolling Stones on the Dirty Work album, Robert Plant , the Smiths , Alison Moyet , Shriekback , Simple Minds , Talking Heads , Big Country , Anni-Frid Lyngstad (of ABBA ) and

14742-494: Was looking to showcase the show's multitalented star. Brooks likened the show to producing three pilots a week. Ullman was the first British woman to be offered her own television sketch show in the United States. The show is also known for producing a series of shorts featuring the Simpson family , which was later adapted into the longest-running American scripted primetime television series, The Simpsons . The Tracey Ullman Show

14868-590: Was looking to station himself in the United States. Ullman, who was already a household name in her native Britain, had already been making the rounds in the US promoting her film and music career in the mid 1980s. Unlike British audiences, Americans were not aware of her comedy background outside of humorous appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman . Ullman already had three British comedy television shows under her belt, garnering her awards and accolades. "I didn't believe there

14994-435: Was on board with members of his family. The boat was owned by Carlos González Nova , brother of Guillermo and founder of Comercial Mexicana. An employee of Guillermo González Nova, boathand José Cen Yam, said he was in control of the boat at the time of the incident. Eyewitnesses said that Cen Yam was not at the controls and that the boat was travelling much faster than the speed of one knot that González Nova said. Cen Yam

15120-572: Was struck by the powerboat, which ran over her. MacColl suffered severe chest and head injuries and died instantly. MacColl's body was repatriated to the United Kingdom and was cremated after a funeral service at Mortlake Crematorium in Kew . The powerboat involved in the collision was controlled by Guillermo González Nova, multimillionaire president of the Comercial Mexicana supermarket chain, who

15246-455: Was subsequently cast, with Kavner putting in special appearances. Though by the start of season 3, Kavner had returned to the cast permanently, with Levine staying on albeit in a diminished role. James L. Brooks knew the importance of good writers, and quickly assembled a team for the show, most notably, Heide Perlman and Ken Estin of Cheers fame. Estin also worked on Brooks's Taxi . The pair would also act as executive producers. Also joining

15372-422: Was the first Fox primetime show to win an Emmy Award , winning a total of 10 over its run. Rolling Stone ranked The Tracey Ullman Show as the 25th-best sketch comedy show in its "40 Greatest Sketch-Comedy TV Shows of All Time" list. British actress, comedian, singer, and former dancer Tracey Ullman was encouraged to try to break into American television by her husband, British producer Allan McKeown , who

15498-471: Was the show's only encounter with controversy. An Asian American watchdog group protested the show, calling the character stereotypical and racist, and asked HBO to remove the character. HBO defended the character, saying, "Tracey Ullman is a brilliant satirist and comedienne, and all of her work is in the spirit of fun and good humor." Ullman said of the controversy, "My criteria for doing a character is, do they exist, do they talk like this, would they indeed run

15624-486: Was thrilled with the artistic freedom working in cable television allotted her, specifically HBO. "If we did the story line with me and [Julie Kavner] as gay golfers on network TV, Johnson & Johnson would pull their advertising, then there'd be a big piece in USA Today , and it would be a headache. HBO let us have fun with it, and when Julie and I come out at the end, it's in the most wonderful way. Our Romance show may be

15750-478: Was used to promote the show's third season. In 1999, Ullman was featured in a Got Milk? ad campaign, along with three of her Tracey Takes On... characters, Kay Clark, Linda Granger, and Hope Finch. All of my characters have a sadness or inadequacy about them. All of the characters in Tracey Takes On were original creations. Ullman shied away from doing straight-up impersonations of celebrities believing it

15876-548: Was voted favourite Christmas song in a poll by music video channel VH1 . The song was re-released in the UK in December 2005, with proceeds being split between the Justice for Kirsty Campaign and charities for the homeless. The re-release reached number 3 on the UK charts, and spent five weeks in the top 75 over the Christmas and New Year period. It reached the top 10 for the third time in its history in 2006, peaking at number 6, and charted again in December 2007. The song has also made

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