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Eurotrash | |
---|---|
Created by | Peter Stuart |
Presented by | Antoine de Caunes Jean-Paul Gaultier (1993–1996) Guest presenters |
Starring | Victoria Silvstedt Eddy Wally Graham Norton (series 9) Carla Bruni Melinda Messenger (1997–1998) |
Voices of | Davina McCall (series 1) Kate Robbins Johnny Daukes |
Narrated by | Maria McErlane |
Opening theme | "Saint Tropez" by Brigitte Bardot |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 16 |
No. of episodes | 134, plus 11 specials (Original run) [1] |
Production | |
Running time | 30–60 minutes |
Production company | Rapido Television |
Original release | |
Network | Channel 4 |
Release | 24 September 1993 – 2004 |
Release | 17 June 2016 |
Related | |
Rapido Eurotrash: The Sexy Bits |
Eurotrash is a 30-minute magazine-format programme in English, presented by Antoine de Caunes and Jean-Paul Gaultier and produced by Rapido Television. It was shown in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland on Channel 4 from 24 September 1993 and was a late-night comical review of unusual topics mainly from Western and Central Europe; though, despite the title, also around the world.
It ran for 16 series (134 episodes, plus 11 specials) until 2004, making it one of the UK's longest running late-night entertainment shows. The show averaged around a 20 percent audience share, pulling in around 2–3 million viewers each week, making it the most popular entertainment show on the channel. [2] Channel 4's slot average for Eurotrash's broadcast time was around 900,000 viewers, making the show an important hit for the channel at the time. [3]
The show was conceived in Paris for London-based Rapido Television by producer and director Peter Stuart, son of American film director Mel Stuart. [4] The first Eurotrash series were presented by Antoine de Caunes and Jean-Paul Gaultier, with narrative voiceovers by British comic actress Maria McErlane. [5] Gaultier left at the end of series 6 and de Caunes then co-presented with a range of guest presenters for the remainder of the run. 2016 saw Gaultier's return as co-host for the one-off special.
A number of features and stars survived from series one, including Pipi and Popo, two cardboard giraffes made from toilet paper tubes, and the Belgian singer Eddy Wally. Victoria Silvstedt was a semi-regular during 2003, often appearing in the studio with de Caunes to present the Naked Germans of the Week feature. Graham Norton featured as a roving reporter in series 9, Carla Bruni also appeared. [6] [7] [8] Melinda Messenger appeared in the last series as a "roving reporter", always wearing a Union Jack minidress and big red boots.[ citation needed ]
In 2009, digital channel Living TV began airing a series of compilation episodes under the title Eurotrash: The Sexy Bits. These included new voiceovers from original narrator Maria McErlane.
A one-off special aired on 17 June 2016 to coincide with the UK's referendum on European Union membership. [9] [10] [11]
The entire series was released on DVD in 2022 by Network Distributing Ltd in a 20-disc box set. The set went out of print after Network went into administration in June 2023.
Despite being a big budget show (around £400,000 per hour to make) the programme was surreal and had a deliberate low budget feel. Bright colourful pop-art studio backgrounds used to be built full size, but in later years chromakey was used with model shots, adding to the comical 'trashy' feel. Studio material was shot in Paris. Topics covered included rabbit show jumping, singing dogs, 'nude cleaning services', magicians, porn stars such as Lolo Ferrari and Europe's very worst (but usually popular in their host country) bands and singers.
Narrative commentary was voiced by Maria McErlane (who had also appeared in The Fast Show , a sketch show famous for its 'channel 9' segments, a spoof of European TV channels). Davina McCall provided English voice translations in series 1. In later years Kate Robbins provided voice-over translation for the strange continental "stars", which she performed in exaggerated Yorkshire and other British regional accents and similar quirky anglicised effects. Johnny Daukes, former singer and writer with the indie Band FIN in the 1990s, provided male voices in a similar fashion throughout the series.
One episode had an obituary of Lolo Ferrari that was produced and broadcast with a straight voiceover as a mark of respect, that stood out from the usual comic tone of the programme.
Series | Start date | End date | Episodes [12] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 24 September 1993 | 29 October 1993 | 6 |
2 | 28 April 1994 | 13 May 1994 | 6 |
3 | 14 October 1994 | 18 November 1994 [13] | 6 |
4 | 12 May 1995 | 16 June 1995 [14] | 6 |
5 | 17 November 1995 | 29 December 1995 | 7 |
6 | 12 April 1996 | 17 May 1996 | 6 |
7 | 13 September 1996 [15] | 18 October 1996 | 6 |
8 | 9 May 1997 [16] | 27 June 1997 [17] | 8 |
9 | 9 January 1998 [18] | 20 February 1998 | 8 |
10 | 25 September 1998 | 18 December 1998 | 8 |
11 | 8 January 1999 | 1999 | 9 |
12 | 24 September 1999 [19] | 24 May 2000 | 17 |
13 | 7 July 2000 [20] | 7 September 2000 | 10 [21] |
14 | 29 March 2001 [22] | 7 June 2001 | 10 |
15 | 8 August 2002 | December 2002 | 9 |
16 | 12 August 2004 | December 2004 | 12 |
Title | Air date |
---|---|
Christmas Special(s) | 24 December 1994 |
22 December 1995 | |
24 December 1997 | |
December 1999 | |
A Song for Eurotrash | 12 May 1998 |
Euroballs '98 | 16 June 1998 |
Eurotrash - New Year Special | 31 December 1998 |
Eurotrash's Big Bang | 31 December 1999 |
Eurotrash - Olympic Special | 22 September 2000 |
Euroballs 2000 | 2000 |
Unzipped | 19 November 2001 |
Eurotrash EU Referendum Special | 17 June 2016 [23] |
A Song for Eurotrash was a spin-off of Eurotrash broadcast for the first time on 12 May 1998. It was accompanied by an album with the same title containing mostly covers of successful songs to mark the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 being held in the UK, plus a title track "A Song for Eurotrash" written for the programme:
The Eurovision Song Contest 1966 was the 11th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, following the country's victory at the 1965 contest with the song "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" by France Gall. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion (CLT), the contest was held at the Villa Louvigny on 5 March 1966 and was hosted by Luxembourgish television presenter Josiane Chen.
