The Real McCoy was a BBC Television sketch comedy show that ran from 1991 to 1996 featuring an array of black and Asian comedy stars and featured many famous guest appearances, including Leo Muhammad, Ian Wright, Linford Christie and Frank Bruno.

Llewella Gideon and Collette Johnson, who were also the double act Short, Sharp and Shocking, made up the main initial quartet of writer-performers.

Meera Syal was promoted to a regular, with newcomers Eddie Nestor and Judith Jacob also joining the main cast.

A seventh main cast member Felix Dexter appeared each week, performing solo material from his repertoire of characters.

For this series, Jo Martin also appeared in every episode as Botney, controller of BBC universal intergalactic TV transmission, during the Rub A Dub sketches and in other roles.

In series 3, the dance sections were replaced with studio performances from a different musical act each week including The Real Thing, Ruby Turner & Junior, Mica Paris and Macka B.

From Series 4, the music acts were replaced with stand-up routines from guests such as Junior Simpson, Toju, John Simmit and Angie Le Mar.

From series 3, a recurring sketch was an EastEnders spoof called The Rub-A-Dub in which celebrities Linford Christie, Andi Peters (with Edd the Duck), Colin McMillan, Mica Paris, Tessa Sanderson, Norman Beaton appeared as themselves.

In series 4, guests in the segment were Frank Bruno, Saracen from Gladiators, Ian Wright, Carmen Munroe, Omar and Lennox Lewis.

In series 5, John Barnes, Saeed Jaffrey, Lisa I'Anson, Jazzie B, Maxi Priest and Judy Simpson appeared in the segment.

Dexter also wrote and starred in the sitcom pilot Douglas broadcast on BBC Two in August 1996, based around his lawyer character from The Real McCoy.

Robbie Gee and Jo Martin went on to star in BBC One sitcom The Crouches in 2003 which ran for two series, and in which Llewella Gideon also appeared.