Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown
Encyclopedia
The Ministry of Mayhem was a CITV
show which broadcast on the ITV
Network from January 2004. As of January 2006, the onscreen name was Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown. It was the last regular studio-based Saturday morning show on ITV.
. It was first broadcast after SMTV Live
, its predecessor, came to an end. The first episode was broadcast on 10 January 2004. It was usually shown every Saturday on terrestrial television and was popular with many pre-teens. It included some conventional television aspects, such as an in-studio audience who see all of the programmes shown on the show, yet has been noted for some of its more peculiar characteristics. These included seeing how far different celebrities can flip a cake into the air from a skateboard, a game known as "Cakey SK8" - and a Gunge
Tank.
It was originally presented by Stephen Mulhern
, Holly Willoughby
& Michael Underwood
, along with Ray Griffiths as "Ray, Head Of Security" and Peter Cocks as "The Doctor", Karl Sedgwick, Robert Duncombe and Mark Dandridge as the "Agents Of Mayhem" and Laura Tilli & Jessica Tilli as "Tina and Gina" who supposedly answered phones. Dandridge and Duncombe were later replaced as Agents by Sean Douglas, Paul Litchfield and Colin Ash.
The theme tune was provided by little-known boyband The Noise Next Door
and can be found as a b-side to their debut single Lock Up Ya Daughters.
The show was produced at The Maidstone Studios
by The Foundation, working initially in partnership with Carlton Television
. After Carlton and Granada merged in 2004 to form ITV plc
, all Carlton productions were switched to run under the Granada name, thus MOM became a Foundation-Granada production. From 2006, Granada programmes for ITV were branded ITV Productions, and so MOM became an ITV Productions-The Foundation production for the remainder of its run.
as "Miss Butthaven", however it was dropped after a short period of time.
Not long after this, Underwood joined GMTV
's Entertainment Today programme.
& John Eccleston
. They are virtual recreations of their past characters- "Bro & Bro", the wolves, who they played on former Saturday Morning show What's Up Doc?
between 1992 and 1995, and spin-off series Wolf It
between 1993 and 1996. Their introduction was fairly built up as initially viewers were asked to guess what was in a large box, which eventually was revealed to contain the hyenas. There then followed the process of naming the Hyenas, with their eventual names being chosen by the viewers. Towards the end of the series, the hyenas took up residence making their own home in a small set located under the tiered seating.
Another new character was also added, Mr. Lee (played by Vincent Wong), who originally only had a small role in the game 'Name That Tone, but soon after became a regular, with his own theme tune. In September 2005 MoM got another new addition in the form of a real puppy. This puppy later was named Snowy. After the show's format was changed to Saturday Showdown, Snowy was rarely seen on our screens until Snowy came back on the final show grown to full size.
The show was set in Holly & Stephen's 'flat'. The idea of the show was that kids called in for competitions and if the winner was a boy 10 points go to the boys team and vice versa. Two teams were brought into the house every week and competed for points and prizes. Ray, Scratch and Sniff the Hyenas and Snowy the dog remained from before the revamp. The most noticeable character absences were The Doc and Mr. Lee. The new format introduced a new character; Wallace, a rapping child who lives in the closet; however he disappeared after the first episode.
On Saturday 11 March 2006, the show was the first programme to be seen on the finally awaited CITV
channel with Holly & Stephen launching the channel with a party at the start. It also was the day it launched Saturday Showdown Extra, which would be shown only on the channel from 11.30am to 12noon. The 'Extra' programme was axed when the main show was axed off ITV in July.
It's notable that in all but 3 editions, Sniff only appeared in the "Dodge Dolly's Balls" segment of the show, which has led to speculation that, despite having the appearance of a live phone-in game, this segment was actually pre-recorded. After the game ended, Sniff was not seen until the final show on the 1st July 2006.
who performed their debut single I'm Not Shy and had appeared the previous week too.
It is currently unknown if there will be any replacement Saturday morning show. The Foundation are unsure of what will be replacing it, hinting that they may not be involved if a replacement is made. From 8 July there are cartoons under the name of "2N BAS3" which means Toon Base scheduled in the Saturday Showdowns time slot. The last show not only marked the end of Saturday Showdown but the end of an era for children's Saturday morning shows on the ITV network ever since Tiswas
began in 1974.
scientist and 1970s throwback from the University of Brighton, played by Peter Cocks. Although nowadays he's never referred to by name, in an early edition of the show, he revealed his surname to be Undgoggles, presumably making his first name Helmut. The Doc is usually accompanied by Stephen (as a lab-hand) for this part of the show, and the two attempt a simple experiment in order to demonstrate some scientific principle; the Doc also tries to incapacitate Stephen with laughter (and has succeeded on several occasions) by laying on thick innuendo
, as well as comedic hints towards homosexuality and Nazism, much to the hilarity of adult viewers. At one of least experiments has resulted in a complaint to OFCOM
being upheld for fear that it would encourage children to imitate a dangerous procedure.
