Noel's House Party

Noel's House Party
Genre	Entertainment
Written by	Malcolm Williamson Noel Edmonds Charlie Adams Garry Chambers Richard Lewis Stuart Silver Louis Robinson
Directed by	Guy Freeman Duncan Cooper Michael Leggo Phil Chilvers
Presented by	Noel Edmonds
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	8
No. of episodes	166 (+ 17 specials)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Michael Leggo
Producer(s)	Mike Brosnan Jonathan Beazley
Editor(s)	John Sillito
Running time	45–55 minutes
Release
Original network	BBC One
Picture format	4:3 (1991–98) 16:9 (1998–2000)
Original release	23 November 1991 – 20 March 1999
Chronology
Preceded by	The Noel Edmonds Saturday Roadshow

Noel's House Party was a BBC light entertainment series hosted by Noel Edmonds. Set in a large house in the fictional village of Crinkley Bottom, leading to much innuendo, it was broadcast live on Saturday evenings in the 1990s on BBC One. The show, once described by a senior corporation executive as "the most important show on the BBC", was cancelled in 1999 due to poor ratings.^[1] In 2010, Noel's House Party was voted the best Saturday night TV show of all time.^[2]

History

Noel's House Party was the successor to The Noel Edmonds Saturday Roadshow, carrying over some of its regular features such as the 'Gunge Tank', the 'Gotcha Oscar' and 'Wait Till I Get You Home'.

The show had many celebrity guests posing as residents of Crinkley Bottom, including Frank Thornton and Vicki Michelle. It gave birth to Mr. Blobby in the Gotcha segment. There was also a contrived rivalry between Edmonds and Tony Blackburn. One-off celebrity appearances include Michael Crawford as Frank Spencer, who came in to find the whole audience dressed as Frank, and Ken Dodd in a highwayman's outfit—"going cheap at the Maxwell sale"—as Noel's long-lost 'twin', Berasent Edmonds (a play on Bury St Edmunds).

After several changes, the show began to decline in popularity. Its theme tune was changed in 1996, and set redesigns followed. In January 1998, an episode had to be cancelled after a disagreement between Edmonds and the BBC. The budget had been cut by 10 per cent, with the money saved being used to help fund the BBC digital switchover. Edmonds reportedly walked out, claiming the show was "of a poor standard and cobbled together."^[3][4]

The BBC cancelled the show in 1999 after ratings plummeted from a high of 15 million to eight million.^[5] Edmonds closed the final episode of House Party on 20 March 1999 by saying,

“

It's an overworked expression when people say 'it's the end of an era', but for BBC Television, the entertainment department, for me, and possibly you, it really is the end of an era. I hope your memory will be very kind to us. After 169 [episodes]... bye.

”

He was then playfully attacked with a fire extinguisher by Freddie Starr.

In a statement, Edmonds said: "I am delighted this decision has been made. I feel as though a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders," adding, "history will prove that House Party was one of the most successful entertainment shows of all time." He partly blamed the Ronan Keating talent show Get Your Act Together for poor ratings leading into House Party.^[6]

Awards

In 1993, Noel's House Party won a BAFTA for best light entertainment series.^[7]

In 1994, the opening titles won a Bronze Rose of Montreux. The stop-motion animation title and credit sequences were made by 3 Peach Animation.

Regular features

Gotcha

Originally called the 'Gotcha Oscars' until the threat of legal action from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (which also prompted a redesign of the award), hidden camera practical jokes were played on celebrities. Notable victims were Barbara Windsor, Carol Vorderman, Jill Dando, Kriss Akabusi, Lionel Blair, Dave Lee Travis, Richard Whiteley, Eddie Large, Samantha Janus, Yvette Fielding, Status Quo, and the Queens Park Rangers football club. In the final series, Dale Winton turned the tables on Edmonds with a surprise challenge that ended with a gunging. Another notable victim was Annabel Giles, the first victim who managed to spot the hidden camera, which had been placed in the back of a car, which meant the prank backfired. Maggie Philbin became aware that she was part of a 'Gotcha' within seconds of the filming even though she did not spot any cameras. She left the set-up ostensibly to get help for a stranded victim seeking her aid, but never returned. When she appeared in the studio to 'review' the skit and be presented with her 'Gotcha', she admitted that she had gone shopping.

