GamesMaster - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

GamesMaster was a British television show, screened on Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

from 1992 to 1998, and was the first ever UK television show dedicated to computer and video games.

Origins

GamesMaster began when Jane Hewland, formerly of LWT, who had set up her own production company Hewland International, took an interest in her son's love of video games. She put together a pitch for a show that would translate the excitement of games playing into watchable television. It was Channel 4

Channel 4

that became interested in the concept and green lit the production. However, because it had been pitched as a competitive event programme, the show was always under the jurisdiction of the "sports" department amongst shows such as Football Italia
Football Italia
Football Italia is an Italian football programme in the United Kingdom, known as Football Italiano for its final season. The first broadcasting of the show was in 1992 on Channel 4, the show is centered around live coverage of Serie A football, the top flight in the Italian league system...

, horse racing and Kabaddi

Kabaddi

Kabaddi is a South Asian team sport...

Format and hosts

Although it featured game reviews, most of the show was about challenges where game players would compete against one another for the title of "GamesMaster Champion". Contestants who were successful at their challenges were rewarded with the coveted "GamesMaster Golden Joystick" trophy. Dominik Diamond

Dominik Diamond

Paul Dominik Diamond is a Scottish television and radio presenter and newspaper columnist. He is best known as the original presenter of Channel 4's video gaming programme GamesMaster, as host of The Dominik Diamond Breakfast Show on Xfm Scotland and as a columnist for the Daily Star...

usually presented the show with Sir Patrick Moore

Patrick Moore

Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS is a British amateur astronomer who has attained prominent status in astronomy as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter of the subject, and who is credited as having done more than any other person to raise the profile of...

appearing in pre-recorded inserts as the 'Games Master'. During these challenges, Dominik was joined by a host of commentators. These included Derrick Lynch, Kirk Ewing, Julian Rignall, Rik Henderson, Dave Perry, Tim Boone and Edward Laurence amongst others.

For the third series, Dexter Fletcher

Dexter Fletcher

Dexter Fletcher is an English actor. He is best known for his role in Guy Ritchie film, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels as well as television roles in such shows as the dramedy Hotel Babylon, the critically acclaimed HBO series Band of Brothers and earlier in his career, the children's show...

became the main presenter; this change was criticised by fans, who saw the new host as over-the-top, and too 'in-your-face'. To balance this, the production company dropped all other co-presenters and gave UK games champion Dave Perry

Dave Perry

Dave Perry was co-commentator on the UK computer and video games television shows GamesMaster and Games World.He was responsible for launching many games magazines, including Games World, Play, PowerStation, X-Gen, STATION and Mega Power...

a regular co-presenter slot on every show. Fletcher was better known at the time for playing an American character called "Spike" in the ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

drama series Press Gang
Press Gang
Press Gang is a British children's television comedy-drama consisting of forty-three episodes across five series that were broadcast from 1989 to 1993...

.

Review segments

From the very first episode, GamesMaster included reviews of forthcoming titles. In an attempt to give the show some authority and get the gaming press on their side, as well as eliminate the need for extra staff to review games, the reviews featured a host of magazines journalists from the publishing house EMAP

EMAP

Emap Limited is a British media company, specialising in the production of business-to-business magazines, and the organisation of business events and conferences...

. This meant the show could pool the collective opinions of magazines like Mean Machines
Mean Machines
Mean Machines was a market-leading multi-format gaming magazine released between 1990 and 1992 in the United Kingdom. Its style was popular with gamers of the time for its irreverent humor, anarchic editorial tone and style, and its sometimes outrageously outspoken reviews.- Origins :In the late...

, C&VG and ACE
ACE (games magazine)
ACE was a multi-format computer and video game magazine first published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing and later acquired by EMAP.-History:...

.

However, by series 5, it was decided that the reviews would be better presented by two of the show's co-commentators, namely Rik Henderson and Dave Perry

Dave Perry

. It brought a much-needed stability to the format and some interesting banter between the reviewers. Series 6 featured the same two reviewers, while series 7, due to time constraints and Dave Perry having resigned from the show's cast, employed two of its own research staff to present the slot, including Richard Pitt.