The original Lab was a plain white room located somewhere in the large studio. Post revamp it occupied a fairly large part of the studio in an enclosed set. However, to make room for a new seated area within the enclosed set, and larger outdoor-oriented experiments, the Lab was reduced to at least half its original size and equipped with a cupboard that acted as a portal to the outdoors for larger experiments.
When the programme was renamed Saturday Showdown, the show no longer had the Doc or his lab. Though on the 18th March 2006, the Doc made a surprise appearance at the end of the main show. The part went as follows: Just as Holly and Stephen are about to say goodbye, Stephen found a German towel. They both say "he isn't back is he?" and we see through the door's frosted glass, the blur of The Doctor and he shouts through the letterbox. But viewers without cable or satellite never got to see him that week, as he only fully appeared on the CITV Channel's Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown Extra. Though Stephen asked the Doc on the show if he could come back next week it was to be a one off appearance, and The Foundation confirmed that the Doc was only a guest for this show. However, the Doc re-appeared for the final show on 1 July 2006.
and Finders Keepers. After the launch of the CITV
channel, viewers could switch over for a different show (similar to the interactive feature on CBBC's Mighty Truck of Stuff).
In 2005, the programme aired the first run of Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet
. However, the treatment by M.O.M of the series was highly criticised, with episodes being split into segments, spoken over and cut in places. Certainly, the series was not seen by its intended audience due to its inclusion in the "Ministry".
Full Shows List:
The introduction of this game came a matter of weeks before the new series of Dick and Dom in da Bungalow
started which was to feature an almost identical game, which had been pre-filmed in August.
The main guests were Sally James from Tiswas
, Neil Buchanan
from No. 73, Finders Keepers, and Motormouth, Gareth Jones
from Get Fresh, Gaby Roslin
from Motormouth, Pat Sharp
from What’s Up Doc? and Fun House, Jenny Powell
from Gimme 5, Gail Porter
from Scratchy & Co, and Brian Dowling
from SM:TV. The show also saw a special appearance of Timmy Mallett
from Wacaday
, who had a round of Mallett's Mallet in the Hyena's hideout with Scratch and Ray. There were also interviews with Chris Tarrant
, and Ant & Dec
and a few appearances from The Phantom Flan Flinger (mascot and character of Tiswas
).
ITV bosses allowed MoM to run over Christmas 2004 and 2005. Both shows contained a wide variety of guests and had specially adapted lyrics to the opening song and the titles were changed to the "Ministry" covered in snow. Presenter Michael left the week before the Christmas Day edition of 2004, although he was seen in the last ever 'At Home with the Mayhems' sketch. Also, instead of running until 11.30am it finished fifteen minutes later at 11.45 giving more time for all the features and shows it featured. But the show never ran over New Year 2005 as the new set was being built for the revamp: Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown. The new set still contains some of the same elements as the new MoM set such as the skylight windows and the pictures above the fireplace (the lighting panels on the steel walls). The stairs were also set in the same place, which the guests walk down every week.
In 2004, the show let the viewers decide who to vote for to be gunged in a text vote. Stephen, Holly & Michael were mostly the main choices. But occasionally there would be Ray, The Twins and The Doctor (who was gunged once the first time he was voted).
Celebrity guests who came on the show would be gunged sometimes. But as of 2005, guests were getting gunged more than the presenters. As of 2006, male guests would be gunged if the boys team lost or female guests would be gunged if the girls team lost due to the Saturday Showdown format.
At the end of the final show, Holly & Stephen had 'the ultimate gunging' at the desk. They were gunged by all the crew as they said their final thank yous.
's Monster Munch was the main sponsor (which also previously sponsored SMTV Live from 2002 to 2003). From 2005, Cheesetrings took over and remained the official sponsor until the show's end on 1 July 2006.
CITV
CITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
show which broadcast on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
Network from January 2004. As of January 2006, the onscreen name was Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown. It was the last regular studio-based Saturday morning show on ITV.
Overview of the show
Shown in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was first broadcast after SMTV Live
SMTV Live
SMTV Live , also written SM:TV Live and in early promotional material SMTV://live, was a British Saturday morning children's television programme, first broadcast on ITV on 29 August 1998 and last broadcast on 27 December 2003.On the surface, the programme did not seem to stray away from the format...
