TFI Friday

Infobox Television
show_name = TFI Friday


size = 200px
format = Entertainment
picture_format =
runtime =
creator =
presenter = Chris Evans
channel = Channel 4
first_aired = 1996
last_aired = 2000
theme_music_composer = Ron Grainer
opentheme = Theme from "Man in a Suitcase"
country = UK
language = English
num_series =
num_episodes =
producer = Ginger Productions
related = "OFI Sunday"
imdb_id = 0115383
tv_com_id = 2869

"TFI Friday" was a light entertainment show, produced by Ginger Productions, and hosted by Chris Evans and broadcast on Fridays at 6pm on Channel 4 from 1996 to 2000, with a repeat later that night. Officially, the title stood for "Thank Four It's Friday", though a less innocuous interpretation of the initials, "Thank Fuck It's Friday", was clearly implied. The show's theme tune was actually Ron Grainer's theme from "Man in a Suitcase".

Inspiration for other shows

During November and December 1999, the show included a segment titled "Someone's Going To Be A Millionaire!", inspired by the ITV game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" (which would not have its first million pound winner until November 2000). "TFI Friday" paid out the promised £1 million jackpot on Christmas Eve, 1999, becoming the first British TV show to do so. The winner was somewhat controversial, due to boasting the fact he was unemployed, and won the one million despite living off taxpayers. This did not however stop the show from becoming one of Britain's breakthrough TV programmes, which kickstarted the careers of many rock and indie bands, and created a popular TV show format which others have copied with nowhere emulating the success of TFI Friday.

The format

The show regularly featured live music, mostly of the then-popular Britpop school. A snippet of "The Riverboat Song" by Ocean Colour Scene, a band particularly championed by Evans, was used as an introduction to guests, as they walked the length of a walkway up into the "bar" to be interviewed by the host.

Viewers repeatedly asked if they could have the TFI Friday Mug (or one like it) that graced Evans table every week so the production company created a limited run of 1,000 mugs which were offered for sale at a prohibitive price and for a limited period of time, after which, the remaining stock was destroyed live on air when it was dropped from the roof of the television studio.

Controversy

The show attracted controversy when Shaun Ryder said "fuck" several times. Following the first interview on the show in which he had used the word, he was not allowed to be interviewed live. During a "Stars in Their Eyes" skit, Ryder performed (as Johnny Rotten) the Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant". The section was transmitted live, as it was not an interview. Ryder shouted the word several times. Ryder remains barred from appearing live on any Channel 4 programme. Ewan McGregor also used the controversial word on the show. In the wake of Ryder's antics, "TFI Friday" was then forced to go out pre-recorded.

The show gained more notoriety when, as part of a competition, two children were forced to go head to head in order to win their parents a car. After the competition was won, the boy who had lost then started to cry, which caused the tabloids to pounce on the show believing it to be shameless, even after the next edition which showed the boy perfectly happy with the consolation prize of a lot of toys. [cite news |title=Watchdog raps TFI Friday |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/458891.stm |work=BBC News|date=September 27 1999 |accessdate=2007-04-09]

In 1999, US rock band Slipknot made a rare appearance on British television via this show. The band are renowned for wearing masks while performing, therefore hiding their identities (although side project acts like Stone Sour see lead singer Corey Taylor reveal himself). During the performance of "Wait and Bleed" two cameras were lost, and were not seen since. The following week a viewers letter was read on the show complaining about the bands image, only for Chris Evans to say he can reveal their identities, as the production crew installed hidden cameras in their dressing room. When the so-called hidden footage was shown, one of the band members (all portrayed by actors) removed his mask, only for the person in question to be Lionel Blair.

As the years wore on, the format began to wear down, and viewing figures began to steadily fall. As a result, Channel 4 announced that the next series of "TFI Friday" was to be the last. Chris Evans then promptly left the show, leaving the final series to be presented by a host of guest presenters, including the Spice Girls, Davina McCall and Elton John.

The final broadcast was on December 22nd 2000, with Elton John in the hot seat.

In September 2005, Evans announced that he would be returning the "TFI Friday" format to TV, with "OFI Sunday". The first edition was broadcast on 20 November 2005, but was not as successful and soon axed.

Regular features

Features on the show included:

* Freak or Unique - Every week, there would be five people waiting outside the studio, of whom three would be selected to show off a special if freakish talent (such as juicing an orange with their shoulders, or drinking milk which they then forced out of their tear ducts). A running gag throughout the run was the 'Incredibly Tall Old Lady' who would always be waiting outside the studio. She was never nominated (mainly because it was obviously an old woman standing on a box).
*Baby Left Baby Right: A small child was placed on a cushion and the guest was asked which way it might fall.
* Fat lookalikes - People who looked like fat versions of celebrities.
* What Does The Fat Bloke Do? - An overweight man was invited on set and asked about his occupation, before dancing and leaving.
* Comment From The Cafe - Evans would rope in Cedric (the proprietor of a local eaterie) to perform various embarrassing skits. Cedric became famous for his catchphrase "Hellooooooooo!" and wooden acting
* Ugly Blokes - Unattractive gentlemen would have the opportunity to turn down the amorous advances of a 'gorgeous girl' (Catalina Guirado). A photo of footballer Peter Beardsley was shown during the 'ugly bloke' theme tune.
* It's Your Letters - A wide assortment of viewers' letters (this was introduced by a burst of Reef's "Place Your Hands", re-recorded for the show with the words "It's your letters" replacing the original chorus of "Put your hands on").
* Fishbowl Challenge: A goldfish in a bowl would have two toy bridges for company. Which would it swim under first?
* Another running gag was directed at the show's producer, Will MacDonald (aka Wicked Will, of MTV's Most Wanted fame), where everyone in the bar would point their fingers, begin to swivel them and chant 'Wiiillll' very creepily
* Will: Pub Genius - Will MacDonald would demonstrate a trick that could be performed using tools commonly found in a pub.
* Wooden Bird with Purple Hair - Chris Evans would amuse the audience with a small nodding wooden woodpecker (with purple hair), that slid down a pole whilst an accompanying song was played.
* The Lord of Love - The veteran actor Ronald Fraser dressed in a quilted smoking jacket would recite love poems to girls in the audience.
*Wurthers - The shows cue card man. He became a frequent star of the show alongside Chris, during the last series of the show in which he was host. At the start of every show, they would both engage in telling a joke working alongside each other, with Wurthers finishing the joke with "I'm only joking of course!", with Chris then replying "He's only joking of course!". This became a frequent running gag before eventually fading out, with this being replaced with Chris sending Wurthers out on a task. The first and most memorable of these was sending him outside to look for a mini driver, while it was raining. Near the end of the show he found one and told her to say hello to the actor Minnie Driver, by waving at the camera who was at the same time being interviewed on the show with David Duchovny. The segment was originally a one-off, before being made a regular feature on the show.
* Show Us Your Face Then - someone in a football mascot outfit is introduced to the audience and invited to show them their real face

References

External links

* [http://www.tfifriday.com/ TFIFriday.com]