Will Smith declares Phoenix Nights' Black Bin Bags parody 'genius'
Hollywood star hears the Jerry St. Clair version for the first time
Will Smith has heard the Phoenix Nights parody of Men In Black for the first time – and declared it ‘genius’.
In Peter Kay’s sitcom, co-writer Dave Spikey’s Jerry St. Clair gets a job in a supermarket, where he sings ‘Black Bin Bags’ to the tune of the Hollywood star’s movie soundtrack.
But Smith had never heard this comedy version – until he appeared on Chris Moyles’s Radio X breakfast show this morning.
The DJ explained: ‘So, in the UK there was a TV show 20 years ago, maybe, and there was a singer in like a club, and then he ended up just having to take a job anywhere, and he was singing in a supermarket.
‘And they did a version of that track to do with what we would call garbage bags – black bin bags. Okay? And if you've never seen it, I have to show it to you, because you should see this at least, because I'd love to get your take on it.’
He then played in the clip from the Channel 4 comedy of Spikey singing: "Come get your black big bags / They’re on offer ‘til December / Come get your black bin bags / They’re long and black and slender…’
‘That’s very, very funny!,’ Smith declared. ‘That’s genius.’
Watch his reaction here:
In the same interview,Smith admitted that he had no idea that the title of his 1997 debut album Big Willie Style had a rude double meaning in the UK
‘You know, I didn't know that was a thing when I called my album that? I did not know. Because that's not what we say in the United States. And I just remember the looks on people's faces when I was coming in, and my album was called Big Willie Style.’
Moyles said: ‘We loved it’, suggesting people bought it for the title alone. 'The fact that there were decent tracks on it was a bonus,' he added.
• The Chris Moyles Show is on Radio X weekdays from 6:30am to 10am and on Global Player.
Published: 13 Jun 2025
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