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Shooting Stars
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Shooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two from 27 December 1993 to 22 December 1997 and then on BBC Choice from 13 January 2002 to 22 December 2002. Created by Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, it is simultaneously a parody of the game show format and an experiment in dadaist television. Following a pilot edition screened at Christmas 1993 as part of an evening of programmes presented by Reeves and Mortimer, a full series was broadcast starting on 22 September 1995.
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Encyclopedia
Shooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two from 27 December 1993 to 22 December 1997 and then on BBC Choice from 13 January 2002 to 22 December 2002. Created by Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, it is simultaneously a parody of the game show format and an experiment in dadaist television. Following a pilot edition screened at Christmas 1993 as part of an evening of programmes presented by Reeves and Mortimer, a full series was broadcast starting on 22 September 1995. A 15th Anniversary Special, along with a mockumentary, was broadcast on 30 December 2008 on BBC Two.
Format
The basic format of the show is that of a conventional panel game. The hosts (Reeves and Mortimer) and the two teams of three sit behind desks. The hosts ask questions of the two teams, and points are awarded for "correct" answers. As is common with British panel games, the scoring is largely arbitrary and simply a device to give a structure to the proceedings. Reeves will almost always perform a "leg rub" in front of a beautiful female guest seated directly to his right, to indicate his attraction to her.
Rounds include "true or false", the filmclip round, the impressions round and "The Dove from Above" ("The Blue Suitcase" in the pilot, and later briefly replaced by "The Crow From Below", "The Vest From the West", "Donald Cox - The Sweaty Fox," "The Fly From Upon High" and "The Beast From The East" using the head of Ron Atkinson as well as various other one-off ideas). In the impressions round, contestants have to guess what song Vic Reeves is singing "in the club style" - so stylised (or perhaps drunkenly slurred) as to be incomprehensible.
"The Dove from Above" is a large and shoddy prop animal made from cardboard and coloured paper, while being suspended above the contestants merely for the purpose of bearing six key words for further questions. Guests would be prompted to "coo" down the dove, referred to by Vic as "The gift of the coo" and would often use the word "Gift" for many descriptions including "Using the gift of the air guitar", in which a contestant had to pretend playing guitar to a recording. In 2002, the Dove was replaced by "the Wonderful, Wonderful Car", which was a tiny red car with buttocks on the bumper which fired out its questions at Mortimer. In the following series, the car was replaced by "Donald Cox the Sweaty Fox", a large, drunken, tentacled fox (again, suspended from the ceiling) who was voiced by Rhys Thomas. For the special episode, a cardboard Spitfire called "Jet 1000" was used, which had its categories listed on a series of bombs coming out from it on pieces of string (referred to by Bob as its "payload"), while the others were written on the wings. Upon arrival the teams were asked to take pictures of it "flying" over with disposable cameras, while Bob called it a special once in a lifetime event. When "The Dove From Above" was absent, the contestants had to call down its respective replacements in various styles. One of these was going "Bzzzz, Bzzz!" to call down "The Fly From Upon High", while a shivering noise that went "Brrrrr!!!, Brrrrr!!", being used to call down "The Vest From the West". During this alternative, Vic would introduce the round only for Bob to stop him and explain that the "Dove From Above" is on vacation, before following this up with "But we've got the next best thing!". In the pilot episode, a massive suitcase with the categories on were listed in lights with all of those chosen by the contestants. In the main series not all the categories are chosen.
In the "Dove From Above" round, and subsequent versions of the same round, if a contestant answers incorrectly, Vic shouts "UVAVU" (u.'v??.vu) and pulls a silly face. If the contestant chooses a certain, prize-winning option, Vic will pull another silly face and yell "ERANU" (??.'??.nu) The prize is invariably a bizarre and practically useless device, an example of which would be eye-spoons, consisting of spectacle frames with teaspoons attached where lenses would be. These are to be used should one's eyes pop out of their skull when visiting a nudist beach. Another example of bizarre and practically useless prize was a fartridge, which was part fart, part partridge. Vic often tells a poor joke before this round, followed by silence, a howling wind, and a tumbleweed blowing across the set, accompanied sometimes by the Grim Reaper walking across shot to the sound of death knells. Occasionally, as an act of mercy, Lamarr or Mortimer would sacrifice their reputations and tell the joke, at which point it becomes exceptionally funny and is almost worshipped by the audience and guests, much to Vic's disgust. Occasionally, this was shown as a dream sequence, and Vic would wake up, convinced the joke would be a success, only to be greeted by the usual silence.
