Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown
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| Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown, Originally Ministry of Mayhem |
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 Screen capture of title sequence |
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| Genre | Children, Game show |
| Starring | Holly Willoughby, Stephen Mulhern |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | ITV Productions, The Foundation |
| Running time | 125 min (Jan 2004-Jun 2006), 155 min (Jun-Jul 2006), 30 min Showdown Extra (March-June 2006) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CITV on ITV1 (Jan 2004-Jun 2006), CITV Channel (Mar-Jul 2006) |
| Original run | 10 January 2004 – 1 July 2006 |
The Ministry of Mayhem was a CITV show which broadcast on ITV1 from January 2004. As of January 2006, the onscreen name was Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown.
Contents |
[edit] Overview of the show
Shown in the United Kingdom. It was first broadcast after SMTV Live, its predecessor, came to an end. The first episode was broadcast on January 10, 2004. It was usually shown every Saturday on terrestrial television and was popular with many pre-teens. It included some conventional television aspects, such as an in-studio audience who see all of the programmes shown on the show, yet has been noted for some of its more peculiar characteristics. These included seeing how far different celebrities can flip a cake into the air from a skateboard, a game known as "Cakey SK8" - and a Gunge Tank.
It was originally presented by Stephen Mulhern, Holly Willoughby & Michael Underwood, along with Ray Griffiths as "Ray" and Peter Cocks as "The Doctor", and Laura Tilli & Jessica Tilli as "Tina and Gina" who supposedly answered phones.
The theme tune was covered by little-known boyband The Noise Next Door and can be found as a b-side to their debut single Lock Up Ya Daughters.
[edit] Significant changes
[edit] The first revamp
The first major alteration to Ministry of Mayhem occurred on 24th July 2004. The alterations saw the show get a new set and titles, it also saw 'Tina and Gina' being axed from the show. There was also sketches such as 'At home with the Mayhems' and in an attempt to recreate SMTV's Chums there was 'Butthaven', set around a fictitious holiday camp. This sketch featured Ruth Madoc as "Miss Butthaven", however it was dropped after a short period of time.
[edit] Farewell Michael, Hello MoM
Particularly from December 2004 onwards the show started moving away from its original 'Ministry' theme. Just before the show's first Christmas on 18th December 2004 it saw the departure of presenter Michael Underwood. The reason for his departure remains somewhat unclear, mainly as the only announcement of him departing was at the end of that show followed by a compilation of clips of his best bits. However, the fact that the Christmas episode coincided with the renewal of the 26-week rolling contracts for the show and presenters suggests that at some point before the Christmas recording Michael either quit or was fired. The Christmas day show was presented by Stephen and Holly, featuring specially adapted Christmas lyrics for the show. The move away from its original 'Ministry' feel became most apparent for the first show of the new year, when it was renamed MoM.
[edit] Animals & Additions
MoM continued to provide Saturday morning entertainment. In March 2005, two new characters were introduced. The Hyenas, Scratch & Sniff, played by Don Austen & John Eccleston. They are virtual recreations of their past characters- "Bro & Bro", the wolves, who they played on former Saturday Morning show What's Up Doc between 1992 and 1995, and spin-off series Wolf It between 1993 and 1996. Their introduction was fairly built up as initially viewers were asked to guess what was in a large box, which eventually was revealed to contain the hyenas. There then followed the process of naming the Hyenas, with their eventual names being chosen by the viewers. Towards the end of the series, the hyenas took up residence making their own home in a small set located under the tiered seating. Scratch 'n' Sniff went on to present a comedy centered game show called Scratch n Sniff's den of doom for ITV (2007) Originally to be called "Trapdoor", it was a brand new quiz show. The change of title may have been due to the fact that there was an earlier CITV show called "The Trap Door" and so was changed to avoid confusion.
Another new character was also added, Mr. Lee (played by Vincent Wong), who originally only had a small role in a game, he later became a regular, with his own theme tune. In September 2005 MoM got another new addition in the form of a real puppy. This puppy later was named Snowy.
[edit] Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown
After a week's break for Christmas, Ministry of Mayhem returned on 7th January (2006) with a new name and a new look. The new name for the show was Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown, however, for the first few weeks of transmission the ITV Sales website still had the show's off screen name as Ministry of Mayhem, but this was later corrected.
