Mike Strutter

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Mike Strutter in his infomercial for "Strutter Direct" financial service.
Mike Strutter in his infomercial for "Strutter Direct" financial service.

Michael 'Mike' Strutter is a fictional character of an MTV UK & Ireland show, Strutter. He was created and is played by Paul Kaye, the comedian and actor behind the character Dennis Pennis. The character debuted in segments on Pennis' show, and is even responsible for the death of Pennis. The MTV series Strutter was co-created and written by Paul Garner who also features as an actor in series one and two.

Strutter is an American lawyer who uses violence to solve his cases—he is often seen burying bodies. Strutter speaks with a Brooklyn accent, and dresses in fashion from the late 1970s. According to what can be gathered on the show, he is 41 years old, loves prostitutes, heavy metal and seeing people get hurt, and hates indie music, emo music, Elton John, skaters and "cocksuckers". On his show, Strutter is usually high, and is usually seen snorting cocaine, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. His language tends to be extremely vulgar, and he makes heavy use of his catchphrase "cocksuckers".

During Pennis R.I.P., Strutter is acting as lawyer for an imprisoned anti-Pennis campaigner, Tony Cream. Cream realises that Strutter will become homicidal if anyone calls him a "Nana", and thus convinces Strutter that Pennis has been gallivanting around town, calling Strutter this fairly innocuous insult. An incensed Strutter vows to murder Pennis, and we later see this happening, with Strutter throttling Pennis to death with his own microphone cord.

Kaye has suggested that the general demeanour of Strutter, his dress sense, drug addictions and foul language are based on David Kleinfeld, the lawyer played by Sean Penn in the Al Pacino film Carlitos Way.

The show has its own adverts, which consist of either Strutter trying to sell his fictional merchandise [1], or two fictional German characters who mix sexual intercourse with extreme sports.

At the end of some episodes, as the programme music begins, Stutter can be seen breaking down in tears after snorting cocaine, and making comments such as: "I'm fucked up!" or "What the fuck am I doing?, I'm forty one fuckin' years old!".

The final ident of the programme shows Strutter looking down at the camera with a cigarette in his hand and shouting at the viewer, "What the fuck are you looking at?!".


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