Surprise Surprise (TV series)
| Surprise Surprise | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Light entertainment |
| Presented by |
Cilla Black (1984–2001) Holly Willoughby (2012–) |
| Starring |
Christopher Biggins (1984) Bob Carolgees (1985–95) Gordon Burns (1986–91) Tessa Sanderson (1990–92) Kian Egan (2012) Dave Berry (2012–) Mark Wright (2013–) Marvin Humes (2013–) Peter Andre (2014–) Michael Underwood (2014–) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series |
14 (Original) 3 (Revival) |
| No. of episodes |
128 (Original: inc. 9 specials) 23 (Revival: inc. 3 specials) |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | The London Studios |
| Running time | 60 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Production company(s) |
LWT (1984–2001) ITV Studios (2012–) |
| Distributor | ITV Studios |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV, STV, UTV |
| Picture format |
SDTV: 4:3 (1984–2001) HDTV: 16:9 (2012–) |
| Original run |
Original series: 6 May 1984 – 26 December 2001 Revived series: 21 October 2012 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows |
Jim'll Fix It Keith Lemon's LemonAid OMG! Jedward's Dream Factory |
Surprise Surprise is a British light entertainment television programme for ITV that originally ran from 6 May 1984 to 26 December 2001 with Cilla Black as the host. The show returned on 21 October 2012 and is now hosted by Holly Willoughby.[1]
Format
The show was hosted by Cilla Black, and filmed in front of a live studio audience. Its premise involved surprising members of the public with long-held wishes, setting up tricks to fool members of the public, prank phone calls to people and reuniting guests with long-lost loved ones. Black was assisted for eight series by Bob Carolgees, famous for his glove puppetry act Spit the Dog, while Gordon Burns and Tessa Sanderson were roving reporters.
The concept of the first series had been to film surprising and often unusual moments similar to those previously seen on Game for a Laugh, but the format was not successful. However, the final item in the last episode of the first series featured a successful surprise reunion, which led executive producer Alan Boyd to change the format slightly so that all items in subsequent series involved surprises, rather than just being surprising. Although including many pre-filmed inserts, the first series and some early episodes of the second series were televised live in their entirety, however, thereafter, all episodes were pre-recorded.
Over the years, the show had many special guests, some of whom appeared live, including Neil Diamond. Many variety acts were also featured on the show.
Theme songs
Cilla Black introduced and closed each show by singing a theme song. The theme song from series one to eight was written by Kate Robbins and was often imitated by Black impersonators, beginning "The more the world is changing, the more it stays the same...". The track was included on Black's 1985 album Surprisingly Cilla, and as a single through Towerbell Records. A new song was written from series nine until the show's conclusion in 2001: "Reaching out, holding hands, reliving memories... Life is full, full of surprises...And the nicest surprise in my life is you!"
Transmissions
Series
Original
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 May 1984 | 10 June 1984 | 6 |
| 2 | 14 October 1984 | 2 December 1984 | 8 |
| 3 | 19 January 1986 | 9 March 1986 | 8 |
| 4 | 18 January 1987 | 15 March 1987 | 9 |
| 5 | 10 January 1988 | 6 March 1988 | 9 |
| 6 | 6 January 1989 | 3 March 1989 | 9 |
| 7 | 16 February 1990 | 20 April 1990 | 9 |
| 8 | 22 February 1991 | 26 April 1991 | 10 |
| 9 | 3 April 1992 | 29 May 1992 | 9 |
| 10 | 25 April 1993 | 4 July 1993 | 10 |
| 11 | 10 April 1994 | 19 June 1994 | 11 |
| 12 | 23 April 1995 | 2 July 1995 | 10 |
| 13 | 31 March 1996 | 2 June 1996 | 10 |
| 14 | 4 July 1997 | 5 September 1997 | 10 |
Revival
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 October 2012 | 25 November 2012 | 6 |
| 2 | 15 September 2013 | 1 December 2013 | 10 |
| 3 | 22 October 2014 | 17 December 2014 | 7 |
| 4 | 2015[2] | 2015 | |
Specials
Original
| Airdate | Special |
|---|---|
| 23 December 1984 | Christmas Special |
| 22 December 1985 | Christmas Special |
| 28 December 1986 | Christmas Special |
| 27 December 1987 | Christmas Special |
| 22 June 1997 | Surprise Surprise...in Australia |
| 22 March 1998 | Mother's Day Special |
| 14 March 1999 | Mother's Day Special |
| 2 April 2000 | Mother's Day Special |
| 26 December 2001 | Christmas Special |
Revival
| Airdate | Special |
|---|---|
| 18 December 2013 | Christmas Special |
| 30 March 2014 | Mother's Day Special |
| 21 December 2014 | Christmas Special |
Awards
| Year | Group | Award | Result | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | National Television Awards | Most Popular Entertainment Programme | Nominated | [3][4][5] |
| 2015 | Nominated | [6] | ||
References
- ↑ Colin Daniels (10 October 2012). "Holly Willoughby's 'Surprise Surprise' revamp airdate confirmed by ITV". Digital Spy.
- ↑ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a644000/surprise-surprise-holly-willoughby-cant-stop-crying-on-the-show.html#~pbeKq1Nd2f6pCK
- ↑ "National Television Awards 2014 nominees revealed: Voting opens". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
- ↑ "National Television Awards 2014 voting opens: The full longlist". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
- ↑ "2014 Vote - The National Television Awards". Nationaltvawards.com. 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
- ↑ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a603190/national-television-awards-2015-voting-opens-the-full-longlist.html#~oSE3cKjULtjocA