Kurt at 05:37, 12 February 2023

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	~~{{short description\|2006 TV programme, biography}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=September 2021}}~~
	{{Infobox television		{{Infobox television
	\| name = Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!		\| name = Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!

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en>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: Copying from Category:2006 television films to Category:2006 films using Cat-a-lot

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Copying from Category:2006 television films to Category:2006 films using Cat-a-lot

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{{short description|2006 TV programme, biography}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox television
| name = Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!
| image =
| writer = Martyn Hesford
| director = [[Andy De Emmony]]
| runtime = 79 mins
| starring = [[Michael Sheen]]<br />[[Cheryl Campbell]]<br />[[Beatie Edney]]<br />[[Kenny Doughty]]
| country = United Kingdom
| network = [[BBC Four]]
| first_aired = {{start date|2006|3|13|df=y}}
| num_episodes = 1
| list_episodes=
}}

'''''Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!''''' is a 2006 [[BBC Four]] [[television play]] starring [[Michael Sheen]] as the English comic actor [[Kenneth Williams]], based on Williams' own diaries. [[Cheryl Campbell]] plays Williams's mother, Lou.

Michael Sheen performed extensive research for the role, watching archive footage and reading books. He also followed the [[cabbage soup diet]] to lose {{convert|2.5|st|lb kg}} to play Williams.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rampton |first=James |date=8 March 2006 |title=Michael Sheen carries off the life of Kenneth Williams |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/michael-sheen-carries-off-the-life-of-kenneth-williams-6107218.html |work=The Independent|location=London |access-date=8 July 2017}}</ref>

The drama received good reviews, with ''[[The Observer]] ''singling out Sheen's performance as "a characterisation for which the description tour-de-force is, frankly, pretty faint praise".<ref>{{cite news |last=Flett |first=Katherine |date=19 March 2006 |title=Sunday drama? Stop messing about |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2006/mar/19/features.review7 |department=Kathryn Flett on television |work=The Observer |access-date=8 July 2017}}</ref> ''[[The Times]]'' compared Sheen's performance to "a diamond that is so dazzling as a result of the expertise deployed in its cutting that you can’t fully focus on the underlying shape of the stone, which is what actually enables it to glitter so spectacularly."<ref>{{cite news |last=Joseph |first=Joe |date=14 March 2006 |title=Putting the Sheen on a life of despair |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/putting-the-sheen-on-a-life-of-despair-hd76ft5mxkg |url-access=limited |department=Joe Joseph on last night's TV |work=The Times |access-date=8 July 2017}}</ref>

Viewing figures were 860,000 for its original airing, including [[Time shifting|timeshift]], making it by far the most popular BBC Four broadcast of March 2006. Its repeat showing on 17 March 2006 garnered another 252,000 viewers.<ref>[[Broadcasters' Audience Research Board|BARB]] official [http://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/weekly-top-10/ Weekly Top 10 Programmes] BBC4 – w/e 5 March 2006, 12 March 2006, 19 March 2006, 26 March 2006, 2 April 2006. The closest rivals were ''[[The Chatterley Affair]]'', 2100 on 20 March 2006, with 546,000 viewers, and ''[[A for Andromeda#A for Andromeda (2006)|A for Andromeda]]'', with 580,000 on 26 March 2006 at 2101</ref>

Sheen's performance won a [[Royal Television Society]] award for Best Male Actor,<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/mar/14/broadcasting.television1 RTS programme awards – winners], 14 March 2007, [[The Guardian]]</ref> and the play also won two [[BAFTA]] nominations (best single play and best actor, Michael Sheen).<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/apr/11/broadcasting BAFTA nominations announced], 11 April 2007, [[The Guardian]]</ref>

It was released on DVD as ''Fantabulosa! – The Kenneth Williams Story'' in October 2009, and has been rebroadcast several times in the UK since its original airing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074s9v |title=BBC Four – Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa! |work=[[BBC Programmes]] |access-date=8 July 2017}}</ref>

==Cast==
* [[Michael Sheen]] – [[Kenneth Williams]]
* [[Cheryl Campbell]] – Lou Williams
* [[Peter Wight (actor)|Peter Wight]] – Charlie Williams
* [[Beatie Edney]] – [[Joan Sims]]
* [[Kenny Doughty]] – [[Joe Orton]]
* [[Ron Cook]] – [[Peter Eade]]
* [[Martin Trenaman]] – [[Tony Hancock]]
* David Charles – [[Charles Hawtrey (film actor)|Charles Hawtrey]]
* Ewan Bailey – [[Kenneth Halliwell]]
* Rachel Clarke – [[Barbara Windsor]]
* Connor Garnett Comerford – Young Kenneth Williams
* Beatrice Comins – [[Saint Joan (play)|St Joan]]/Actress
* Timothy Davies – 1st Doctor
* [[Stephen Critchlow]] – [[Kenneth Horne]]
* [[Guy Henry (actor)|Guy Henry]] – [[Hugh Paddick]]
* Ged McKenna – [[Sid James]]
* [[Nicholas Parsons]] – Himself

==See also==
* ''[[The Curse of Steptoe]]''
* ''[[Prick Up Your Ears]]''

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{BBC programme}}
*{{IMDb title|0490126}}

[[Category:2006 television films]]
[[Category:2006 films]]
[[Category:BBC television dramas]]
[[Category:Biographical films about actors]]
[[Category:British LGBT-related television films]]
[[Category:Television series produced at Pinewood Studios]]

Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa! - Revision history

Kurt at 05:37, 12 February 2023

Kurt: 1 revision imported

en>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: Copying from Category:2006 television films to Category:2006 films using Cat-a-lot