From the character created in the famous "Hamlet" cigar ad (a man with fetching hair in a passport foto booth) spang this short series of silent slapsticks revolving around the same bald guy , played with real style by the great scottish comic Fisher (Rab C Nesbitt / Naked Video), check them out , its a highly underrated series
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sirarthurstreebgreebling19 September 2000
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Rabical-9113 August 2014From the BBC Scotland sketch show 'Naked Video' came two spin-offs:- 'Rab C. Nesbitt' and 'The Baldy Man'. The latter, unfortunately, was the least successful of the two, which is a great pity as I thought it to be a highly amusing and well written series. In the aforementioned 'Naked Video', Gregor Fisher portrayed the original character design of the narcissistic Baldy Man whose main attribute was his ridiculous comb-over hairstyle. He became so popular that he later appeared in a commercial for Hamlet Cigars in which he tried unsuccessfully to get his picture taken in a photo booth. In 1995, ITV built a sitcom around 'The Baldy Man' in which through the use of visual slapstick comedy, we were able to get a deeper insight into the character's luckless lifestyle.
Each episode contained two different stories per half hour in which we would see Baldy trying to do things as diverse as home decorating and male modelling, only for things to, predictably, go horribly wrong. The show's style of humour was established in the opening titles in which we saw Baldy admiring himself in a huge mirror, only for it to shatter into pieces!
Gregor Fisher was hilarious as Baldy and the lack of dialogue provided him with a chance to exploit further his talents as a visual comic. Some episodes saw him perform crazy stunts such as being suspended by his fingertips to the top of a delivery vehicle while it was in motion or sliding down a hospital corridor on his stomach, only to end up going head first down a laundry chute. Andy Gray appeared each week in different guises, one of them being as Baldy's obnoxious next-door neighbour. Also making occasional appearances were Ford Kiernan, John Grieve, Helen Lederer and Sally Howitt.
Despite a wonderful performance from its star as well as some great visual gags, 'The Baldy Man' was compared unfairly by critics to 'Mr. Bean' ( which personally I do not care for ) and alas did not find the audience it deserved. After only two series, ITV decided to pull the plug. The show has never been repeated and has not yet appeared on DVD, a situation that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. Gregor Fisher has gone on record to say that 'The Baldy Man' best ought to be forgotten. In 2020, German DVD distributor Pidax Entertainment gave it a long overdue release, meaning we are one step closer to a DVD release in Britain.
Favourite episode? Mother's Day/Smell - You haven't lived until you've seen Gregor as Baldy's mother. Second favourite episode? D. I. Y/Reunion - Baldy's attempts at D. I. Y are priceless! -
missstephie7 October 2009Have you ever seen or heard of a comedy show entitled, 'Mr Bean'? Well if you have, then perhaps like me, you thought it was a complete and utter load of tripe. I can maybe understand how some people would like it, but I on the other hand have a definite and unarguable preference for a far superior comedy show, 'The Baldy Man'.
Although it is true that Mr Bean was broadcast in 1990, a total of five years before The Baldy Man was broadcast in 1995 and that a lot of people claim Baldy Man was a cheap imitation of Mr Bean, it must be noted that the shows character was actually first presented in the comedy sketch show, 'Naked Video' in 1986. 'Gregor Fisher' was the talented actor that got the chance to act out Baldy's mishaps and short-comings for audiences world-wide.
The star character, B. Aldyman, was a rather stout man with a ridiculous comb-over hairstyle and shameful fashion sense. He would spend his time in each episode; preening himself, thinking he was perfect at everything, believing he was always right and trying to find ways to achieve a full head of hair. But each and every time he would somehow mess things up or something would happen to hinder his plans of relaxation and enjoyment.
Besides the main character, Gregor Fisher also portrayed Baldy's mum, Fanny. Somewhat more bulbous round the middle than himself and with a curly wig that suited him just a bit more than you would like to admit, it was astonishing just how funny this character turned out to be. He appeared on screen wearing skirts and fancy outfits, cooing and squawking like an old woman on helium, causing riots of laughter with everything he did. His best appearances were in the Mother's Day episode and the Barbecue episode where this character played a huge part alongside Baldy.
Another recurring actor in each episode is Scottish actor, 'Andy Gray' who plays a number of different roles ranging from his next-door neighbour to a hair-dresser or even a police constable. Some of his characters genuinely try to help Baldy, but there are also quite a few that do their utmost to get in his way and cause chaos throughout the episode.
There were two seasons of The Baldy Man, in 1995 and then in 1997. There were a grand total of 13 episodes made, six in season one and seven in season two, with each episode containing two separate plots. Added to the beginning and end of each show, were small sketches of Baldy doing something silly. One such sketch was of him taking a hard-boiled egg, placing it atop his crown and pulling his comb-over down on it, therefore slicing it in to pieces for his sandwich.
The Baldy Man was a great show that had me laughing on many occasions. I never get tired of watching it and it still continues to make me laugh just as much as I did the first time round. But there's one thing I forgot to mention about this show. There's absolutely no legible dialogue between any of the characters. Instead, it's just a series of mumbling and gesturing that indicates speech. and of course, that's exactly what makes it such a brilliant show. Gregor Fisher does and amazing job of bringing life to his character without the use of words. His facial expressions, hand gestures and overall body-language give off all the information the viewer needs to know what he's trying to say. It really does amaze me that this show was not as successful as I believe it should have been considering the effort the cast and crew put in to the making of the show. But, at least I can say that I am a fan of the Baldy Man and always will be.
Favourite episode: DIY - This is where Baldy tries to do some simple home DIY and ends up making a pigs ear out of it.
Second favourite episode: Casualty - This is where Baldy pricks his finger and goes to the A&E with hilarious results.