Werner Herzog

Bavarian director Werner Herzog is known for such films as Grizzly Man, Aguirre: The Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo and Rescue Dawn. Once scared away a bear by swearing at it in Bavarian.

Whilst Mark Kermode was conducting an interview with Herr Herzog in the Hollywood hills, the director was shot in the abdomen by an "insignificant" bullet, but he dismissed the incident and continued on with the interview. Every time this story is retold by Herzog, he gets braver and the BBC's response more cowardly.

Mark relishes adopting Herzog's accent to such a degree that he will use it at the drop of a hat. During his review of My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?, every mention of the film's title was announced in the Herzogian* style, so that the film is now known as My Son, My Son, What HEFF Ye Done?

Herzog was the originator of the philosophy that life on Earth exists only of Chaos, disharmony, and murder, an observation made in Grizzly Man. Herzog also managed to find - in Encounters At The End Of The World - the one "psycho penguin" that left the rest of the flock that were headed towards the food source, and instead struck out on its own across Antarctica. "There is nothing that way but death," Herzog intones (and Mark impersonates). "And yet, he seems happy."

* Amazingly, this term is part of Mark's lexicon.