Curiosity Killed The Cats (8 Out of 10 Cats)

Member Name: Teena2003

Product:	8 Out of 10 Cats
Date:	02/07/09 (47 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: funny, celebrity guests,

Disadvantages: boring if there are the wrong guests

I am a big fan of quirky comedy and panel shows the likes of 'Mock the Week' and 'Have I Got News For You'. There are plenty of shows around to keep me busy for most of the year and one such show, normally shown during the summer months to fill the 30 minute gap between Davina announcing who was evicted from the Big Bother, sorry Big Brother House that day is '8 Out Of 10 Cats'. But the show continues late into the year as friends and I were in the live audience on my birthday in October.

Filmed in front of a live studio audience the day before transmission (in other words the Thursday) at BBC Television Centre in Wood Lane, the host of the show is comedian Jimmy Carr and his two regular team captains Sean Lock and Jason Manford. There are four special celebrity guest each week, from different walks of life, fellow comedians, reality show stars from for example The Apprentice, musicians and once a year a special based on Big Brother with the odd current contestant already booted out of the house or house mates from previous years.

The show is on average 30 minutes with time for one commercial break. It is filmed 'as live' with the teams continuing with the current discussions until they are exhausted and then move on to the next round with retakes at the end. Filming can therefore take in excess of 2 hours for a 30 minutes per programme. It just shows how much is cut together to get the best out of the guests that week with some weaker performances swiftly brushed under the carpet in favour of funnier contributions. There should always be enough material for at least 30 minutes at the end.


Typical games played during a show, not all make it to the final cut:

What are you talking about?

A review of the top 5 topics the public has been talking about that week. The official survey was carried out by a polling organisation. These topics can include virtually anything from movie releases, celebrities in the news, politics.

Pick of the Polls

The teams are given 4 pictures, behind each one is a different poll taken by polling organisations and one question where the studio audience in the queue outside the studio was asked to comment. One time I was out in the audience the question related to the money JK Rowling was earning from Harry Potter books and the question was whether or not she deserved that mind boggling amount she made every minute. The question never made it into the show as the panel picked other pictures.

Believe it or not

Two or more hair raising stories are told and the panels have to decide whether what they heard or not was the truth or a fabrication.

And the winner is ...

The teams have to find the top answer in a recent or past poll. Most seems to be guesswork and is often accompanied by hilarious film clips.

The poll with a hole

The teams are given with statistics and results of a poll but the actual topic is left out and it is down to the teams to put two and two together and come up with the correct answer - or at least a funny one.

Not all rounds will be played every week to keep the show fresh. Staple of each show seems to be the 'What are you talking about' round that opens the show.

Jimmy Carr hosting the show is a good choice in the role. He is funny enough to carry the show and make jokes in the right places and at the right time.

Sean Lock can be very funny as team captain but if he doesn't have the right people on his team, it can seem a bit of a bore to him and he does seem to look bored. He also has a tendency to waffle on and on if not stopped.

Jason Manford comedian from Manchester replaced David Spikey who left after a few years as team captain. Jason is genuinely funny and the audience are behind him whenever they can.

While some shows are funnier than others, it all depends on who the guests are and how they are getting on with the audience. Cutting the show together does not show the repeats and tedium that is often sweeping through the audience when the guests just do not know how to interact with the audience and the jokes fall flat. Other times you have the funniest person sitting on one of the teams, the jokes are coming thick and fast and when you watch the show back, it appears that it was the most boring show ever.

Points are awarded for correct answers but I doubt it is the main reason people watch the show. They are interested in comedic takes on the news of the week and/or celebrities, some funny banter and just 30 minutes to forget the troubles of the day - or week.

I highly recommend it, even if it is only mindless silliness at times and can be a little hit or miss depending on the celebrities on the teams and their egos. I will make you laugh or groan but it will keep you entertained. If you have a chance to see it being filmed, try and get there as it is much better live than having to watch what they made of it. But I am sure there are also episodes where the audience wished they had watched just the highlights of the week and not sat through the whole lot for hours.

Summary: opinion polls deconstructed