Retro Yakking

Kayvan Novak, the man behind the BAFTA-winning Fonejacker, is a man of many voices. From watching the DVD, or should that be Doovde, it’s also evident he is a man passionate about his art: making people laugh with his array of silly accents, and not afraid of annoying a few people in the process.

Many elements set Fonejacker apart from your bog-standard prank telephone call show. Whereas so many Saturday night set-ups are tepid and mildly amusing, Novak goes that extra mile to make it happen, to interact with his victims and make his calls really function as pieces of comedy dialogue in themselves.

Home made ethic

Producer Ed Tracy, with a bit of help from Novak and the production crew, has hit upon a raw, rustic, home-made method of animation that perfectly compliments the off-the-wall, sincere and frankly hilarious banter between Novak and his victims. Though most of the calls would function as a part of a radio show without any visual stimuli, the unashamedly Photoshopped animation really adds to the whole appeal of the show.

 I require your bank account details and sort code. It is totally innocent!

And that’s what I love most about Fonejacker. Though the whole presentation is in fact rather polished and highly detailed, it retains a whole DIY, thrown-together-in-five-minutes charm that you can’t help but warm to.

This picture is coloured by Novak’s DVD-exclusive commentary in which he speaks of his weekend-long editing sessions, and how he had to spend up to twelve hours in a room with no toilet within five minutes’ walk. I’ll let your imagination fill in the rest for you.

The return of the ‘jacker?

Despite the fact Fonejacker has been off the air for just weeks, I’m already missing it, and it seems I’m not alone. Fonejacker, or “Fonejoker” as Novak’s grandma likes to call it (exclusively revealed in the DVD commentary), has a cult, devoted following.

A following that will not be disappointed with the vast selection of DVD extras, namely around two hours in total of deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the guys behind the faces. In particular, a day with the real life “Mr Miggins” proves chuckleworthy and a particular high point for FJ buffs, if only for Novak’s visit to his local cafe.

The live action adverts are perhaps the funniest parts of the show.

Novak has stated in an interview with Teletext that, due to the obscenely huge workload involved, a third series is highly unlikely. He did, however, say he would be prepared to make a Fonejacker feature length production -  something that I would personally love to see, and maybe even be the key to cracking America, er, I mean, Oosa.

If you enjoyed the series, I highly recommend the DVD for one reason: Fonejacker is it at times such a fast-paced, multi-layered show that you often miss jokes the first time round - small bits of animation and the odd subtle reference here and there make this show definitely worth a second visit. Stick it in your Joovce Doovde player and watch it on your Luh-cuh-duh-tuhv.

See also

• Fonejacker’s Kayvan Novak to front new comedy prank show - Fonejacker fans fear not, for Novak will be back. After all, the FJ character was essentially Novak.

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