Starring: Daisy Donovan and Iain Lee with Paul Garner, Alex Lowe, Peter Piper and Nick Leeson.
When: Tuesday February 29, 2000
Where: The London Television Studios, South Bank, London.
Time Spent Queuing: 5 minutes, because they opened the doors late. It was very cold and very windy.
And the Audience: Mostly twenty somethings, around two thirds male, which is apparently a slightly higher proportion than normal.
Staff Rating: Good, but priority ticket holders were apparently supposed to get choice of seats, but we got told where to sit.
Time Recording: 1 hour (broadcast is around 25 minutes)
Actual Shooting: Excellent. Very funny, and all of the crew provide plenty of laughs in filming breaks and after mistakes (which is often, although Daisy is making fewer mistakes now). Junior Simpson is the warm up man and provides plenty of pre show and occasionally mid show entertainment. A memorable line he came
Junior actually rarely touches on the racial act when he is not on TV. Iain Lee made one very distasteful remark towards whilst awaiting Nick Leeson’s entrance: “Why are we waiting for baldie?”
Nick Leeson of course has/is suffered from cancer. Iain did make a very big effort to apologise when he had realised what he had said. There was a woman from Iain Lee’s street interview that provided much laughter from the audience and comments from both Daisy and Junior. Thoroughly enjoyable show, and definitely worth the 400 mile round trip from Staffordshire.
Misc: I was hoping to get a better photo with a certain Miss Donovan to make up for the chopping of top of head malarkey by the fool who took the photo back before Christmas. However, Iain disappeared straight away, and Daisy soon followed. To be fair to her though, there did not appear to be anyone who was going to stay behind to get any souvenirs anyway. I was to far back really to do much about it. Because the show is written, performed, edited and broadcast in one day, there is very little chance for rehearsal and learning lines. Hence, Daisy said at the start of the show that even she and Iain don’t know a lot of the stuff that they will be doing, but she said not to worry, as it will be ‘great’, but some shows are a bit ‘shit’ but she knows this one will be ‘great’. So for those who moan about how Daisy and Iain often laugh at their own jokes, now you know why. They often don’t know what is coming.
For Tickets: Contact the great people at Standing Room Only on 0181 – 870 0110. SRO will send you priority tickets (guaranteeing you entry) if you live far enough from London. For those in or around London, get there early to avoid the potential disappointment from not being let in. All shows are always oversubscribed to ensure a full studio.
Whic Is: A chat show specialising in, um, how can I put this kindly, slightly kitsch guests.
When: It was shot 16th February, and Broadcast on the 18th of February.
Starring: Graham Norton, Catherine Deneuve, Zandra Rhodes
Where:The London Studio’s, on the South Bank.
Time Spent Queuing: About 25 minutes in the bitterly freezing cold.
And the Audience: Were generally very young, and excitable.
Studio Staff Rating: Good. Polite and helpful.
Actual Shooting: Lasted almost two hours, and is good fun. Few retakes, and only one small fuck up, it was just two hours of amusing chat from one of Britain's finest. Catherine Deneuve’s interview lasted almost an hour, and was a little dull from time to time due to her misunderstanding a few of Graham’s questions, and a lot of his innuendo, but it was certainly interesting to see an ‘icon’ on the show. As you may guess, much of it will be cut for final broadcast (which I’ve yet to see, as I’m writing this the day before it’s shown).
It’s been suggested that the people involved in the audience participation section are ‘planted’ but this isn’t true. Whilst waiting outside in the cold we were given a questionnaire to fill in with five questions. 1) Do you have a tatoo, if so why and where? 2) Have you ever made a funny/odd noise during sex? 3) Have you ever hurt yourself during sex? 4) Have you ever worn anything odd/peculiar during sex? 5) If so, what was your partner’s response to this? They went with question 3, and 5 people told stories during this section, though it’s doubtful if all five will be shown.
How To Get Tickets: From Standing Room only, the phone number of which can be found elsewhere on this page….
Which Is: Satrical topical comedy news show. Thrice weekly. Except this is the Christmas Special (and the last this series).
When: Thursday 16th December, to air on Wednesday 22nd December at 11:40pm.
Starring: Iain Lee and Daisy Donovan with appearances from Robin Ince, James, Ricky Gervais, Frank Carson, Danny Boyle, Paul Garner and a Tommy Vance voiceover, and exclusive to the studio audience, Sacha Baron Cohen.
Where: London Television Studios, South Bank, London.
Time Spent Queuing: 20 minutes in the cold, mainly because I arrived early, despite having priority tickets. Although they did open the doors 5 minutes late. Still, those with priority tickets were given free drinks and mince pies, even before doors opened.
