Phua Chu Kang
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| Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd | |
|---|---|
 Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd title screen |
|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Running time | 30 minutes (with commercials) |
| Creator(s) | Jennifer Tan |
| Executive producer(s) | Ong Su Munn |
| Starring | Gurmit Singh Irene Ang Pierre Png Tan Kheng Hua Marcus Ng Neo Swee Lin Charlie Tan Ray Kuan |
| Country of origin |  Singapore |
| Original channel | MediaCorp TV Channel 5 |
| Original run | September 25, 1997–present |
| No. of episodes | 161 |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, also known as PCK Pte Ltd or Phua Chu Kang for short, is a Singaporean sitcom on MediaCorp TV Channel 5. The show was debuted in Singapore in 1996.
Contents |
[edit] Plot Summary and Cast
[edit] Phua Chu Kang
| Phua Chu Kang | |
|---|---|
 Phua Chu Kang, one of the main characters in the sitcom Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd. |
|
| First appearance | Season 1 |
| Last appearance | present |
| Statistics | |
| Nickname(s) | Kang Kang |
| Occupation | CEO of PCK Pte Ltd |
| Family | Phua Chu Beng (younger brother) |
| Spouse | Rosie Phua |
| Children | Romeo Ferrari, Crystal Jade |
| Relatives | Margaret Phua (sister in law), Aloysius Phua (nephew) |
| Episode Count | 161 |
| Portrayed by | Gurmit Singh |
The series revolves around the Phua family, most notably Phua Chu Kang (Gurmit Singh), a contractor who boasts that he is the "Best in Singapore, JB, and some say Batam" - this is despite the fact that he has only two men working for him and they are both inept and lazy. He is also noted for his famous cliché or catchphrase: "Don't play play" (pronounce as "pray pray" according to his articulation). There is also another famous catchphrase which is being used in his famous 2003 music video called "PCK Sar-vivor Rap", that is, "Use your brain!" (pronounced as "blain"). His personal clothing trademarks are his yellow pair of boots, curly hair, a giant mole, and long nails on his pinky fingers. Phua Chu Kang is portrayed as an "Ah Beng", Singlish slang for a stereotypical Chinese gangster, complete with habits such as hoisting one leg up on the seat of a chair when he sits down and growing one long fingernail to scratch his ears. Phua Chu Kang is growing increasingly popular and some now say he is one of the symbols of Singapore.
[edit] His family and others
Phua Chu Kang lives with his wife, Rosie (Irene Ang) who loves playing mahjong and wearing loud, colourful clothing. At the end of Season 6, she gave birth to twins, Romeo Ferrari and Crystal Jade. Chu Kang's brother is Anthony Phua Chu Beng (Pierre Png) who works for PCK Pte Ltd as an architect (his specialty is designing toilets). While Chu Kang is often regarded as strong but stupid, Chu Beng is the sissy but smart son. The one person who drives Chu Beng crazy is his obsessive compulsive vegetarian wife, Margaret Phua (Tan Kheng Hua) who consistently makes fun of her brother and sister in law. Together, they have a son, Aloysius Phua (Marcus Ng), most notably known as "Aloy" for short, who worships his uncle more than his dad. Another family member is Ah Ma (Neo Swee Lin), Chu Kang and Chu Beng's mother. She left at the end of Season 4 to be with her new love. Chu Kang's two lazy workers are fat and lazy King Kong (Charlie Tan) who loves "tau huey" (a Chinese bean curd drink) and slow-witted eyecandy Ah Goon (Ray Kuan) who dresses in revealing denim cut-offs all the time.
[edit] Recurring and Minor Characters plus Guest Appearances
- Betsy Foo played by Patricia Mok (in season 6).
- Bobo played by Afdlin Shauki (in season 6 and season 7).
- Candy Chew played by Sharon Au (in season 7).
- Chewbacca played by Wahid Senario (in season 6).
- Daud played by Azlee Senario (in season 6).
- Dickson Foo played by Teoh Kah Yeong (in season 6).
- Dolly played by Koh Chien Mun (in season 8).
- Elder Sister played by May Wan Teh (in season 8).
- Frankie Foo (older) played by Lim Kay Siu (somewhere before season 5; also appeared in season 8).
