Which is: Rik Mayall's new sitcom. A follow-up to The New Statesman.
When: Recorded at 7:15pm on 27th June 2002. To be broadcast later in the year.
Where: Teddington Studios (Home of Thames Television), Teddington. Ten minutes from BR station.
Starring: Rik Mayall, Michael Maloney, Emily Bruni (series), Kenneth Cranham, Mike McShane, Melvyn Bragg (episode).
Time Queuing: Twenty minutes or so.
And the Audience? Predominantly young, predominatly girls. Mayall's popularity with the fairer sex is seemingly holding up.
Studio Staff Rating: Not bad, except the warm-up man, who was not very funny. His name was Ray Turner, and his obsession with repeatedly referring to the Forest of Dean just because some members of the audience came from there was truly terrible. Some jokes would have helped him, but he didn't seem to know any. The floor manager was more entertaining.
Actual Shooting: A very protracted business, as the episode structure was pretty complex and the actors didn't seem that well rehearsed. Rik Mayall, particularly, kept fluffing his lines and needed his longer speeches written up on Brando-style display cards. I hope this is not related to his quad-bike accident of a few years ago. Having said that, Mayall, was wonderfully entertaining throughout, a consumate showman. This series is based on the idea that he plays a top academic called Adonis Cnut (pronounced "Canute"), and this episode was the last in the series. Maloney portrays his faithful Butler, Albumen.
The script, By Marks and Gran didn't really deserve so much talent, as it was mildy amusing at best. Their early episodes of New Statesman were okay, but they then went on to create that watermark of televisual awfulness, Birds of a Feather, and Believe Nothing by no means restores all that lost credibility. At one point, Mayall said "Marks and Gran are in tonight. The bastards! And I mean that." I rather hope that he did.
At the end of the proceedings we were shown a couple of scenes from other episodes that were so out of context as to make very little sense. It was well gone ten o'clock by this time, and everyone was keen to get off home. Except Rik's legion of female admirers, who swarmed up to him afterwards, obviously.
Misc: Teddington is a really cool place. The Studios are right next to a fine riverside pub called The Anglers. There are lots of other nice-looking eating and drinking places there too.
Where to get tickets: Well, mine came through Standing Room Only, but as all the first series is now in the can, you'll have to wait and see whether it comes back. Given the rest of ITV's comedy output, I'd be surprised if they let this one go...
Which Is: A chat show broadcast three times a week on both BBC 1 and BBC Choice.
When: Recorded at 6.30pm on 26th February 2002, and transmitted later that night.
Where: The BBC Television Studios. Nearest tube is White City, and from there it's only a couple of minutes walk.
Starring: Johnny Vaughan, Bjork and Winter Olympic Bronze Medal winner Alex Coomber, Christian Vaughan and the Nepotists.
Time Queuing: None to get in to the studios, but about twenty minutes time was spent waiting to be seated.
And The Audience? A mix of 16-30 year olds, with slightly more females present than males, plus the odd older person.
Studio Staff Rating: Very good. Polite, friendly etc. The warm up man, Gordon Southern, was reasonably funny (at least when compared to the majority of warm up men) and got the crowd suitably excited before shooting began. Producer Paul Ross came out to introduce Johnny, and to try and persuade people to come back tomorrow eve for the final show before a two month break. Despite extreme dislike of the man, gc(uk) decided against murdering him (I know, I know, a real missed opportunity).
Actual Shooting: This was the shortest recording we've reported on so far, with
Bjork was the first guest up, nervous as always, and firstly performed her latest single Cocoon, with only a couple of music box's for backing, which the audience (well, those around me, anyway) really struggled not to laugh through, with Vaughan himself looking a tad bored for the only time in the episode.
The interview was weak, though responsibility for this must go to Bjork, who gave mostly short answers that just weren't that interesting. The second guest, Bronze medallist Alex Coomber was far more fun, talking about her recent 'win' at the Winter Olympics. Far more on the ball than Bjork, and full of bizarre stories (inc. a great one on Athletes sexual drives), she made the episode worthwhile of your viewing time.
As previously mentioned, compared to the broadcast version, there were virtually no differences, other than a few asides Vaughan made to the audience (one relating to an overexcited audience member where Vaughan pretended to call Security) and a moment where Johnny called his cousin 'a little shit' was sadly not featured either.
Johnny Vaughan Tonight isn't something worth travelling too far for, mainly because of it's relatively short duration, but for those who live in and around London it makes for an enjoyable early evening experience.
Misc: The show is taking a couple of months break from Wednesday, but will return prior to the Summer. Whilst chatting to the audience, Paul Ross claimed that Vaughan's failure of a sitcom 'Orrible was returning in the Autumn for a further 22 episodes. And it didn't look like he was joking - though we pray that this is so.
