Introducing Tony Ferrino - Who? And Why? - A Quest Explained

Introducing Tony Ferrino - Who? And Why? A Quest was a mockumentary about the life of Tony Ferrino, the parody Portuguese musical megastar played by Steve Coogan. It was written by Coogan and produced by Pozzitive Television.^[1]

The interview followed on from The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon, broadcast on New Year's Day, 1997, a spoof concert given by Tony Ferrino (Coogan) which featured pop stars Mick Hucknall, Kim Wilde and Gary Wilmot in cameo roles.^[2]

Introducing Tony Ferrino - Who? And Why? A Quest was broadcast the next day, ostensibly as a follow-up interview to maintain the illusion that Tony Ferrino was a real character, in which Peter Baynham joined Coogan as the slightly put-upon interviewer Ross Woollard.^[3]

Reception

The character of Tony Ferrino was positively received, with The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon winning a Silver Rose at the Rose D'Or awards in Montreaux.^[4] Coogan revived the character in his 1998 national tour 'The Man Who Thinks He's It', described by The Guardian as "raucously funny".^[5]

References

1. Web site: The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon. January 1, 1997. 3804. 142. BBC Genome.
2. Web site: Pozzitive: The Tony Ferrino Phenomenon. Pozzitive. Comedy. pozzitive.co.uk.
3. Web site: Introducing Tony Ferrino: Who and Why? A Quest. www.imdb.com.
4. Web site: Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival (1997). IMDb.
5. Web site: Comedy gold: Steve Coogan's The Man Who Thinks He's It. Leo. Benedictus. June 21, 2012. www.theguardian.com.