Saturday Zoo
Saturday Zoo was a British alternative comedy and chat show series, using an eclectic mix of stand-up acts, interviews and music. Hosted by Jonathan Ross, it ran for 13 episodes, beginning in January 1993, on Channel 4.[1][2]
Production
The series was produced by host Jonathan Ross's own production company, Channel X,[1][3] headed by Kenton Allen.[4] Unlike previous shows, Ross specifically designed it to be "a show that I want to watch" without being particularly interested in viewing figures or popularity.[5] The show was broadcast live, with no possibility for re-takes or editing.[6] Writers for the series included Kevin Day and Patrick Marber.[7] The music director and keyboard player was Janette Mason, who also wrote the show's theme tune.[8][9][10]
Guests
The series had a number of high-profile guests, including supermodel Naomi Campbell who appeared on the first episode.[11] Other guests included Kylie Minogue,[12] Danny DeVito, Christopher Walken and Jean-Claude Van Damme.[6] Musical guests included former Dexys Midnight Runners frontman Kevin Rowland,[13] Del Amitri,[1] Suzanne Vega, Stereo MCs and P.M. Dawn,[6] and k.d. lang performed her recent hit single, "Constant Craving".[14]
The show featured the first appearance on television of Steve Coogan's character Paul Calf,[15] and helped launch the career of political comedian Mark Thomas.[16] Rowland Rivron and Graham Fellows (performing in-character as John Shuttleworth) made regular appearances on the show.[11][4] The Fast Show's Simon Day featured in several sketches.[6]
Critical reception
Saturday Zoo was not well received by critics, who focused on Ross's omnipresence on television at the time. The Daily Mail's Jack Tinker delivered a scathing critique of the show, saying "I sat in mounting bewilderedness last weekend trying to discover any sign of recognisable human intellect", while a review in The Independent described Ross as "humour-resistant Teflon".[17] It was subsequently viewed as stalling Ross's high-profile career.[17]
References
Citations
- 1 2 3 Edwards-Jones, Imogen (6 February 1993). "Saturday Night: It's ego feeding time at Johnathan's zoo". The Independent. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ↑ "Saturday Zoo". Vortago.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ↑ Jones, Ian (2 November 2001). "Friday Night With Johnathan Ross". Off the Telly. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- 1 2 Rivron 2011, p. 147.
- ↑ Simpson 2007, p. 55.
- 1 2 3 4 Day, Simon (2011). Comedy and Error: They Really Were Marvellous Times (extract). Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ↑ "Saturday Zoo". TV.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ↑ "Getting To Know … Janette Mason". NARC Magazine. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
- ↑ Marriott, Bob (29 April 2005). "In-Demand Janette Shows Her Versatility". Coventry Evening Telegraph. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
- ↑ "Janette Mason". The Courier & Advertiser. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
- 1 2 Simpson 2007, p. 56.
- ↑ "Saturday Zoo – Tape 1449". VHISTORY. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ↑ Buckley, Peter (2003). The Rough Guide To Rock. Rough Guides. p. 290. ISBN 978-1-843-53105-0.
- ↑ "Saturday Zoo (13th February 1993)". Screenocean. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ↑ Coogan, Steve (2015). Easily Distracted. Random House. pp. 249–250. ISBN 978-1-780-89171-2.
- ↑ "Shelf life: Mark Thomas TV hoaxer with a heart". Scotland on Sunday. 30 September 2001. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
- 1 2 Simpson 2007, p. 57.
Sources
- Rivron, Rowland (2011). What the F*** Did I Do Last Night?: The memoir of an accidental comedian. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-283-07133-1.
- Simpson, Neil (2007). Jonathan Ross – The Unauthorised Biography. John Blake Publishing. ISBN 978-1-784-18580-0.
External links
- Saturday Zoo on IMDb
- Saturday Zoo at BFI