The show was set in Holly & Stephen's 'flat'. The idea of the show was that kids called in for competitions and if the winner was a boy 10 points go to the boys team and vice versa. Two teams were brought into the house every week and competed for points and prizes. Ray, Scratch and Sniff the Hyenas and Snowy the dog remained from before the revamp. The most noticeable character absences were The Doc and Mr. Lee. The new format introduced a new character; Wallace, a rapping child who lives in the closet; however he disappeared after the first episode.
It's notable that in all but 3 editions, Sniff only appeared in the "Dodge Dolly's Balls" segment of the show, which has led to speculation that, despite having the appearance of a live phone-in game, this segment was actually pre-recorded. After the game ended, Sniff was not seen until the final show on the 1st July 2006.
[edit] The End
It was first reported on 12th May that Saturday Showdown was to be axed. The show was gradually phased out, with it being dropped from ITV1 as of 10th June. The show then continued to run on the CITV Channel for a further 3 weeks, and finally ended on Saturday 1st July 2006. For the final show 'Mr Lee' (Vincent Wong), 'The Doc' (Peter Cocks), and 'Sniff' (John Eccleston) returned. There were also many features from Ministry of Mayhem added to the final Showdown such as the Thank You desk at the end of the show. In addition there was highlights of the best bits from Ministry of Mayhem and Saturday Showdown. Also guests included girl band Frank who performed their debut single I'm Not Shy and had appeared the previous week too.
It is currently unknown if there will be any replacement Saturday morning show. The Foundation are unsure of what will be replacing it, hinting that they may not be involved if a replacement is made. From 8th July there are cartoons under the name of "2N BAS3" which means Toon Base scheduled in the Saturday Showdowns' time slot. On the last show Stephan repeatedly said "I suck" for no good reason and it is still a mystery today.
Scratch and Sniff will co-host host Matt and Tak's dreadful den of doom, == The Lab ==
The Lab has been with the show since the start and has survived the many revamps, though the set itself has changed. The Lab is primarily used by the Doc, a mock German scientist and 1970s throwback from the University of Brighton, played by Peter Cocks. Although nowadays he's never referred to by name, in an early edition of the show, he revealed his surname to be Undgoggles, presumably making his first name Helmut. The Doc is usually accompanied by Stephen (as a lab-hand) for this part of the show, and the two attempt a simple experiment in order to demonstrate some scientific principle; the Doc also tries to incapacitate Stephen with laughter (and has succeeded on several occasions) by laying on thick innuendo, as well as comedic hints towards homosexuality and Nazism, much to the hilarity of adult viewers. At one of least experiments has resulted in a complaint to OFCOM being upheld for fear that it would encourage children to imitate a dangerous procedure.
The original Lab was a plain white room located somewhere in the large studio. Post revamp it occupied a fairly large part of the studio in an enclosed set. However, to make room for a new seated area within the enclosed set, and larger outdoor-oriented experiments, the Lab was reduced to at least half its original size and equipped with a cupboard that acted as a portal to the outdoors for larger experiments.
When the programme was renamed Saturday Showdown the show no longer had the Doc or his lab. Though on the 18th March 2006 the Doc made a surprise appearance at the end of the main show. The part went as follows: Just as Holly and Stephen are about to say goodbye, Stephen found a German towel. They both say "he isn't back is he?" and we see through the door's frosted glass, the blur of The Doctor and he shouts through the letterbox. But viewers without cable or satellite never got to see him that week, as he only fully appeared on the CITV Channel's Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown: Extra. Though Stephen asked the Doc on the show if he could come back next week it was to be a one off appearance, and The Foundation confirmed that the Doc was only a guest for this show. However, the Doc re-appeared for the final show on 1st July 2006.
[edit] Shows
MoM was also host to many children's shows and cartoons, including Spongebob Squarepants and Finders Keepers. After the launch of the CITV Channel, viewers could switch over for a different show (similar to the interactive feature on CBBC's Mighty Truck of Stuff).
In 2005, the programme aired the first run of Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet. However, the treatment by M.O.M of the series was highly criticised, with episodes being split into segments, spoken over and cut in places. Certainly, the series was not seen by its intended audience due to its inclusion in the "Ministry".
[edit] Ministry Games
[edit] Cakey Sk8
Celebrities propel cakes from skateboards, and the cake which reaches highest up the wall wins.