Where To Get Tickets: When the show returns later in the Spring, tickets will be available through Standing Room Only on 020 8870 0111.
Which Is: ‘All about putting things right in life’ accord to the press release. Basically put, it’s a light entertainment show which aims to bring an end to various members of the public’s problems. Very similar to Simon Mayo’s Confessions prog. shown a few years back.
When: Recorded on 26th June 2001, due to be transmitted in late August.
Where: The London Studios, Waterloo.
Starring: Davina McCall and Big Brother’s Anna Nolan.
Time Queuing: About twenty minutes, but as it was a gorgeously hot summers eve no one seemed to mind.
And the audience? Mostly female, 16-24, with the odd older person.
Studio Staff Rating: Very good. Polite, friendly etc. Apart from the warm up man who was sadly terrible, relying on insulting members of the audience for laughs, with the majority of his jokes still falling flat.
Actual Shooting: Lasted about an hour and a half for what I would guess is a forty minute programme. There were only a few reshoots needed and these tended to be refreshingly brief. During any breaks in filming the warm up man attempted (but failed) to entertain the audience. Davina was fun throughout
However, the actual programme itself was pretty weak. We were at the recording of the final episode (show 9) so maybe they’d just run out of decent guests, but the two first tale of a girl who’d been responsible for having her friends kicked out of a hotel whilst in Ibiza was trivial in the extreme. Next up were new girl band ‘Super Sister’ with some tediously jokey story about a borrowed dress being ripped in the throes of passion, before a couple who had split up two weeks previously were re-united on the show without need, especially considering that the boyfriend had already bough tickets to travel to see her the following Thursday. And despite Davina’s claims, Closure wasn’t really found in either case.
We sadly didn’t get to see how Anna Nolan fared in her first proper tv presenting role due to the fact that she presents an outside broadcast segment each week which was yet to be filmed.
The programme ended with a mimed version of Super Sister’s latest (first?) single ‘Shopping’, which even by manufactured pop standards was pretty piss poor.
Overall the show just didn’t quite gel together, despite Davina’s charm and general good humour, being far too gimmicky and without any real depth, and I can’t imagine I’ll ever make an effort to catch it.
Misc: Closure was finally shown on BBC Choice in October 2001.
Where To Get Tickets: Through Powerhouse Tv at: www.powerhousetv.co.uk/
Which Is? A celebrity version of the hit reality tv game show.
Starring: Jack Dee, Keith Duffy, Claire Sweeney, Davina McCall
When? Friday 16th March, 2001
Where? Bow, East London.
Time Spent Queuing: Half an hour.
And The Audience? Were young, between 16-20. Very excitable, despite the bad weather
Staff Rating: Good.
Actual Shooting: Was almost identical to when we saw the original Big Brother show being filmed. Taking place during Comic Releif evening, we had to stand in the freezing cold (and rain), and only about five minutes out of every hour did anything actually happen (either an eviction from the house, or a brief conversation with the housemates).. Still, a warm up man entertained the crowd throughout the evening, and Davina constantly popped up to perk things up a little. The evening came to an aprupt end when Jack left the house and was whisked off in a limousine to the comic relief studios.
How To Get Tickets? You can get tickets for the second series of Big Brother through Powerhouse tv.
Which is? Channel Five's celebrity karaoke gameshow. We were at the filming of the Halloween Special - hilariously retitled 'Fright Fever'.
When: Sunday 8th October. 8pm.
Starring? Suggs, Kieron Elliot, Danielle Nicholls, Lionel Blair, Jeremy Northam, Andy and Claire from Big Brother, Spider from Coronation Street (Martin Hancock), Mystic Meg, and various cast members from Hollyoaks, London's Burning, Brookside and Holby City whose names I sadly can't remember...
Time Spent Queuing? None. We went straight in to the studios and were led to the set of Meet Ricky Gervais (which was still partially built) where free alcohol was given out and you had the chance to partake in some karaoke. After about 30 minutes we were led in to the main studio.
Studio Staff Rating: good. Friendly and helpful.
And the Audience? Despite the ticket claiming that the age restriction was 18 - 35- there were a fair amount of (slightly intoxicated) 14- 18 year olds and the odd 'elderly' person too. The audience were roughly 80% female and 20% male, and the camera men were attracted to anyone showing a large amount of cleavage. As it was a halloween special the majority of the audience were dressed up as either witches/vampires/rocky horror show characters or (bizarrely) cowboys/girls.