Gotcha! is an exclamation indicating a successful trick or prank.

Wait Till I Get You Home

Parents watch pre-recorded footage of their children being interviewed by Edmonds, and try to guess the children's answers. In later series, it was replaced by a similar feature called Secret World of the Teenager.

The Lyric Game

In early series, celebrity duos competed against one another to complete the lyrics of a song after being given the first line. This feature was originally in The Noel Edmonds Saturday Roadshow.

Grab a Grand

A phone-in competition where a viewer chose from three currencies (aiming to select the greatest value of money; £1,000 in the first episode), and a celebrity (usually a sports star like Graham Gooch, Frank Bruno, Kathy Tayler, Kriss Akabusi, Nick Gillingham, Henry Cooper, Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, David Gower, Gary Lineker, John Regis, Paul Gascoigne, John Barnes, Lennox Lewis, and others) would climb into a perspex box containing a fan and a large quantity of banknotes. The celebrity had to grab as many of the notes as possible as they were blown around by the fan. Noel would ask the caller three questions based on that week's news, and each correct answer gave the celebrity 20 seconds in the box, up to a total of 60 seconds. There were variations: 'Grab a Granny', 'Grab a Grand Piano', and 'Grab a Grand National'.

Cash for Questions

Similar to Grab a Grand, a celebrity goes into the dark 'basement' of the Great House, while a viewer directs them to bags of money with the help of a night vision camera. Named after a political scandal.

NTV

A camera was hidden in the home of a member of the public and Edmonds would talk to them through their television.^[8]

Sofa Soccer

In the final series, a similar idea to Bernie the Bolt in The Golden Shot, a viewer at home would attempt to score goals by directing a machine to fire a huge football. The commands were 'left', 'right' and 'shoot'. The music used for this game was based on Crazy Horses by The Osmonds.

The Big Pork Pie

A member of the studio audience had their embarrassing secrets revealed. Seated in a large 'pork pie', the victim would be connected to a lie detector machine (a prop). Victims were set up by their friends or family, who provided the secrets.

The Gunge Tank

Carried over from The Noel Edmonds Saturday Roadshow, the gunge tank was put to various uses, usually gunging celebrities or unpopular members of the public after a phone vote was carried out during the show. Gunging usually took place in the final minutes of the show. Gunged celebrities include Anthea Turner, Nigel Mansell, Richard Whiteley, Carol Vorderman, Adam Woodyatt, Edwina Currie, Mr Motivator, Gloria Hunniford, Jeremy Clarkson, Samantha Janus, Keith Harris and Orville, Anneka Rice (twice), Annabel Giles, Nicola Stapleton, Robert Kilroy-Silk, Eamonn Holmes and Ulrika Jonsson.

The 'gunge' was a food thickening agent called Natrosol, coloured with various food dyes. The gunge tank got progressively more sophisticated. From Series One a standard tank was used, with an ornate look to it. Series Two introduced foam (often coloured) rising up from the bottom prior to the gunging. Series 3 introduced the 'Car Wash', where the individual was carried along a lengthier tank, going through a set of brushes designed to soak the victim, then having the gunge descend from above before being spun out of the contraption. In series Four and Five, it was developed into the 'Trip Around The Great House', where the victim was placed on a miniature railway that took them on a journey around the set, finishing up in the giant fireplace, where gunge was finally released onto the victim. From Series Six, there were changes to the format, and gunge was used less frequently. For Series Eight, a member of the audience would be gunged by a tank lowered from the studio rafters, or their chair would be lowered into the undercroft of the seating area, where they were gunged, and came back up again.

Edmonds was often gunged himself, usually in the final episode of a series.

Number Cruncher

A phone box modified to contain a gunge tank and a TV screen was placed somewhere in Britain. The code to get into the phone box was broadcast live on air, and the first viewer to reach the phone box got to play a game. Once inside, he or she had 45 seconds to rearrange a code on the screen to win a prize and get out again. If they ran out of time, they were covered in gunge. If they solved the puzzle, they had an opportunity gamble their prize. By pulling a handle, they could either double their money, have random objects dropped on them, or be covered in gunge.

