'Shooting Stars' to return for Christmas special

[goldfish]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/16/bbc.television

[ThickAndCreamy]

Fuck yes! Please, please no Russell Brand though.

[Jemble Fred]

Yay for Bob! I'd just assumed he's all-but retired.

Although no doubt the other guests, as well as Brand, will be Fielding, Barrett, Berry, Fulcher and Leigh Francis. Y'know, Vic and Bob's apparently worthy successors.

[ThickAndCreamy]

Yay for Bob! I'd just assumed he's all-but retired.

Although no doubt the other guests, as well as Brand, will be Fielding, Barrett, Berry, Fulcher and Leigh Francis. Y'know, Vic and Bob's apparently worthy successors.

That would be depressing, Shooting stars used to work best with guests that were not exactly funny and didn't try to be funny so Vic and Bob can show and do their best material without being interrupted. I can imagine just how annoying Noel Fielding would be on it trying to make shitty jokes and constantly slowing the pace of the show down.

I would prefer the guests to be the likes of Keith Chegwin, Les Dennis and Michael Winner any day. At least with them you know they would be perplexed for half the show as to what's going on which makes it all that much more funnier.

[switchbitch]

The show was revived by digital channel BBC Choice in 2002, with Will Self taking over from Lamarr as team captain.

I must've missed that, how many of those did they make?

Or is it just bollocks because didn't the later BBC2 ones have Self on instead of Lamarr?

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

Yay for Bob! I'd just assumed he's all-but retired.

Although no doubt the other guests, as well as Brand, will be Fielding, Barrett, Berry, Fulcher and Leigh Francis. Y'know, Vic and Bob's apparently worthy successors.

Not forgetting Iain Lee and Mackenzie Crook.

[ThickAndCreamy]

I must've missed that, how many of those did they make?

Or is it just bollocks because didn't the later BBC2 ones have Self on instead of Lamarr?

Yeah, the last two series had Will Self and Johnny Vegas in and were on normal television, not choice. They were as good as the first three series too.

[niat]

Yeah, the last two series had Will Self and Johnny Vegas in and were on normal television, not choice. They were as good as the first three series too.

Didn't they show this series on Choice before they appeared on BBC2?

[ThickAndCreamy]

Didn't they show this series on Choice before they appeared on BBC2?

Probably did actually, I only ever saw or heard about it on BBC2 though. I fondly remember watching it, but I have never had satellite or cable television.

[Neil]

This went thunderously off-the-boil, though.  I had to give up as it got so irritating, so I'm not honestly sure if it ever got decent again.  However, I do remember Vic and Bob endlessly whining about how they were being forced into doing Shooting Stars, which never really rang true. 

EDIT:  VV Heh, I hated Lucas in this :-) 

[Marvin]

Didn't they show this series on Choice before they appeared on BBC2?

Yep.

It did go off the boil for a while but then they did seem to get it back actually, the last series with Self and Vegas had some of my favourite Shooting Stars moments, not least the excellent songs that Matt Lucas did for that one.

[Don_Preston]

One of my fondest Shooting Stars memories was in one of the clips round where it shows a video of Vic, Bob and Ulrika as Peter, Paul and Mary singing in a playground. Gradually gets more bizzare with Vic spinning on a roundabout while his legs grow larger. ANd this sort of thing used to be on at six in the evening!

[Beagle 2]

I agree that it looked tired as hell when it first came back but last series seemed to recapture some of the old magic. I remember a bit when a silly tune came on, vic pretends to play it on a keyboard and Bob does a stupid dance with a deadpan expression that's responsible for one of the most uncontrollable giggling fits of my entire life.

I'm a sucker for reunions in any capacity, so this is good news.

VV Heh, I hated Lucas in this :-)

Ah no, how so!

"Ere, have you seen that Pretty Woman"

"Yes"

"Yeah, what, are you some sort of film expert now are you?"

[ThickAndCreamy]

I agree that it looked tired as hell when it first came back but last series seemed to recapture some of the old magic. I remember a bit when a silly tune came on, vic pretends to play it on a keyboard and Bob does a stupid dance with a deadpan expression that's responsible for one of the most uncontrollable giggling fits of my entire life.

I'm a sucker for reunions in any capacity, so this is good news.

Ah no, how so!

"Ere, have you seen that Pretty Woman"

"Yes"

"Yeah, what, are you some sort of film expert now are you?"

The keyboard bit is incredibly great, absolutely hysterical I agree. Also the many times in the fourth and fifth series where they singalong to some poor music with the "I played the" line over and over again.