Actual Shooting: Brilliant. As an avid fan of the show, this is an experience I will not forget for a long time. Priority seating ensured I sat near the front (as it was, the very front). Iain and Daisy are funny off camera, especially when one of team makes a mistake. Frank Carson was excellent, he was telling gags all night long, during breaks in filming. Robin Ince, the John Peel a like acts as warm up man, and is actually quite funny. James played twice, but to be honest, I wasn't paying them much attention first time round as Daisy was standing directly beneath me. She proved to be a big distraction! Iain Lee made a number of reports from Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Gallileo. The Best of The Angel of Delight was shown. And finally, after filming the show, as a treat for the studio audience, they showed us Ali G's Alternative Christmas Day Message, and this is Ali G at his best. Even Daisy was in hysterics directly beneath me (I seemed to end up with the best seat!) For more, see the TV Comments page.
Misc.: Sun columnist Ally Ross was believed to have been in the audience, but I don't know for sure. He has done a brief comment on the show in his column on Saturday 18th though. Daisy Donovan looks good on TV, and she looks even better in the flesh. She's very nice too; she shook everyone's hand on the front row when she made her studio entrance (not TV entrance- there's a big difference), and spent around 10 minutes after the show posing for photographs, signing autographs and thanking everyone individually for coming who approached her. Lovely touch by a lovely lady. Iain Lee didn't bother, he mysteriously disappeared. Either that, or no one wanted anything from him!
HOW TO GET TICKETS: Contact the great people at Standing Room Only, who sent me priority tickets because I had to travel down from North Staffordshire (a 415 mile round trip). Contact infomation is at the Box Office page on Channel 4's website, www.channel4.com New series starts sometime in February. Priority tickets will only usually get sent out to friends or relatives of the crew, and to those who will have to travel a long way to see the show. And if you want tickets, book early. I asked for tickets in mid October (just before the series started), and they only had the Christmas Special left with spaces.
Whic Is: ITV's dating show, now in it's fifteenth year
When: December 2000.
Starring: Cilla Black, 10 desperate teenagers/twenty-somethings.
Where: The London Television Studio's on the South Bank.
Time Queuing: None, due to the fact that we (along with about 70 others) were turned away from The 11 o clock show. Fortunately we stayed around for ten minutes and blagged tickets to see Blind Date. We were rushed in just as soon as the superb warm up man, Ted Robbins, was brining his 'set' to a close.
And the Audience? Young. Starting from about fifteen, up to about twenty five. A few elderly people too. And mostly female and quite attractive.
Staff Rating: Excellent. Polite, helpful everything you could want. And warm up man Ted Robbins holds everything together extremely well.
Actual Shooting: Was far more enjoyable then it had any right to be. Robbins told jokes and took the piss out of the contestants as soon as filming was finished, it rarely dragged, lasted two hours, and, all in all, was an enjoyable night out. Cilla seems very genuine, and everyone their seemed to enjoy themselves a lot.
Misc. Ok, Blind Date Revealed - No.1 The audience is actively discouraged from giving any indication of who they think the picker should chose. Warm up man Robbins goes to the front of the audience to make sure no one makes any signs etc. No.2 - The answers seem very scripted. One chap who kept fluffing his line was given a simpler, shorter version to read. Presumably like so many Boybands records, they're co-written by an employee at BD. No.3- You don't get to see Graham. Does anyone know what he looks like? No.4 Cilla asks the audience, very sweetly, to laugh at whatever the contestants say even if it seems a) mad, b) confusing or c)simply not funny. Robbins has a very loud laugh and often started off the laughter/clapping at the beginning, though the audience didn't need much encouragement as the show continued
How to get Tickets: Ah. As we didn't actually arrange this and it only happened by chance, we don't know. Shall update this article as soon as we know.
Which Is?: Topical/Political Standup.
When: Shot 17th October, Broadcast: 19th October.
Starring: Mark Thomas
Where:The Bedford Arms, Bedford.
Time Queuing Outside Studio: About 10 minutes outside, 1/2 an hour in nice warm pub.
And the Audience?: Were a mixture of young student types and older, almost sophisticated types. Very little heckling from the audience who are able to buy drinks at the bar (before shooting). A feeling of respect for Mr Thomas.
Studio Staff Rating: Ok. The Standing Room Only representative at the pub seemed bored and annoyed with it all, but the studio staff were all reasonably polite and brief.
Actual Shooting: Lasted an hour, and is excellent. No retakes, no fuck ups, just a (free) hour of excellent material from one of Britain's finest. I could rave for hours about Mark Thomas, but I'll be brief. Watch his show when it returns in January, and if you're local, definitely go and see him.
Misc: Mark actually records two versions of the show, and broadcasts a mix of both.
How To Get Tickets: From His Website. Again, the address is in the links section.
Which Is: Comedy. A mix of stand up and sketches.
When: 8th October, 1999.
Starring: Harry Hill, Burt Kwouk, Al Murray.
Where: Teddington Studio's, Teddington.
Time Queuing outside Studio: About 50 minutes. And it was cold. Very cold.