- Frankie Foo (younger) played by Patrick Teoh (occur in some certain seasons).
- Joscelin Yeo played by herself (in season 8).
- Lee Kok Peng played by Mark Lee (in season 5 until season 7).
- Lim Pek Kong played by Kee Thuan Chye (in season 4).
- Lynette Khoo played by Caroline Cheong (in season 5 until season 7).
- Maid Agent played by Cassandra See (in season 8).
- Martha Lum played by Amy Cheng (in season 8).
- Mr. Mah played by Gerald Chew (in season 8).
- Mr. Rousseau played by Brian Richmond (in season 8).
- Mrs. Lopez played by Jamie Yeo (in season 6).
- Mrs. Mah played by Wee Soon Hui (in season 8).
- Murumoorthy played by Kumar (in season 8).
- Mydeen played by Mazlan Senario (in season 6).
- Nora played by Umi Kalthum Ismail (in season 8).
- Olivia Chow Chin Chin played by Carol Cheong (in season 8).
- Posh Voter played by Gillian Tan (in season 4).
- Ram played by Saiful Azam Senario (in season 6).
- Reporter played by Maia Lee (in season 8).
- Ricky Martin played by himself (in season 6).
- Sgt. Dollah Abu Bakar played by Suhaimi Yusof (in season 8).
- Small Boy played by Zureen Abdul Rahman (in season 6).
- Tan Ah Teck played by Moses Lim (in season 8).
- Ting Ting played by Zoe Tay (in season 5).
- Utt played by himself (in season 8).
- Younger Sister played by Choy Wan Teh (in season 8).
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and a whole lot more to edit them, etc, etc, etc.!
[edit] Former Casts
- Edwin Chong played as Phua Chu Beng (from season 1 to season 2).
- Neo Swee Lin played as Ah Ma (from season 1 to season 4).
[edit] Production history
The Phua Chu Kang character made his first appearance in the second season of "Gurmit's World", a comedy in which Gurmit Singh portrayed his 'relatives' in a series of skits.
In addition, PCK handed out clues at one of the detours of The Amazing Race 3. Participants in the race were required to locate a HDB apartment in Choa Chu Kang, Singapore where they would be given the clues by PCK. Apparently, the original idea was to have PCK at the pit stop alongside Phil Keoghan (at the end of every stage of The Amazing Race, there would be a local person dressed in traditional clothing welcoming the contestants to the country), but Singaporeans protested that this would give foreigners the wrong impression of the local people in general. [1]
In the debut season of the show, Edwin Chong was once played as Phua Chu Beng but until season 2 of the show, he cease to be the cast of the show. Instead, Pierre permanently took over him from the second season and has made the role popular ever since.
In the year 2003, during the SARS outbreak, PCK had also appeared in a music video called "PCK Sar-vivor Rap". [2] This 4-minute long music video is to teach the local on how to prevent SARS in their country. Sar-vivor Rap (Video) Moreover, it also comes with an audio version (with remix) of the song. Sar-vivor Rap (Audio Remix) In addition, his music video also comes with a limited edition compilation album which the album name is "The Sar-vivor Rap" which was announced for its album launched on July 1, 2003 and it is available in all Singapore local music store. [3] This album also includes 14 bonus tracks from artises such as Mandy Moore, Destiny's Child, Jessica Simpson and so forth.
Recently, the character had also made a guest appearance on the seventh episode in a local sitcom called ABC DJ. [4]
PCK had also appeared on two TV advertisement. He, along with Chu Beng, made his first advertisement appearance regarding the introduction of 3G mobile services and phones in Malaysia by Maxis and recently, an advertisment called Bob's Big Surprise. [5]
The latest season of this show, that is, Season 8, is aired on October 31, 2006 in Singapore. In this season, there will be many guest appearances from other famous local television shows to mark the end of the PCK character. Moreover, according to Gurmit Singh, season 8's shows will be more exciting and interesting ever than the episodes in the previous seasons. Unfortunately, it will be the final season and its last Phua Chu Kang's story, that is, after Season 8 of the show, it will cease to exist anymore. [6]
[edit] Singlish criticism
- Main article: Singlish
This popular comedy is notable for its Singlish language conversation and dialogue amongst, by, or between the characters in this comedy show most of the time. Thus the other word or term for Singlish was coined by some local people: "Phua Chu Kanglish".