Relationship with the games industry

Prior to GamesMaster appearing, games companies had very few TV shows on which to have their titles featured. UK broadcasters had shown sporadic interest in the scene, normally confining coverage to segments within Saturday morning children's programming. From time to time, news programmes would report on one of the very successful British games studios, but in contrast to programming involving films and music videos, there was no regular showcase for videogames.

GamesMaster was first broadcast in 1992, during the fourth (16-bit) console generation

History of video game consoles (fourth generation)

In the history of computer and video games, the fourth generation began on October 30, 1987 with the Japanese release of Nippon Electric Company's PC Engine...

- after the launch of the Mega Drive, but before the SNES

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...

. 16-bit consoles were regarded as responsible for bringing gaming into UK culture, though it would take the ability of consoles with 3D graphics such as those found on the PlayStation

PlayStation

The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...

for consoles to become largely popular. Youth culture was probably more focused on the gaming scene than ever before, and even arcades were still a big business, unlike today. That GamesMaster regularly drew in audiences in the millions proved that there was a huge and so far untapped audience.

Despite competition with specialist gaming magazines, the show managed to secure several exclusives over the series, showing games that were months or even years away from being finished. Because GamesMaster was largely a challenge-based show, games studios could, for example, present a single level to be used for these competitive segments. Blast Corps
Blast Corps
Blast Corps is a video game for the Nintendo 64 developed by Rare and published by Nintendo. It was released in North America on February 28, 1997, and in the PAL regions on September 1, 1997...

is one example of a game that was demonstrated long before it, or even the Nintendo 64

Nintendo 64

The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...

that it played on, were released.

Occasionally, games studios made levels specifically for use on one of the challenges. Shiny Entertainment

Shiny Entertainment

Shiny Entertainment was an American video game developer based in Laguna Beach, Southern California, and the creator of several popular titles such as Earthworm Jim, MDK, Sacrifice and The Matrix: Path of Neo. Shiny was founded by David Perry in October 1993...

were one such studio when they put together a special level of Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim is a run and gun platform video game starring an earthworm named Jim in a robotic suit who battles evil. Created by Doug TenNapel and designed by David Perry, the game was developed by Shiny Entertainment and Playmates Interactive Entertainment, released by Sega for the Mega...

. Though this worked out well for both game studio and the show, the experience was somewhat soured when this code ended up being leaked on the Internet. It is believed that the only way for this to have happened is that one of the staff on the show must have had links with online ROM

ROM image

A ROM image, or ROM file, is a computer file which contains a copy of the data from a read-only memory chip, often from a video game cartridge, a computer's firmware, or from an arcade game's main board...

crackers. It led to a great deal of embarrassment and likely upset the trust that existed between the production, Shiny Entertainment

Shiny Entertainment

and their publisher, Virgin Interactive

Virgin Interactive

Virgin Interactive was a British video game publisher. It was formed as Virgin Games Ltd. in 1981. The company became much larger after purchasing the budget label, Mastertronic in 1987. It was part of the Virgin Group...

Series 2's cold opening

For Series 2, the show began originally as in Series 1, except for it was "plagued" by numerous apparent "technical faults" (a ruse on the producer's part, the "Please do not adjust your set" warning that appeared is a hint to this), with the first challenge being an as yet un-shown Marble Madness
Marble Madness
Marble Madness is an arcade video game designed by Mark Cerny, and published by Atari Games in 1984. It is a platform game in which the player must guide an onscreen marble through six courses, populated with obstacles and enemies, within a time limit. The player controls the marble by using a...

challenge (the contestant's name and town are partly obscured over a technical fault, meaning this was also part of the joke). As the challenger was coming to the podium, the program "crashed", "rebooted" with the new series opener, and a Street Fighter II
Street Fighter II
is a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...

challenge, the cast acting like the short segment preceding the new challenge had not happened.

Every series following Series 2 had the original series' closing moments portrayed in the series itself as the previous "set" being deconstructed in some manner. In the final series, the set was literally dismantled and the studio closed down over Dominik's final words.

Each location the series was set in, a plot device occurred after Auntie Marisha blew up the newly pine-fitted kitchen at the end of series 2, causing the oil rig to be evaccuated. Dominik Diamond was later revealed to be burnt to death while trying to escape, giving way to Dexter Fletcher to present series 3, when in reality Diamond left the show. Diamond would later return in series 4 onwards in Hell and then in Heaven for series 5, continuing on from his whereabouts after his death in series 2.

