S is for Suits You

Let's face it; there are so many possibilities with 's' that writing a blog about the Suits You duo is like picking up the best letter and hurling it in the sea - which is another good 's.'

There is sand and sea and shells and Shelley and sleep (which sounds like a good idea), not to mention the Smiths and smells and shopping and Sears and why someone should sink Sears into a subterranean sinkhole of slurry.

Not to mention sarcasm, the lowest but paradoxically the highest form of humor.

Talking of humor Ken and Kenneth from the BBC's Fast Show were two characters who spawned a million impersonations and ensured we could never walk into a man's suit store again without a smirk.

The sketch succeeded because the store reminded us of so many dated men's apparel stores that we have been in before, formal and in something of a time warp with that canned, tinkling music.

The store assistants are middle aged, impeccibly dressed and overly formal.

Except in the case of Ken and Kenneth they also turn out to be utter perverts who would unleash a tirade of filthy suggestions, seemingly unable to contain themselves. The obvious discomfort of the reserved customers, makes the sketch successful.

I can never watch the Fast Show without thinking of Trevor, a former colleague, who lived and breathed these characters. You'd be minding your business in work when he'd jump up from behind a desk and hit you with an "Oooooo Sir."

The Fast Show was apparently aired in the US where it was called Brilliant. It's most famous fan is Johnny Depp who appeared with the Kenneths in a sketch in The Last Fast Show Ever.

The worst thing about this sketch was it was very difficult to resist uttering the words "suits you Sir" whenever I found myself in a tailors thereafter.

I still bear the mental scars from the glares of the shop assistants.