Actual Shooting: Was painful. Very, very painful. This is without doubt the worst show that we've covered so far in Audience Participation, as it is extremly mindless entertainment and little fun unless you are obsessed by karaoke. There were very few screw ups, but a fair few gaps during filming. Unusually for this sort of thing, any footage shot outside the studio wasnt shown to us - possibly as it is yet to be filmed. The b-list celebrities did their best to enliven proceedings, but ultimately I was extremly pleased to escape from the studio at the end of filming. It all took about two hours to film, during which time about ten songs were sung (including Ghostbusters, Spirit in the Sky, Torn, Don't You Want Me Baby, and Knowing Me Knowing You). Some of the b-list celebs could sing - some, like Andy from Big Brother, were slightly embarrassing.
Misc: It's pretty obvious that the show is fixed and that the scoring is decided before filming begins - but in this kind of show it hardly matters. They film two different versions of each show, one at 5pm the other at 8pm. If you partake in the karaoke session before the show begins you may be spotted by the producers and have the chance to become the karaoke king and queen - audience members who were through to the final ten were told before filming began that they might be chosen and to 'large it' if they are chosen/the camera is on them.
How To Tickets: Again through Powerhouse Tv, who also do tickets for a lot other well known shows, including Who WantsTo Be A Millionaire and CD:UK...
Which is? C4's hit gameshow featuring 10 people in a house for 10 weeks. But then you knew, that, obviously.
When: Friday 18th August. Eleven pm.
Starring? Davina McCall, Nichola, Thomas, Melanie, Craig, Darren, Anna.
Where? 3 Mills Studios, Near Hackney
Time Spent Queuing? Well you can go to the onsite bar pretty early and drink before hand, so its kind of up to you. Worth wondering over to the barriers near the infamous 'walk of shame' ten minutes before the show starts to get a good place.
And the Audience? Young. 16-24 at a guess.
Actual Shooting: Is pretty brief. Firstly, after about eight minutes, Davina leaves the studio, up the walk of shame, briefly commenting/talking to the crowd before going to the house to welcome the evicted participant (in this weeks case Nichola). They then run back to the studio, Nichola greets her friends and family, and then its the first advert break. Then the only thing after that is when the show ends and Davina runs up the walk of shame again, chatting to the audience. But what it makes fun is that you can watch the whole show on a huge tv screen outside the studio, and the warm up man is pretty entertaining throughout too, getting an already drunk and excited crowd even more buoyant. Alcohol definitely makes the whole experience more enjoyable, too.
Misc: Not much else to say really. Just a shame that Nicholas didn't make a special guest appearance....
How To Tickets: Through Powerhouse Tv, who also do tickets for a lot other well known shows, including Who WantsTo Be A Millionaire and CD:UK...
Which Is? A new sitcom based around Al Murray’s character The Pub Landlord, to be shown on Sky One.
When? Thursday 27th July. The show is due to be shown in August/September.
Starring? Al Murray, Phil Daniels, Julia Sawalha, Jason Freeman, Rebecca Front
Where? The London Studio’s, South Bank
Time Queuing Outside Studios? None. We had priority tickets, and were led in to The London Studio’s bar, where every gentleman was given a bottle of beer, and every lady a glass of wine. Then waited about half an hour before being taken in to the studio.
And The Audience? Young, mostly, between 18-30, though there was ten year old child (whom Al Murray talked to for a while pre-shooting), and a couple of the older generation.
Studio Staff Rating: Good. Polite and friendly. However, warm up man Geoff Stephenson was terrible, relying on asking the audience lots of questions that fell very flat, and telling jokes straight out of Working Men Clubs. Half way through he realised he was dying on his feet, repeatedly mentioned the fact, and this encouraged a fair few hecklers who were much funnier than him.
Actual Shooting? Lasted about an hour and a half, and was very funny. This was the fourth episode to be shot, but will be the second to be screened, and revolved around Al Murray’s character, The Pub Landlord, being forced to hold a gay theme night in his pub, The Snug. Only two sets were used, the pub itself and Murray’s bedroom, but it looked like a lot of money had been spent on the show. Al Murray was extremely funny, and the supporting cast held things together admirably too. Special
The show could have been offensive, but wasn’t due to the quality of writing (the show is co-written by Richard Herring and Murray himself), and dealt well with the admittedly thorny subject of homophobia. The first scene (about five minutes long) needed to be reshot completely, but after that only certain sections of scenes, and in some cases just one line, needed reshoots, and the time went extremly quickly.
Misc.? Al Murray was extremly friendly, performing about ten minutes of stand up before shooting commenced, and coming up with great lines every time something went wrong or Julia Sawalha burst in to laughter (which happened a fair few times). His bathroom decorator, Dave, was in the audience too, which led to a fair few laughs too.
How To Get Tickets? There are only a couple of shows left to film, so you’re probably out of luck, but I found out about the show through the Lee and Herring website at: http://www.leeandherring.com/
For the second page of Audience Participation, which includes reports on Have I Got News For You, The Mark Thomas Product, The Harry Hill Show, Blind Date, Trisha, The 11 O'Clock Show and more, click here.
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