All back? Settled in? Good, now we can start again... One person can be indentified with Christmas and its not Santa Claus... His name is something so Christmassy that the Egg Nog would curdle in itself, that is Noel Edmonds.
Noel usually to be found up the BT Tower on Christmas Day has been associated with the big day since 1984, though his first Christmas Day programme was to be found at Beaulieu with Mike Smith on duty as well. With 1985 being the launch pad for Comic Relief, in associating with live television firsts meant that Noel could always pull out something from his stocking.
Default Noel Position #75... Hand in pocket...
Once in a while though, Mr Edmonds does have it put all back onto him. Take for example, the clip above. Its the end of the Late, Late Breakfast show's run in 1983 and throughout the series Noel has been send out the Hit Squad to play pranks on people, but maybe it's time for some own back... Thanks to the BBC1 announcer who's in on the joke...
Later on in the decade, Noel started the tradition of his Christmas presents being like the BBC's Cilla and the late Sir Jimmy Savile by having people writing to his programme and Noel would turn up at a person's house, ready to give them a surprise and a present as well...
Socks? A Jumper, maybe? No, when they say go big, Noel goes big!
Hollies... All the way!
For this gentleman who is a huge fan of the Hollies, a CD wasn't enough... How about a private concert from the band itself? In all of this, Noel can be seen to saccharin sweet with this type of thing. But you don't have to take sugar in your beverage at all, it the idea of something impossible made real which makes Noel, the master of Christmas... He might have gone from the BBC but his presents maybe on Sky now, the surprise element always can be there, but nothing says Christmas like Noel...
Or hang on...
When presenting Swap Shop, a working model of BBC1's 1980 Christmas ident was brought onto the programme to show how it worked, so Noel loves idents does he? Yes, he does... But if there's a gag involved, he's the first one to do it...
"Blast!"
After Christmas 1985, Noel decided to start 1986 with a blast... Literally... Destroying the 1985 BBC1 Christmas ident with a blunderbuss? Sacrilegious! No, not really... In which a good way to show a sense of humour by doing this, but didn't Bottom use guns? So the best comedy comes in blowing something up, so Noel, Noel... Born is the king of Christmas...
So after a stop off in Spain we are ready to start our journey again in Germany, now you might think that Germany and light entertainment don't go together as bedfellows but strangely they do. With their love for Monty Python and associated shows which have been shown on various channels through out Germany, but more about trans-european shows later...
Though first of all when Robin Blamires tweeted me in response to Part One, he reminded that Noel's House Party made it to Germany for a short while. In 1994, a Germanic version broadcast on Sat. 1 presented by Thomas Gottschalk. Gottschalk himself had been on a similar career path to Noel Edmonds, radio presenter playing pop music but also he had done a entertainment show called 'Na Sowas!' which I referered to in part one. 'Na Sowas!' or roughly translated 'Well Something Like That!" was in style very like The Late Late Breakfast show. So the comparisons are there between Gottschalk and Edmonds, in which the love of live television has seen them both encompassing live stunts into their shows.
Since 1981 there has been one show which has maintained its place as Germany's number one entertainment show and that is 'Wetten Dass!' or as when it came to these shores 'You Bet!' Its format runs the same as the latter but it is live with the addition of music acts to allow the grand sets needed to be set up ready for each of the challenges. The original host and creator Frank Elsner presented the show up until 1987 when Gottschalk took over the show for five years, but took time out between late 1992 and the late 1993 and handing the show over to Wolfgang Lippert. Though Lippert only presented nine editions during this period, Gottschalk came back to present and he has stayed there ever since. But following an accident nearly one year ago which left a man a quadriplegic when one of the challenges went wrong and the show was pulled off air with Gottschalk unable to continue, he made the decision to leave the show at the end of the 2011 series on the 3rd of December because he felt he had to leave.
Gottschalk's place as Germany's number one entertainment host has been has been assured, so if you can get to see that final edition with Gottschalk of Wetten Dass on 3rd December it will be worth it for a man who has transcended his television career by even appearing in Sister Act 2, as part of Whoopi Goldberg losing a bet on the show.
Thomas Gottschalk not betting on the original host appearing...
As we move on from Germany, we enter Switzerland. Why Switzerland, what programme has come from Switzerland? Though a few have gone there... Switzerland, the home of the Golden Rose of Montreux... Through out television, the Golden Rose has been the standard for quality entertainment throughout Europe since 1961 and now takes places in Lucerne since 2004, but this was the prize all producers wanted to achieve whichever channel they were from. Over the years, Britain has had great success winning the Golden Rose and even in some years winning the silver one as well.