Occasionally, there would be a "Maverick Round" where a guest would have to stand centre stage and represent something "via the medium of dance", or "The gift of the air guitar" as previously mentioned. They would then be judged by scorekeeper George Dawes (Matt Lucas), who would invariably award them no points.
The impressions round seen a "random light" pick a contestant at random, and then they had to do an impression of a celebrity. In the pilot this was called by Vic "random factor". Other elements of the impressions round included the aforementioned club style singing. The film clip round always included a clip that was related to the question, but the answer to the question was never shown in the film just like the lyrics of George's songs, despite Bob as a running gag saying to watch or listen carefully. At one time Mark Lamarr's team were shown a clip from a BBC TV show (instead of a comedy clip created by the Shooting Stars team), and were totally unaware the question would relate directly to the clip. A serious question was asked requesting what a mans t-shirt read, only for Mark to make something up and then Vic saying his traditional "UVAVU!" wrong answer catchphrase. One of the most memorable film clips, was a spoof of The Naked Chef, with Matt Lucas playing the part of Jamie Oliver, and Ulrika Johnson playing the part of his then wife-to-be Juliette Norton. In the sketch Lucas plays on highlighting Jamie's then constant use of the word pukka, constantly using the word while making sandwiches for a party in which he has invited his friends along (which he often used to do on his show, including the Sainsburys adverts). He keeps saying that he'll use something later which he has discarded such as an eggshell, while Juliette twice appears asking if he would like any help, only to be turned away. At the end of the filmclip he throws a load of chips in his motorcycle crash helmet.
The true purpose of the show is as a vehicle for the surrealist humour of the hosts, Vic and Bob. Some guests "get it", others do not. The title of the show is a pun on the fact that much of the humour is at the expense of the guest stars. To prove this point in the pilot episode, on the final line of the opening song (".. and let's start Shooting Stars"), Vic and Bob actually produced shotguns from behind the presenters' podium and fired them at the panels where the guests sat (although, according to Vic, they succeeded only in accidentally shooting a pig owned by a woman standing backstage for no apparent reason)
Participants
There are two teams -Team A and Team B. Each team has a regular team captain - originally, Mark Lamarr and Ulrika Jonsson - and two celebrity guests on each team. Lamarr left the series in 1997 as he disliked being in too many quiz shows at once (at the time he was hosting Never Mind the Buzzcocks), and was replaced by novelist Will Self when the series returned in 2002. At the same time comedian Johnny Vegas was brought in as a regular guest on Jonsson's team, where he had a pint of Guinness on his desk where all the other contestants had water. Will Self was replaced by dead-pan comic, Jack Dee for the 2008 15th Anniversary Special. Contestants are often addressed by their surnames, in reference to University Challenge.
In addition to the 'regulars', the panel consisted of other celebrities from music, sports, politics and other fields. Some of the most memorable episodes included members who were clearly unaware of the show's format. On one particularly famous episode Larry Hagman is clearly totally befuddled by the experience. Writing in The Guardian, Nancy Banks-Smith described him as he (Hagman) looked like a man in a nightmare.
The "score" is kept by George Dawes, a bizarre, overgrown, ranting, drumming baby played by comedian Matt Lucas. (Occasionally George's "mother" Marjorie Dawes - also played by Lucas - appears instead. She also appears in Little Britain.) He would also provide a sound effect to signal the end of timed rounds: in earlier seasons this was a simple scream, but later became random phrases ("Leakage"), sometimes in regional accents ("That's it I'm turning the car around and we're going back to Dorset!"), or advertising slogans ("Have you ever been to a Harvester before?"). In the later series he would also perform "George's Song," on which subject questions would follow. These included "Lesbians", "Everybody's Talkin' About Football", "Hip Hop Is The Best", "1942" (appeared in the 15 year special, while being a song about inventions such as floors, trees, shoes and the flu) and even a rendition of the Rentaghost theme song. The most famous song is possibly "Peanuts", with George shouting "Peanuts!" every so often to a backing track, while corpsing. The costume he wore later became an inspiration for his Little Britain character Andy.
Questions
Examples of the impossible-to-predict questions (and answers) are:
- True or False: Bill Cosby was the world's first black man? (False; it was actually Sidney Poitier)
- Macaulay Culkin is a child, but can you name an adult? (This was not as easy as it seemed, as the only acceptable answer was Tom Petty)
- True or false - Cupboard doors open outwards. (This proved to be true as Vic asked the question from "the perspective of a trapped cat")
- True or false - A Bounty bar is the exact same size and weight as a human thumb? (The answer was true, as demonstrated by Vic)
- Helmut, Braun, Tankard, Rifle...? (The correct answer was Parsnip, Belltoupe, Carnival, Nectarine)
- True or false - William Shatner's real name is Bill Schitz? (false)
- True or False: Paul Daniels' head is wider than it is tall. (This was proven to be true by measuring a composite sketch)
- True or False: Inside every cat there is trapped a rabbit, and when a cat says "miaow", it is actually the rabbit saying "get me out"? (false)
- True or False: Jeremy irons? (sic) (false; but there is not a given answer.)
