| Harry Hill's TV Burp | |
|---|---|
TV Burp Titlecard (2001-present) |
|
| Also known as | Harry Hill's TV Burp |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Format | Entertainment |
| Created by | Harry Hill |
| Written by | Harry Hill |
| Presented by | Harry Hill |
| Composer(s) | Steve Brown |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 11 |
| No. of episodes | 151 (as of 4 January 2012) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Harry Hill |
| Producer(s) | Nick Symons (2002-2006) Spencer Millman (2007-present) |
| Location(s) | Teddington Studios (2001-2009) BBC Television Centre (2009-present) |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Avalon Television |
| Distributor | ITV Studios |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV (ITV1/STV/UTV) (also ITV1 HD/STV HD/UTV HD) BBC One (Comic Relief and Blue Peter specials) Cartoon Network (Child-friendly) |
| Picture format | 16:9 576i SDTV 16:9 1080i HDTV |
| Audio format | Stereo Mono |
| Original run | 22 December 2001 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
| Production website | |
Harry Hill's TV Burp[1] is a British television comedy programme produced by Avalon Television for ITV and hosted by comedian Harry Hill. The show presents a satirical look at the week's television, including extracts from TV shows with added sketches, observational voice-overs, and guest appearances.
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The show is based on clips of the previous week of programming on television, showing lines of dialogue that can be twisted out of context, unusual set layouts and actions performed on the shows. Following a successful pilot broadcast on 22 December 2001, a series was commissioned, starting on 14 November 2002. During the first three series, the show was broadcast late night, on Thursday for the first two and Friday for third. Whilst well received, the scheduling was criticised due to the family-friendly humour. The third series received a Sunday teatime repeat and from the fourth series, the show moved to a Saturday teatime slot, later moving to primetime.
To produce the show, Hill and his programme associate writing team, including Brenda Gilhooly, Paul Hawksbee, Dan Maier, Joe Burnside and David Quantick, watch significant amounts of television, much on preview tapes. Clips from a variety of shows across most channels are included in the show, with soaps, dramas and popular-factual series being the most commonly represented genres. The clips are shown outside of the context of their original programme and only limited information about the scene is given, as the focus of the show's treatment is on the often unintentional humour which can be derived from the scene. The show was filmed at Teddington Studios, Greater London, in Studio 1 for series 1 to 8. As of series 9, the studio has been the BBC Television Centre in London.
Notably, the BBC did not allow any clips from EastEnders to be used within the first series, requiring Hill's comments on the show to be instead accompanied by crude animation, courtroom-style sketches or staged comic re-enactments of scenes from the show. However, as of the second series, clips have appeared.
The highest rated episode of TV Burp aired on Saturday 13 November 2010, with the show receiving 7.946 million, a 31.7% audience share.[2]
In 2007, however, Ofcom ruled that TV Burp had breached guidelines by including clips of a Bear Grylls programme which featured Grylls eating a frog and cooking a turtle; Ofcom ruled that the clips were 'inappropriately scheduled' given the offence they could potentially cause viewers when taken outside of the context of the whole Grylls programme.[3]
In 2009, the original broadcast of Best of TV Burp 3 included footage originally broadcast in 2004, which lampooned Sky reality series The Real Mrs Robinson. ITV and Avalon were not aware that two of the participants in the programme had passed away between the original broadcast and the 'Best of'. However, Sky's licence to use the footage made no mention of this, and the participants were not referred to by their full names in the footage, restricting TV Burp's ability to research the case ahead of putting the programme to air. After complaints were made to ITV and Ofcom, the programme was voluntarily re-edited such that the segment was removed from all further broadcasts. Ofcom did not uphold a complaint made by relatives of the deceased, stating that whilst it recognised that the broadcast of the footage would have been distressing to the family, the manner of the broadcast did not breach the broadcasting regulations.[4]
On October 28, 2011, Cartoon Network began airing their version of TV Burp, but child-friendly at 5pm with Hill staying as the host of the show after the success of the re-runs of his first TV show aimed at children, Harry Hill's Shark Infested Custard on the channel.
Due to the inclusion of a large amount of material to which ITV/Avalon do not hold the rights, repeats of past TV Burp episodes were rare outside immediate broadcast repeats. However, in 2009, The Best of TV Burp was introduced, which featured clips from previous episodes. Additionally, following the roll-out of ITV Player, as of 2009, new episodes have also been made available to view online on the service for up to 7 days after original transmission.[5]
As of 4 January 2012, 18 Best of TV Burp episodes have been aired, in addition to a Best of Christmas TV Burp episode on 27 December 2010, with clips from previous Christmas episodes of the show.
