Ray McCooney
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Ray McCooney is a fictional character from the cult BBC TV and Radio Show Little Britain, played by David Walliams. His catchphrase is a long "Yeeeeees!", and his name is clearly derived from the real-life playwright Ray Cooney.
| Ray McCooney | |
|---|---|
 |
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| First appearance | Series 1 (first series appearance) |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Hotel owner |
Ray is the owner of "Ye Olde Hotele" somewhere in Scotland. (either in Edinburgh or Glasgow as it is revealed in one episode the Hotel is opposite Ikea.) He is a bit mad, and seems incapable of giving a straight answer, instead he prefers speaking in riddle and rhyme. He also plays his flute or mandolin (he refers to it as a "Picolillo") whenever possible (usually playing pithy versions of television themes). He infuriates customers and staff alike by answering questions ambiguously, for instance, "If I tell ye the truth, I'll tell ye a lie, but if ye call me false then I'll also tell ye a lie". It appears he wants to be seen as an eccentric, mysterious, even sinister figure, but only causes annoyance.
He is considered by many to be one of the better characters of the first series, with such memorable idiosyncrasies as believing that the TV is nothing but a box that sprites, pixies and fairies live and perform in. He uses his flute in an attempt to lure them out. He also believes a window is a TV that does not work at night, and asks a repair man to check it. Furthermore in one episode he declares that the cakes on the dessert trolley speak to him. He is sometimes accompanied by two midgets, who are probably as delusional as he is.
One sketch involved him reciting a tomato soup recipe to guests in his restaurant, setting up elaborate riddles to guess the simplest of ingredients. ("The seeded fruit that is often mis-tooken for a ve-ge-ta-ble, red in colour and fleshy within, but beware the pips!" for a "toe-mah-toe"; "A liquor that a cow may secrete from its udder" for milk; "Gold in colour and slippery to the touch" for butter, etc.) When the guests display knowledge of the ingredients, he gets fidgety and leaves the scene, "Ye know too much!" But he leaves them with a riddle: "I'm hard yet soft, I'm coloured yet clear, I am fruity and sweet, I am jelly, what am I?"
He did not appear in the show's second series, as the character's set was proving to be too expensive, but after various fans (including Jonathan Ross and Richard and Judy) asked why he had suddenly disappeared, Matt Lucas was reported as saying that he would return for the third series. He did not, but does appear in the Little Britain live stage show; this was met with great applause in the Scottish tour dates, where he came on stage and exuberantly yelled "Hello, my fellow countrymen!". It is unknown if he will appear again, although audience members at the filming of the 2006 Christmas Specials did not see him in a sketch. Some people have accused Ray McCooney of being a musical-hall racist stereotype, but he is certainly less controversial than some other characters.
