Newman and Baddiel In Pieces

The series featured a number of recurring characters, here's a synopsis of some of them. Some, like Jarvis and the feuding Professors of History Today, have also appeared outside of the series.

Jarvis (Rob Newman) - Jarvis has been described as an 'amoral lounge lizard'. He has a penchant for the homeless and cruising in his Bentley. He appears in a smoking jacket, long black fingernails, rings on every finger, hair slicked back and an ever present cigar. He continued to appear in Rob Newman's stand-up act long after the series ended.

This is how Rob himself described him: "Jarvis Montgomery - An aristocratic roué and pervert who cruises the streets of Soho looking for homeless jailbait. Er, it's a, er, searing comment on, uh, how vulnerable young homeless people are on the street. Honest. And, er, it is IN NO WAY a reflection on me."

Shenley Grange (Sean Lock) - host of 'Disappearing World', a nature programme in which he usually managed to kill the animals he was featuring.

Emma (Alison Goldie) - David's girlfriend who was also seeing Rob and J.J.

Albert (Denys Graham) - The show's elderly stuntman who was only working in order to save enough money to buy his daughter, Sally, a dialysis machine.

J.J (Simon Greenall) - David's flatmate who embodies all the traits he can't stand in a person, such as saying 'as you do' and making his own jam.

Brian Coat (David Baddiel) - host of 'Safety First' whose catchphrase was 'Now there was no need for that to happen', despite the fact he usually caused the accident.

The Poltergeist - voiced, with the aid of distortion effects, by David Baddiel. It inhabited David's flat and tried to install fear in him but was usually ignored or asked to feed the cat.

Julius (David Baddiel) - featured in 'People of Restricted Seriousness'. His afflictions included facial features like a plastic joke-shop/ Groucho Marx nose & moustache, directional dysfunction (walking bent-over with hands behind back) which could only be corrected by holding out a large cigar.