Game Guru
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'Game GuruTM is perhaps the most popular and famous of all Game Network UK's video gaming shows.
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[edit] Game Guru: Original Version
December 9, 2002 – Mid October 2003
The original Game Guru television program was conceived, developed and produced by AlienPants and debuted on the Game Network channel on December 9, 2002. It was a live daily video gaming show presented by a live "guru", originally working from home via webcam. Members of the public sent in requests for game hints, tips or cheats via Short Message Service (SMS), and the "guru" responded verbally, whilst also displaying the original cheat request or text chat on screen. Alongside Game Guru was a text-reply only cheat service called GTIP, which allowed Game Guru viewers to request and receive cheats via Short message service while the program was off air. The GTIP service later appeared as the GuruGold cheat service for Gamezville, another British television computer games show.
The original version of Game Guru ran until mid-October 2003, when the Game Network decided to take over production of the program. Though AlienPants retained the trademark in the name Game Guru and the program concept.
[edit] Game Guru: Cellcast Version
Mid October 2003 - February 27, 2006
Around the middle of September 2004, the Game Network changed the format of Game Guru, replacing the original single "guru" format, with two "guru" presenters, One hosted while the other workked on texts (and occasionally could be heard) Members of the public rang or texted in and asked for cheats or walkthroughs to various video games, in which the Guru's explain how and/or post up the solution on television, although in later years the show also returned to supporting requests for release dates for forthcoming games as well as the latest news in the industry.
Chris Cartwright took over presenting and producing the show when Game Network took over. Hired Guru Chris and Guru Vagus, When Guru Vagus took over the show, he inturn hired Guru Ben, Guru Larry, Guru Boidster, Guru Paul and Guru Phil. Bizarelly He did offer Guru Ed a job at the time, but he was unable to join he had just started university, he was hired a year later by Daniel Scammell/Guru NES.
[edit] Making History
Game Guru was the longest consecutively running games TV show with the most episodes made of any video game show in TV history, with an estimated 2,500 programs broadcast during the show's run. (Although another British gaming TV series, GamesMaster Ran for 7 years, it took a six - eight month break between seasons).
The final episode of Game Guru aired on February 27, 2006, presented by Guru Larry and Guru Ed. Many fans were upset by the show's demise as it was their only source of cheats. There have been rumours, and the possibility of a similar show appearing on another channel, but there are currently no plans for the shows return.
[edit] Presenters
There have been numerous Gurus that have presented the show over the four years including:
Outside Gurus (Image fed to studio via webcam, usually from the presenter's home)
- Guru cro (AKA Tom Gordon, the first Guru and the show's creator)
- Guru StOo (AKA Stuart Macdonald)
- Guru Larry (AKA Larry Bundy Jr. (The Longest Serving Guru))
- Guru Sydrik (AKA Gregg Syder)
- Guru Boogaloo (AKA Tom Salter)
- Guru Starman (AKA Peter Batten)
- Guru Ben (AKA Ben Parfitt)
- Guru Paul (AKA Paul Sunter)
- Guru Boidster (AKA Duncan Simpson)
- Guru Fil (AKA Phil Collins)
- Guru Ed (AKA Edwin Jones)
- Guru Janice (AKA Janice Careddu)
- Guru Wez (AKA Wesley Lock)
- Guru Kali (AKA Sophie Blakemore)
Off-Camera Gurus (2002 – 2003)
- Guru Qoreq (AKA Greg Bristol, who acted as an off-camera Guru from his home in Washington, USA)
- Guru Appl (AKA Joel Bowers, who acted as an off-camera Guru from his home in Toronto, Canada)
Studio-Based Presenters
- Guru Vagus (AKA Gareth Williams)
- Guru Chris (AKA Chris Jeffery)
- Guru Chris C (AKA Chris Cartwright)
- Guru Olly
- Guru Stu (AKA Stuart Headlam)
- Guru NES / DJ NES (AKA Daniel Scammell)
- "The Chad"/Guru Maggot (AKA Mike Rushton)
- "Man in Bush" (AKA Dominic Lawler)
- "Henchman A"/Guru "A" (AKA Mark Nesmith)
Guru Larry, Guru Wes, Guru Janice and Guru Ed presented the final set of shows. With Guru Larry and Guru Ed presenting the actual final ever episode.
The show's final Game Network producers were Peter Browning and Daniel Scammell.
[edit] Where are they now?
Peter Browning still works for Cellcast on their numerous interactive based shows.
Mike Rushton ("The Chad") now works for ITV Play.
Wesley Lock (Guru Wes) as well as being in university training as a psychologist Wesley is also the co-creator and co-writer of the forthcoming World-Wide gaming comedy Sketch show Hack-Job, as well as one of the producers behind the European version of Screwattack where he stars in the popular series Games Yanks Can't Wank.
Chris Jeffery (Guru Chris) resides in Scotland
Gareth Williams (Guru Vagus) freelances for Videogames magazines.
Larry Bundy Jr. (Guru Larry) Is now the Retro Games Advisor for Rapture TV's video game show, G@mers and is also presenting a forthcoming comedy video game show for Gamer.TV
Ben Parfitt (Guru Ben) is now assistant editor of the weekly games industry magazine, MCV.
Phil Collins (Guru Fil), Paul Sunter (Guru Paul) and Duncan Simpson (Guru Boidster) have since written for various websites. They now reside on their own technology blog called The Good, The Bald and The Stupid.
Guru Olly went on to do nothing.
and... Dominic Lawler, well, we'll never know what happened to him - or the bush...
[edit] Game Guru Italy
Game Guru was also adapted for the Italian version of Game Network (which even aired occasionally on the UK version albeit in Italian), although the series failed to become as popular as the UK version because they also incorporated it with a Live TV Text Chat room.
[edit] Game Guru vs. The Gamez Guru
The Gamez Guru from the Sky One series Gamezville was renamed "The Guru" in the second series, due to a complaint from Game Network owners Cellcast, as it infringed on the copyright of their own long running gaming cheat TV show Game Guru.
When the first series re-aired on Sky One in the early mornings, all "Guru" graphic sequences were replaced with the second series, to keep in line with the new character, even though they clearly call him the "Gamez Guru" in the live-action sequences.
Ironically, the Guru Gold SMS cheat service, that was made available to veiwers towards the end of the program's run was provided by the same company that developed the early Game Guru episodes.
