Paddy's TV Guide

Last updated

Paddy's TV Guide
Paddystvguide.png
Genre Comedy
Created by Paddy McGuinness
Written byPaddy McGuinness
Les Keen
Directed byJulia Knowles
Presented byPaddy McGuinness
StarringPaddy McGuinness</>David Plant
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes8 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersMichael Kelpie
Phil Mount
ProducerKate Edmunds
Production location Granada Studios
EditorsMichael Marden
Matthew Bates
Running time50mins (inc. adverts)
Production company ITV Studios
Release
Original network Channel 4
Original release18 January (2013-01-18) 
8 March 2013 (2013-03-08)

Paddy's TV Guide is a British television comedy series created, written and presented by Paddy McGuinness, and broadcast on Channel 4 from 18 January to 8 March 2013. Paddy presents the show from Granada Studios in Manchester, where he guides viewers through the good, bad and ugly world of television, including some TV gold from his archives. The show also features David Plant as "Terry". [1]

Contents

Overview

Paddy McGuinness uses his 10-foot plasma television and "Paddy Player" to offer a guide through life. It all takes place in a mock-up of his living room, where the comedy sidekick invites an audience to guffaw at a selection of archive TV and video clips, inter-cut with his scripted reactions. David Plant starred as the non speaking Terry

List of episodes

No.TitleOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
1"Paddy's Guide... to Health and Fitness"18 January 2013 (2013-01-18)1.38 [2]
Paddy has recorded some rare gems on his 'Paddy player' examining the world of health and fitness, looking at everything from extreme personal training techniques to ways to stay fit into old age.
2"Paddy's Guide...to Technology"25 January 2013 (2013-01-25)Under 1.32
In this show Paddy focuses on technology and looks at everything from some fairly unique science experiments to answering the big questions... such as can we have sex in space?
3"Paddy's Guide...to Animals"1 February 2013 (2013-02-01)Under 1.32
In this edition, Paddy looks at the ways in which we interact with animals on TV - showing people who give in to their animal cravings and others who submit to their animal instincts.
4"Paddy's Guide...to the Best of British"8 February 2013 (2013-02-08)Under 1.23
In this edition Paddy looks at the 'Best of British' - everything from the good old British bobby to one of Scotland's up and coming rock bands. And, as usual, he's trawled the archives to deliver some rarely seen TV gold from the past.
5"Paddy's Guide...to Love and Romance"15 February 2013 (2013-02-15)Under 1.21
In this episode Paddy turns his attention to love and romance in all its guises, from 'husbands of the year' and 'wives of the week' to the man with the largest collection of love dolls.
6"Paddy's Guide...to Talent"22 February 2013 (2013-02-22)Under 1.15
In this show Paddy focuses on 'talent', looking at the underrated talents of Black Lace to the very accomplished Harry and the Potters, all topped off with a 'donk'.
7"Paddy's Guide...to Families"1 March 2013 (2013-03-01)Under 1.19
In the penultimate episode of this series Paddy focuses on families, looking at some of the most unique examples on TV... from naked families to glamorous grandmothers.
8"Paddy's Guide...to Holidays"8 March 2013 (2013-03-08)Under 1.18
Paddy McGuinness hosts the final show in the series that guides viewers through the good, the bad and ugly of the world of television. In this show he focuses on 'holidays', looking at jaunts at home and abroad, with a rare glimpse of what celebrities get up to on their breaks.

Reception

The first episode brought in an average of 1.3 million viewers, [2] but ratings slumped for the rest of the series - not a single other episode was one of Channel 4's top 30 most viewed programmes of the week.

The show was universally panned by critics. Nick Norton of "Off the Box" said "The premise of Paddy's TV Guide, in which the host presents a series of lamentable clips from wretched television shows, all on a set theme each episode, is of little consequence. What is remarkable is the line in the credits that tells us it was "Adapted from an original TV format by Paddy McGuiness and ITV". Which means that either ITV thought the show was too substandard even for the dreck it fills ITV2's schedule with, or Channel 4 actually paid good money to take it off its hands. Either way, shame on Channel 4. As [Stewart] Lee himself might say, to watch it really is the equivalent of letting somebody straddle your face and defecate directly onto your eyeballs."

