Characters or ideas that didn't last long

[Patrick Thistle]

There was a funny show called Bad Robots with machines going haywire and freaking people out. I remember an 'automatic mailing machine' that proceeded to charge exorbitant prices and then say "You have opted to crush your package" accompanied by horrendous crushing noises. There was also a parking entry ticket dispenser that moved away from the car or just withdrew the ticket every time someone reached for one.

[tracteurgarcon]

The relentless churning-out of ‘pranking’ shows during the early part of the noughties really drove me crazy. The episode that saw Tom Cruise (rightly) let rip at whichever show it was* that had him drenched with water seemed to kill all that off stone dead - so at least that event had an upside to it.

(These kind of sub-Jackass programmes were usually presented by Mark Dolan - who I think was the person to whom tracteur alluded above. Talent-free zone, IMO.)

When I worked at Talkback, there was some pathetic late-night show piloted that involved student-types being plied with alcohol and then let free to discuss whatever they wished. This came to an abrupt halt when yours truly complained to the exec producer about the disgusting, perpetual smell of vomit that we upstairs on other productions were having to endure during their try-outs. Killjoy that I am, like.

(*Balls of Steel - just looked it up.)

I looked it up and it was actually Marc Wootton and "My New Best Friend".

I've actually gigged with Mark Dolan a good few times and, in person, he's one of the nicest people I've ever met, genuinely lovely. Then again I never watched a single one of his TV programmes.

[Jah Womble]

Fair enough - coincidentally, I know Marc Wootton quite well and he's a very nice bloke, too. (Never saw that show, however.)

I guess there are still a fair few of these shows about, then - I must be deliberately filtering them out of my consciousness. It just seemed that at the start of the millennium, we were swamped with these things: either pranking, or people doing not-very-funny fake vox pops - which is arguably the same thing.