Demise

Prior to GamesMaster leaving UK television, there had been a crisis of confidence in games television over at rival channel ITV. Their children's department had commissioned another videogames show T.I.G.S. to accompany Bad Influence. Then, one series later, they pulled the plug on both shows, deciding that there was no demand for games coverage on their channel.

GamesMaster was not affected and continued with success. In 1998, towards the end of production for the 7th series, the show was looking set to be re-commissioned; viewing figures were still strong, and the show was finding a new audience, benefiting from the emerging PlayStation culture with the success of Sony's console bringing gaming into the mainstream. The production was also more oriented towards actual games players than the first few series, which had been decidedly light in feature content, and no longer poked fun at 'nerds' and 'geeks', as it was young adults and not children and teenagers who appeared on the show; indeed, they and the publicity-seeking celebrities were now the subject of jokes.

It is believed that Dominik Diamond, along with the show's producers, wanted to make a more adult programme that would air in a late night, more mainstream time slot. There was also talk of a spin off show being made that would seek to emulate the US talk shows of the time. Whether this would have meant a programme that focused far less on games is unknown. No confirmation exists that any pilots of this concept were ever made; Channel 4 did not see the potential of a gaming show for an older, adult viewers.

However, changes in senior staff at Channel 4 were responsible for taking the show off the air. The new head of Channel 4 was Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson (TV)

Michael Richard Jackson is a British television producer and executive. He is notable for being one of only three people to have been Controller of both BBC One and BBC Two, the main television channels of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and for being the first media studies graduate to...

who had worked at LWT at the same time as Jane Hewland; the two never saw eye-to-eye. Alternatively, having been the head of BBC2, Jackson may have wanted less entertainment programming on Channel 4.

The first series of the show was repeated on Challenge

Challenge

Challenge is a United Kingdom digital TV channel that mostly airs programmes dedicated to gameshows. It is owned by British Sky Broadcasting. The channel mostly transmits repeats of programmes acquired from UK terrestrial channel archives and a few from around the world Challenge is a United...

in 2003, but no further episodes have been shown. Challenge thought the show was "too dated" and "the games being played wouldn't stand up today".

Broadcasting spin-offs

Several gaming shows were commissioned by Sky One in 1993 from Hewland International (one of which was Games World
Games World
Games World was a British computer games-based television programme, made by Hewland International and broadcast on Sky One each weekday from 1993-98...

). Due to this close relationship with BSkyB, Hewland International were even successful in convincing them to launch a whole new channel dedicated to gaming, computers, the internet and technology. The Computer Channel launched in 1996 for only BSkyB subscribers, appearing for just two hours every night. Originally, the only gaming show was Game Over
Game over
Game Over is a message in video games which signals that the game has ended, often due to a negative outcome - although the phrase sometimes follows the end credits after successful completion of a game...

, made by some of the same production team as Gamesmaster and Games World
Games World
Games World was a British computer games-based television programme, made by Hewland International and broadcast on Sky One each weekday from 1993-98...

. When The Computer Channel was relaunched as .tv

.tv (television channel)

.tv was a British television channel dedicated to technology. .tv was owned and operated by British Sky Broadcasting. The channel began broadcasting on 1 September 1996 as The Computer Channel and broadcast between 18:00 and 20:00...

in 1998, other shows began to start covering the gaming scene. These included Gear, Roadtest, ExMachina and also Games Republic
Games Republic
Games Republic was a 30 minute TV game show which was broadcast on BSkyB's .tv channel from 1999 to 2000. It had an Egyptian theme and was hosted by Trevor and Simon....

.

The latter show was closest in style and tone to Gamesmaster, featured a themed studio set, studio challenges and the irreverent presenters Trevor and Simon

Trevor and Simon

Trevor Neal and Simon Hickson are a British comedy duo, best known for their contributions to the BBC1 children's television series Going Live! and Live & Kicking during the late 1980s and throughout much of the 1990s...

. Though the show did not include any features or VT content, as it was a question based game show based on video games, it was produced by Gamesmaster and When Games Attack
When Games Attack
When Games Attack was a British television show, that originally aired on Bravo from 2004 to 2005. The show was created and presented by Dominik Diamond in conjunction with Jonny Finch with whom he had previously worked on GamesMaster...