And the Audience: Again, mostly young, but there were a few 'middle classed' oldish people around, including one annoying chap (about 50) who throughout exclaimed to his son 'I don't understand this, nooo, I don't understand this at all.' Laughter didn't seem too forced, even on the third or so take.
Studio Staff Rating: Again, Polite, nice etc.
Actual Shooting: Took a fair while. Nearly every sketch needed at least one extra take, but at least Harry was entertaining when he screwed up, and told jokes during any extra time (normally variations on 'Types of Cobblers' , ah, I guess you had to be there). Harry's singing voice was surprisingly weak.
Misc.:Richard Herring was spotted in the audience. Laughing an awful lot.
How To Get Tickets: Unknown.
Which Is: An annoying 'UK Springer lite' chat show.
When:JUNE '99
Starring: Trisha Goddard.
Where: Anglia Studio's, Norwich.
Time Queuing Outside Studio: None. A nice bus drove us from Cambridge to Norwich and we were taken in to the studio straight away. Nice.
And the Audience: Were either students from Cambridge or Pensioners from various homes. The old outnumbered the new.
Studio Staff Rating: Poor. During ad breaks they 'encourage' people to ask questions. Politely during the first ad break, slightly angrily in the second, and 'almost nastily' during the third, uttering such nonsense as 'I don't know why you bothered to come if you're not going to take part'. Comedy.
Actual Shooting: Was oh so boring. Our show, about 'Couples in Crisis' featured four young couples arguing about nothing, nothing at all. But the great thing about Trisha is that you can get up and say anything at all. Hence during the third part I got to annoy one of the blokes by telling him he needed to grow up etc. blah blah blah, who got annoyed with me and started an argument. That part was sadly cut from broadcast.
Misc.: Trisha is as patronising when the cameras aren't rolling, as when they are!
How To Get Tickets: Friends of mine were approached in Cambridge City Center...
Which Was? A Sunday afternoon Live Comedy show. on BBC2
When: May '99
Starring: Richard Lee and Stuart Herring. And the Curious Orange.
Where: Riverside Studio's, Hammersmith, London.
Time Queuing Outside The Studio: None. 1/2 an hour was spent in a nice studio cafe/bar before filming. A 'bonus'.
And the Audience: Were young. Mainly 16 - 20somethings. Seemed excited to be here. No one wanted to sit in the front row, which turned out to be a good idea as the
Studio Staff Rating: Good. Nice, Polite, and no one got arsey.
Actual Shooting: Was very entertaining. As the show is live the audience (obviously) don't have to sit through endless re-takes etc, as when they fluff their lines they have to incorporate it. Which is nice. A mix of stand up material and pre-recorded sketches, the show was good fun, and well worth the trip. Added amusement can be found from watching actors hide behind sofa's, walls, doorways etc. during filming.
Misc.: Lee and Herring are decent chaps who chat to the audience a little before and after recording. There's a bar at the studio too. What else are you going to do on a Sunday afternoon? Bar sleep?
How To Get Tickets: Last Series they advertised a phone number and web address after the show.
Which Was: A hilarious Sitcom about a french teacher
When: 1995.
Starring: Ex-Young One Nigel Planer And, conveniantly, my Uncle, Robert Gillespie.
Where: London.
Time Spent Queuing: None. Wow.
And the Audience: Were older than most described in this article. A mix of 20's - 60's.
Studio Staff Rating: Good.
Actual Shooting: Was okay. Several scenes needed to be reshot, some actors occasionally needed five or so takes to get a line right, and the audience struggled to laugh quite so loudly fifth time round.It was funnier than it had any right to be.
Misc.: Afterwards we met Nigel Planer. My Sister terrified him by asking a bizarre question about a pot plant from an episode of the Young Ones. We later learnt that few of the his fellow actors on the show actually liked him.
How to get Tickets: The show, shockingly, only lasted one series.
Which Is? The famous 'Topical News Comedy Panel Show'
When: November 1995
Starring: The familiar Merton, Hislop and Deyton team, plus guests Bob 'In Bed With Medinner' Mills and Scottish MP Alexander Salmond.
Where:The London Studios, LWT, Upper Ground, London.
Time Queuing Outside The Studio: About 45 minutes, but mulled wine was served, so not to bad.
And the Audience: Were quite young 16-25 year olds, generally quite amused, not too much forced laughter at all, with no one obviously attempting to draw
Studio Staff Rating: Average.
Actual Shooting: Lasted about an hour, and you pretty much get what you see in the final product, except a few of the less funny jokes are cut. Paul Merton is genuinely very funny and nearly everything he says makes it to the final show. Ditto Hislop. Bob Mills seemed quite comfortable, and out of all the guests, the Scottish Mp was cut the most, and for good reason.
Misc.: Chris Evans was spotted lurking by the side of the audience, presumably looking out for decent material to steal for TFI Friday.
How To Get Tickets: Unknown. Update soon.
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