From 1961 when The Black and White Minstrels won the Golden Rose through to 2003 when reality television had come into its element with Faking It winning for Channel 4. Its has been an honour to win the prize with performers of real quality taking the honour people such as Sir David Frost, Marty Feldman, Lenny Henry, The League of Gentlemen and also Kermit the Frog as well. The wide range of programming shows the depth of the British entertainment television industry between these dates with game shows, satirical shows and big entertainment spectaculars providing the winners. In 1972 when Marty Feldman's Comedy Machine won for ATV, the runner-up was The Goodies of which Tim Brook-Taylor found himself in the odd position of both writing for Feldman but also writing and performing with Bill Oddie and Graham Garden as well. Some of the shows which have won the prize have never been seen by British audiences, but in their special ways they show the best that each country has to offer for themselves. With even the prize going across the Atlantic with shows from the United States and Canada winning on many occasions, this shows that the Rose d'Or has the prestige to be able to break down barriers between American and European television.
"And now for something different... and rare.."
As such since 2004 with the categories being separated into component parts such as Arts and Specials, Music, Sitcom, Variety and even giving a prize to the best pilot programme in that year. There have been winners throughout the intervening years such as Peter Serafinowicz, The Inbetweeners, The Vicar of Dibley etc. It seems diluted as an award, though that maybe with the proliferation of some many channels out there. But if Benidorm Bastards or I Survived a Japanese Game Show makes it to air over which could be a possibility then who knows what might happen to the next generations of shows.
From Switzerland via the medium of a huge rubber band, we are back here in the UK again. So thanks to our European cousins, shows have come over to us and we have sent shows to them. Showing surely the universal language is television and over borders come ideas, new thrills and the chance for performers to been seen in many countries as they can. But for the Gold Standard, they are all trying to achieve at the same time and that, that in itself is just special...
Like many people I am often to found shouting at the television, where as they maybe not agree with what's on there. Its more then likely I'm shouting out to the answer to a question, well most of the time...
But the game or quiz show is something I've always loved, my earliest memories are of Ted Rodgers and Dusty Bin on Saturday night at my Nan and Grandad's watching 3-2-1. The show always seemed like light years away from my own life, as it proudly boasted at the start of the edition 'It's a Quiz, It's a Game, It's Fortune and Fame!' Really, I don't know apart from the contestants who guessed Chopin and Beethoven for a question about Handel if any got the fame they wanted from it... Judging by their answers maybe infamy then anything else.
Ted Rogers cartoon not included...
Though the spirit of these shows have changed, from winning a Hi-Fi we got all the way through to Robert Kilroy-Silk asking people to shaft each other. Having said that, that sounds very creepy!
My love for questions for winning what was seemingly tat, came through the old Friday 7pm quiz spot from BBC1 and ITV. Friday represented the start of the weekend and the start of light entertainment galore. Easy on the eye the titles may have not been, but the pure content was almost like a warm lounge fire in Autumn and Winter time. In particular the one show which makes think of those times is 'Play Your Cards Right', following Brucie's move to ITV in 1978, Michael Grade looked to find Bruce a format which would work for him. So over to America and one was found, but not seemingly the one that Brucie wanted to do. His idea was to ask Bob Monkhouse to a swap deal for Family Feud, what was going to turn into Family Fortunes. Grade had bought Card Sharks to be able to make a British version of that, with some format tweaking came forth was 'Play Your Cards Right'.
"Mirror, mirror on the wall... Who's the Bruciest of them all?"
The thrill of 'Higher and Lower!' was something get excited about, the audience were encouraged to get involved in the game. This hadn't been seen by viewers before, the excitement would there in your living room on a weekly basis. On a turn of a card, a car could be won or lost. Some people might say that's random chance, but the build up to that moment was almost as thrilling as the game itself. In those few moments it was evident that Bruce Forsyth is a gameshow god, the pace, the control, the thrill of it all...
As Bob Monkhouse once in an interview, that the pause between the question and correct is the key thing of being a great gameshow host. Tension can be ramped up, the anticipation of the answer, never knowing if it will be wrong or right. We are willingly able to look on at these hosts and look at what they are doing, but not everyone can make a good gameshow host. Charm and charisma are two key factors, likeablity of the host another. This works so well with Terry Wogan, hearing his charm at work also being able to walk and talk at the same time like he did on the radio.
Hmm. I'm sure there a message in there, but I just can't work it out!
A gameshow can be key to a good schedule, but it can hold a place in people hearts for ever, all for the turn of a card...
Now who is Boggenstrovia? Some might know me as Rob, others as Mr Chicken...
But I am one and the same, so I will using this to write thoughts, show stuff and also give opinions.
So what about me?
Some might call me a simpleton from Portsmouth, others may call me other things but I know what I am and that is a twit... No, hang on that's not right!
But I just love television, from the days when I used to draw the Westward logo with crayons to being able to recite the TV page from the Daily Mirror even giving advice on what to watch that night. I was brought up on Light Entertainment and those programme hold a lot for me...
Though I like sport, please don't run away! I can see you edging there!
Like I was saying thought, I like sport I won't blog all the time about it... Only if its relevant to the blog etc...
But by using this blog I will be able to show you something from my past as well, wondering how a young boy from Portsmouth grew up into a misanthrope and maybe still growing up as well...