As per repeats, it was initially thought that a DVD release of TV Burp would be unlikely. However, a DVD titled Harry Hill's TV Burp Gold was eventually released in November 2008. Several other DVDs have since been released, as detailed below, with additional content from the show.
A fourth DVD titled Harry Hill's TV Burp: The Best Bits is due for release on 14 November 2011. [6] However, a complete series-by-series release still appears unlikely.
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A TV Burp book was also released in 2009.
Over the series, a number of recurring elements and characters have been introduced into the show, most notable being the fights.
To enter into the advertisement, the show has used a fight sketch to introduce the break. Typically, Hill claims to like two items and to determine which is best, a fight occurs. The typical script for this sections is: "Well, I like ? and I like ?. But which is better? There's only one way to find out...FIGHT!" The two relevant people, animals or items then appear from doors on either side of the studio and then fight, with Hill saying "Go on ?. See you after the break." After the commercial break, the show continues as normal, making no reference to the fight or who won it. Notable fights that have not stuck to the regular format have included:
Each episode opens with Harry supposedly conversing with somebody who is out of shot, and then exclaiming "Oh!" and quickly starting the show.
A regular feature throughout the show's run has been TV Highlight of the Week, which shows a mundane event from the week's TV. This feature has been varied regularly, including TV High Voice of the Week, TV Voiceover Highlight of the Week or TV Expert of the Week, with a similar sung jingle. In most episodes, Hill uses sideways looks at another camera before giving a cheeky, risqué or sarcastic remark. To finish each show, a guest relating to a TV show featured will sing a song to finish the show.
Other regular sections have also included I Beg Your Pardon of the Week, TV Burp Poetry Corner, I Certainly Didn't Expect To See That, Fabulous Bum of the Year, a summary of a week of a programme "In A Nutshell", TV Burp Stars of Tomorrow-Today, Legendary Caption of the Week, celebrities that look like Hill and the Many Faces of Louis Walsh, as well as other celebrities in subsequent episodes. Hill often also uses a phone found on or below his desk for conversations.
Former regular elements have included "Isn't it weird how people end up looking like their..." comparisons.
Episodes almost always end with some kind of singing performance by a person who has featured in the week's television. A distinctive sudden song ending is always used, and then it's goodbyes and the credits.
From series 7, Hill often mocked BBC Three show Freaky Eaters, which examined unusual eating habits of the public. After a clip announced what they ate, Hill often repeated the food name in a loud, simplistic gurn, many with comic adaptations, such as "beans", "chippy chips", "sausages!" and "hoopy hoops". However, in later series, Hill refused to continue doing this, deeming it childish. Also in the series, Emmerdale character Val's cataracts became a recurring joke, based on a scene in which she questions "Cataracts?" after a diagnosis. The scene was spoofed with Harry repeating the surprised declaration then passing the news onto a chain of various celebrities. A passing tongue-in-cheek mention of 'ear cataracts?' a few weeks later was spoofed on 1 March 2008 edition in the same way, lasting almost a minute and a half and featuring cameo appearances from comedians Al Murray, Lenny Henry, Jimmy Carr, Ricky Gervais, Jeremy Kyle and Noel Fielding, with 41 cameos made.
From series 8, Hole in the Wall and the catchphrase "Bring On The Wall" was often used, with a cameo from presenter Dale Winton. From series 9, when Anton Du Beke took over the show, Hill continued to comment on his preference to Winton and compared the presenters. From this series, a wobbling jelly, originally from Heston Blumenthal series ...Feast, featured regularly, with the use of The Surfaris' Wipe Out. The series also featured a puppet shark, Eoghan Quigg's vote face, mimicked by Harry and mispronounced as 'EE-OG-HAN' and The Lion Man theme.
Series 9 featured The X Factor logo and its interactions with Hill, Gandhi and Mr Funny Face.
Finally, series 10 featured the introduction of Mr Fuzzy, a feather duster from Downton Abbey proposed as a replacement for The Knitted Character, but soon phased out, Bush Push, The Cube being a rectangular cuboid, Olly Smith and The Secret Super Club, the Queen Vic busts dancing to Riverside by Sidney Samson or We Speak No Americano by Yolanda Be Cool, Ross Kemp dummy, cooking innuendso and Knobbin 'Oss, a traditional English hobby horse who first appeared in Love Thy Neighbourand sings Lady Gaga songs.
At the moment, series 11 has introduced yet another recurring element, this time in the form of a clip from "Fry's Planet Word" with an African man supposedly saying "Hallu! Hallu!", and Harry replies back "Hello! Hello!".