, its predecessor, came to an end. The first episode was broadcast on 10 January 2004. It was usually shown every Saturday on terrestrial television and was popular with many pre-teens. It included some conventional television aspects, such as an in-studio audience who see all of the programmes shown on the show, yet has been noted for some of its more peculiar characteristics. These included seeing how far different celebrities can flip a cake into the air from a skateboard, a game known as "Cakey SK8" - and a Gunge
Gunge
Gunge as it is known in the British Isles, or slime as it is known in America and other parts of the world is a thick, gooey, runny substance similar in consistency to paint. It has been a feature on many children's programmes for many years around the world and has made appearances in game shows...
Tank.
It was originally presented by Stephen Mulhern
Stephen Mulhern
Stephen Daniel Mulhern is a British TV presenter, entertainer, and former magician. He began presenting in the studio on CITV in May 1998 and became a leading presenter until he left in August 2002. He has presented a number of shows, including SMTV Live, Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown and...
, Holly Willoughby
Holly Willoughby
Holly Marie Willoughby is an English television presenter and model, known for her work in presenting children's TV and entertainment shows. In her early career she modelled underwear and went on to present CD:UK...
& Michael Underwood
Michael Underwood
Michael Paul Underwood is a British television presenter. He famously won a six week CBBC presenting contract on Gaby Roslin's BBC television show Whatever You Want.-Career:...
, along with Ray Griffiths as "Ray, Head Of Security" and Peter Cocks as "The Doctor", Karl Sedgwick, Robert Duncombe and Mark Dandridge as the "Agents Of Mayhem" and Laura Tilli & Jessica Tilli as "Tina and Gina" who supposedly answered phones. Dandridge and Duncombe were later replaced as Agents by Sean Douglas, Paul Litchfield and Colin Ash.
The theme tune was provided by little-known boyband The Noise Next Door
The Noise Next Door
The Noise Next Door is a three piece band, made up of triplet brothers from Leigh Park, England. Craig, Scott and Ed Sutton were born on 30 May 1986, to Annette and Barry Sutton. They were the final three of an already large family consisting of four girls...
and can be found as a b-side to their debut single Lock Up Ya Daughters.
The show was produced at The Maidstone Studios
The Maidstone Studios
The Maidstone Studios, formerly called TVS Television Centre is a television studio complex with radio studio facilities based at Vinters Park in Maidstone, Kent UK...
by The Foundation, working initially in partnership with Carlton Television
Carlton Television
Carlton Television was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties including the cities of Solihull and Coventry of the West Midlands, south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire,...
. After Carlton and Granada merged in 2004 to form ITV plc
ITV plc
ITV plc is a British media company that operates 12 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom...
, all Carlton productions were switched to run under the Granada name, thus MOM became a Foundation-Granada production. From 2006, Granada programmes for ITV were branded ITV Productions, and so MOM became an ITV Productions-The Foundation production for the remainder of its run.
The first revamp
The first major alteration to Ministry of Mayhem occurred on 24 July 2004. The alterations saw the show get a new set and titles, it also saw 'Tina and Gina' being axed from the show. There was also sketches such as 'At home with the Mayhems' and in an attempt to recreate SMTV's Chums there was 'Butthaven', set around a fictitious holiday camp. This sketch featured Ruth MadocRuth Madoc
Ruth Madoc is a British actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Gladys Pugh in the 1980s BBC television comedy Hi-de-Hi!, and as Daffyd Thomas's mother in the second series of Little Britain.-Early life:...
as "Miss Butthaven", however it was dropped after a short period of time.
See ya Michael, Hello MoM
Particularly from December 2004 onwards the show started moving away from its original 'Ministry' theme. Just before the show's first Christmas on 18 December 2004 it saw the departure of presenter Michael Underwood. The reason for his departure remains somewhat unclear, mainly as the only announcement of him departing was at the end of that show followed by a compilation of clips of his best bits. However, the fact that the Christmas episode coincided with the renewal of the 26-week rolling contracts for the show and presenters suggests that at some point before the Christmas recording Michael either quit or was fired. The Christmas Day show was presented by Stephen and Holly, featuring specially adapted Christmas lyrics for the show. The move away from its original 'Ministry' feel became most apparent for the first show of the New Year, when it was renamed MoM.Not long after this, Underwood joined GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
's Entertainment Today programme.