Also I really enjoyed Matt Lucas in this, his songs were usually hilarious and his range of characters was pretty decent as well. One of the only things he has been in where he has truly been very funny.

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

Like most latter-day R&M stuff, it had flashes of their earlier brilliance marred by reptition and a bit of lazy vulgarity. For instance, I enjoyed the Hulk and men's group sketches, but they repeated the entire concept unneccesarily for follow-ups.

George's songs were a delight, though. And a great sketch with Self as Jay Kay singing and looking at an off-stage mirror to see Vegas playing his reflection. Sounds crap, but I recall it fondly.

[the midnight watch baboon]

Yeah George's songs were better than ever, my favourite being the baked potato one during which George cracked up at himself...

[youtube=425,350]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BC259y0E1e8[/youtube]

[Identity Crisis Ahoy!]

Died with Lammar.

[rudi]

The last series was good? I'll have to check that out; like others, it appears, I'd given up by some time mid-series 4.

[Marv Orange]

Nice I hope it does happen this time unlike all the other one times its been hinted at a comeback.

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

Like that time when it came back.

[Marv Orange]

No the time after that when it didn't. Along with that Vic and Bob Novelty single documentary that never happened.

[alan nagsworth]

Although no doubt the other guests, as well as Brand, will be Fielding, Barrett, Berry, Fulcher and Leigh Francis. Y'know, Vic and Bob's apparently worthy successors.

C'mon now, that's as cliched a response as the actual choice to use such panelists, surely?

^{you're probably 100% correct though :(}

[Little Hoover]

Yeah George's songs were better than ever, my favourite being the baked potato one during which George cracked up at himself...

[youtube=425,350]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BC259y0E1e8[/youtube]

Why would that be your favourite, when there's peanuts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZg9pwjznD8

[Glebe]

I've watched it too many times already, but I couldn't resist watching Peanuts again!

[ThickAndCreamy]

I've watched it too many times already, but I couldn't resist watching Peanuts again!

That really made me laugh a lot, thanks. I know it's probably not meant to be funny, but it is.

[Glebe]

Great, when I try to be funny... (wink smilie)

[Goldentony]

I really think the last two series of Shooting Stars were just as good as the earlier shows, whetehr it's because i've got those on video rather than anything older i dunno, the repetition could have warped my mind. Mentioned this in another thread also but the George's songs were fantastic, Baked Potato and Peanuts are two of the best things i've ever seen.

In fact one of my favorite R&M moments comes from one of the last series episodes when they rcereate Falling Down in Middlesbrough or Newcastle with Vic as Michael Douglas complaining about the price of Panda Pops, and exacting his revenge by crushing a load of bread.

"HAH!! I NOT BOTHERED IT'LL COME BACK IN SHAPE!!

"oh yeah well what about this then"

crushes topic bar

"NOT MY TOPIC!! GET OUT OF HERE YOU DAFT TWWWWWWWWWWWAT!!"

The completely stupid accent with the delivery of TWAT!! is perfect.

Donald Cox was a good improvment over the dove too - one episode that sticks out had Donald for no particular reason dressed as Dracula and speaking in a really pissed slurring French accent, first thing he says is "CAN I HAVE SOME BENNY HEDGEES??" made me go nuts with laughter. So good.

Some of it did get a bit tired with repetition like the rotating a weasel or whatever, but to me there seemed to be a great sense of chaos liek they were taking the piss a bit, towards the end like the episode with Norman Cook trying to answer a question whilst an ironing board slinked slowly across the studio, and everyone ignored it much to his confusion.

I hope it comes back.

EDIT - favourite moment of any series - Mark Lammar levitating round a cafe singing Mr Boombastic, haha!!

[mycroft]

My favourite recurring theme, apart from the clip of Paul Shane they always used before the Club Singer round...

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFS5bnWmqj4[/youtube]

[Jemble Fred]

It would certainly be nice to have a DVD release which comprised Unpicked & Plucked, Unviewed & Nude, a brand new 'Best Of' compilation, the original pilot and every single specially-made clips round sketch they ever did.

Dreeeeeam, dream dream dre-eam....

[ThickAndCreamy]

It would certainly be nice to have a DVD release which comprised Unpicked & Plucked, Unviewed & Nude, a brand new 'Best Of' compilation, the original pilot and every single specially-made clips round sketch they ever did.

Dreeeeeam, dream dream dre-eam....

You can easily get Unviewed & Nude, every single episode from series 1 - 5 and the pilot on the internet. I love re-watching it, shooting stars is perhaps the best quiz show I have ever seen, for comedy anyway.

However I don't know where to get Unpicked and Plucked but I'm sure it'll turn up soon on thebox or uknova.