Producer Johnny Finch. The series unfortunately came under fire from fans after several questions asked in the show had incorrect answers, infuriating several contestants over the series. (For example, poorly researched questions about the Dreamcast's online capabilities, and characters from Tekken).

Dominik Diamond returned to games television first as an interviewee in the 1999 documentary Games Wars, in which he commented that boys getting turned on by Lara Croft

Lara Croft

Lara Croft is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Square Enix video game series Tomb Raider. She is presented as a beautiful, intelligent, and athletic British archaeologist-adventurer who ventures into ancient, hazardous tombs and ruins around the world...

was tragic and "desperately sad". He then returned to presenting in 2004 with a show on Bravo, called When Games Attack
When Games Attack
When Games Attack was a British television show, that originally aired on Bravo from 2004 to 2005. The show was created and presented by Dominik Diamond in conjunction with Jonny Finch with whom he had previously worked on GamesMaster...

. This programme was largely feature-based and contained plenty of Dominik's trademark humour. Prior to its broadcast, Dominik featured in a sizeable Edge interview, with his long time producer Johnny Finch. Both of them were quite vocal in stating their contempt for other shows about videogames that were doing a bad job.

Though it did also feature minor celebrity challenges (mainly football players and glamour models), there were never any head-to-head competitions. To date, Bravo has yet to show a second series. However, in November 2007, a repeat of the only series to date was aired.

In 1999, Finch himself attempted to launch his own BBC TV show dedicated to video games titled Bleeding Thumbs. The series would have ran between 1999 and 2000, which had hoped to emulate the success GamesMaster achieved. Two pilots were filmed and were hosted by Dermot O'Leary

Dermot O'Leary

Dermot O'Leary is an English television and radio presenter. He established himself as a presenter of Big Brother's Little Brother on Channel 4 before moving on to The X Factor on ITV. O'Leary has also presented on the BBC and has his own radio show on BBC Radio 2...

and Kate Thornton

Kate Thornton

Kate Thornton is an English journalist and television presenter. Early in her career, she was notable for her articles at the Daily Mirror and for her role as editor of Smash Hits magazine...

, and then Terry Alderton

Terry Alderton

Terry Alderton is an English comedian who had some high profile acting and presenting roles in the early 2000's before returning to stand-up comedy a decade later....

accompanying Thornton, the commissioning editor de-commissioned the show claiming that "People want to play games, not watch them".

GamesMaster was also the first UK show to feature the sport of robot fighting in a news item, which at the time was on Local Public-access television

Public-access television

Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...

in the US. Hewland International worked for several years to translate the sport into something for UK viewers. Though they never succeeded, another production company, Initial

Initial

In a written or published work, an initial is a letter at the beginning of a work, a chapter, or a paragraph that is larger than the rest of the text. The word is derived from the Latin initialis, which means standing at the beginning...

, were able to get their show concept Robot Wars
Robot Wars (TV series)
Robot Wars is a British game show modelled on a US-based competition of the same name. It was broadcast on BBC Two from 1998 until 2003, with its final series broadcast on Five in 2003 and 2004. Additional series were filmed for specific sectors of the global market, including two series of Robot...

picked up by BBC Two

BBC Two

BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...

Magazine

In 1993, Future Publishing

Future Publishing

Future plc is a media company; in 2006, it was the sixth-largest in the United Kingdom. It publishes more than 150 magazines in fields such as video games, technology, automotive, cycling, films and photography. Future is the official magazine company of all three major games console manufacturers...

began a tie-in magazine, also called GamesMaster, which as of today is still published, headed up by its editor-in-chief Robin Alway. In the May issue of 2010, Alway announced that Future Publishing were 'looking into' reintroducing the programme to British television, and promised that he would keep the readers of the magazine informed of any future details.

Series 1 – 1992

Episodes: 10

Air time: Tuesdays at 6:30pm

Setting: Church (St Paul's Church, Dock Street, London)

Recorded: 11–16 November 1991

Servant: Monk

Monk

A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...

