The Noose (TV series)
The Noose is a Singapore comedy television series produced by Mediacorp Channel 5, the country's English language channel.
Although the name of the show plays on the word The News, the literal gallows humor of the program's name is unlikely to be missed by viewers in a country which executes people by hanging, and the use of "neck-cuffs". The show satirises socio-cultural and political issues in Singapore as well as newsworthy local and regional incidents involving Singapore. The third season began airing on June 1, 2010. The fourth season began airing on March 8, 2011. The fifth season began airing on December 27, 2011 and features topics such as the Mayan Calendar and doomsday and other relevant current issues. A sixth season began airing on April 2, 2013, aligned with the renumbering of Mediacorp news programmes. Michelle Chong will not return to the cast for the sixth season. A seventh season began airing on 1 April 2014, with Chong set to return to the show.
The show has received recognition both locally and internationally. It earned a nomination at the International Emmy Awards 2011 in the comedy category. The cast has also been nominated and won awards and commendations at the Asian Television Awards.
Overview
The Noose is a parody of local news programmes such as News 5 Tonight, with fictional news reports and a presentation mimicking that of the actual news bulletin. For example, every episode of News 5 Tonight begins with a CGI clock indicating the time, while every episode of the first two seasons of The Noose would spoof it by displaying the time using something more mundane, such as a plastic clock hanging on a wall or an alarm clock. At the beginning of every episode, there is a candid disclaimer, voiced by Andre Chichak, telling the viewers that the stories are not true, most notably by using the line 'Believing us is like believing that...'.Each episode stars Michelle Chong, Chua En Lai, Alaric Tay and Suhaimi Yusof, with various actors and actresses as newscasters, field reporters and interviewees. The names of characters and issues highlighted in various sketches are often a caricature or parody of a newsworthy incident of the week.
Most recently, Maha has joined the cast and portrays Ma Hum, Molester Moon Face & Colkate Brand Ambassador.
Cast and characters
- Chua En Lai
- Alaric Tay
- Suhaimi Yusof
- Judee Tan
- Michelle Chong
- Siti Khalijah
- Kayly Loh
- Gurmit Singh
Roy Terse
- Name: Roy Terse
- Age: 48
- Nationality: Singaporean
- Race: Often mistaken as Sikh, but is truly a Eurasian
- Language: English
- Education: S&M University - PhD in Numerology, Master in Home Economics, Bachelor in Singapore Rock Music History
- Career: Child actor in Aksi Mat Yoyo - he was the orange cat.
- Awards: Best Male Toto results Announcer - there was only 1 nomination that year
- Role: News Anchor
- Seasons: 1
- Note: Roy Terse is a play on the word Reuters, a British-based news service.
Windy Miao
- Name: Windy Miao
- Role: Weather Reporter
- Seasons: 1
- Note: His given name, Windy, is a play on the fact that he talks about the wind and weather. He is also very camp.
Nancy Goh
- Name: Nancy Goh
- Language: English,
- Age: 48
- Career: Shareholder
- Role: Interviewee
- Seasons: 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
- Note: One of her daughters is currently in Raffles Junior College, previously from Raffles Girls' School, and another is currently studying in a polytechnic. Her son is currently serving BMT in Pulau Tekong. She hates being interviewed by The Noose and tries to drive them away. When she talks, she always looks a little down with her glasses on her nose with eyes looking up. She is often recognised by locals as a parody of the stereotypical "kiasu" Singaporean tiger mother.
Adrianna Wow
- Name: Adrianna Wow
- Age: 21
- Nationality: Singaporean
- Race: Chinese but claims to be "pure American Chinese"
- Language: US-spoken English, US-spoken Hokkien, US-spoken Cantonese, used to know how to speak Mandarin 2 years ago
- Education: Englewood University, Compton, Los Angeles
- Career: Runway model, Miss Hawaiian Tropics
- Awards: Best Weather Girl, Best Hairdo, Most Bimbotic Smile of The Year 2006
- Role: News Anchor
- Seasons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
- Note: Was B.B. See's co-anchor. Feminine and overly-sensitive much to the annoyance of B.B. See, she often introduces herself with a pause between her name and surname. Unike her co-anchor, she speaks with a California accent. She was replaced by Xin Hua Hua for the sixth season. She returned in the seventh season, and rotated with the other two newscasters B.B. See and Xin Huahua. She is an obvious spoof of Channel NewsAsia anchorwoman Andrea Chow.
