Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Shooting Stars

 Shooting Stars
type
TVTItem
 Shooting Stars
label
Shooting Stars
 Shooting Stars
page
ShootingStars
 Shooting Stars
comment
Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })Brainchild of British surrealist comedians Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, and a loving parody of British celebrity Panel Games. The questions made little sense, the answers made no sense, and the top prize could be as much as £120.The show was hosted in a traditional Panel Game format, with Vic and Bob in the middle acting as quizmasters and two teams on either side, headed a regular team captain. Team B was always hosted by TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson, while Team A was initially hosted by greasy-haired 1950s throwback Mark Lamarr (who himself hosted the Panel Game Nevermind The Buzzcocks for over a decade), later by English intellectual and novelist Will Self (during which time comedian Johnny Vegas became a regular contestant on Ulrika's panel), and later still by comedian Jack Dee. The scores would be read out by George Dawes, a giant baby played by Matt Lucas (later the star of Little Britain). Sometimes George's mother, Marjorie, (also played by Lucas) would take over.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })The show followed roughly the same format each time. After an initial song and dance, Vic and Bob would introduce the team captains, and voiceover man Graham would read out a short biography of the guests. These rarely said what the guests were famous for and were usually just a tissue of lies (for example, that singer Alvin Stardust hid for 30 years inside a cow).There would then follow a question-and-answer round, where the answers were almost impossible to guess correctly (e.g., "True or false: Cupboard doors open outwards"; the answer is "false" because the question is asked from the perspective of a trapped cat). After this, there would be a random selection of other rounds including video rounds, in which the contestants must answer a question based on a short sketch; impressions rounds in which Vic sings a song in the style of an incoherent nightclub singer and the guests must guess what it is; and the interpretive dance round in which a guest must express something through the medium of dance.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_3'); })However, the most popular section was the "Dove From Above" round in which the guests would call down a shoddily-made prop dove with question topics growing from its body. If the contestants answered the question incorrectly, Vic would pull a face and say "UVAVU"; if they chose a special category he would pull a different face and say "ERANU". This, of course, resulted in much imitation in schools and workplaces across the UK. Sometimes the topic would signal "George's Song", in which George would take centre stage and sing a song on various topics including potatoes, peanuts, hip-hop and lesbians. Variations on The Dove from Above included The Crow from Below, The Vest from the West, The Beast from the East and George Dawes from the Upper Floors. The Dove was replaced in later series by a succession of "guest stars" (such as the Crow from Below and the Fly from On High), then the Wonderful, Wonderful Car, a tiny remote-controlled car that fired questions out of its prosthetic arse, and finally Donald Cox the Sweaty Fox, who would make salacious remarks about Ulrika and the celebs. In 2009 the Dove was, at last, brought back — now sporting overly-tight shoes.There were three distinct eras of the show: the first ran from 1995 to 1997 (following an earlier 1993 pilot with team captains Jonathan Ross and Danny Baker), and the second for two series in 2002. A 15th-Anniversary Special was broadcast on 30 December 2008 with most of the original cast returning and Jack Dee filling in as the captain of Team A, alongside a retrospective documentary. The result was a new series which began in August the following year, with a new regular guest panelist in the form of Angelos Epithemiou. In 2010, George Dawes left, and Angelos took over scoring. The show ended for the third time following its cancellation after the 2011 series.A year later, Reeves and Mortimer attempted a Spiritual Successor to Shooting Stars entitled Lucky Sexy Winners for Channel 4, that only survived the pilot stage.
 Shooting Stars
fetched
2022-09-06T21:43:54Z
 Shooting Stars
parsed
2022-09-06T21:43:54Z
 Shooting Stars
processingComment
Dropped link to ForeignRemake: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Shooting Stars
processingComment
Dropped link to Gladiators: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Shooting Stars
processingComment
Dropped link to TopGear: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Shooting Stars
processingComment
Dropped link to VicReevesBigNightOut: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Shooting Stars
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Shooting Stars / int_120d0e3f
type
Adam Westing
 Shooting Stars / int_120d0e3f
comment
Adam Westing: Played to a degree with certain contestants such as Johnny Vegas and Jack Dee, who are portrayed as the caricatures of themselves that they perform in their own shows (a drunken slob and a grumpy middle aged man respectively) rather than their actual personas.
 Shooting Stars / int_120d0e3f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_120d0e3f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_120d0e3f
 Shooting Stars / int_1c5002bc
type
The Stoic
 Shooting Stars / int_1c5002bc
comment
The Stoic: Team A's captain whoever it is, although Jack Dee has had his fair share of Not So Stoic moments.