Episode 1 – John Fashanu
John Fashanu
John "Fash" Fashanu is a British television presenter and ex-footballer of Nigerian and Guyanese descent. In his former career, he was a centre-forward, who scored 134 league goals in a career lasting 17 years...
Episode 2 – Gary Mason
Episode 3 – Annabel Croft
Annabel Croft
Annabel Croft is a former professional tennis player and current radio and television presenter. As a tennis player she won the WTA Tour event Virginia Slims of San Diego and represented Great Britain in the Fed Cup and the Wightman Cup.After retiring from tennis, she turned to television...
Episode 4 – Eric Bristow
Eric Bristow
Eric Bristow MBE is a British darts player, whose skill at the game in the 1980s helped turn it into a worldwide spectator sport.- Early career :...
Episode 5 – Jimmy White
Jimmy White
James Warren "Jimmy" White MBE is an English professional snooker player. Nicknamed the "Whirlwind" and popularly referred to as the "People's Champion", White is a multiple World Championship finalist renowned for losing each of the six finals he contested.White's extensive list of achievements,...

, Archer MacLean
Archer MacLean
Archer MacLean is a British video game programmer.- Beginnings :He is the author of such titles as Dropzone and International Karate, which he developed for the Atari 400/800 but were ported to other systems. Archer also created the sequel to International Karate, IK+ which was developed for the...

and Ashley Paske
Ashley Paske
Ashley Paske and educated at Figtree High School is an actor, best known for his role in the television series Neighbours...
Episode 6 – Pat and Mick
Pat and Mick
Pat and Mick were a British vocal duo consisting of popular radio personalities Pat Sharp and Mick Brown. The royalties from their record sales were donated to Capital FM's 'Help A London Child' charity...
Episode 7 – Wrestling - Featuring Kendo Nagasaki
Peter Thornley
Peter Thornley is a British professional wrestler known as Kendo Nagasaki. He was one of the biggest draws of all time in British Wrestling, especially in the mid-1970s and the turn of the 1980s/1990s....
Episode 8 – Pat Cash
Pat Cash
Patrick Hart "Pat" Cash is a retired Australian professional tennis player who won the men's singles title at Wimbledon in 1987.-Early career:...

and Emily Cash
Episode 9 – Barry McGuigan
Barry McGuigan
Finbarr Patrick McGuigan MBE , known as Barry McGuigan and nicknamed The Clones Cyclone, is a former Irish and British professional boxer who became a world featherweight champion.-Background:...
Episode 10 – Emlyn Hughes
Emlyn Hughes
Emlyn Walter Hughes, OBE was an English footballer who captained both the England national team and the much-decorated Liverpool F.C. team of the 1970s.- From Blackpool to Liverpool :...

Series 2 – 1992/1993

Episodes: 26

Air time: Thursdays at 6:30pm

Setting: Oil rig (Sunbury Pumphouse, London) This was the same set as used in the Red Dwarf

Red Dwarf

Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...

episode 'Justice

Justice (Red Dwarf episode)

"Justice" is the third episode of science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf Series IV and the twenty-first episode in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 28 February 1991; although it was planned to be broadcast as the second episode, it was moved back in the...

', and the final episode of the 1992 television series remake of The Tomorrow People
The Tomorrow People
The Tomorrow People is a British children's science fiction television series, devised by Roger Price. Produced by Thames Television for the ITV Network, the series first ran between 1973 and 1979. The series was re-imagined in 1992, Roger Price acting as executive producer...

, in which the main star Kristian Schmid was also a challenger on this series of GamesMaster.

Recorded: ?

Servant: Diver

Underwater diving

Underwater diving is the practice of going underwater, either with breathing apparatus or by breath-holding .Recreational diving is a popular activity...

– Sarah Whisker

Episode 1 – Tony Slattery
Tony Slattery
Anthony Declan James "Tony" Slattery is an English actor and comedian who has appeared on British television regularly since the mid 1980s, most notably as a regular on the Channel 4 improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway? As a film actor, both comedic and serious, his credits include The...
Episode 2 – Frank Bruno
Frank Bruno
Franklin Roy Bruno MBE is an English former boxer whose career highlight was winning the WBC Heavyweight championship in 1995. Altogether, he won 40 of his 45 contests...
Episode 3 – Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones
Vincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...
Episode 4 – Rory Underwood
Rory Underwood
Rory Underwood MBE is a former English rugby union footballer who played wing for, most notably, Leicester Tigers and Bedford. He represented England and the British Lions and is a former Royal Air Force pilot....
Episode 5 – Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
Episode 6 – "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
Episode 7 – Shadow
Jefferson King
Jefferson King is a British bodybuilder, best known for playing Shadow in the ITV show Gladiators.-Gladiators:Shadow was legendary for his icy stare and his record in the 'Duel' event. He once hit his opponent so hard in this event that the ends of the pugil stick were clearly damaged...

