TFI Friday

Updated on Sep 23, 2024

Edit

Comment

TFI Friday is an entertainment show broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. The show was produced by Ginger Productions, written by Danny Baker and hosted by Chris Evans, for the first five series. The sixth series was hosted by a number of guest presenters. It was broadcast on Fridays at 6pm from 9 February 1996 to 22 December 2000, with a repeat later that night. The show's theme tune was Ron Grainer's theme from Man in a Suitcase, in keeping with Evans's frequent use of 1960s television themes in his work.

A one-off revival episode of the show was broadcast on Channel 4 on 12 June 2015. The episode was well received and on 23 June 2015, Channel 4 announced they had commissioned a full revived series, which began airing on 16 October 2015.

TFI Friday TFI Friday a Guests Air Dates Guide

In 2016 Channel 4 announced that there were no plans for any further series.

Format

TFI Friday httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaen552TFI

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 (and the very first band to play on the show, with the same song), 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.

TFI Friday TFI Friday Return These Best Bits From Chris Evans Channel 4 Show

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 a washing machine was dropped on to them from the height of the television studio.

Inspiration from/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 24 December 1999, becoming the first British TV show to do so. Heavily inspired by David Letterman's Late Night show it became one of Britain's breakthrough TV programmes, inspiring a genre of Friday night entertainment.

The show also was known for hosting many British rock bands from the "Britrock" stable at the time, including being able to successfully invite American bands onto the show while touring in the country.

Guest presenters

Channel 4 announced in the summer 2000, that the 6th series of TFI Friday was to be the last. Chris Evans left the show moments after Channel 4 announced their last series of TFI Friday, leaving the final series to be presented by a number of guest presenters.

10 November 2000 – Spice Girls

17 November 2000 – Big Brother 1 contestants ("Nasty" Nick Bateman, Anna Nolan, Craig Phillips, Melanie Hill)

24 November 2000 – Davina McCall & Dermot O'Leary

1 December 2000 – Sara Cox

8 December 2000 – Donna Air & Huey Morgan

15 December 2000 – Davina McCall & Dermot O'Leary

22 December 2000 – Elton John

Swearing

The show attracted controversy when Happy Mondays frontman 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, then 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 "fuck" several times. Subsequently, Ryder has been barred from appearing live on any Channel 4 programme – he is the only person listed by name in the Channel 4 transmission guidebook. Despite this, he reappeared for the live 20th Anniversary Special in June 2015.

In 1996, Ewan McGregor also said "fuck" on the show, when ranting about the Conservative Government of the time. In the wake of Ryder and McGregor's antics, TFI Friday was forced to be pre-recorded. In episode 2 of the 2015 series, actor Nicholas Hoult was heard saying "oh fuck it" after Chris Evans asked him to play the trombone. Evans immediately apologised afterwards.

Car competition

The show gained more notoriety when as part of a competition, two children were forced to go head to head in a stare-out contest 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. The next edition showed the boy with the consolation prize of an assortment of toys, an apparent attempt to mitigate controversy, but which was followed by another staring contest (this time for a speedboat), again ending with the losing child crying. The ITC gave Channel 4 a formal warning following these two incidents, and the competition feature never appeared again on the programme. On the 2015 revival show, both losing children (now grown up) were invited back and given a free holiday to Barbados with their families. Chris Evans also took this opportunity to apologise for what they did to them, acknowledging that it should never have happened.

Revival

In September 2005, Evans announced that he would be returning the TFI Friday format to TV, with OFI Sunday airing on ITV. The first edition was broadcast on 20 November 2005, but was not as successful and quickly axed. On 30 July 2014, Evans announced during his BBC Radio 2 breakfast show that TFI Friday could be returning to Channel 4, after being asked to host a 20th anniversary special (despite the fact that it has only been 19 years) as well as a new series in 2015. During Evans' BBC Radio 2 breakfast show on 24 February, he revealed that the show would be back on 12 June 2015 on Channel 4. The show aired from the Cochrane Theatre in Holborn following the demolition of the previous home at Riverside Studios.

On 23 June 2015, it was confirmed that Channel 4 had commissioned a new series, which started airing on 16 October 2015, with U2 opening and closing the show. On 7 July 2016, Channel 4 confirmed it has "no plans" to commission more episodes of TFI Friday.

Episodes

The Open Mic Night special only featured the Open Mic performances in the repeat. Due to time restraints, none of the performances could be broadcast during the first broadcast, and were subsequently edited into the repeat (making the repeat 85 mins long instead of the usual 60). ELO's performance of "Livin' Thing" was also only broadcast during the repeat.

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 which was then followed in later series by Asian lookalikes

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 eatery) 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.

Sink or Swim – The studio audience (and viewers) were invited to speculate as to whether a chosen animal (e.g. a mouse or a snake) would sink or swim in a fishtank. To gasps of concern from the audience, the mouse turned out to be a good swimmer.

2015 series

Too good not to be on TV - Unheard of acts appear on the show performing their talents.

Slip and slide - Guests see who can go down the slip and slide the fastest.

Cute contest purely for ratings - A celebrity will judge which thing or person is the cutest out of a possible three.

Noah's killer question - Evans' son Noah asks a question in order to try and put them under pressure.

It's Your Letters – Viewers' letters read out. Introduced by Coldplay, who took over from Reef in episode 4.

References

TFI Friday Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

Contents