Taking inspiration from The Fly (1986), which featured a hubristic scientist merged with a common house fly in an experiment gone wrong, The Yob instead conflates two humans – pretentious music-video director Patrick Church (Keith Allen) and loutish Arsenal fan Steve Kendal (Gary Olsen) – when an illegal psychic teleportation experiment goes horribly wrong.
Patrick begins to involuntarily scrawl ‘Arsenal’ graffiti on walls, orders whelks and crumble from a catering van while his colleagues are having rack of lamb or cheese and crackers, and generally becomes more racist, right-wing, randy and rude.
After a few days, Patrick’s body begins to change dramatically – giving him shorter hair and a more bulbous brow – and he begins wearing turned-up jeans and Doc Martens: the uniform of a football hooligan.
Written by Keith Allen and Daniel Peacock, The Yob was produced as part of the series The Comic Strip Presents . . .and screened on Channel 4 on 12 March 1988.
Future pop star Lily Allen (Keith’s daughter) appears briefly as a toddler (as does her brother Alfie Allen, who later starred in Game of Thrones).
Patrick Church
Keith Allen Steve Kendel
Gary Olsen Lucy
Lia Williams Gorky
Paul Mark Elliott Chris Bell
Derrick Branche Michael (scientist)
Adrian Edmondson Vanessa (scientist)
Betsy Brantley Simone
Tania Coleridge Debs
Karen Drury Nigel
Warren Clarke Mr Kendel
Peter Wyngarde Mrs Kendel
Gwen Watford UB40
Themselves
1 9 8 8 (UK)
Patrick Church
Chris Bell