 Shooting Stars / int_1c5002bc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_1c5002bc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_1c5002bc
 Shooting Stars / int_1e7c47ab
type
Stealth Pun
 Shooting Stars / int_1e7c47ab
comment
Stealth Pun: One of the film clips is supposedly of the band The Who, but its members have been replaced with different incarnations of the Doctor from Doctor Who.
 Shooting Stars / int_1e7c47ab
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_1e7c47ab
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_1e7c47ab
 Shooting Stars / int_20b5cce7
type
"Do It Yourself" Theme Tune
 Shooting Stars / int_20b5cce7
comment
"Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: sung on-set by Vic and Bob at the beginning and end of each episode.
 Shooting Stars / int_20b5cce7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_20b5cce7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_20b5cce7
 Shooting Stars / int_26ac510e
type
Mythology Gag
 Shooting Stars / int_26ac510e
comment
Mythology Gag: Or possibly just recycling — e.g., Donald Cox the Sweaty Fox first appeared as a glove puppet on Vic Reeves Big Night Out. Once Bob asked Ulrika what name she would use if she was a Gladiator, then asked the same question to guest Noddy Holder. Noddy replied "Cup-a-Soup!", which had been the Trademark Favorite Food of his band Slade when Vic and Bob had mocked them in The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer. The 2011 series has seen "What's in Angelos' Bag" (a variation on "What's on the end of the stick, Vic?" from Vic Reeves Big Night Out) as well as the appearance of Vic and Bob's recurring characters the Stotts as exorcists.
 Shooting Stars / int_26ac510e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_26ac510e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_26ac510e
 Shooting Stars / int_26eb6287
type
Funny Background Event
 Shooting Stars / int_26eb6287
comment
Funny Background Event: Fairly often, such as a self-propelled deckchair or mannequin dragging itself across the studio in the middle of a question, ignored by everyone.
 Shooting Stars / int_26eb6287
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_26eb6287
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_26eb6287
 Shooting Stars / int_28a5213a
type
Small Name, Big Ego
 Shooting Stars / int_28a5213a
comment
Small Name, Big Ego: George Dawes and Angelos Epithemou both act like this when addressing team members before giving the scores. In George Dawes' case this is somewhat Hilarious in Hindsight, as Matt Lucas really did go on to become a headlining star.
 Shooting Stars / int_28a5213a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_28a5213a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_28a5213a
 Shooting Stars / int_2f5790f5
type
I Want You to Meet an Old Friend of Mine
 Shooting Stars / int_2f5790f5
comment
I Want You to Meet an Old Friend of Mine: While it has yet to be explicitly brought up, (and is most likely coincidence) both current team captains — founder captain Ulrika Johnsson and new captain Jack Dee — have won Celebrity Big Brother.
 Shooting Stars / int_2f5790f5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_2f5790f5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_2f5790f5
 Shooting Stars / int_330bff09
type
Lyrical Tic
 Shooting Stars / int_330bff09
comment
Lyrical Tic: more a lyrical speech impediment, really. Songs In The Club Singer Style.
 Shooting Stars / int_330bff09
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_330bff09
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_330bff09
 Shooting Stars / int_40bb59d0
type
Blatant Lies
 Shooting Stars / int_40bb59d0
comment
Blatant Lies: The show used to be introduced with a narrator giving these as 'facts' about the celebrity contestants. Also a lot of the question answers: getting Vic and Bob's true or false questions right is a matter of pure luck.
 Shooting Stars / int_40bb59d0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_40bb59d0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_40bb59d0
 Shooting Stars / int_47fea76b
type
Butt-Monkey
 Shooting Stars / int_47fea76b
comment
Butt-Monkey: Fifties throwback Mark Lamarr. Ulrika too, the amount of flak she takes from her age, apparent plastic surgery and, ahem, sexual activity; it's amazing she's stayed on the show so long.
 Shooting Stars / int_47fea76b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_47fea76b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_47fea76b
 Shooting Stars / int_48078a7
type
Cool Versus Awesome
 Shooting Stars / int_48078a7
comment
Cool Versus Awesome: One of the quickfire questions was "Which would win in a fight between a steel octo-bear and some sort of strange man-fungus?"
 Shooting Stars / int_48078a7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_48078a7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_48078a7
 Shooting Stars / int_4f4372e9
type
Early-Installment Weirdness
 Shooting Stars / int_4f4372e9
comment
Early-Installment Weirdness: The first series - whilst still pretty quirky - played out more like a conventional panel show, with more regular general knowledge questions and George Dawes only showing up to read out scores. By series 2, Dawes' role increased and the format began to resemble the anarchic and surreal style that it's most reknowned for.