- Who's a cheeky boy then? (Sid Owen simply answers 'Me.' Robbie Williams gave the same answer to 'Who's a pretty boy then?' and was also marked right.)
- Who would win in a fight between a Steel Octo-Bear and some sort of strange man fungus?
- Name a type of bee that produces milk. (The correct answer was 'boobies')
- A dog has three puppies, but what was the name of the mother? (This trick question recurred in many formats - the name of the mother is 'What' (see Who's On First?). These sections usually end with a bemused Vic asking Bob 'heh heh...well...what was it?
- True or False: Snakes are used as belts by some Hindus.
- True or False: Shoes from Dundee can be moved by the power of the mind. (Proven true using guest Clare Grogan's shoe)
- Name a junction on the M6. (The guest star almost always got the answer wrong).
- True or False: In Judo there is a move where in which the recipient of the blow reaches instant orgasm, leaving them wide open to attack.
- True or false: Can Michael Barrymore swim?
- How old is Joan Collins? (Russell Grant failed to get the correct answer, leading Mortimer to say "His powers are weak!")
- "Love me for a reason and let that reason be..." (It was answered "love", as the correct title of the Osmonds song. However, Bob replies "No, my 27 and a half inch penis")
- The Lady in Red is about;
- a) Chris de Burgh's recently murdered wife
- b) Chris de Burgh's recently un-murdered wife
- c) A granary loaf
- or d) A & E
(Correct answer was b) Chris De Burgh's recently un-murdered wife)
- Who is the latest game show host to say "Come on down, The Price Is Right"? (It was answered with Bruce Forsyth, but Vic Reeves replied with "No. It was me... just now.". In reality, Forsyth never actually said the catchphrase in the show, though he was the latest host)
- Name a sheep dog.
- True or False: Pavarotti has two stomachs; one for food and one for drink?
- True or false: Jeremy Clarkson? (to which Ulrika replies by moving her hands in a circular motion, which Bob finds correct)
- True or False: Daddies tomato ketchup is better than Heinz? (This was proved to be true via a taste-test)
- True or False?
- What car sold over 250,000 last month? (Ulrika replied "The Audi" but the question was "What Car? sold over 250,000 last month.")
- True or False: Niagara Falls is turned off at night?
Catchphrases
- "ERANU" (meaning 'Star Prize')
- "UVAVU" (meaning 'Wrong answer')
- "What are the scores George Dawes?"
- "We really wanna see those fingers!"
- "Ulrika-ka-ka-ka!"
- "crayons"
The Final game
The winning team ultimately nominates one of its members (usually one of the bewildered guest stars) to perform the final game, which is generally something completely bizarre and different for each show.
- Jarvis Cocker was given the task of throwing mini Babybel cheeses at a giant poster of Judy Finnigan's face, with £5 awarded for each hit to the eyes, and £10 for each hit to the mouth, with the additional proviso that Cocker had "to throw them in the style of a girl".
- Damon Hill was buried in a large tub of mushrooms which Vic referred to in a pirate's voice "The sea of mushrooms!", and was given the task of throwing out as many bags of crisps from the container as he could (while the rest of the team and audience left the studio and the lights were turned out, leaving Damon 'looking' at his watch whilst still covered in mushrooms).
- Johnny Vegas had to see how many vacuum attachments he could stick to his face.
- Ulrika Jonsson had to wipe dandruff from a car windscreen using any of her four cheeks, while "Oops Upside Your Head" by the Gap Band played.
- Mark Lamarr, armed only with a child's plastic shield, was forced to fend off various stuffed animals, in increasing size, that were swung at him by Vic from the 'Garden of Tanktata'. The animals ranged from a dormouse to a grizzly bear, it was the bear that was the only mammal he failed to defend himself against, in which the weight and speed of it caused him to go flying into the wall behind him, while losing all the money he won in the game. He later had to fend off a series of different-sized timepieces, from a wristwatch to a stuffed cow wearing a wristwatch, which he completed sucsessfully. The shield was called "The Shield of Cher", because according to Vic she can "Turn back time". This format was repeated again for Clare Grogan's challenge, who was pelted with fruit, culminating in the World's Biggest Fruit, a very camp man/fruit called Soft Alan (played by David Walliams).