Shouting at Cows's Pippa Harris said: "Paddy's TV Guide is the kind of curve ball Channel 4 likes to throw in amongst Homeland and documentaries about dolphin murder and the alarming 5 minute thought-provokers like Random Acts. Into the mix will suddenly appear something that seems to have burst through the wall from next door at ITV, offerings like the eejit-whisperers of Tool Academy , the now defunct Love Shaft , and the chat shows they keep trying to give to any female celebrity that can make it through a comedy panel show without clawing Jimmy Carr's face off (remember Charlotte Church's chat show? Anyone?). The rest of it drones on with a smattering of sub-Hill physical sketches and commentary that adds about as much as those dialogue boxes that pop up in front of YouTube clips. I don't think any of this is really Paddy's fault – the problem is this format has been done before and much better; he's out of his depth. If he must be on the goggle-box, someone needs to lead him back towards the neon glow of the gameshow.". [3]

Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy was highly critical of the show: "...occasionally a TV monster does cross my path and bewitches with me its sheer awfulness. Celebrity Wrestling , The Farm , "TOWIE Live", Mark Wright's Hollywood Nights and now joining that list is Paddy's TV Guide. ...Paddy's TV Guide is a weird mix of not particularly amusing video clips and buttock-clenchingly awful editing that squeezes hysterical audience laughter on top of every inoffensive but utterly unamusing comment from the show's host." Fletcher concluded his review by saying: "Bafflingly bad, Paddy will do well to wipe this whole project from his wiki page and pretend it never happened if he knows what's best for him." [4]

Redbrick.me's Rosie Pooley slated the programme as well. She said, "I guarantee that 10 minutes spent on youtube will bring up funnier material than Paddy manages to muster. What Channel 4 has yet to realise is that when Paddy is not swinging out the one-liners with a group of 30 girls lapping up every word, every joke he fluffs up falls flat and makes Paddy’s TV Guide frankly awkward to watch." [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Hill</span> English comedian (born 1964)

Matthew Keith Hall, known professionally as Harry Hill, is an English comedian, presenter and writer. He pursued a career in stand-up following years working as a medical doctor, developing an off-beat, energetic performance style that fused elements of surrealism, observational comedy, slapstick, satire and music. When performing, he usually wears browline glasses and a dress shirt with a distinctive oversized collar and cuffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Vegas</span> English actor, ceramicist and comedian

Michael Joseph Pennington, better known as Johnny Vegas, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He is known for his thick Lancashire accent, husky voice, chunky appearance, angry comedic rants, and use of surreal humour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Ball</span> British comedian (1944–2020)

Robert Harper, known professionally as Bobby Ball, was a British comic, actor, singer and television host. He was best known as a member of the comic double act Cannon and Ball, with Tommy Cannon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paddy McGuinness</span> English actor, comedian and television presenter

Patrick Joseph McGuinness is an English actor, comedian and television presenter. He rose to fame with the help of Peter Kay, who invited him to appear in his programmes That Peter Kay Thing, Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere. He is best known for his roles within Channel 4, ITV and the BBC presenting game shows such as Take Me Out as well as, since 2019, being one of the three hosts of BBC's Top Gear. In 2021, he became the new host of Question of Sport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradley Walsh</span> English actor, comedian, singer and television presenter

Bradley John Walsh is an English actor, presenter, comedian, singer, and former professional footballer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Flanagan</span> English actress

Helen Flanagan is an English actress. She is best known for playing the role of Rosie Webster in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street from 2000 to 2012; she returned to the role in 2017, before going on maternity leave on 8 June 2018, from which she did not return.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Mulhern</span> English entertainer (born 1977)

Stephen Daniel Mulhern is an English television presenter, magician, and comedian. He began his career presenting children’s television shows for CITV, including Finger Tips (2001–2004) and Tricky TV (2005–2010). Mulhern has presented various television shows for ITV, including Britain's Got More Talent (2007–2019), Animals Do the Funniest Things (2007–2011), This Morning's Hub (2011–2014), Catchphrase (2013–present), Big Star's Little Star (2013–2018), In for a Penny (2019–present), Rolling In It (2020–2021), Deal or No Deal (2023–present) and Dancing on Ice (2024–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E4 (TV channel)</span> British free-to-air television channel

E4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. The "E" stands for entertainment and the channel is primarily aimed at the 16/18–34 age group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Maxwell (actress)</span> British actress and television presenter

Lisa Maxwell is an English actress, television presenter and singer best known for her role in The Bill as Samantha Nixon. Between 2009 and 2014 she was a regular panellist on ITV chat show series Loose Women.

