Billy Bleach

Billy Bleach is a fictional character in the BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show, played by Simon Day. The character featured in all series and specials, from 1994 to 2000.

Billy Bleach is a tousle-mopped pub know-it-all who often approaches various people in his local, declaring that he is an expert in whatever they are doing/saying/etc., before proving his incompetence or ignorance.

He appeared in several sketches of this nature including: a quarreling couple, a man picking lottery numbers, a man trying to change loose change, a man at a jukebox, a man at a quiz machine, a man playing darts, and a man at a drink dispenser.

In series 3, Billy's sketches were given a new concept: Billy would be sitting in a random place and another person would sit next to him, Billy would exclaim "Someone's sitting there mate" and the person would leave. This happened in various places: on a park bench, in Billy's local pub, in swimming baths, in an empty football ground and even at the edge of a cliff.

Billy appears to have no friends, and exclaims that he was once caught masturbating by a member of his family: which shows that perhaps his family are not on particularly good grounds with him. He has written a book: "In, out, and put the kettle on"

"Grass"

He also appears in the spin-off BBC Three series "Grass" where he is given a new identity after witnessing a gangland murder. He is the first of Day's creations to get a show of his own; the other spin-offs have all been based on Ted & Ralph, Ron Manager and Swiss Toni - Day is the only member of the Fast Show to appear in every spin-off.

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/tv/grass Grass Official BBC Website]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/g/grass_999030908.shtml BBC Comedy Guide Entry for Grass]