and Jet
Diane Youdale
Diane Youdale , is an English television personality, who is best known for her role as "Jet" on the television series Gladiators.-Biography:...

from Gladiators
Episode 8 – Kristian Schmid
Episode 9 – John Parrott
John Parrott
John Parrott MBE is an English professional snooker player and TV personality.He won the World Snooker Championship in 1991, defeating Jimmy White in the final. Two years earlier he had lost 3–18 to Steve Davis, the heaviest final defeat in modern times...
Episode 10 – Richard Norton
Richard Norton
Richard Norton is a martial artist, action film star, and stuntman. Norton worked as a bodyguard in the entertainment business before pursuing an acting career...
Episode 11 – Johnny Herbert
Johnny Herbert
John Paul Herbert is a British racing driver from England. He competed in Formula One, winning three races, and also in sports cars winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991 driving a Mazda 787B...
Episode 12 – Todd Carty
Todd Carty
Todd Carty is an Irish actor and director, who has grown up on television screens in a variety of roles. His stage work has varied from pantomime to serious drama, as well as radio plays, voiceovers, commercials, narrations, and films...
Episode 13 – Bob Holness
Episode 14 – Linford Christie
Linford Christie
Linford Cicero Christie OBE is a former sprinter from the United Kingdom. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 metres at all four major competitions open to British athletes: the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games...

, Carl Lewis
Carl Lewis
Frederick Carlton "Carl" Lewis is an American former track and field athlete, who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 gold, and 10 World Championships medals, of which 8 were gold. His career spanned from 1979 when he first achieved a world ranking to 1996 when he last won an Olympic title and...

and Colin Jackson
Colin Jackson
Colin Ray Jackson CBE is a British former sprint and hurdling athlete who specialised in the 110 metres hurdles. Over his career representing Great Britain and Wales he won an Olympic silver medal, became world champion three times, went undefeated at the European Championships for 12 years and...
Episode 15 – Ian Wright
Ian Wright
Ian Edward Wright, MBE is a retired English footballer turned television and radio personality.Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he has lifted the Premier League title and both major...
Episode 16 – Mark Wingett
Mark Wingett
Mark Wingett , is an English actor. He is best known for playing the role of Jim Carver in the ITV1 police procedural The Bill.-Career:...

and Huw Higginson
Huw Higginson
Huw Higginson is an English actor. He is most famous for playing PC George Garfield in The Bill from 1989 to 1999. He has appeared in Heartbeat, EastEnders, Casualty and Jessica...
Episode 17 – Cathy Dennis
Cathy Dennis
Cathy Dennis is a British dance-oriented pop singer-songwriter, record producer and actress...
Episode 18 – Ulrika Jonsson
Ulrika Jonsson
Eva Ulrika Jonsson is a Swedish television presenter in the UK, who became famous as a TV-am weather presenter and moved on to present Gladiators and became a team captain of the show Shooting Stars.-Early life:...
Episode 19 – Vic Reeves
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir , better known by the stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer . He is known for his surreal and non sequitur sense of humour....
Episode 20 – Gordon Burns
Episode 21 – East 17
East 17
East 17 are a pop boy band comprising Tony Mortimer, John Hendy and Terry Coldwell. Tony Mortimer is the group's frontman and primary songwriter. Formed in Walthamstow, London in 1991, the group have achieved eighteen Top 20 singles and four Top 10 albums, and were one of the UK's most popular boy...
Episode 22 – Josie Lawrence
Josie Lawrence
Josie Lawrence is a British comedienne and actress best known for her work with the Comedy Store Players improvisational troupe, the television series Whose Line Is It Anyway? and more recently her role as Manda Best in EastEnders....
Episode 23 – Tony Daley
Tony Daley
Anthony Mark Daley is an English former footballer, who made the vast majority of his appearances for Aston Villa, playing mainly as a winger, well known for his pace...
Episode 24 – Steve Backley
Steve Backley
Stephen James Backley OBE is a retired British athlete who was formerly the world record holder for javelin throwing...
Episode 25 – Arm wrestlers
Episode 26 – Ice hockey stars including Sean Kerly
Sean Kerly
Sean Robin Kerly MBE was educated at Chatham House Grammar School in Ramsgate and is a former English field hockey player, who was a member of the golden winning Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.Four years earlier, at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los...

