Phoenix Nights
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"Clubland will never die." |
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Phoenix Nights is a Britcom starring Peter Kay. It revolves around the Phoenix Club, a run-down, scabby social club in Bolton. The owner is Brian Potter, a wheelchair-bound egomaniac currently on his third club (his first two closed down due to flooding and burning, respectively) but who is convinced that "Clubland will never die". Together with his hapless band of staff and regulars- most notably his long-suffering second-in-command Jerry St.Clair- Brian attempts to make the Phoenix Club the number one club in Bolton, despite rival club owner Den Perry, an extremely bad run of luck and their own ineptitude.
It later got a Spin-Off, Max & Paddy's Road To Nowhere.
Tropes used in Phoenix Nights include:
- Bar Brawl In the 'Wild West night' episode, complete with all the traditional trappings.
- Bavarian Fire Drill Two men wander in off the street and steal the club's TV in broad daylight, and nobody stops them because they're wearing overalls and it's assumed that they're here to repair it.
- Butt Monkey Jerry.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Max and Paddy, at least in the season one finale.
- Engineered Public Confession (How Den Perry gets his come-uppance at the end of the second season)
- Giver of Lame Names: Everyone.
- Hilarious Outtakes 'Next!'
- Honest John's Dealership Eric's 'Games sans Frontiers', responsible for Sammy the Snake, a Das Boot fruit machine (responsible for a hilarious scene in which someone wins "Achtung! Das Jackpot!" complete with a synthesised chorus of Deutschland uber Alles... during the wake of the Captain, a World War II veteran) and a 6-foot Ker-plunk set among others.
- Inspirationally Disadvantaged: Not at all the case with Brian, whose struggles to get around and get things done aren't glossed over but who's rude, abrasive and only ever mentions his disability to get his way or derail an argument.
- Parodied with the one-legged Elvis Impersonator whose prosthesis includes a mini drum kit.
- "Very brave, son!"
- Loads and Loads of Roles (Peter Kay)
- Malaproper (Brian Potter frequently, e.g. 'St. Paul on the road to Domestos')
- Manipulative Bastard: Brian.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat / Knight Templar Keith Lard.
- Once an Episode In the first series, something gets stolen from the club in every episode.
- Also, at the end of every episode there's an audition by an appalingly bad or innappropriate act, which is dismissed with a loud 'Next!'.
- Oop North (Bolton)
- The Plan: (The pub quiz, which backfires when the prize of a year's supply of Japanese "Kamikaze" lager turns out to be non-alcoholic.)
- Punny Name A lot of the acts, and Ray Von (R-r-r-rave on!)
- Putting the Band Back Together (the start of the second season)
- Rare Guns (Max's Broomhandle Mauser)
- Rule of Sean Connery: Max has a rather different one.
- Running Gag (Bob Carolgees, continued from That Peter Kay Thing)
- Seinfeldian Conversation Max and Paddy fill most of their nights with inane but hilarious ramblings about 'classic' films.
- Serious Business Talent Trek, and the quiz night.
- Sitcom Arch Nemesis (Den Perry, as the owner of rival club Banana Grove. Though becomes much more than this when he burns down the Phoenix Club at the end of the first series.
- Spin-Off (This is a spin-off of That Peter Kay Thing, and got its own spin-off/sequel later on.)
- Wrong Genre Savvy Attractions are often poorly matched to their audience, such as Ray Von's blasting hardcore dance music at a roomful of pensioners.
- Zerg Rush: Max and Paddy vs. all-dwarfism Football Hooligans stag party.