Genre Comedy No. of series 21 | Country of origin United Kingdom | |
Also known as 'Clive James on TelevisionFloyd on TelevisionTarrant on TV' Starring Clive James (1982–88, 1997–98)
Keith Floyd (1989)
Chris Tarrant (1990–96, 1998–2006) Producer(s) LWT
(now branded ITV Productions)
Watchmaker Productions/Carlton (1997-8) | ||
"...on Television" or "...on TV", was 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, (often unintentionally), amusing television programmes and commercials from around the world.
Contents
The show was first presented by TV critic and journalist Clive James between 1982 and 1988, then celebrity chef Keith Floyd in 1989, and finally Chris Tarrant from 1990 to 2006.
The show remained "Tarrant on TV" for 16 years.
Early years
The show first began in 1982, hosted by the Australian television critic and satirist Clive James. The series showed funny and bizarre clips from TV shows and adverts from around the world, most notably from the far eastern countries of Japan and Korea. The series popularised the Japanese show Endurance which followed numerous contestants as they underwent painful tasks around the world.
After James joined the BBC in 1988, celebrity chef Keith Floyd was brought in for a six-episode series in 1989 before Chris Tarrant took over in 1990.
Later years
For its tenth anniversary in 1992, Tarrant presented a compilation series entitled Tarrant's Ten Years of Television (later 10 Years on TV), which showed clips from the past five series and specials. It also included extra footage that was deemed unsuitable for transmission in the original show.
In 1997, Clive James returned as host for two series, produced by Watchmaker Productions for Carlton Television, in 1997 and 1998. The series was axed due to poor ratings.
Tarrant on TV
The show continued to show bizarre clips from all over the world. But they now often included nudity, strong language, and crude or dark humour. Examples include a Japanese crying contest, a Japanese contraception advert, a profane North Korean propaganda film, and an advert showing eggs being fired from the bottom. Tarrant on TV also began to cover more violent and unusual programming such as the Jerry Springer Show or the The Man Show.
With a different presenter, the format was also altered to include a special guest. On 4 April 1992, Mel Brooks appeared on the show. The show's content focused on different types of humour in Sweden, America and Israel. However the celebrity guest format was dropped by LWT because it was deemed too expensive to pay for cinematic clips and a guest star each week.
The last series of Tarrant on TV was in 2005. The theme tune between 1996–2006 was Syd Dale's "The Penthouse Suite".
Transmissions
No full series was aired between 1985–88, in 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1997; however special episodes were often broadcast.
Specials
Hosted by Clive James:
Hosted by Chris Tarrant: