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Shooting stars
- 1.
- 2. • Created andhosted 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 basicformat 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… AngelosEpithemiou - 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 Thereare 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 exactlypolitically 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.