Beat Your Neighbour

Neighbours competed to win items from each other's houses.

My Little Friend

Primary school children were led into a room with hidden cameras and two puppets—one voiced by Edmonds—which, after 'waking up', held improvised conversations with the children.

The Hot House

Members of the public and sporting celebrities compete against each other on exercise machines hooked up to gunge tanks.

Mr Blobby

In 1992, during series two of House Party, the character Mr Blobby was introduced as a way for Noel Edmonds to play practical jokes on celebrities.

Cricket St Thomas, Somerset, was the home of BBC television's Mr Blobby's house, named 'Dunblobbin' situated at the rear of the park. Mr. Blobby, the house and its gardens appeared as an attraction in the park in 1994, but it closed within five years, shortly after the show went off air.^[9] Remains of the house and its 'Blobbyland' theme park could still be seen until 2014,^[9] overgrown and strewn with fallen leaves and mud. Mr Blobby's house was demolished late 2014^[10]

'Blobbygate'

In 1994, a Crinkly Bottom theme park opened in Morecambe. It closed 13 weeks after opening. A two-year investigation by the district auditor was started due to the investment of £2 million by Lancaster City Council.^[11] It resulted in both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats withdrawing from the cabinet, leaving four councillors from Morecambe Bay Independents and the Green Party running the authority.^[12]

Transmissions

Series

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
1	23 November 1991[13]	28 March 1992[14]	18
2	24 October 1992[15]	13 March 1993[16]	20*
3	23 October 1993[17]	26 March 1994[18]	22
4	22 October 1994[19]	25 March 1995[20]	21
5	21 October 1995[21]	30 March 1996[22]	22
6	19 October 1996[23]	29 March 1997[24]	22
7	18 October 1997[25]	21 March 1998[26]	20†
8	17 October 1998[27]	20 March 1999[28]	21

* Originally to run for 21 episodes. The show scheduled for 6 March 1993 was cancelled due to a bomb scare at BBC Television Centre. A repeat of Noel's Christmas Presents and a Tom and Jerry cartoon were shown instead.

† Originally to run for 22 episodes. The show scheduled for 3 January 1998 was cancelled due to a disagreement between Edmonds and the BBC. A repeat of The Best of Noel's House Party, originally broadcast on 11 October 1997, was shown instead.

Specials

Title	Date
The Best of Noel's House Party	31 May 1993[29]
Noel's Garden Party	4 September 1993[30]
The Best of Noel's House Party	29 August 1994[31]
The Gotcha Hall of Fame	3 May 1995[32]
The Gotcha Hall of Fame	17 May 1995[33]
The Gotcha Hall of Fame	30 December 1995[34]
NTV Stars	18 April 1996[35]
Noel's NTV Stars	25 April 1996[36]
The Best of Noel's House Party	7 September 1996[37]
Gotcha Hall of Fame	28 December 1996[38]
Gotcha Hall of Fame	17 July 1997[39]
Gotcha Hall of Fame	24 July 1997[40]
The Best of Noel's House Party	11 October 1997[41]
Noel's Greatest Gotchas	10 January 1998[42]
Noel's House Party Gotcha Special	13 March 1999[43]
The Best of NTV	19 March 2000[44]
The Best of Noel's House Party	26 March 2000[45]

International versions

Country	Title	Host	Channel
Belgium	Binnen Zonder Bellen[46]	Koen Wauters	VT4
Denmark	Greven På Hittegodset[46][47]	Eddie Michel	TV 2 (Denmark)
Germany	Gottschalks Haus Party[48]	Thomas Gottschalk	Sat.1
Netherlands	Monte Carlo[49]	Carlo Boszhard	RTL 4
Spain	Vaya Nochecita[46]	Pepe Carroll	?

