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Hale & Pace

Hale & Pace are an English "Comedy" duo who have starred in several TV sketch series. Gareth Hale and Norman Pace met at a teacher-training college in Eltham, south-east London, and roomed together. They discovered much in common, particularly humour, and began playing clubs in a comedy band. One of the clubs that they most liked playing was "The Tramshed" in Woolwich. This developed into sketch writing, with the duo appearing in the BBC Radio sketch show Don't Stop Now, It's Fundation. Their early TV break came on The Entertainers (1984), Pushing Up Daisies (1984) and the Saturday Gang (1986).

After a single one-off special for London Weekend Television in Christmas 1986, they were given a full series in 1988. Their relationship with ITV lasted a decade, with most of their programmes going out around 10pm on a Sunday. Their most famous comic creations are the bouncers The Two Rons - also known as The Management; and children's TV presenters Billy (Hale) and Johnny (Pace). A number of their TV sketches caused controversy, especially a scene performed when they pretended to have microwaved a cat. This clip got them onto the top 50 on "50 most shocking comedy moments" and they believe that the sketch gave them the notoriety that has kept them in work for all successive series. They went one-up on this sketch in the first episode of the second series where Norman holds a baby and they both move aside to show the microwave behind them. Gareth flips a coin, then the baby upstages them (assumedly unscripted) by puking over Norman's arm.

Hale & Pace's characters "The Two Rons" (better known as The Management) also had a spin-off series of their own called "The Management (iMDB link)" which included a number of their regular cast in permanent positions and ran for a total of 6 episodes. This series was released on video, and is usually easily available through specialist second-hand video shops.

Hale & Pace also have appeared on The Young Ones three times, in the episodes Flood, Nasty and Time. The duo also appeared, in brief five minute humorous roles of shop-keepers Harvey and Len, in the 1989 Doctor Who story 'Survival'. This gave them the distinction of appearing in what turned out to be the last ever story in Doctor Who's original 1963-89 run.

Hale & Pace moved across to the BBC in 1997 and starred in the three-part series, Jobs for the Boys (BBC), a non-comedic show in which they took on a variety of employment challenges.

They've also made several specials, like the 1996 Showcase Hale & Pace Down Under from Australia and April Fools Day.

Hale and Pace appeared in the Christmas Special of the Gervais and Merchant show "Extras", broadcast in December 2007.

The winners of the Golden Rose of Montreux, pursue separate acting careers but relive The Management and other characters in cabaret. Their credits include ‘Jobs for the Boys’ and ‘Bouncers’.

Hale & Pace are available to be booked for your corporate event or private function through Entertainers Co. Limited