| Mad for It | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Game show |
| Presented by | Mike McClean Yiolanda Tokkallos (1998-99) Danielle Nicholls (2000) Nigel Mitchell (2000) |
| Opening theme | "Harmonica Man" by Bravado |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 39 |
| Production | |
| Production location | Carlton Studios[1] |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company | Carlton Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 2 September 1998 – 31 March 2000 |
Mad for It is a British game show for children which was produced by Carlton Television broadcast on ITV from 2 September 1998 to 31 March 2000. Series 1 was hosted by former Nickelodeon presenters Mike McClean and Yiolanda Tokkallos. Series 2 was hosted by Mike McClean, Danielle Nicholls, and Nigel Mitchell. There was also a regular character called Pie Boy, played by Alex Verrey, who would go around hitting random people in the studio with flans in a manner like The Phantom Flan Flinger from Tiswas.
Games in the show
Games included were:
- Stars Up Their Noses: Contestants are given 30 seconds to show their talent. The name of the game is derived from impersonation talent show Stars in Their Eyes. This competition was won at the end of the second series, by the then fifteen-year-old Katie Melua.[2]
- Box Clever: Contestants answer questions and pick a prize from a box if correct.
- That's My Pet: Contestants need to guess which is their pet amongst several similar looking animals.
A frequent feature of Mad For It was "gunge", a green slimy goo which was regularly poured onto losing contestants and occasionally on the hosts themselves. Those who lost the games were sent to a "Dungeon of Gunge" – an enclosure directly beneath a large nose, which expelled gunge onto the hapless prisoners. In the last episode, the tables were turned and the pie boy ended up getting shoved in the dungeon.
The most notable contestant on Mad For It was Katie Melua, who appeared on the show when she was fifteen.[3] She won the "Stars Up Their Noses" game after singing "Without You" by Badfinger. If she had lost the challenge, she would have been gunged.
The show was considered a parody of "adult programmes like Blind Date and Stars in their Eyes".[4]
Episode Guide
Series 1
Episode 1 (2 September 1998)
- Musical guest: Five ("Everybody Get Up")
- Backchat with the Bedheads
- Stars Up Their Nose - Heat 1
| Order | Act | Talent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acquiess | 5-piece male rock band performing the song "Supersonic" by Oasis | Eliminated |
| 2 | Tom Fieldhouse | Unicycling and diablo juggling to "Harmonica Man" by Bravado | Heat Winner |
| 3 | Lucy Kingsnorth | Singing the song "Ain't That Just the Way" by Lutricia McNeal | Eliminated |
- How Far Will You Go?
- That's My Pet
Episode 2 (9 September 1998)
- Musical guest: Ultra ("The Right Time")
- Backchat with the Bedheads
- Smarty Pants
- Stars Up Their Nose - Heat 2
| Order | Act | Talent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Buckingham | Singing the song "No Matter What" by Boyzone | Eliminated |
| 2 | Bethanie Hooton | Dancing to "C'est la Vie" by B*Witched | Eliminated |
| 3 | Melanie Femi-Ola | Singing the song "How Do I Live" by LeAnn Rimes | Heat Winner |
- Make It a Date
- Prize: A day at the racetrack with Team McLaren
| Boy | Result | Girl | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dean | Not chosen | Lucinda | Not chosen |
| Dan | Not chosen | Rhian | Not chosen |
| Nick | Not chosen | Jo | Not chosen |
| David | Chosen | Sam | Chosen |
| James | Not chosen | Suzanne | Not chosen |
| Ian | Not chosen | Caroline | Not chosen |
Episode 3 (16 September 1998)
- Musical guest: B*Witched ("Rollercoaster")
- Backchat with the Bedheads
- Stars Up Their Nose - Heat 3
| Order | Act | Talent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Spice Boys | Dancing and miming the song "Wannabe" by Spice Girls | Eliminated |
| 2 | Instant Replay | 4-piece girl group singing the song "Power of a Woman" by Eternal | Eliminated |
| 3 | Stephen and Michael | Line dancing to "Kung Fu Fighting" by Bus Stop and Carl Douglas | Heat Winner |
- Make It a Date
- Prize: A day at Zippo's Circus
| Boy | Result | Girl | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adam | Not chosen | Laura | Not chosen |
| Bobby | Not chosen | Donna | Not chosen |
| Andy | Not chosen | Marie Anne | Not chosen |
| Joe | Not chosen | Jenny | Not chosen |
| Ryan | Chosen | Tori | Not chosen |
| Daniel | Not chosen | Charlotte | Chosen |
- That's My Pet
Episode 4 (23 September 1998)
- Musical guest: Billie ("Girlfriend")
- Backchat with the Bedheads
- Sad or Bad?
- Stars Up Their Nose - Semi Final 1
| Order | Act | Winner of | Talent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Fieldhouse | Heat 1 | Unicycling and diablo juggling to "Harmonica Man" by Bravado | Semi Final Winner |
| 2 | Melanie Femi-Ola | Heat 2 | Singing the song "How Do I Live" by LeAnn Rimes | Eliminated |
| 3 | Stephen and Michael | Heat 3 | Line dancing to "C'est la Vie" by B*Witched | Eliminated |
- How Far Will You Go?
Series 2
Transmissions
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 September 1998 | 10 March 1999 | 26 |
| 2 | 7 January 2000 | 31 March 2000 | 13 |
References
- ↑ "Ex-ITV Regional Studios". TV Studio History. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- ↑ "Katie Melua talks about new album". The Bolton News. 21 August 2007. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ↑ "Katie Melua looks back in time before Roundhouse anniversary show". Ham & High. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ↑ Davies, Máire Messenger (27 September 2001). 'Dear BBC': Children, Television Storytelling and the Public Sphere. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-78560-0.
External links