Animals & Additions
MoM continued to provide Saturday morning entertainment. In March 2005, two new characters were introduced. The Hyenas, Scratch & Sniff, played by Don AustenDon Austen
British puppeteer Don Austen joined the Jim Henson Creature Shop in 1986 for the movie Labyrinth.He was a puppeteer for other blockbuster movies including Santa Claus: The Movie , The Little Shop of Horrors , Who Framed Roger Rabbit , The Bear , The Witches , and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom...
& John Eccleston
John Eccleston
John Eccleston is a puppeteer, writer and presenter known for his work as lead puppeteer of Rygel in Farscape, Groove in The Hoobs and his many roles on British children's television alongside Don Austen...
. They are virtual recreations of their past characters- "Bro & Bro", the wolves, who they played on former Saturday Morning show What's Up Doc?
What's Up Doc? (TV series)
What's Up Doc? was a Saturday Morning children's variety series produced Scottish Television and aired on ITV from 1992 to 1995 and hosted by Andy Crane, Yvette Fielding and Pat Sharp...
between 1992 and 1995, and spin-off series Wolf It
Wolf It
right|thumb|Bro & Bro- the stars of 'Wolf It'|200pxWolf It was a TV series produced by Scottish Television and broadcast on CITV for 4 series between 1993 and 1996. The show was spin off from the Saturday morning TV series What's Up Doc? and features Bro and Bro, two English wolves who featured...
between 1993 and 1996. Their introduction was fairly built up as initially viewers were asked to guess what was in a large box, which eventually was revealed to contain the hyenas. There then followed the process of naming the Hyenas, with their eventual names being chosen by the viewers. Towards the end of the series, the hyenas took up residence making their own home in a small set located under the tiered seating.
Another new character was also added, Mr. Lee (played by Vincent Wong), who originally only had a small role in the game 'Name That Tone, but soon after became a regular, with his own theme tune. In September 2005 MoM got another new addition in the form of a real puppy. This puppy later was named Snowy. After the show's format was changed to Saturday Showdown, Snowy was rarely seen on our screens until Snowy came back on the final show grown to full size.
Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown
After a week's break for Christmas, Ministry of Mayhem returned on 7 January (2006) with a new name and a new look and a new theme tune by Mr Miller & Mr Porter. The new name for the show was Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown, however, for the first few weeks of transmission the ITV Sales website still had the show's off screen name as Ministry of Mayhem, but this was later corrected.The show was set in Holly & Stephen's 'flat'. The idea of the show was that kids called in for competitions and if the winner was a boy 10 points go to the boys team and vice versa. Two teams were brought into the house every week and competed for points and prizes. Ray, Scratch and Sniff the Hyenas and Snowy the dog remained from before the revamp. The most noticeable character absences were The Doc and Mr. Lee. The new format introduced a new character; Wallace, a rapping child who lives in the closet; however he disappeared after the first episode.
On Saturday 11 March 2006, the show was the first programme to be seen on the finally awaited CITV
CITV
CITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
channel with Holly & Stephen launching the channel with a party at the start. It also was the day it launched Saturday Showdown Extra, which would be shown only on the channel from 11.30am to 12noon. The 'Extra' programme was axed when the main show was axed off ITV in July.
It's notable that in all but 3 editions, Sniff only appeared in the "Dodge Dolly's Balls" segment of the show, which has led to speculation that, despite having the appearance of a live phone-in game, this segment was actually pre-recorded. After the game ended, Sniff was not seen until the final show on the 1st July 2006.
The end
It was first reported on 12 May that Saturday Showdown was to be axed. The show was gradually phased out, with it being dropped from ITV as of 10 June. The show then continued to run on the CITV Channel for a further 3 weeks, and finally ended on Saturday 1 July 2006. For the final show, 'Mr Lee' (Vincent Wong), 'The Doc' (Peter Cocks), and 'Scratch and Sniff' (Don Austen and John Eccleston) returned. There were also many features from Ministry of Mayhem added to the final Showdown such as the Thank You desk at the end of the show. In addition there was highlights of the best bits from Ministry of Mayhem and Saturday Showdown. Also guests included girl band FrankFrank (band)
Frank was the girl group from Channel 4's comedy drama series Totally Frank. Frank consisted of lead singer Lauren Blake , guitarist Bryony Afferson , keyboard player Helena Dowling and drummer Hayley Angel Wardle...
who performed their debut single I'm Not Shy and had appeared the previous week too.
It is currently unknown if there will be any replacement Saturday morning show. The Foundation are unsure of what will be replacing it, hinting that they may not be involved if a replacement is made. From 8 July there are cartoons under the name of "2N BAS3" which means Toon Base scheduled in the Saturday Showdowns time slot. The last show not only marked the end of Saturday Showdown but the end of an era for children's Saturday morning shows on the ITV network ever since Tiswas
Tiswas
Tiswas was a Saturday morning children's British television series which ran from 5 January 1974 to 3 April 1982 and was produced for the ITV network by ATV Network Limited....
began in 1974.