<i>Celebrity Juice</i> British television comedy panel game

Celebrity Juice is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on ITV2 between 24 September 2008 and 15 December 2022. The show was written and presented by Leigh Francis in the role of his alter ego Keith Lemon. The format for the series was first suggested in 2007, after the final series of Francis' Channel 4 sketch show Bo' Selecta!. ITV approached him to create a show featuring Lemon, and after the success of the five-part series Keith Lemon's Very Brilliant World Tour, the channel commissioned Celebrity Juice. The original premise of the show was to see which team knows most about the week's tabloid news stories, although later series focus more on the comedy factor of the participating celebrity guests and games involving them, rather than discussing the week's news.

<i>The Jonathan Ross Show</i> British chat show

The Jonathan Ross Show is a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on ITV on 3 September 2011 and airs on Saturday evenings following the conclusion of Ross' BBC One chat show, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, in July 2010.

Patrick Doherty is an Irish Traveller who is a former bare-knuckle boxer. He is best known as one of the stars of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and Danny Dyer's Deadliest Men. He won Celebrity Big Brother 8. He appeared in When Paddy Met Sally in January 2012 and on Celebrity Bainisteoir later that year.

<i>Text Santa</i> British TV series or programme

Text Santa was a charity initiative set up in 2011 by ITV to support UK-based charities during the Christmas period. The appeal to the public is to donate money mainly via text donation and profits from merchandise. The telethons have been hosted by popular ITV presenters including Phillip Schofield, Christine Bleakley, and Ant & Dec. The 2015 appeal show was the last after ITV decided to axe the show to make way for an all-year appeal.

<i>The Big Reunion</i> British TV series or programme

The Big Reunion is a British reality-documentary series that began airing on ITV2 on 31 January 2013. The show featured chart-topping bands who were big in the UK pop music scene between the 1990s and early 2000s, and the programme followed them as they reunited for the first time in a decade and went through their two weeks of intensive rehearsals before finally stepping back on stage for a comeback performance.

...on Television or ...on TV, is a long-running late night television programme on ITV. The programme, which was made first by LWT and then Granada Productions, featured a number of clips from unusual or amusing television programmes and commercials from around the world.

<i>Your Face Sounds Familiar</i> (British TV series) British television show

Your Face Sounds Familiar is a British talent show based on the Spanish series of the same name. The show began on 29 June 2013 on ITV and ended on 3 August 2013. The show was co-presented by Alesha Dixon and Paddy McGuinness, whilst the judging panel consisted of Emma Bunton, Julian Clary, and a different guest judge in each episode. Guest judges included Cilla Black, Donny Osmond, Denise van Outen, Kian Egan, and Peter Andre.

<i>The Jump</i> (2014 TV series) British reality television series

The Jump is a British television series that followed celebrities as they tried to master various winter sports including skeleton, bobsleigh, snowskates, ski cross, and giant slalom. Davina McCall and Alex Brooker presented the first series, with McCall returning for future series. Brooker did not return for future series however. Winter Olympic skier Graham Bell and skeleton gold medallist Amy Williams put the celebrities through training in the UK and Austria. Britain's first Olympic ski jumper, Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, appears live on the show to demonstrate the ski jump.

The first series of the British reality-documentary series The Big Reunion began airing on ITV2 on 31 January 2013 until 28 March 2013. The show features chart-topping bands who were big names in the UK pop music scene between the 1990s and early 2000s, and the programme follows them as they reunite for the first time in a decade and go through their two weeks of intensive rehearsals before finally stepping back on stage for a comeback performance. The bands who reunited for the first series were Five, 911, Atomic Kitten, B*Witched, Honeyz and Liberty X. Blue also joined later on.

<i>The Keith & Paddy Picture Show</i> British ITV comedy parody series 2017–18

The Keith and Paddy Picture Show is a British comedy parody series, written by and starring Leigh Francis and Paddy McGuinness, first broadcast on ITV on 6 May 2017. The series is billed as a "comedic tribute" to some of Lemon and McGuinness' favourite films. Each week they attempt to recreate an iconic film, with the help of a celebrity cast.

References

  1. "Paddy McGuinness to host new Channel 4 comedy show". Channel 4 Press Centre. Channel 4. 11 October 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  2. 1 2 Millar, Paul (20 January 2013). "Celebrity Big Brother rises to 2.4m for Gillian Taylforth eviction". Digital Spy . Hearst Magazines UK . Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  3. Harris, Pippa (25 January 2013). "TV Review: Paddy's TV Guide". Shouting at Cows. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  4. Fletcher, Alex (16 February 2013). "'Vegas', 'Black Mirror', 'Paddy's TV Guide': This week's TV review". Digital Spy . Hearst Magazines UK . Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  5. Pooley, Rosie (25 January 2013). "Is Paddy a TV Turn Off?". Redbrick. University of Birmingham . Retrieved 21 February 2016.