Leticia Bongnino
- Name: Leticia Bongnino
- Career: Domestic Maid
- Language: Filipino-accented English with several Tagalog phrases
- Seasons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
- Note: Leticia speaks with a stereotypical Filipino accent. She often greets the audience as "sir" and "ma'am", and begins each interview by stating her name and occupation. The character has featured on the MediaCorp TV Channel 8 Chinese language show Black Rose and the Channel 5 gameshow We Are Singaporeans, both portrayed by Michelle Chong.
Nida Goodwood
- Name: Nida Goodwood
- Role: News Reporter
- Email: nidwood@thenoose.con
- Seasons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
- Note: She speaks in a very uptight manner, with a slight Received Pronunciation accent. Her name is a play on the phrase "Need a good wood", which suggests sexual innuendo and also refers to Nina Goodwood, a journalist with the SBC during the 1990s.
Barbarella
- Name: Barbarella
- Race Chinese
- Role: Interviewee
- Seasons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
- Note: A vapid SPG and President of the Singapore SPGs Club. She speaks with a pseudo-accent and is obsessed with Caucasian men and Western culture. She is named after two of her role-models Conan the Barbarian and Cinderella. Her character has featured on two Scoot commercials in Gold Coast.
Lulu
- Name: Lulu
- Nationality: Mainland Chinese
- Race: Chinese
- Language: Putonghua, Mandarin-accented English
- Career: KTV Hostess, Weather Girl, Foreign Talent Assimilator
- Role: Interviewee & Weather Girl
- Seasons: 3, 4, 5, 7
- Notes: Lulu is a KTV hostess who is occasionally a weather girl. She speaks with a distinct Chinese accent. Her catchphrase involves her greeting audiences in Mandarin, but corrected and told to speak English. When first introduced, she was surprised that the show is not in Mandarin. However, through the episodes she becomes more used to the reminder to speak English.
Jacques Ooi
- Name: Jacques Ooi
- Age: 46
- Nationality: Singaporean on weekdays, Malaysian on weekends
- Race: Pan-Asian
- Language: Hainanese, Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, and other dialects of various provinces in China as well as English, French and Mandarin
- Education: MTUC University - Majored in "Ass-tronomy"
- Career: PR Manager of Rochor Canal Network, Hand Model for Crimewatch Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7
- Awards: Best Parrot Trainer Award
- Role: Field Reporter
- Email: jooi@thenoose.con
- Seasons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
- Note: Jacques pronounces his name as "Jack-ass" and has a habit of wearing a very short tie. The only time he pronounced his name as "Jacques" is when he spoke in French during a report on taxi drivers.
B. B. See
- Name: See Beh Biang
- Role: News Anchor
- Seasons: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
- Note: B.B.See's name refers to BBC and speaks with a received pronunciation accent. He is a caricature and composite of BBC Newsreaders and reporters such as Peter Donaldson, David Frost, Mike Neville and regional ITV Presenters such as Andrew Gardner. His real name See Beh Biang is taken from local Hokkien slang; see beh means "very" and biang connotes dismay at something. The initials BBC are also an abbreviation for British Born Chinese.
Esmond Wan Mo Peh
- Name: Esmond Wan Mo Peh
- Role: Minister at Large, Ministry Without A Portfolio
- Seasons: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
- Note: The name is a play on the phrase "Want More Pay", a dig at the reported high salaries of Singapore politicians. Wan's dress style is a parody of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He was originally known as just Wan Mo Peh, but after the announced salary adjustments in 2012 to ministerial pay, he was just referred to and known as Esmond Wan. Wan originally spoke Standard Singapore English, but began to speak in basilectal Singaporean English in later episodes, as a dig at politicians who speak "half-past-six" English.
Kim Johnny Un
- Name: Kim Johnny Un
- Role: Son of the North Korean leader
- Seasons: 4
- Note: He is a parody of Kim Jong Un and is commonly known only as "Johnny". During interviews, he speaks in hip hop slang, likely a parody of Korean hip hop.