The Lab
The Lab has been with the show since the start and has survived the many revamps, though the set itself has changed. It was primarily used by the Doc, a mock GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
scientist and 1970s throwback from the University of Brighton, played by Peter Cocks. Although nowadays he's never referred to by name, in an early edition of the show, he revealed his surname to be Undgoggles, presumably making his first name Helmut. The Doc is usually accompanied by Stephen (as a lab-hand) for this part of the show, and the two attempt a simple experiment in order to demonstrate some scientific principle; the Doc also tries to incapacitate Stephen with laughter (and has succeeded on several occasions) by laying on thick innuendo
Innuendo
An innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging , that works obliquely by allusion...
, as well as comedic hints towards homosexuality and Nazism, much to the hilarity of adult viewers. At one of least experiments has resulted in a complaint to OFCOM
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
being upheld for fear that it would encourage children to imitate a dangerous procedure.
The original Lab was a plain white room located somewhere in the large studio. Post revamp it occupied a fairly large part of the studio in an enclosed set. However, to make room for a new seated area within the enclosed set, and larger outdoor-oriented experiments, the Lab was reduced to at least half its original size and equipped with a cupboard that acted as a portal to the outdoors for larger experiments.
When the programme was renamed Saturday Showdown, the show no longer had the Doc or his lab. Though on the 18th March 2006, the Doc made a surprise appearance at the end of the main show. The part went as follows: Just as Holly and Stephen are about to say goodbye, Stephen found a German towel. They both say "he isn't back is he?" and we see through the door's frosted glass, the blur of The Doctor and he shouts through the letterbox. But viewers without cable or satellite never got to see him that week, as he only fully appeared on the CITV Channel's Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown Extra. Though Stephen asked the Doc on the show if he could come back next week it was to be a one off appearance, and The Foundation confirmed that the Doc was only a guest for this show. However, the Doc re-appeared for the final show on 1 July 2006.
Shows
MoM was also host to many children's shows and cartoons, including SpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
and Finders Keepers. After the launch of the CITV
CITV
CITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
channel, viewers could switch over for a different show (similar to the interactive feature on CBBC's Mighty Truck of Stuff).
In 2005, the programme aired the first run of Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet
Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet
Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet is a United Kingdom-produced computer-generated imagery action-adventure TV series which debuted in February 2005 as part of the Ministry of Mayhem on ITV....
. However, the treatment by M.O.M of the series was highly criticised, with episodes being split into segments, spoken over and cut in places. Certainly, the series was not seen by its intended audience due to its inclusion in the "Ministry".
Full Shows List:
- SpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
(On and Off occasions, 2004 to 2006) - TutensteinTutensteinTutenstein is an animated television series, produced by Porchlight Entertainment for Discovery Kids based on the comic by Jay Stephens which was published in Oni Press' JetCat Clubhouse. This cartoon also airs on Jetix in Europe and Maxi TV in Turkey. It began broadcasting on November 1, 2003...
(2004) - Mucha Lucha! (2004)
- Teen AngelTeen AngelTeen Angel may refer to:*Teen Angel , the 1959 song performed by Mark Dinning*Teen Angel, a one-scene character in the musical Grease*Teen Angel , the 1989, short-lived drama starring Jason Priestley...
(2004) - Sabrina The Teenage Witch (2004)
- Angry Beavers (2004)
- All Grown Up!All Grown Up!All Grown Up! is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky and Gábor Csupó. After the success of All Growed Up, the Rugrats 10th anniversary special, Nickelodeon commissioned All Grown Up! as a spin-off series based on the episode.The series ran from April 12, 2003 to August...
(2004) - My Parents Are AliensMy Parents are AliensMy Parents are Aliens is a British sitcom produced by Yorkshire Television and later Granada Productions for CITV about an eccentric family, which was produced as seven annual series, first broadcast in 1999 and ending in 2006...
(2004) - Creature ComfortsCreature ComfortsCreature Comforts was originally a 1989 British humorous animated short film about how animals feel about living in a zoo, featuring the voices of the British public "spoken" by the animals. It was created by Nick Park and Aardman Animations...
(2004) - Drake & JoshDrake & JoshDrake & Josh is an American sitcom that premiered on the Nickelodeon television network on January 11, 2004, which follows the lives of two stepbrothers. It stars Drake Bell and Josh Peck as stepbrothers Drake Parker and Josh Nichols, respectively. Both actors had played roles in The Amanda Show,...