Much like another Singaporean sitcom, Under One Roof, the show was put under pressure by the government to use proper English instead of Singlish. Critics of the show have labelled Phua Chu Kang as an inaccurate or disgraceful representation of Singapore. However, it has to be acknowledged that Phua Chu Kang is immensely popular in Singapore and Malaysia.
[edit] Broadcasters
| Country | Alternate title/Translation | TV Network(s) | Weekly Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore |
鬼马家族 | MediaCorp TV Channel 5 | Tuesday 8:00pm GMT (as of from season 5 to season 8) |
 Malaysia |
Ntv7, TV3 | TBA |
[edit] Episodes
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[edit] Season 1 (?)
| # | Airdate | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TBC | TBC |
| 2 | TBC | TBC |
| 3 | TBC | TBC |
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| 18 | TBC | TBC |
| 19 | TBC | TBC |
| 20 | TBC | TBC |
[edit] Season 2 (?)
| # | Airdate | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TBC | TBC |
| 2 | TBC | TBC |
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| 24 | TBC | TBC |
| 25 | TBC | TBC |
| 26 | TBC | TBC |
| 27 | TBC | TBC |
| 28 | TBC | TBC |
[edit] Season 3 (?)
| # | Airdate | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TBC | TBC |
| 2 | TBC | TBC |
| 3 | TBC | TBC |
| 4 | TBC | TBC |
| 5 | TBC | TBC |
| 6 | TBC | TBC |
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| 21 | TBC | TBC |
| 22 | TBC | TBC |
| 23 | TBC | TBC |
| 24 | TBC | TBC |
| 25 | TBC | TBC |
| 26 | TBC | TBC |
[edit] Season 4 (2001)
| # | Airdate | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 May 2001 | TBC |
| 2 | 5 June 2001 | TBC |
| 3 | 12 June 2001 | TBC |
| 4 | 19 June 2001 | TBC |
| 5 | 26 June 2001 | TBC |
| 6 | 3 July 2001 | TBC |
| 7 | 10 July 2001 | TBC |
| 8 | 17 July 2001 | Blind Justice |
| 9 | 24 July 2001 | TBC |
| 10 | 31 July 2001 | TBC |
| 11 | 7 August 2001 | PCK President |
| 12 | 14 August 2001 | TBC |
| 13 | 21 August 2001 | TBC |
| 14 | 28 August 2001 | TBC |
| 15 | 4 September 2001 | TBC |
| 16 | 11 September 2001 | TBC |
| 17 | 18 September 2001 | TBC |
| 18 | 25 September 2001 | TBC |
| 19 | 2 October 2001 | TBC |
| 20 | 9 October 2001 | TBC |
| 21 | 16 October 2001 | TBC |
| 22 | 23 October 2001 | TBC |
| 23 | 30 October 2001 | TBC |
| 24 | 6 November 2001 | TBC |
| 25 | 13 November 2001 | TBC |
| 26 | 20 November 2001 | TBC |
[edit] Season 5 (2002-2003)
| # | Airdate | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 November 2002 | The Zen of Chapteh |
| 2 | 12 November 2002 | Not the 7 o'clock news |
| 3 | 19 November 2002 | The Parent Trap |
| 4 | 26 November 2002 | Toto Day |
| 5 | 3 December 2002 | The Return of Frankie Foo |
| 6 | 10 December 2002 | Chilly Crabs |
| 7 | 17 December 2002 | Christmas Story |
| 8 | 7 January 2003 | Study No Enough |
| 9 | 14 January 2003 | Lord of the Bengs |
| 10 | 21 January 2003 | Cinema Phua-radiso |
| 11 | 28 January 2003 | Lucky Luohan |
| 12 | 4 February 2003 | Year of the Goat |
| 13 | 11 February 2003 | The Girl Next Door |
| 14 | 18 February 2003 | I Want My HDB - Part 1 |
| 15 | 25 February 2003 | When King Kong Met Wei Wei |
| 16 | 4 March 2003 | Sabo You, Sabo Me |
| 17 | 11 March 2003 | At WITS End |
| 18 | 18 March 2003 | The Adventures of Captain Contractor & Plumber Boy |
