Generation Game uses canned laughter after hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins fail to recapture Brucie’s banter
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THE Generation Game is famous for its conveyer belt of prizes crossing the screen — but on Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins' remake it sounds like it will be tumbleweed flying by.
The BBC has used canned laughter on the troubled reboot after the new hosts struggled to recapture Bruce Forsyth's beloved banter when he hosted the show in its heyday.
The fake guffaws have now been inserted to help boost the show’s appeal ahead of its return on Easter Sunday.
A source said: “It was always going to be a challenge for Mel and Sue to have people chuckling the way Bruce did.
“The BBC has used canned laughter after listening back to the live audience and agreeing it needed a bit of extra buzz.”
A BBC spokeswoman last night confirmed: “The show was filmed in front of a live studio audience and the overwhelming majority of the laughter was from the recording.”
A month ago I told how the show’s revival has already been cut from four episodes to two, over concerns it is not good enough.
The estimated cost of axing the episodes is around £400,000 and there are now fears the show will be another post-Bake Off failure for Mel and Sue.
Jim Davidson, who also fronted the show in the Nineties had questioned the decision to put the pair at the helm, arguing they could never fill Brucie’s shoes.
I doubt even canned laughter will be enough to save it.
READ ON FOR MORE OF DAN WOOTTON'S BIZARRE TV COLUMN
Is Enders Benzing rules?
STRICT product placement rules at the BBC mean you won’t see Mick Carter pull a pint of Foster’s in the Queen Vic, or start handing out Nobby’s Nuts.
But when it comes to the mean streets of Walford it’s a different story.
In Tuesday’s episode EastEnders appeared to turn into an advert for Mercedes as Jack Branning, played by Scott Maslen, drove one round the square.
There were several close-ups of the car’s logo, before characters Keegan Baker and Hunter Owen had a long chat about the qualities of the car.
They reeled off a string of stats, including its full name, top speed and how quickly it could do 0-60mph.
A source said: “The close-ups were obvious, viewers were quick to notice them.
“But there are very tight rules in place to make sure these things don’t break BBC guidelines, so bosses are confident they haven’t crossed any lines.”
But fans weren’t convinced. One noted on Twitter: “Bit of product placement for Jack’s sport car.”
Another added: “Cast talking about its stats etc? Pretty sure the BBC isn’t meant to participate in advertising?”
If the cast start turning up in new motors I’ll know why.
bizbit
TALKRADIO’s Iain Lee will discuss his battles with drugs and alcohol in a documentary to be shown this summer.
Iain, who fell out on air with Matthew Wright recently, will open up in Channel 5’s Me And My: Mental Illness.
Dawson's Creek reunion
THE cast of Dawson’s Creek have got back together to mark 20 years since the show launched, and they’ve hardly aged.
Katie Holmes, James Van Der Beek, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams posed for a magazine cover to celebrate.
Sadly a reboot of the show, which ran from 1998 to 2003, is off the cards. Creator Kevin Williamson said: “What would a reunion be? What would that look like? Why would you?
“ I don’t see it and I don’t feel it.” Shame, I certainly do.
bizbit
TOWIE regulars Jon Clark and Liam Gatsby were left terrified during filming after an extra appeared to lose his temper and turn aggressive while the cast were filming scenes in a snooker hall.
He was reportedly later arrested.
Stream of cash dries up quickly
IT’s not just Claire Foy who’s had her free Netflix subscription cancelled after she left hit series The Crown.
All the streaming service’s top actors, who receive six-monthly gifted subscriptions to watch the programmes will now have their freebies terminated by bosses once they’ve finished filming.
Despite Netflix raking in millions of pounds from their roles, top talents including Claire and won’t be able to binge on old episodes of The Crown when they are next hungover.
A TV insider said: “It may seem crazy to the public that Netflix seems to be penny-pinching – particularly as it pays millions to sign up some of the biggest names in showbusiness.
“But it’s a mark of how much it values its product that it doesn’t want to dish it out for free.
“Plus, when it is investing so much into shows, it needs to recoup as much income as possible.”
Claire, who portrayed the Queen in The Crown, told in January how her subscription was cut off following her exit.
Never mind. I’ve no doubt Claire and co can dip into their deep pockets to stump up the monthly £5.99.
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must watch
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WHY? Eight celebrities, includin Victoria Derbyshire and Megan McKenna, follow in the footsteps of their male counterparts by performing a striptease to raise awareness for cancer.
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IN Emmerdale a desperate search is launched by Pete and Rhona when they realise Ross is missing. He is later found – but he has overdosed and is clinging to life.
Elsewhere, Vanessa’s job hangs in the balance when a snake goes missing on the day of her inspection, Joe comes clean about his plans and Brenda is encouraged by a declaration.
In Eastenders, Stacey remains the target of locals’ anger about the fake death scam, so she asks them all to go to the pub so she can explain.
Meanwhile, Keanu considers moving into Jay’s spare room to give him more privacy with Ingrid, and Bernadette’s nerves get the better of her ahead of the chess competition.