(On and Off occasions, 2004 to 2006) - Pet AlienPet AlienPet Alien is an American computer-animated series produced by Mike Young Productions and Antefilms Productions in 2005. It was created by Jeff Muncy and the episodes are mainly written by Dan Danko and directed by Andrew Young. The series centres around the 13 year old boy, Tommy Cadle, whose light...
(2004 to 2005) - Atomic BettyAtomic BettyAtomic Betty is a Canadian animated television series produced by Atomic Cartoons, Breakthrough Films & Television, and Tele Images Kids. Additional funding for production is provided by Teletoon in Canada and M6 and Télétoon in France. It currently airs on CITV. The series has once again begun...
(2004 to 2005) - Gerry Anderson's New Captain ScarletGerry Anderson's New Captain ScarletGerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet is a United Kingdom-produced computer-generated imagery action-adventure TV series which debuted in February 2005 as part of the Ministry of Mayhem on ITV....
(2005) - King Arthur's DisastersKing Arthur's DisastersKing Arthur's Disasters is a British animated series which first aired on CITV, a now defunct programming block on ITV1. The series was Co-Created by Paul Parkes and Will Ashurst, the series follows and depicts attempts by King Arthur, assisted by the wizard Merlin, to woo the beautiful...
(2005) - Planet SketchPlanet SketchPlanet Sketch is a 15-minute television show aimed at children, with each episode featuring an assortment of sketches. It is produced by Aardman Animations.- Sketches :...
(2005) - The Amazing Adrenalini BrothersThe Amazing Adrenalini BrothersThe Amazing Adrenalini Brothers is a 2D Flash animation series for television. It was commissioned by CITV and Cartoon Network in the UK, YTV and VRAK.TV in Canada and is a co-production between UK studio Pesky and Studio B in Vancouver, British Columbia. The series aired on CITV and for a short...
(2006) - Shuriken SchoolShuriken SchoolShuriken School is an Spanish-French-British animated series that first aired on August 20, 2006 on Nickelodeon and then on YTV a few weeks later. It has also been airing on Jetix in the UK since February 2006, as well as on CITV. In the United States, the show aired on Nicktoons Network and...
(2006) - Grizzly Tales for Gruesome KidsGrizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids' is a series of books by Jamie Rix and a TV series produced for ITV.The original TV series was based on the award winning collections of cautionary tales by Jamie Rix. Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids, Ghostly Tales for Ghastly Kids, Fearsome Tales for Fiendish Kids and More Grizzly Tales for...
(2006, CITV channel only) - BratzBratzBratz is an American line of fashion dolls and merchandise manufactured by MGA Entertainment. Four original 10" dolls were released in 2001 - Cloe, Jade, Sasha and Yasmin...
(2006, CITV channel only) - Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesTeenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesThe Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
(2006) - Finders Keepers (2006)
Magic
As Stephen is also a professional magician, the programme often featured performances of various magic tricks and illusions by him or visiting guest magicians. Although the illusions sometimes featured the use of professional magician's assistants, very often, either Holly or one of the guest celebrities would take part in them. Some of the illusions performed on various shows included:- Holly being sawed in half by Stephen inside a glass-sided box where she was visible all of the time.
- Holly having a sword pushed through her neck.
- Holly being chopped into three by Stephen in a trick called The Zig-Zag Girl.
- Holly having a pipe pushed all the way through her stomach, through which Stephen then poured milk.
- Cheryl ColeCheryl ColeCheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
from Girls AloudGirls AloudGirls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
having her head chopped off by a guillotine. - Kimberley WalshKimberley WalshKimberley Jane Walsh is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, television presenter and actress. She is best known for being a member of girl group Girls Aloud, formed through ITV's reality television programme Popstars: The Rivals...
from Girls AloudGirls AloudGirls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
being made to levitate. - Emma BuntonEmma BuntonEmma Lee Bunton is an English pop singer/songwriter and TV and radio presenter. She was a member of the 1990s girl group, the Spice Girls, in which she was known as Baby Spice as she was the youngest member. In 2010, she joined the judging panel on ITV's Dancing on Ice...
being sawed in half while standing up in an illusion called Modern Art.
