Johnny and Denise: Passport to Paradise

Johnny and Denise are arguably the best Big Breakfast partnership ever, but I was disapointed by their new show - not a patch on Saturday Night Takeaway.

The main problem was the format was filled with features from start to finish - this isn't J&D at their best. When they took control of the BB many features were scrapped to allow J&D to waffle on unscripted about anything, creating many classic moments.

And I felt the main Passport to Paradise game was awful - not original (3/5 Mr/Mrs style questions) and the winner had been predetermined as his Mrs had been sent out to Portugal.

A couple of good points - I liked the idea of the on location bit with people ringing up friends at a Jamie Cullum concert and getting them all to start hopping - could work well. Also, the Denise performance which featured people from the past of an audience member - worked well in week 1, but difficult to get the same reaction week in, week out.

Come on Johnny and Denise - must do better!

Have to stop you there. J+D were indeed an excellent presenting duo on the BIG Breakfast, but there's
no two ways about the fact that Chris Evans and Gaby Roslin were THE best duo the BB had - period!

As for J+D's new BBC ONE show . . . not as good as Takeaway, but overall, not bad for a first show

As soon as I saw it i thought 'Saturday Night Takeaway Rip-Off'.

Johnny and Denise are excellent, but this style doesn't suit them. They need 2 chairs, a TV by their side, patio doors behind them and a canal near by.....

[quote="jay"]As soon as I saw it i thought 'Saturday Night Takeaway Rip-Off'.quote]

Although to be fair, Saturday Night Takeaway in turn was a complete rip-off of Noel's House Party, and the shows that went before it. Not entirely the ideal show to have on in charter renewal year - surely the whole point of the licence fee is that the BBC doesn't need to copy ancient formats to chase ratings?

[quote="p_c_u_k"]

Noels House Party was great! I wish they would bring it back

Not sure it wants bringing back - the format was getting tired towards the end - but it was indeed great. Easy to forget how wonderful and innovative it was.

I missed J&D new show, but i can imagine it was bad. I've given up all hope of ever seeing a good saturday night show ever again

"Who killed saturday night tv?" is on ch4 this saturday.

It was ok, there aren't that many original ideas in TV anymore, they just recycle and put in new packaging.

At least the BBC seem to be making an effort on a Saturday night with this and then that Strictly Come Dancing which seems to have been popular.

What were ITV doing ? You've Been Framed, a repeat of Celebrity Stars In Their Eyes, and then Dumb Britain which was basically a recycled bloopers show in different packaging. Awful.

How many of these cheap clips shows do ITV want, TV's Naughtiest Blunders, Alright on the Night, Laughter File, TV Nightmares, It Shouldn't Happen to.... Dumb Britain / Foreigners there is only so many times you can repackage the same clips.

I know, If I see Micheala Strachan getting wee'd on by a monkey again I shall go mad

I agree, at least the BBC are trying new formats. Saturday Night Takeaway is a great show for 6-12 weeks a year, but what about the rest of the year? They tried with Love On a Saturday Night, but that was it, I can't think of any other new programme that they've tried this year, which is a shame. They have many talented presenters that are working for them and that could work for them, with the right producers they could do anything, especially in the summer when they should be trialing things.

Come Autumn they'll have possibly another 6 weeks of ant & dec, parkinson and nothing else more, which will most probably mean more you've been framed, stars in their eyes and millionnaire! Aren't we lucky!

Yes, for something like 3 hours next Saturday night.

Isn't it ironic, dontya think?

I've never seen Saturday Night Takeaway (it's on itv1 isn't it?) but to me, being a little bit on the old side, it reminded me of Don't Forget Your Toothbrush - and wasn't that format sold to the BBC by Chris Evans years ago?

I thought it was good on the whole - trash of course, but that's what the uneducated scroats in council houses want!