A number of characters have been introduced into the show and become recurring, most notably in later series.
In series 8, The Knitted Character was introduced, who is a knitted toy which featured briefly in EastEnders. Knitted Character is implied to be part of the TV Burp staff and holds a rivalry with Peggy Mitchell. The character has featured in a number of sketches, including riding the jelly and being set off fire, resulting in Hill bringing on another version to replace the deceased one. The character returned for competition "Where Has The Knitted Character Been This Week?" in series 9, in which viewers had to find the character hidden in a television show aired between episodes.
Later in the second part of the same series, The Knitted Character acted as a judge on spoof talent show and knitting competition The K Factor: So You Think You Can Knit?", which showcased knitted items sent in by viewers. The judges are Knitted Simon Cowell, Knitted Cheryl Coles, Knitted Rolando off Popstar to Operastar and the Knitted Character. The run featured a knitted duck called Peter having difficulty getting through the audition process, resulting in Peter jumping of a cliff to be caught by Knitted Simon Cowell, whose life he had saved in an earlier segment, and being put through to the Not Live Final, where he eventually won. From series 10, his role was reduced to an occasional character.
Also from series 8, Steve Benham has played a version of EastEnders character Heather Trott, dressed as per the original character. Heather frequently features in sketches.
Finally, for series 10, a character called Wagbo was introduced to Tv Burp as the supposed child of Mary Byrne and Wagner from The X Factor. Throughout the series, Wagbo is seen to have escaped the studio and loose across the world, with clips from his exploits at Bluewater shopping centre, The X Factor, Emmerdale, WWE Raw at The O2, I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here and finally, through various ITV shows. Heather actor Steve Benham as Mary and Hill as Wagner appealed to the public in reference to Wagbo on one occasion. At the end of the part of the series, Hill was saved from Wagbo by The Knitted Character, who had been trying to get revenge throughout the series and shot the character. During the run, the actor playing the character went on holiday and was replaced, which resulted in two Wagbos at the end of the series in the showdown, along with Mary and her second child, Logbo, a love child with Louis Walsh, who she tried to introduce to the show. The 'dead' Wagbo actors then broke character in protest, insulting Hill's constant mispronunciation of Wagbo (stressing a W instead of a V) across the weeks before leaving the set. Wagbo later returned in the second half of series 10 for a joke about the TV Burp Employee of the Month, an award Harry was stated to always win. When Wagbo protested that someone else should get the prize for a change, Harry responded that he was no longer even a cast member. He finally returned as part of the band playing out on the last episode of series 10.
For series 11, Brian Belo, winner of the eighth series of Big Brother, appears in the show as Harry's (fictional) fraternal twin brother.
The show had positive reviews.
However, Hill's brand of comedy also attracts negative criticism from detractors, such as TV critic Ruth Margolis, who wrote: "Harry Hill’s TV Burp, ITV's comedy centrepiece (this alone should tell you all you need to know), sees Hill deliver tedious, unimaginative thoughts on of the week's television. Where there's scope for a joke he chooses instead to drop a cheap pun, make jazz hands or, better still, wrinkle his forehead to acknowledge a weak innuendo on Coronation Street." [11]
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot |
|
1 | |
| 1 | 14 November 2002 | 19 December 2002 | 6 |
| 2 | 30 October 2003 | 18 December 2003 | 8 |
| 3 | 20 February 2004 | 2 April 2004 | 7 |
| 4 | 23 October 2004 | 27 November 2004 | 6 |
| 5 | 21 January 2006 | 25 March 2006 | 10 |
| 6 | 20 January 2007 | 14 April 2007 | 13 |
| 7 | 12 January 2008 | 5 April 2008 | 13 |
| 8 | 18 October 2008 | 4 April 2009 | 25[fn 1] |
| 9 | 10 October 2009 | 3 April 2010 | 24[fn 2] |
| 10 | 9 October 2010 | 2 April 2011 | 22[fn 3] |
| 11 | 8 October 2011 | [fn 4] | |
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 October 2011 |
Since 2005, the biennial BBC One transmission of the Red Nose Day telethon in aid of Comic Relief has included a short TV Burp segment hosted by Hill. There was no Comic Relief special for the 2011 Red Nose Day, but Hill did a sketch for Children in Need 2011.
| Date |
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| 11 March 2005 |
| 16 March 2007 |
| 13 March 2009 |
| Date |
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| 30 December 2006 |
| 25 December 2007 |
| Date |
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| 4 February 2009 |
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