Toast of London was created by Arthur Matthews and Matt Berry, who also stars in the series. The show's central character, Steven Toast, is a washed-up actor who is determined to prove to everyone he is the world's greatest actor. This comedy has run for three seasons now and was signed on for another in 2017 by Channel 4. Since 2020, a YouTube channel has been releasing new audio skits.
Apart from Toast's quest for validation, the series follows his interactions with the acting community and industry, a majority of who disown him, including his archnemesis Ray Purchase (Harry Peacock), whose wife occasionally cheats on him with Toast. The series has been hailed for its broad and ludicrous humor, indelible acting, and novelty musical numbers.
"Submission" - S1 Ep4 - (8)
Toast is invited to attend the Navy's launch of its latest vessel by Commander Scott-Gorham. Having a kink for women in uniform, he accepts but tries to avoid his girlfriend, who will also be attending due to her father being Defence Minister Lord Fotheringham.
In typical Toast fashion, things go awry when the Vice Commander holds them captive in a delusional fit. The episode was remembered for its hilarious buildup as matters consistently boiled over, making the viewer guess what would happen next.
"The Moose Trap" - S2 Ep3 - (8)
Toast pulls an all-nighter doing voice-over work, which makes him groggy. This causes him to accidentally reveal the long-held secret of the theatrical play, The Moose Trap (which has been running for decades), while being interviewed on a radio show.
Consequently, the play is forced to shut down and everyone shuns Toast. The highlights of the episode include Toast trying to still put on the play but things going horribly wrong, and the recording session.
"The End" - S1 Ep5 - (8.1)
Excited to revive his career, Toast ditches the awful voiceovers and superfluous gigs to pen erotic fiction. Everything goes swimmingly until Toast can't figure out an ending, resulting in his book's prospects being put on hold.
One of the most memorable endings in the series, Toast unintentionally causes his new agent to simultaneously combust by angering her with his reveal of the ending in which the main character simultaneously combusts. It was shocking but on-point for the series.
"Desperate Measures" - S2 Ep2 - (8.1)
After being ratted out by Ray Purchase, Toast took on a slew of unpleasant jobs to pay off his debt - one of them includes appearing in a Harry Potter-esque children show.
Some of the episode's highlights included Toast "releasing" a fox, even though it had been barbecuing for some time, a flashback of Toast's disastrous gig on a former kid's show and Toast being held by gunpoint by the same eccentric director from the beginning of the episode.
"Global Warming" - S3 Ep6 - (8.2)
The season three finale just kept growing escalating and escalating. Toast attempts to do everything in his power to not appear in a play consisting mostly of dogs.
By the end of the episode, his agent Jane (Doon Mackichan) fires him (after it is divulged he and a mate committed arson) and he is forced to make porn with his landlord Ed (Robert Bathurst). Leaving Toast's fate on the line makes the viewer wonder how he will rebound, or at least his equivalent of rebounding.
"Buried Alive" - S2 Ep5 - (8.2)
Having landed a big role with an acclaimed director, Toast's first scene is to be buried alive. Before he can be unburied, the director commits suicide and the movie shoot is abandoned (along with Toast in the ground).
As the episode proceeds, Toast tries to escape. He attempts to contact Ed but has no luck. Toast receives a call from the recording studio about his session, but even after he explains his predicament they don't bother to call for help nor does he bother asking them, knowing they would not assist him. Besides the hilarity from Toast's unfortunate scenario, he managed to win one as he mercilessly beat his ex-wife's fiancee after he goaded him.
"Fool In Love" - S2 Ep 6 - (8.3)
Toast comes across old flame Lorna Wynde (Morgana Robinson) while Ed's niece visits and requires an exorcism due to her allergies. Former member of the band Kyuss and founder of Queens of the Stone Age, Josh Homme, makes a cameo in the episode as himself and Wynde's husband.
Wynde has an affair with Toast to make Homme jealous. Highlights of the episode include the exorcism (especially the riff on The Exorcist theme) and the confrontation between Toast and Homme.
"Hamm On Toast" - S3 Ep3 - (8.4)
Mad Men actor Jon Hamm (playing himself) is introduced to Toast by his agent Jane. Toast is surprised to be overpowered by Hamm's insatiable charisma. Meanwhile, his brother Blair (Adrian Lukas) is trying to get Toast to convince their ailing father (Brian Blessed) to leave them his inheritance.
Hamm's guest appearance and Toast's incessant attraction to him were some of the best moments in the episode, including when Toast's father was also won over by Hamm's charisma and decided to leave him his estate.
"Over The Moon" - S3 Ep1 - (8.4)
In this episode, Toast starts out on the bottom but comes out on top. After recalling a story about the moon-landing being directed by Stanley Kubrick, he has a CIA agent hot on his tail. Meanwhile, there is a poser stealing his voiceover work.
The episode ends with Toast being showered with hit reviews from his latest performance in Macbeth and the poser being apprehended by the agent. In a nod to Kubrick, the dancers were dressed similar to the Pan Am flight attendants from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
"Bonus Ball" - S1 Ep6 - (8.7)
Toast finds himself being pursued by Broadway singer Michael Ball (played by himself) after he owes Andrew Lloyd Webber £20,000. Ray Purchase also makes an appearance and is determined to off Toast due to him continuously having an affair with his wife.
Ball was incredibly fun and humorous to watch onscreen as he interacted with the characters and played an exaggerated version of himself. He was a good sport and even died in the ending at the hands of Purchase.