Shooting Stars

:This page is about the comedy game show, for the atmospheric phenomenon see Meteor.

Format

The basic format of the show is that of a conventional panel game. The hosts (Reeves and Mortimer) and the two teams of three sit behind desks. The hosts ask questions of the two teams, and points are awarded for "correct" answers. As is common with panel games, the scoring is largely arbitrary and merely a device to give a structure to the proceedings. Reeves will almost always perform a "leg rub" in front of a beautiful female guest seated directly to his right, to indicate his attraction to her.

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Rounds include "true or false", the filmclip round, the impressions round, "The Dove from Above" (followed by "The Crow From Below", and others. In the impressions round contestants have to guess what song Vic Reeves is singing "in the club style" - so stylised (or perhaps drunkenly slurred) as to be incomprehensible. "The Dove from Above" - later replaced by "The Most Wonderful Car In The World" (a tiny car with buttocks on the bumper) and then "Donald Cox the Sweaty Fox" - is a large and shoddy prop animal suspended above the contestants merely for the purpose of bearing six key words for further questions. Guests would be prompted to "charge their glasses" in honour of Donald, who supposedly loves his gin.

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In the Dove From Above, and subsequent versions of the same round, if a contestant answers incorrectly, Vic shouts "UVAVU" and pulls a stupid face. If the contestant chooses a certain, prize-winning option, Vic will pull another stupid face and yell "ERANU". The prize is invariably a bizarre and practically useless device, an example of which would be eye-spoons, consisting of spectacle frames with teaspoons attached where lenses would be. These are to be used should one's eyes pop out of their skull when visiting a nudist beach. Vic often tells a poor joke before this round, followed by silence and a howling wind. Occasionally, as an act of mercy, Lamarr or Mortimer would sacrifice their reputations and tell the joke, at which point it becomes exceptionally funny and is almost worshipped by the audience and guests, much to Vic's disgust.

Related Topics:
Eye - Spoons - Spectacle - Teaspoon - Skull

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The true purpose of the show is as a vehicle for the surrealist humour of the hosts, Vic and Bob. Some guests "get it", others do not - in many cases these often provide the best comedy. The title of the show is a pun on the fact that much of the humour is at the expense of the guest stars.

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