Cakey Sk8
Celebrities propel cakes from skateboards, and the cake which reaches highest up the wall wins, the wall had to be extended after it was found that celebrities using it were getting the cakes higher and higher.Spelling Smackdown
This game saw Stephen (in one episode, Holly) dressed up in a bumblebee costume and colloquially known as the "Spellminator" and another contestant who usually wrote in to the Ministry to take part. Michael was dressed in a black dinner suit and was the MC. There were three rounds of spelling, in which each contestant was given a word with its definition and had to spell it one letter at a time. The person with the most points at the end would win and later receive the Spelling Smackdown belt. If there was a tie, then a spell off contest would take place. The spell-off would involve being given a word and each competitor would take it in turns to spell the word letter by letter; the first person to make a mistake would lose. The game disappeared after a few weeks and then revived for a short while where the rules changed, in which the spell off format was prominentName that Tone
Mr Lee (played by Vincent Wong) brings on the ring-tones to his own theme tune. Then contestants from the studio audience pair with a celebrity to guess ring-tones usually for a mobile phone or an MP3. A spin off show entitled "MOM's Name that tone" featured on CITV on Tuesdays for a while.Ram Ray
Ram Ray was the most popular game in the show. It involved the dwarf stuntman Ray (played by actor Raymond Griffiths) charging into a set of five doors, four wooden, one made of paper. A caller would select a door, hoping it to be made of paper. Ray would then charge at a door and either run through it if it was made of paper or slam into it and fall backwards if it was made of wood. Ray would often fall and roll across the floor of the studio rather dramatically, and he was often checked to see if he was hurt (although Stephen often found his collisions hilairous). To suit the theme of an episode, Ray would often wear a matching costume.Relly from Helly
An audience member is embarrassed by a relative which also became a feature of the very first Showdown as the Parent Trap where the viewer embarrassed the parent.Supermarket Sneak
Two teams, composed of one of the presenters and a child, go to a supermarket with a trolley full of items in progressive sizes. The aim of the game is to place all of the items into unsuspecting shoppers' trolleys. The first team to do so wins.The introduction of this game came a matter of weeks before the new series of Dick and Dom in da Bungalow
Dick and Dom in da Bungalow
Dick and Dom in da Bungalow was a CBBC children's entertainment television series presented by the duo Dick and Dom...
started which was to feature an almost identical game, which had been pre-filmed in August.
Saturday Showdown Games
Showdown had lots of games to fill up the time gaps between shows. Some of the games included:Dodge Dolly's Balls
Despite the rude sounding name, it is actually Granny Dolly in her loft with Scratch and Sniff. They both have to dodge her moth balls and the one with the least hits wins. The golden ball also wipes out all of your hits. Despite having the appearance of a live phone-in game, this segment is actually pre-recorded. This has been proved by the fact that Sniff only appears in this segment, the game has appeared on editions where Holly Willoughby was absent, along with the lack of any obvious entry details for the game, either on the show or the website, and with the speed Holly would have to change costumes if the segment was live, as she appears on screen within seconds either side of the game. It has been speculated that the callers on this segment are either somehow connected to the crew or the winners of keys to the studio, and are present in the studio at the time of recording. According to Sniff, Granny Dolly is now dead, as he had to eat her, as he had no food, which is why DDB finished.Parent Trap
A version of Relly from Helly in which the child embarrasses the parent, which was discontinued after one show.Pumping on your Stereo
A similar format to Name that Tone, based around distorted songs rather than ring-tones, and featuring Scratch rather than Mr. Lee but on the final show, Mr Lee returned.Ram Ray
In Saturday Showdown, a revised version of Ram Ray is played. This version uses only four "doors" - a dresser, a cupboard (later a jukebox), a toilet door and a set of shelves. Two callers take it in turns to guess which of these objects is 'soft' i.e. will break when Ray runs into it. This segment primarily used furniture but as weeks went by, they have slowly reverted back to 3 doors and a dresser...Other Games
Since Ministry of Mayhem started many games have been played, to date many have been discontinued...- Snap: This is the most recent edition where the "hyenas" Scratch and Sniff put their paws into mousetraps attached to a 'Wheel of Fortune' style wheel. The caller that selects the trap that Doesn't go off wins a prize.
MoM specials
The most notable special edition of MoM was on 17 September 2005, as part of ITV50 and a celebration of 25 years of Saturday morning children's TV. To celebrate MOM had presenters from past Saturday morning shows as well as clips from the past.The main guests were Sally James from Tiswas
Tiswas
Tiswas was a Saturday morning children's British television series which ran from 5 January 1974 to 3 April 1982 and was produced for the ITV network by ATV Network Limited....