References

1. "BBC Lowers the Boom on Noel's House Party". The Guardian. 26 February 1999.
2. "Noel's House Party voted best Saturday night telly show ever". The Mirror. 30 October 2010.
3. McCann, Paul (3 January 1998). "BBC pulls plug on Noel's House Party cancelled". The Independent (London). Retrieved 12 April 2014.
4. Cozens, Claire (19 August 2003). "Edmonds: I'm guilty of bad TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
5. "Noel Edmonds to leave BBC". BBC News. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
6. Morgan, Kathleen (26 February 1999). "Party over for Noel - Show axed as viewing figures hit all-time low". Scottish Daily Record (Glasgow).
7. "1993 Television Light Entertainment Programme or Series". BAFTA. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
8. Gareth Palmer (2003). Discipline and Liberty: Television and Governance. Manchester University Press. pp. 149–. ISBN 978-0-7190-6693-1.
9. "Look what's happened to the house that Blobby built". Chard and Ilminster News. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
10. "Crinkley Bottom has gone down the pan, Mr Blobby". Sun. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
11. Gledhill, Dan (3 September 2000). "Edmonds to testify in Blobby fiasco". The Independent (London). Retrieved 22 May 2013.
12. "'Crinkley Bottom' row leads to cabinet walkout". BBC News. 21 February 2003.
13. "Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 23 November 1991". BBC Genome. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
14. "Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 28 March 1992". BBC Genome.
15. "Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 24 October 1992". BBC Genome.
16. "Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 13 March 1993". BBC Genome.
17. "Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 23 October 1993". BBC Genome.
18. "Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 26 March 1994". BBC Genome.
19. "Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 22 October 1994". BBC Genome.
20. "Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 25 March 1995". BBC Genome.
21. "Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 21 October 1995". BBC Genome.
22. "Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 30 March 1996". BBC Genome.
23. "Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 19 October 1996". BBC Genome.
24. "Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 29 March 1997". BBC Genome.
25. "Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 18 October 1997". BBC Genome.
26. "Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 21 March 1998". BBC Genome.
27. "Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 17 October 1998". BBC Genome.
28. "Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 20 March 1999". BBC Genome.
29. "The Best of Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 31 May 1993". BBC Genome.
30. "Noel's Garden Party - BBC One London - 4 September 1993". BBC Genome.
31. "The Best of Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 29 August 1994". BBC Genome.
32. "The Gotcha Hall of Fame - BBC One London - 3 May 1995". BBC Genome.
33. "The Gotcha Hall of Fame - BBC One London - 17 May 1995". BBC Genome.
34. "The Gotcha Hall of Fame - BBC One London - 30 December 1995". BBC Genome.
35. "NTV Stars - BBC One London - 18 April 1996". BBC Genome.
36. "Noel's NTV Stars - BBC One London - 25 April 1996". BBC Genome.
37. "The Best of Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 7 September 1996". BBC Genome.
38. "Gotcha Hall of Fame - BBC One London - 28 December 1996". BBC Genome.
39. "Gotcha Hall of Fame - BBC One London - 17 July 1997". BBC Genome.
40. "Gotcha Hall of Fame - BBC One London - 24 July 1997". BBC Genome.
41. "The Best of Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 11 October 1997". BBC Genome.
42. "Noel's Greatest Gotchas - BBC One London - 10 January 1998". BBC Genome.
43. "Noel's House Party Gotcha Special - BBC One London - 13 March 1999". BBC Genome.
44. "The Best of NTV - BBC One London - 19 March 2000". BBC Genome.
45. "The Best of Noel's House Party - BBC One London - 26 March 2000". BBC Genome.
46. "Game On; The Broader Picture". The Independent (London). 27 July 1997.
47. ""Greven På Hittegodset" med Eddie Michel - Egon Olsen kommer forbi, TV2 13. sept. 1996". YouTube.
48. "Gottschalks Hausparty - Opener 1995". YouTube.
49. "'Unique' signs Dutch co-production deal for World of the Secret Camera". Broadcast. 17 Dec 1999. Unique also revealed this week that BBC Worldwide had agreed a format deal with RTL 4 in the Netherlands for Endemol to produce a second series of Noel's House Party which is broadcast under the title Monte Carlo.

External links

• Noel's House Party at the Internet Movie Database
• Noel's House Party at the BFI
• Noel's House Party at UKGameshows.com