- Mark Williams was forced to lie on top of a cupboard while Vic and Bob tried desperately to knock him off by hitting him with brooms and slamming their bodies into the side of the cupboard.
- Gordon Burns from The Krypton Factor had to knock detergent bottles off a wall made up of dog food cans with a trombone, providing it was playing a note, unless it was a bottle of Jif, in which case he was to intentionally miss it.
- Lisa Stansfield had to insert a stick of celery between her legs and reverse towards Vic's "lovely dog John" in order to entice him with a series of Greek dips.
- Paul Daniels was locked in an Iron Lung and had to place sweets in his mouth before dropping them onto the body of Ken Tussle (Charlie Higson), the only man capable of letting him out, who was asleep on the floor and could only be woken up with sweets. Ken Tussle had an enormous false nose supported by a wheel, which swept from side to side across his stomach.
- Dervla Kirwan had to put on an enormous ginger wig, crawl in and out of a viaduct, catch mice in her hair and shake them into a series of potties.
- Norman Pace was shot in the backside five times with a spud gun, in order to see if he could remain silent.
- Richard E. Grant was placed in a barrel and rolled towards the "Valley of the Plum," which, as Bob informed us, was made up of mostly Victorian fruits, "damsons, greengages and of course, wedlocks!"
- Stephen Fry had to climb into a large wheeled tortoise shell, and collect the various components of a fried breakfast from the floor of the studio.
- Ardal O'Hanlon had to karate chop a bread stick, a celery stalk, a cucumber and a marrow in 10 seconds, then chop a man's wooden leg in half.
- Griff Rhys Jones had to climb down a flight of stairs face down with a plastic fork in his mouth and knock false teeth and fake hips down the stairs into a bucket below.
- Martin Clunes had to balance roast chickens on Les Dennis's back in "Journey to Fowl Mountain".
- David Baddiel had to stand on a vibrating platform with a plate covered in Brussels Sprouts; he won a pound for each sprout still remaining on the plate.
- Myleene Klass was placed in a box where she could not see anything below her neck and was told she had to spend a minute with a monkey attacking her lower half (in actuality it was Vic). Anthea Turner had a similar challenge, only with a bull instead of a monkey (again played by Vic, with some plastic horns).
- Janet Street-Porter had a large piece of wood strapped to her back and was asked to walk towards a large fan which could only be switched off with her face, calling for "Ken, the elderly security guard in the local Osram factory", to help her.
- Jack Dee had an opera singer stand in front of him while singing Nessun Dorma. Jack was not allowed to flinch or laugh and a dead blue tit was placed on his head used as a "flinchometer". The dead Blue Tit fell off twice.
Most appearances
Apart from the Team Captains, Johnny Vegas made the most appearances with 16 as he was a permanent panellist on Ulrika's team during the last series. Carol Vorderman made a total of 3 appearances and Jarvis Cocker, Stephen Fry, Zoe Ball, Les Dennis and Sara Cox each made two appearances.
Alternative versions
- The format was successfully copied to Danish television channel TV2 Zulu (with suitable alterations for Danish cultural consumption) in 2004, hosted by Casper Christensen and Frank Hvam, ex-of Pythonesque series Casper & Mandrilaftalen. Team captains were singer Maria Montell and stand-up comic Mikael Wulff. The show went for one season. The show used identical sets.
- In the Netherlands a similar series called the Mike & Thomas Show started in 2005 it is now in its 3rd season. The most notable difference is that the show is presented from behind two grand pianos. Although it is remarkably similar to Shooting Stars the credits do not mention it.
Spin-Offs
- In November 1996 the first Shooting Stars VHS was released entitled Shooting Stars - Unviewed and Nude.
- 1996 saw the release of the Shooting Stars book and CD game. Published by BBC Books in hard cover, this 120 page book retailed at £9.99, and featured various rounds from the shows, as well as a 45 minute CD of the Club Singer round, allowing you to play a full game of Shooting Stars in your own home.
- In March 1999 the second Shooting Stars VHS was released as a double VHS along with the first one. It was called Shooting Stars - Unviewed And Nude & Unpicked And Plucked.
Relaunch
An anniversary edition entitled 'All New Shooting Stars' was shown on December 30th 2008, celebrating the 15th anniversary of Shooting Stars. Ulrika Jonsson returned as captain with Jack Dee as the replacement team captain. Matt Lucas also reprised his George Dawes character for the episode. Guests for the episode were Peter Jones, Kate Garraway, Christine Walkden, and Dizzee Rascal.
Episode Guide
External links
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