Pornsak Sukhumvit
- Name: Pornsak Sukhumvit
- Role: Thai correspondent, pole-dancing instructor
- Seasons: 5, 6, 7, 8
- Note: He is not to be confused with Pornsak Prajakwit, a Mediacorp artiste. It is implied that he is a kathoey due to his effeminate mannerisms. There is a running gag where he tries to recite the full ceremonial name of Bangkok, but stops and simply calls the city Bangkok. His character has featured on two Scoot commercials for its Gold Coast route and on the Channel 5 game show We Are Singaporeans. He also appeared in the Mediacorp sitcom Spouse for House as a pole-dancing instructor.
Andre Chichak
- Name: Andre Chichak
- Age: 17
- Nationality: East Timorese
- Race: TBC
- Language: English, Indonesian, Malay, Mandarin
- Education: Farquhar Polytechnic majoring in "Stage Choreography for Integrated Resort Cabarets"
- Career: Never had one
- Awards: Best Story Telling Award in Pulau Ubin Primary School
- Role: Field Reporter
- Email: acdc@thenoose.con
- Seasons: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
- Note: Chichak speaks with a nasal sound. His surname refers to the Malay name for a common house gecko.
Nicholas Le Fong
- Name: Nicholas Le Fong
- Role: Taxi driver, interviewee
- Seasons: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
- Note: Nicholas is originally from Hong Kong. His catchphrase is "Stupiak", an amalgamation of "stupid" and the onomatopoeia "piak".
Kim Chiong Hil
- Name: Kim Chiong Hil
- Role: North Korean leader
- Seasons: 3, 4
- Note: He is a parody of Kim Jong Il and speaks with the same nasal voice as Andre Chichak but with a Korean accent.
Xin Hua Hua
- Role: News Co-anchor
- Seasons: 6, 7, 8
- Notes: Replaces Adrianna Wow as co-anchor in Season 6. Poached from Chinese news network CCTV according to B.B. See. He is narcissistic, and always starts the episode with the cheesy line, "Hey Ladies,..."
Richard Wang
- Role: Cameraman
- Seasons: 5, 6
- Notes: His protest on working conditions in season 6 is a satirical take on the Chinese construction worker crane protest in early 2013.
Kevin Kang Ah Roo
- Role: Tour Guide
- Seasons: 6
- Notes: He had a recurring segment in season 6 where he introduced the viewers to tourist attractions in Australia, in conjunction with budget carrier Scoot which sponsored the season. His name is also a play on the word kangaroo.
Characters portrayed by Suhaimi Yusof
Jojo Joget
- Name: Jojo Joget
- Role: Field Reporter
- Email: joget@thenoose.con
- Seasons: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8
- Note: His name is a play on the joget dance and he mimicks it when signing off his reports.
Henderson Pooper
- Name: Henderson Pooper
- Role: War Reporter
- Seasons: 6
- Note: Henderson is a war correspondent and police beat reporter for The Noose. He is asthmatic, with attacks usually coinciding with sudden shelling of bullets and bombs. His name is a play on CNN's Anderson Cooper.
Kim Bong Cha
- Name: Kim Bong Cha
- Role: North Korean correspondent
- Seasons: 4
- Note: Kim Bong Cha secretly has a crush on North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il's son and heir apparent, Kim Jong Un. Her stiff mannerisms and accent are a parody of North Korean news anchors and reporters, such as Ri Chun-hee.
See Yan Yan
- Name: See Yan Yan
- Role: Intern Field Reporter
- Notes: See Yan Yan's name is a pun of CNN. She is not to be confused with Yeo Yann Yann, a Malaysian actor. Yan Yan speaks in a faux, posh accent, and is somewhat flirtatious.
Rose Pork
- Name: Rose Pork Char Siew
- Role: Hong Kong Correspondent
- Notes: Rose Pork is a pun of Roast Pork. Rose speaks Hong Kong English and Cantonese. She often compares Singapore to Hong Kong, envying Singapore's culture and cleanliness while calling Hong Kong a cramped city. She supports Pro-British Colonialism in Hong Kong.
Personalities Spoofed
- Sudah Anandas
- Sam Tamales
- MC Kena Hammer
- Lady Yahya
- Ling Pan Pan
- Reese Low
- Adrian Pong
- Kim Chiong Hil
- Harry Gan
- Violenz Oon
- Tom Cook
- Samosa Lee
Awards