Spinal Tap have never had much luck with drummers.
As fans of the parody British rock band will know, their original sticksman, John "Stumpy" Pepys, died in what was described in the original 1984 mockumentary as "a bizarre gardening accident".
His replacement, Eric "Stumpy Joe" Childs, fared no better. He died having choked on (someone else's) vomit, while the next man behind the kit, Peter "James" Bond, also perished in mysterious circumstances. He exploded on stage, taking the rock 'n' roll death cliche to its natural comic conclusion.
Now, more than 40 years after the release of This Is Spinal Tap - the film that would go on to inspire many other deadpan, fake documentaries including The Office - the band are back together for a sequel which finds them in search of a new drummer, to help them fulfil a freshly triggered contractual obligation: one last gig in New Orleans.
"We looked everywhere [for a drummer] but people knew our history somehow and they said, 'no thank you'," says frontman David St Hubbins, played by Michael McKean, but speaking to us in character alongside his two bandmates.