 Shooting Stars / int_4f4372e9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_4f4372e9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_4f4372e9
 Shooting Stars / int_66cdb21b
type
Gag Penis
 Shooting Stars / int_66cdb21b
comment
Gag Penis:
 Shooting Stars / int_66cdb21b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_66cdb21b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_66cdb21b
 Shooting Stars / int_6f064059
type
The Points Mean Nothing
 Shooting Stars / int_6f064059
comment
The Points Mean Nothing: And there's no logic involved in gaining them either. Vic and Bob have no idea what the scorekeeper is going to say when they ask him to announce the scores.
 Shooting Stars / int_6f064059
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_6f064059
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_6f064059
 Shooting Stars / int_8a33317d
type
Norse by Norsewest
 Shooting Stars / int_8a33317d
comment
Norse by Norsewest: Often these clichés are applied to Ulrika Jonsson, a Swede.
 Shooting Stars / int_8a33317d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_8a33317d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_8a33317d
 Shooting Stars / int_97ba2567
type
Chirping Crickets
 Shooting Stars / int_97ba2567
comment
Chirping Crickets: Vic usually decides to tell a joke, despite being warned off by Bob. It always bombs; the lonely wind howls, the others look embarrassed or turn their faces away from him. Often, a tumbleweed drifts through the studio. At one point, a whole funeral procession appears, complete wth Grim Reaper. On one occasion, Vic has an Imagine Spot where he lets Bob do the joke and it turns out to be so funny that the whole audience comes down to congratulate him — so he quickly does it himself instead, and of course it bombs as usual. Another time, Mark Lamarr steps in to "tell the joke properly". It is treated as the funniest joke the programme created. Occasionally scuppered by foreign guest stars unfamiliar with the format, who accidentally burst out laughing at how bad the joke actually is, the stony reception it receives, and the presence of a real life tumbleweed rolling across the studio floor.
 Shooting Stars / int_97ba2567
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_97ba2567
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_97ba2567
 Shooting Stars / int_99b2613a
type
Oop North
 Shooting Stars / int_99b2613a
comment
Oop North: There is a Geordie flavour to many of the film clips.
 Shooting Stars / int_99b2613a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_99b2613a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_99b2613a
 Shooting Stars / int_9f8a12d7
type
Who's on First?
 Shooting Stars / int_9f8a12d7
comment
Who's on First?: "What is the unit of power?" Vic never got it. There are questions like this every now and again. Recently; "What is the English translation of Pardonnez-moi?" Brilliantly done in one episode when James Buckley got the question, "James may? True or false." Guess which Top Gear presenter was also sitting on the panel?
 Shooting Stars / int_9f8a12d7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_9f8a12d7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_9f8a12d7
 Shooting Stars / int_a67371c2
type
Character as Himself
 Shooting Stars / int_a67371c2
comment
Character as Himself: In the revived series, Angelos Epithemiou is credited as playing himself. He is actually played by Renton Skinner, a regular on The Armstrong and Miller Show. Peter Serafinowicz also appears as Brian Butterfield in one episode, and Matt Berry inexplicably as the musician Vangelis in another.
 Shooting Stars / int_a67371c2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_a67371c2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_a67371c2
 Shooting Stars / int_a7382a73
type
Imagine Spot
 Shooting Stars / int_a7382a73
comment
On one occasion, Vic has an Imagine Spot where he lets Bob do the joke and it turns out to be so funny that the whole audience comes down to congratulate him — so he quickly does it himself instead, and of course it bombs as usual.
 Shooting Stars / int_a7382a73
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_a7382a73
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_a7382a73
 Shooting Stars / int_af616e40
type
Accidental Misnaming
 Shooting Stars / int_af616e40
comment
Accidental Misnaming: Some people use their first names "Vic and Bob" while others use their surnames "Reeves and Mortimer" to describe their partnership—a recent gag is for people to mix these two up and call them "Vic and Mortimer". A few times you can hear Bob accidentally call Vic "Jim", his real name.
 Shooting Stars / int_af616e40
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_af616e40
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_af616e40
 Shooting Stars / int_af696bef
type
Fish out of Water
 Shooting Stars / int_af696bef
comment
Fish out of Water: Larry Hagman had no idea what was going on but was a good sport and tried to roll with the punches.
 Shooting Stars / int_af696bef
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_af696bef
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_af696bef
 Shooting Stars / int_b01abe4f
type
Catchphrase
 Shooting Stars / int_b01abe4f
comment
Catchphrase "ERANU!", "UVAVU!", "Ulkrika-ka-ka-ka-ka!", etc.
 Shooting Stars / int_b01abe4f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_b01abe4f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_b01abe4f
 Shooting Stars / int_b5049d76
type
Added Alliterative Appeal
 Shooting Stars / int_b5049d76
comment
Added Alliterative Appeal: Bob liked to call Johnny Vegas "a big bag of bollocks".
