Case study

1. Shooting Stars

2. • Created and hosted by double-act Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, it
uses the panel show format but with the comedians' often slapstick,
surreal and anarchic humour does not rely on rules in order to
function, with the pair apparently ignoring existing rules or inventing
new ones as and when the mood takes them.

3. Hosts and Captains
• Hosts – Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer - comedians who have worked
together on a number of enterprises, including House of Fools and
Catterick. Both excel in surreal, nonsensical humour and have a firm
fan base. Both appear on other game shows. Bob is a regular on
Would I Lie To You; Vic has been a guest several times on QI.
• The show uses this nonsensical humour and outrageous and silly
sketches, games and questions
• The traditional game show format to gently mock the guests and team
captains and be self-effacing for laughs to engage the audience.
• Captains – Ulrika Jonsson and Jack Dee – butt of the jokes – usually
some form of sexual innuendo aimed at Ulrika and playing on the
miserable personality that Jack Dee hides behind. Other guests don’t
always seem in on the joke e.g. the American actor, Larry Hagman.

4. Format
• The basic format of the show is that of a conventional panel game.
The hosts (Reeves and Mortimer) ask questions of the two teams with
points awarded for "correct" answers; however, scoring is largely
arbitrary. Each episode is produced by editing together excerpts of a
longer session.
• Rounds include "true or false", the film clip round, the impressions
round and "The Dove from Above" In the impressions round,
contestants have to guess what song Vic Reeves is singing
(incomprehensibly) "in the club style".

5. Set and audience
• Traditional game show set: Teams’ desks at angles and hosts’ desk at apex.
Desks have team members’ names on them. Space in front of hosts’ desk and
between teams’ desk – features name of show on target design – is used for
various ‘games’
• Bright colourful backdrop – engenders happy mood for audience
• Post watershed on BBC 2 minority channel – won’t appeal to everyone –
language and humour – 16 – 40? As Vic and Bob have aged, their audience has
aged with them

6. Keeping the scores…
Angelos Epithemiou - scorekeeper from
behind his "Dream Machine", a
combination of a DJ station and a pound
shop. It does still include a miniature
electronic drum kit which he uses to
accompany Vic's "songs in the club
style". Angelos always plays a short
burst of rave music before announcing
the first round's scores, and brings in a
plastic bag, the contents of which are
revealed between rounds during the
show. He is part of the team and takes
part in sketches with the others and
sings the odd song. Played by comedian,
Anton Renner, he acts the part as if he
isn’t very bright, but usually puts one
over on the captains and/or Vic and Bob.

7. Final series 2011
There are now four rounds: the opening general round, the "clip
round" (which has only one question, opened to both teams, on
the presented clip, which is Vic, Bob, Angelos and the two captains
parodying a TV show or advert), the Dove from Above ("The Dove
from Above" is a large prop animal suspended above the
contestants merely for the purpose of bearing six key words for
further questions. Guests would be prompted to "coo" down the
ove) and the quick-fire round.

8. Regular features include…
• When there’s an argument or disagreement, Vic and Bob will grab
handbags, hold them chest height and say, “Handbags…”
• Cooing down the Dove from Above
• In earlier seasons, Vic would tell a bad joke. No-one would laugh and Bob
would look ashamed and tumbleweed would blow across the studio floor
• Vic rubbing his legs and ‘flirting’ with the attractive female on Jack’s team
• Being abusive to Ulrika and Jack
• Angelos’ musical number
• Angelos trying to make a pass at Ulrika and/or one of the other female
guests
• Bob introduces Ulrika by singing a spoof (and often sexually insulting) song
to the melody of "Agadoo“
• An unoccupied pair of trousers will "walk" unattended across the studio.
This is completely ignored by everyone else.
• Outrageous ‘magic tricks’ that rely on camera editing and props
• Vic, Bob and the team captains taking part in a sketch, often mocking an
existing show
• Vic singing in the ‘style’ of a pub singer and the guests having to guess the
song – which he will then sing as it should sound, but it’s exactly the same!

9. The Final Game…
• The prize awarded for the final game, rather than being surreal, is instead
laughably small: examples include "a cassette of Reggae", and "this
wonderful toothpick holder". There was also an occasion where a video of
an exotic destination was shown on a screen only for the prize to be able to
see the remainder of that video…
• Or…
• Whichever teams "wins" the round according to the scoring system "wins"
£1 per point, and the captain must nominate a teammate to do a silly stunt
for an alleged £5 per point. This is a timed round, often marked by Vic or
Bob stating, "We don't know how much time we have, but when the time is
up, you'll hear this sound," prompting the scorer to say a silly phrase such as
"Come on, come on! Clear it up, woman!"
• The credits then roll after this round as Vic and Bob and the teams sing the
theme song and dance in front of the desks

10. Representation
• Not exactly politically correct - but sexist humour directed at Ulrika and
other female team members is offset by the fact it’s so outrageous and the
silly behaviour of Vic and Bob. The fact the humour is surreal (i.e. dressing
in Jeggings for International Jeggings Day) and they are self-effacing, allows
them to get away with it.
• Likewise, Renton’s portrayal of Angelos could be construed as racist. But the
surreal nature of the show offsets this.