Swiss Toni

Swiss Toni is a fictional used-car dealer played by Charlie Higson, and also the title of a sitcom in which he is the main character. Toni is a 50-something car dealer going through a midlife crisis. To him almost any situation in life is best considered as being "like making love to a beautiful woman", in some rather implausible ways through the use of sexual innuendo. Toni is usually depicted wearing a grey suit and with his hair styled in a platinum blond bouffant quiff.^[1] The character was created by Charlie Higson and Bob Mortimer and originally introduced in the BBC comedy series The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer,^[2] but is best known as a recurring character in another BBC comedy series, The Fast Show.

Swiss Toni later reappeared in an eponymous sitcom, which developed both the character and his situation beyond the confines of the Fast Show sketches.^[3] The two series ran on BBC Three in 2003 and 2004, the first three episodes of the first series also being repeated on BBC One. As well as playing the title character, Higson was the show's main writer and one of its producers.^[4] Other regular cast members were Rhys Thomas as Paul, a junior salesman at the dealership (also featured in the original Fast Show sketches), Simon Day as Geoff Fowler, a more successful though alcoholic salesman (many of whose lines Day improvised), Matilda Ziegler as Swiss's wife, Ruth, as Miranda, and Elizabeth Spriggs as his mother. Guest appearances were made by, among others, Tom Baker, Olivia Colman, Paul Whitehouse, and snooker player Steve Davis.

References[]

External links[]

• Swiss Toni at BBC Online
• Swiss Toni at IMDb
• BBC Swiss Toni website
• BBC Comedy Guide article about the Swiss Toni series (including some character history and cast credits)

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