Mark Lee and Kumar: Double the trouble, double the fun

The two stars of local comedy have worked together many times before, and coming together on Double Trouble is merely a continuation of their history rather than a first. “It’s so natural and easy to work with Mark,” Kumar said.

Mark chimed in: “Whatever I need or want to say, he already say.”

“And whatever I want to say, he already say,” Kumar went on.

Despite what you may think, neither is an attention hog. “There are a lot of people with experience, but they like to steal the limelight,” Kumar said. “For me it’s ‘you take, you take lah, it's OK lah,’ because we've come to a point where—”

“We still got a lot (of the attention),” Mark offered.

Mark and Kumar tackle a long list of contemporary and Singaporean issues head-on, including youth culture, the Singaporean pastime of complaining, being addicted to electronic gadgets, the long hours schoolchildren spend in tuition classes, and bullying on social media.

And they have help from some of the biggest names in local entertainment — host Gurmit Singh; actors Joshua Tan, Wang Weiliang and Tosh Zhang; 987FM DJ Tabitha Nauser; Janice and Elliot (from the team behind the YouTube channel TreePotatoes); video parody stars Munah and Hirzi; and more.

Besides returning to the small screen hosting Channel 5’s memory game show Don’t Forget to Remember (which premieres tonight), Gurmit makes an appearance in Double Trouble in the episode ‘Are You Judgmental,’ in which he leads Mark and Kumar through a mall to be critiqued by complete strangers based on nothing but their looks and the first impression they give.

You have to watch this because: It’s Gurmit. And we won’t deny we’re looking forward to seeing Mark and Kumar, known for their sharp tongues, be on the receiving end of comments good and bad and bizarre.

Don’t Forget to Remember debuts May 9, 7.30 p.m. on Channel 5.

Related:
Gurmit Singh: In 2 weeks or more I won’t remember you

The brains behind musical parody YouTube channel MunahHirziOfficial bring their madcap brand of comedy to Double Trouble in the episode ‘Stress Mess.’ Actors and social media personalities Munah Bagharib and Hirzi Zulkiflie, both 27, join Mark and Kumar in dishing out not-so-helpful advice on resolving the stressful situations Singaporeans often face, from parking woes to pressure from mounting schoolwork.

You have to watch this because: Munah and Hirzi are such an entertaining duo — their 10-year friendship, which began in Temasek Polytechnic, definitely shows through their act.

When this third-generation Ah Beng (his words, not ours) meets his senior Mark in the episode ‘Make(Me)Over — Ah Beng Edition,’ Beng sparks fly. And together, these fairy Beng-fathers work their magic on 25-year-old actor–model Kasimir Poh Cieslak, transforming him from a too-mature youngster into what they consider a 2016 Ah Beng. Does it work? You be the judge.

You have to watch this because: It’s a barrel of laughs. Plus you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to look the part of the tough-on-the-outside-but-mush-on-the-inside local icon.

Wang Weiliang’s Ah Boys to Men co-star steps in as a leading expert on youth culture and slang, and in the episode ‘Trending Now’ he coaches Mark and Kumar, both 47, on the hippest terms teens use these days. Mark and Kumar then practise their new vocabulary on unfortunate passers-by.

You have to watch this because: It’s like watching your parents or older relatives struggle to comprehend expressions such as ‘bae’ or ‘Bye, Felicia’ and use them correctly in conversation, but way better.