Davina Lucy Pascale McCall is an English television presenter. She was the presenter of the reality show Big Brother during its run on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2010. She hosted Channel 4's Streetmate, The Million Pound Drop (2010–2015), Five Minutes to a Fortune (2013), and The Jump (2014–2017), as well as ITV's The Biggest Loser (2011–2012), Long Lost Family (2011–present), and This Time Next Year (2016–2019). McCall was a regular co-presenter of the Comic Relief annual telethons from 2005 to 2015.
Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall, known professionally as France Gall, was a French yé-yé singer. In 1965, at the age of 17, she won the tenth edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Poupée de cire, poupée de son", representing Luxembourg. Later in her career, she became known for her work with singer-songwriter Michel Berger, whom she married in 1976. Her most successful singles include "Résiste", "Ella, elle l'a" and "Évidemment".
Jean Paul Gaultier is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer.
Melinda Jane Messenger is an English television presenter and former glamour model and Page Three girl. She presented the magazine programme Live from Studio Five and was formerly the co-presenter of the reality show Cowboy Builders.
Lolo Ferrari, was a French dancer, actress, and singer billed as "the woman with the largest breast implants in the world".
Emily Katherine Booth, also known by her stage name Emily "Bouff" Bouffante, is an English actress and television presenter.
Ben Devlin is a British television executive producer. After periods working in journalism including a stint at British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, he entered television broadcasting and worked for the BBC, Rapido TV, Clive James's Watchmaker Films, Graham Norton's So TV and Visual Voodoo, the entertainment arm of ITN. His credits range from The Generation Game to Eurotrash.
Jacqueline Annette Édith Pierre, known professionally as Jacqueline Joubert, was a French television continuity announcer, producer and director. Alongside Arlette Accart, Joubert was one of the first two in-vision continuity announcers when television commenced in France after the Second World War.
Antoine de Caunes is a French television presenter, actor, writer and film director. He is the son of two prominent French personalities, television journalist-reporter Georges de Caunes and television announcer Jacqueline Joubert. He is the father of the actress Emma de Caunes.
Maria McErlane is a British actress and presenter specialising in comedy. She has been acting since 1984. She has appeared in several TV series, including The Fast Show, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Thin Ice and Happiness, "straight" roles in The Bill and Holby City and as the narrator for Antoine de Caunes and Jean-Paul Gaultier's Eurotrash.
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Rapido was a French music programme presented by Antoine de Caunes in 1987. After the BBC’s head of youth and entertainment Janet Street-Porter saw the programme, she decided to commission an English-language version with de Caunes, which would become part of her DEF II programming block on BBC2. The English-language version of Rapido ran from 1988 to 1992, with the show usually debuting new episodes on a Wednesday night in DEF II's early evening slot, though episodes from the first series were initially scheduled after Question Time's Thursday night episode on BBC1 from November 1988.
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Tracey MacLeod is an English journalist and broadcaster. She has presented arts and music programming, including The Late Show (1989–95) and its musical offshoots New West and Words and Music, Edinburgh Nights, the Booker Prize (1990–95) and the Mercury Music Prize (1994–98). She hosted a Sunday night radio show on GLR from 1990 for several years and was one of the launch DJs on BBC Radio 6 Music.
This is a list of British television related events from 1993.
Luxembourg was represented by French singer France Gall, with the song "Poupée de cire, poupée de son", at the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 20 March in Naples. The song, composed by Serge Gainsbourg, went on to bring Luxembourg their second Eurovision victory.
Luxembourg participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 1989 with the song "Monsieur" written by Maggie Parke, Gast Waltzing, Yves Lacomblez and Bernard Loncheval. The song was performed by the band Park Café, which was internally selected by the Luxembourgish broadcaster Radio Télévision Luxembourg (RTL) in February 1989 to represent Luxembourg in Lausanne, Switzerland. RTL organised a three-song national final in order to select Park Café's song and "Monsieur" emerged as the winning song following a public televote held via television and radio on 5 and 6 March 1989.
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Louis Georges Gustave de Caunes, professionally known as Georges de Caunes, was a French television and radio presenter, journalist, writer and producer whose career spanned over six decades in French language television and radio.