[edit] Name that Tone
Mr Lee brings on the ring-tones to his own theme tune. Then contestants from the studio audience pair with a celebrity to guess ring-tones usually for a mobile phone or an MP3. A spin off show entitled "MoM's Name that tone" featured on CITV on Tuesdays for a while.
[edit] Ram Ray
Callers phone in to guess doors 1-5 (4 made from wood and 1 made from paper). If Ray bursts through the paper door, that caller wins a prize.
[edit] Relly from Helly
An audience member is embarrassed by a relative which also became a feature of the very first Showdown as the Parent Trap where the viewer embarrassed the parent.
[edit] Supermarket Sneak
Two teams, composed of one of the presenters and a child, go to a supermarket with a trolley full of items in progressive sizes. The aim of the game is to place all of the items into unsuspecting shoppers' trolleys. The first team to do so wins.
The introduction of this game came a matter of weeks before the new series Dick and Dom started which was to feature an almost identical game, which had been pre-filmed in August. It is believed the MoM had employed a crack commando unit to work undercover on the production team of Da Bungalow during the summer. It was a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped MOM maximum security stockade to the Maidstone underground. Today, still wanted by the Dick and Dom, they survive as soldiers of plagiarism. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire...the Sneak Team, Supermarket Sneak team!
[edit] Saturday Showdown Games
Showdown had lots of games to fill up the time gaps between shows. Some of the games included:
[edit] Dodge Dolly's Balls
No, this game isn't rude, its granny Dolly in her loft with the two hyenas. They both have to dodge her moth balls and the one with the least hits wins. The golden ball also wipes out all of your hits. Despite having the appearance of a live phone-in game, this segment is actually pre-recorded. This has been proved by the fact that Sniff only appears in this segment, the game has appeared on editions where Holly Willoughby was absent, along with the lack of any obvious entry details for the game, either on the show or the website, and with the speed Holly would have to change costumes if the segment was live, as she appears on screen within seconds either side of the game. It has been speculated that the callers on this segment are either somehow connected to the crew or the winners of keys to the studio, and are present in the studio at the time of recording. According to Sniff, Granny Dolly is now dead as he had to eat her as he had no food which is why DDB finished.
[edit] Parent Trap
A version of Relly from Helly in which the child embarrasses the parent, which was discontinued after one show.
[edit] Pumping on your Stereo
A similar format to Name that Tone, based around distorted songs rather than ring-tones, and featuring Scratch rather than Mr. Lee. On the final show, Mr Lee returned.
[edit] Ram Ray
In Saturday Showdown, a revised version of Ram Ray is played. This version uses only four "doors" - a dresser, a cupboard (later a jukebox), a toilet door and a set of shelves. Two callers take it in turns to guess which of these objects is 'soft' i.e. will break when Ray runs into it. This segment primarily used furniture but as weeks went by, they have slowly reverted back to 3 doors and a dresser ...
[edit] Other Games
Since Ministry of Mayhem started many games have been played, to date many have been discontinued...
- Snap: This is the most recent edition where the "hyenas" Scratch and Sniff put their paws into mousetraps attached to a 'Wheel of Fortune' style wheel. The caller that selects the trap that Doesn't go off wins a prize.
[edit] MoM specials
The most notable special edition of MoM was on 17th September 2005, as part of ITV50 and a celebration of 25 years of Saturday morning children's TV. To celebrate MoM had presenters from past Saturday morning shows as well as clips from the past.
The main guests were Sally James from Tiswas, Neil Buchanan from No. 73, Finders Keepers, and Motormouth, Gareth Jones from Get Fresh, Gaby Roslin from Motormouth, Pat Sharp from What’s Up Doc? and Fun House, Jenny Powell from Gimme 5, Gail Porter from Scratchy & Co, and Brian Dowling from SM:TV. The show also saw a special appearance of Timmy Mallet from Wacaday, who had a round of Mallet's Mallet in the Hyena's hideout with Scratch and Ray. There were also interviews with Chris Tarrant, and Ant & Dec.
ITV bosses allowed MoM to run over Christmas 2004 and 2005. Both shows contained a wide variety of guests and had specially adapted lyrics to the opening song and the titles were changed to the "Ministry" covered in snow. But the show never ran over New Year 2005 as the new set was being built for the revamp: Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown. The new set still contains some of the same elements as the new MoM set such as the skylight windows and the pictures above the fireplace (the lighting panels on the steel walls.) The stairs were also set in the same place which the guests walk down every week.