| 19 | 25 March 2003 | Centrefold |
| 20 | 1 April 2003 | An Offer You Can’t Refuse |
| 21 | 8 April 2003 | PCK Goes To Malaysia - Part 1 |
| 22 | 15 April 2003 | PCK Goes To Malaysia - Part 2 |
[edit] Season 6 (2003-2004)
| # | Airdate | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 October 2003 | Phua Phua Baby |
| 2 | 28 October 2003 | Boy Oh Boy! |
| 3 | 4 November 2003 | The Deal |
| 4 | 11 November 2003 | What About Me? |
| 5 | 18 November 2003 | Father Knows Best |
| 6 | 25 November 2003 | Nature Vs Nurture |
| 7 | 2 December 2003 | Worst Case Senario |
| 8 | 9 December 2003 | He Ain't Heavy He's My Baby |
| 9 | 16 December 2003 | All The President's Man |
| 10 | 23 December 2003 | Livin La Vida Rosie |
| 11 | 30 December 2003 | TBC |
| 12 | 6 January 2004 | Toilet Of The Year |
| 13 | 13 January 2004 | Pissing Contest |
| 14 | 20 January 2004 | Citizen Phua |
| 15 | 27 January 2004 | The New Phua |
[edit] Season 7 (2004-2005)
| # | Airdate | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 November 2004 | Romeo Romeo Wherefore Art Thou Rome? |
| 2 | 23 November 2004 | He's The Wife |
| 3 | 30 November 2004 | TBC |
| 4 | 7 December 2004 | TBC |
| 5 | 14 December 2004 | TBC |
| 6 | 21 December 2004 | TBC |
| 7 | 28 December 2004 | TBC |
| 8 | 4 January 2005 | TBC |
| 9 | 11 January 2005 | TBC |
| 10 | 18 January 2005 | TBC |
| 11 | 25 January 2005 | TBC |
| 12 | 1 February 2005 | TBC |
| 13 | 8 February 2005 | TBC |
| 14 | 15 February 2005 | TBC |
| 15 | 22 February 2005 | TBC |
| 16 | 1 March 2005 | TBC |
[edit] Season 8 (2006-present)
| # | Airdate | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 October 2006 | No Good Deed… |
| 2 | 7 November 2006 | Dunkin’ Don’ts |
| 3 | 14 November 2006 | Turn a Deaf Ear |
| 4 | 21 November 2006 | Kill Kang |
| 5 | 28 November 2006 | Frankie’s Final Folly |
| 6 | 5 December 2006 | Crazy Like a Horse |
| 7 | 12 December 2006 | Incredulous Tale |
| 8 | 19 December 2006 | Under Another Roof’ |
[edit] Trivia
- Gurmit Singh, who played the lead role of PCK, is also one the Singapore Idol hosts, along with Daniel Ong.
- Ah Goon (played by Ray Kuan) is the goondu (stupid) of the show. In reality, Ray is actually the one with the most impressive academic qualifications of the entire cast. He graduated with honors in Building and Real Estate from the National University of Singapore.
- Ah Goon is the worker replacing Ah Boon and Ah Soon who also played as Chu Kang's employers in the earlier episodes. They are related as cousins in the series. They also appeared together in an episode featuring them as an upcoming boy band.
- Gurmit would also make two appearances on Living with Lydia. In his first appearance we learn his PCK character once had a somewhat romantic encounter with the series' main character Lydia Lum (Lydia Sum) when she first arrived in Singapore in 1979 to be a "Singapore Girl." His second appearance was in a cameo as himself with the judges from Singapore Idol.
- Chu Kang's mole is actually made of papier-mâché. It is moulded into a ball, painted black, and attached to his face with cosmetic glue.
- Gurmit once ate his prosthetic mole, after it fell into a bowl of bubur-chacha which he later had to eat for a scene.
- Marcus Ng, who played as Aloysius Phua in the show, was only aged 11 years old when he made his first debut in PCK in the year 1997.
