Many elements have gone into the melting pot to inspire this show.
Below are just a few…
The Graham Norton Show
The Graham Norton show is a long running talk show on BBC1. The somewhat unique factor when it launched was that all the guests come on at the same time, with a musical guest joining later.
This leads to some amazing and unexpected interactions, such as in this clip, where stand up comedian Sarah Millican charms and engages hollywood actor Vince Vaughn and an initally uninterested rapper P. Diddy with a story about farts.
Or this clip, where singer Paloma Faith holds her own against the raucous Matt Damon, Bill Murray, and Hugh Bonneville. Matt Damon is having so much fun he can’t believe it, and watch until after the credits to see the Earl of Grantham do something you wouldn’t expect.
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
An 80s time travel classic. High School slackers Bill & Ted assemble great historical figures from across the ages with the help of a time travelling phone booth, and create a history report more like a rock concert.
Fry & Laurie : Michael Jackson
The most alternate take you can get impersonating someone. Hugh Laurie interviews the american 80s pop megastar Michael Jackson, who then performs his latest hit.
Murder In Successville
A severly underwatched show packed full of skewed takes on famous faces. Largely improvised, DI Sleet partners with a real celebrity to solve a crime in Successville, a town filled with a criminal underworld made up of the best and worst from British Television and beyond.
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman (Rachel Parris and Cariad Lloyd) as crack den drug lords, Alan Carr and Jimmy Carr (Luke Kempner and Colin Hoult) portrayed like The Krays, and a painfully posh and obnoxius Cara Delevigne (Ellie White) are just a few.
Seek this show out if you can. It’s a wonderful piece of improvised comedy.
Skip to 21:52 to see Tess and Claudia. And watch out, there is some nudity in this one.
Nicholas Cage on Wogan
This is a real interview that actually happened with Nicholas Cage…
The warm and patient Terry Wogan interviews a very energised 🤔 Nicholas Cage, whose entrance alone has to be seen to be believed.
Inside the Comedian
An improvised parody interview podcast by David Reed who interviews real comedians, but saddles them with an often insane and completely fictional career history. How those comedians play along is part of the fun. The Miles Jupp Episode is a particular highlight.
Brian Blessed on RHLSTP
Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Podcast is a long running comedy interview podcast presented by Richard Herring.
There have been many great interviews on this show, but the one with Brian Blessed, who largely ignores Richard in favour of entertaining the audience, is as infamous as it is insane.
80s Sci-fi
You couldn’t beat a bit of sci-fi in the 1980s. Real elaborate sets, intricate props and costumes, non-cgi special effects, fun characters, and fantastic soundtracks.
Flash Gordon, Starman, Short Circuit, Flight of the Navigator, Time Bandits, Terminator, Robocop, Ghostbusters, and Blade Runner to name a few. But the one that took the crown had to be…