Harry Hill:The Movie preview

The bespectacled comic with the outsize collar is making his debut on the big screen in Harry Hill:The Movie (Working title: Fight!)

Filming is underway on location in the UK and is expected to take eight weeks.

When Harry learns that his hamster has only a week left to live, he vows to give his cherished pet the holiday of a lifetime. The pair set off on a road trip with Harry’s Nan (played by Julie Walters.)

Along the way, Harry falls for a woman made of shells (Sheridan Smith) and almost loses his hamster to his arch enemy when he signs a contract without reading the small print.

Over a hundred extras were recruited to take part in two key scenes - one in Richmond, where Harry and his Nan raced on mobility scooters, and the other at Longcross Studios in Surrey, where a fight scene was filmed.

I joined the extras who packed into a circus marquee for a full day’s shooting at Longcross. The crowd was called on to cheer and boo the two opponents in the ring. Harry is tricked into thinking he’s taking on a little guy, but ends up pitted against a giant.

Bravely flouting the age-old advice to actors never to work with children or animals, Harry teams up with the biggest hamster you’ve ever seen. Brought to life in the capable hands of an unseen puppeteer who is cunningly hidden by towels, blankets, and occasionally a couple of extras, Abu the hamster is suitably cute, furry and fun.

If you enjoyed the madcap mayhem of TV Burp, the chances are you’ll enjoy this film too.

Harry Hill The Movie is directed by Steve Bendelack (Mr Bean’s Holiday), and scripted by Harry Hill, Jon Foster and James Lamont. The film is scheduled for release at the end of the year.