, Neil Buchanan
Neil Buchanan
Neil Buchanan is an English television presenter best known for his work on the CITV programme Art Attack, a television programme that he presented during its run from 1990 to 2007...
from No. 73, Finders Keepers, and Motormouth, Gareth Jones
Gareth Jones (presenter)
Gareth Jones is a Welsh television presenter and celebrity. He began his broadcasting career under the name Gaz Top....
from Get Fresh, Gaby Roslin
Gaby Roslin
Gaby Roslin is an English television presenter and actress. She rose to fame while co-presenting The Big Breakfast on Channel 4 between 1992 and 1996, and also presented the BBC's Children in Need charity appeal from 1994 to 2004....
from Motormouth, Pat Sharp
Pat Sharp
Pat Sharp is a British radio and television presenter and disc jockey. In the UK, he is known mainly for his work on the children's television programme Fun House, his former mullet and his radio shows as well as his support of Arsenal...
from What’s Up Doc? and Fun House, Jenny Powell
Jenny Powell
Jenny Powell , is a British television presenter.-Early life:Powell's parents are from South Africa, she attended Woodford County High School for Girls in Woodford Green and the Italia Conti school in London.-Career:...
from Gimme 5, Gail Porter
Gail Porter
Gail Porter is a Scottish television presenter.- Life and career :Porter attended Portobello High School. She studied a BTEC HND in Media Production at West Herts College...
from Scratchy & Co, and Brian Dowling
Brian Dowling
Brian Patrick Robert Dowling is an Irish television presenter who rose to fame after being crowned the winner of the second series of UK reality television show Big Brother in 2001. He also won Ultimate Big Brother in 2010, making him the ultimate Big Brother housemate...
from SM:TV. The show also saw a special appearance of Timmy Mallett
Timmy Mallett
Timmy Mallett is a TV presenter and broadcaster in the UK. He achieved cult status on BBC Radio Oxford and Manchester's Piccadilly Radio and later on TV-am...
from Wacaday
Wacaday
Wacaday was a children's television series in the UK that ran in TV-am's school-holidays slot from 1985 until 1992, in an 8:50-9:25 a.m. slot, and was hosted by Timmy Mallett....
, who had a round of Mallett's Mallet in the Hyena's hideout with Scratch and Ray. There were also interviews with Chris Tarrant
Chris Tarrant
Christopher John "Chris" Tarrant, OBE is an English radio and television broadcaster, now best known for hosting the first version of the television game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in the United Kingdom and later Ireland, as the two national versions of the show merged in 2002.Chris...
, and Ant & Dec
Ant & Dec
Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly , known collectively as Ant & Dec, are an English comedy and TV presenting duo from Newcastle upon Tyne, England...
and a few appearances from The Phantom Flan Flinger (mascot and character of Tiswas
Tiswas
Tiswas was a Saturday morning children's British television series which ran from 5 January 1974 to 3 April 1982 and was produced for the ITV network by ATV Network Limited....
).
ITV bosses allowed MoM to run over Christmas 2004 and 2005. Both shows contained a wide variety of guests and had specially adapted lyrics to the opening song and the titles were changed to the "Ministry" covered in snow. Presenter Michael left the week before the Christmas Day edition of 2004, although he was seen in the last ever 'At Home with the Mayhems' sketch. Also, instead of running until 11.30am it finished fifteen minutes later at 11.45 giving more time for all the features and shows it featured. But the show never ran over New Year 2005 as the new set was being built for the revamp: Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown. The new set still contains some of the same elements as the new MoM set such as the skylight windows and the pictures above the fireplace (the lighting panels on the steel walls). The stairs were also set in the same place, which the guests walk down every week.
Gunge
The show is also famous for its use of gunge on the show, especially that each week, Holly would always receive a gunging of some sort, either in a tank or in later episodes, the Thank You Desk, where when reading out a long list of thank you's, she would be gunged by everyone, including Stephen.In 2004, the show let the viewers decide who to vote for to be gunged in a text vote. Stephen, Holly & Michael were mostly the main choices. But occasionally there would be Ray, The Twins and The Doctor (who was gunged once the first time he was voted).
Celebrity guests who came on the show would be gunged sometimes. But as of 2005, guests were getting gunged more than the presenters. As of 2006, male guests would be gunged if the boys team lost or female guests would be gunged if the girls team lost due to the Saturday Showdown format.
At the end of the final show, Holly & Stephen had 'the ultimate gunging' at the desk. They were gunged by all the crew as they said their final thank yous.
Sponsorships
When the show launched in 2004, WalkersWalkers (snack foods)
Walkers is a British snack food manufacturer operating mainly in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland and to a lesser extent on the European continent. They are best known for manufacturing crisps. They hold 47 per cent of the British crisp market...
's Monster Munch was the main sponsor (which also previously sponsored SMTV Live from 2002 to 2003). From 2005, Cheesetrings took over and remained the official sponsor until the show's end on 1 July 2006.