Series 3 – 1993/1994

Episodes: 26

Air time: Thursdays then Tuesdays at 6:30pm

Setting: First Half: Games Academy (Oxford Prison) Second Half: Team Championship (London Dungeon

London Dungeon

The London Dungeon is a popular London tourist attraction, which recreates various gory and macabre historical events in a grimly comedic 'gallows humour' style, attempting to make them appealing to younger audiences...

)

Recorded: ?

Servant: Caretaker – Richard Baynham

Episode 1 – Mortal Kombat
Episode 2 – Sean Maguire
Sean Maguire
Sean Maguire is an English actor and singer, who rose to fame in 1988 when at the age of eleven he took on the role of "Tegs" Ratcliffe on the BBC children's drama Grange Hill, in which he remained until 1992...
Episode 3 – Gabrielle
Gabrielle
Gabrielle is a French female given name derived from Gabriel. It may refer to:* Gabrielle , an album by the singer of the same name* Gabrielle , 2005 film* Gabrielle , an UK singer that achieved popularity in the '90s....
Episode 4 – Gladiators 1 (Shadow and Falcon)
Episode 5 – Gladiators 2 (Cobra and Scorpio)
Episode 6 – Gladiators Final (Shadow and Scorpio)
Episode 7 – Steve Punt
Steve Punt
Stephen Punt is a British writer, comedian and actor, best known for his long-time comedy partnership with Hugh Dennis. Punt lives in Wimbledon with his girlfriend and two children.-Life and career:...

and Hugh Dennis
Hugh Dennis
Peter Hugh Dennis is an English actor, comedian, writer, impressionist and voice-over artist, best known for his work with comedy partner Steve Punt. He is also known for his position as a permanent panelist on the TV comedy show Mock The Week...
Episode 8 – Utah Saints
Utah Saints
Utah Saints is a dance band based in Leeds, England. The music is produced by Jez Willis and Tim Garbutt, who are joined on-stage by other musicians whenever the band plays live...
Episode 9 – Monie Love
Monie Love
Simone Riscoe , better known by her stage name Monie Love, is an English emcee and former radio personality in the United States...
Episode 10 – Nigel Benn
Nigel Benn
Nigel Benn , known as "The Dark Destroyer", is a British former boxer who held world titles in the middleweight and super middleweight divisions....

and Barry McGuigan
Barry McGuigan
Finbarr Patrick McGuigan MBE , known as Barry McGuigan and nicknamed The Clones Cyclone, is a former Irish and British professional boxer who became a world featherweight champion.-Background:...
Episode 11 – Les Ferdinand
Les Ferdinand
Leslie "Les" Ferdinand MBE is a former English footballer. His playing career included spells at Queens Park Rangers, Besiktas J.K., Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Bolton Wanderers F.C., during which period he earned a number of appearances for England...

and Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones
Vincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...
Episode 12 – Liam Botham
Liam Botham
Liam James Botham is a former rugby player who played rugby union and later rugby league. He is the son of English Test cricketer Ian Botham. His godfather is the former West Indian cricket captain Viv Richards....
Episode 13 – Dani Behr
Dani Behr
Dani Behr is an English singer, actress and television presenter.-Early life:Behr was born in Mill Hill London, of South African Jewish descent. Her father is a partner in London estate agents Behr & Butchoff...
Episode 14 – Footy 1 Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....

vs. John Barnes
John Barnes (footballer)
John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE is an English football manager and former player.During his playing career, Barnes had successful periods at Watford and Liverpool in the 1980s and 1990s, winning the First Division twice, the FA Cup twice, and playing for England 79 times...
Episode 15 – Footy 2 Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones
Vincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...

vs. John Barnes
John Barnes (footballer)
John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE is an English football manager and former player.During his playing career, Barnes had successful periods at Watford and Liverpool in the 1980s and 1990s, winning the First Division twice, the FA Cup twice, and playing for England 79 times...