 Shooting Stars / int_b5049d76
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_b5049d76
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_b5049d76
 Shooting Stars / int_bf1255fa
type
Really Gets Around
 Shooting Stars / int_bf1255fa
comment
Really Gets Around: Ulrika Jonsson is, as we were frequently told in 2002, football crazy, even football madnote "He's football crazy, he's football mad" was a lyric from a popular song in Britain, and lives on as a meme, to the point where Bob Mortimer couldn't think of a footballer that Ulrika hadn't had.
 Shooting Stars / int_bf1255fa
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_bf1255fa
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_bf1255fa
 Shooting Stars / int_c4d09d24
type
Couch Gag
 Shooting Stars / int_c4d09d24
comment
Couch Gag: In the Theme Tune. Initially, the second and third lines of the song were "The stars have been greeted/and successfully seated". This later became "The stars have been seated/and successfully greeted", before eventually devolving into nonsense — "I like brambles/I like cheese" being particularly memorable.
 Shooting Stars / int_c4d09d24
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_c4d09d24
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_c4d09d24
 Shooting Stars / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 Shooting Stars / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: Possible subtle example in Series 5. At the end of every episode (like every other series) the panel members start dancing about to the theme song. However in Series 5 they are joined by an otherwise unseen attractive woman who walks in from off camera and otherwise has nothing to do with the proceedings. This may be a Hotter and Sexier version of Morecambe and Wise's "Lady Who Comes Down At The End" gag, especially since Vic and Bob are often compared to Eric and Ernie in chemistry. The woman was Nancy Sorrell, Vic's then-girlfriend (now wife).
 Shooting Stars / int_c75df49a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_c75df49a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_c75df49a
 Shooting Stars / int_c7a9137e
type
Universal-Adaptor Cast
 Shooting Stars / int_c7a9137e
comment
Universal-Adaptor Cast: Some questions feature film clips, typically spoofs of other media, which star the regulars on the show in other roles.
 Shooting Stars / int_c7a9137e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_c7a9137e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_c7a9137e
 Shooting Stars / int_e54b7b17
type
Zonk
 Shooting Stars / int_e54b7b17
comment
Zonk: In early seasons, the prizes were always a few dozen pounds. More recently, they consist of "this one-pound luncheon voucher!" or similar.
 Shooting Stars / int_e54b7b17
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_e54b7b17
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_e54b7b17
 Shooting Stars / int_e563bf09
type
Insistent Terminology
 Shooting Stars / int_e563bf09
comment
Insistent Terminology: Bob always referred to Johnny Vegas' shirts as "gowns". Vic and Bob also call any kind of hat "a helmet", which started on their earlier programmes.
 Shooting Stars / int_e563bf09
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_e563bf09
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_e563bf09
 Shooting Stars / int_ebe5d89c
type
Disco Dan
 Shooting Stars / int_ebe5d89c
comment
Disco Dan: Vic and Bob usually referred to Mark Lamarr as a "Fifties Throwback".
 Shooting Stars / int_ebe5d89c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_ebe5d89c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_ebe5d89c
 Shooting Stars / int_f5a3e496
type
Suspiciously Similar Substitute
 Shooting Stars / int_f5a3e496
comment
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Will Self and then Jack Dee for Mark Lamarr, Angelos Epithemiou for Jonny Vegas, and the Wonderful Wonderful Car and Donald Cox the Sweaty Fox for the Dove From Above. As of Series 7, Angelos Epithemiou for George Dawes, due to Matt Lucas' filming commitments.
 Shooting Stars / int_f5a3e496
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_f5a3e496
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_f5a3e496
 Shooting Stars / int_f9f2c33
type
Running Gag
 Shooting Stars / int_f9f2c33
comment
Running Gag: Vic Reeves' jokes about Jack Dee's face. Jack remains deadpan throughout, but ocassionally becomes Not So Stoic.
 Shooting Stars / int_f9f2c33
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_f9f2c33
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_f9f2c33
 Shooting Stars / int_name
type
ItemName
 Shooting Stars / int_name
comment
 Shooting Stars / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Shooting Stars / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Shooting Stars / int_name
 Shooting Stars / int_name
itemName
Shooting Stars

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Calvinball / int_cd3484f7
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Chirping Crickets / int_cd3484f7
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Indecipherable Lyrics / int_cd3484f7
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Invisible Holes / int_cd3484f7
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Panel Game / int_cd3484f7
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
So Unfunny, It's Funny / int_cd3484f7
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Standard Female Grab Area / int_cd3484f7
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
The Points Mean Nothing / int_cd3484f7
 Shooting Stars
hasFeature
Undesirable Prize / int_cd3484f7