plus a young Simon Amstell
Simon Amstell
Simon Marc Amstell is a BAFTA nominated, award-winning English comedian, television presenter, screenwriter and actor, best known for his roles as former co-host of Popworld, former host of Never Mind the Buzzcocks and co-writer and star of the sitcom Grandma's House.-Early life:Amstell was born...
Episode 16 – Christmas Special with Frank Bruno
Frank Bruno
Franklin Roy Bruno MBE is an English former boxer whose career highlight was winning the WBC Heavyweight championship in 1995. Altogether, he won 40 of his 45 contests...

, Lorraine Chase
Lorraine Chase
Lorraine Chase is an English actress and model. She became well known for her strong cockney accent and frequent use of cockney slang, and found fame through a series of television commercials for Campari before embarking on an acting career.-Television:After initially working as a model, Chase...

, John Altman and Ray Meagher
Ray Meagher
Ray Meagher surname pronouned "Marr" , is a veteran Australian character actor. He has appeared regularly in Australian film and television since the mid 1970s, and is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, as Alf Stewart on Home and Away, having played the...
Episode 17 – Games Mistress
Diane Youdale
Diane Youdale , is an English television personality, who is best known for her role as "Jet" on the television series Gladiators.-Biography:...
Episode 18 – Simone Robertson
Simone Robertson
Simone Robertson is an Australian actress best known for her 1991–1993 role as Phoebe Gottlieb in the TV series Neighbours. Her sister is Aimee Robertson. She is also a trained jazz and tap dancer.-TV:...
Episode 19 – Kriss Akabusi
Kriss Akabusi
Kriss Kezie Uche Chukwu Duru Akabusi MBE is a former sprint and hurdling athlete from the United Kingdom. During his career, he won the gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles at the 1990 European Championships, a gold in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the 1991 World Championships, and a silver medal in...
Episode 20 – Andrew Paul
Andrew Paul
Andrew Paul is a British-Jewish actor best known for playing PC Dave Quinnan in the ITV drama The Bill for 13 years.- Career :...

and Lisa Geoghan
Lisa Geoghan
Lisa Geoghan is a British actress best known for playing PC/CAD Officer Polly Page in the long-running police drama The Bill. She also appeared in Tucker's Luck, Big Deal and Desmond's.-External links:...
Episode 21 – Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
Episode 22 – Randy Savage
Randy Savage
Randall Mario Poffo , better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling .Savage held twenty championships during his professional wrestling career and was a...
Episode 23 – 2 Unlimited
2 Unlimited
2 Unlimited is a Dutch Eurodance/Hi-NRG act formed in 1991. The project was the brainchild of Belgian producers Jean-Paul DeCoster and Phil Wilde, and was fronted by a Dutch duo, rapper Ray Slijngaard and singer Anita Doth. During five years of enormous worldwide popularity, the act scored 16 chart...
Episode 24 – Crash Test Dummies
Crash Test Dummies
The Crash Test Dummies is a Canadian folk rock/alternative rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, widely known for their 1993 single "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm".The band is most identifiable through Brad Roberts and his distinctive bass-baritone voice...
Episode 25 – Bad Boys Inc
Bad Boys Inc
Bad Boys Inc were an English boy band, formed in 1993 by the record producer, Ian Levine. Signed to A&M Records, the members were David W. Ross, Matthew Pateman, Tony Dowding and Ally Begg.-Career:...
Episode 26 – GM TC Final

Series 4 – 1994/1995

Episodes: 18

Air time: Tuesdays at 6:30pm

Setting: Hell

Servants: Goblins – Mark Lyle, Richard Wright, Natalie McCloskey and Tim Colman

Recorded: ?

Episode 1 – Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner is a British writer, comedian and actor. He is best known for his television presenting, often alongside David Baddiel, with whom he also collaborated for the football song "Three Lions."He is a radio presenter on the Saturday morning slot on Absolute Radio.-Youth and early career...
Episode 2 – Dan Falzon
Dan Falzon
Dan Falzon is an Australian actor of Maltese descent, best known for his role as Rick Alessi on the television soap opera Neighbours. He also appeared in the Channel Nine drama The Alice, as a park ranger. He also formed the short lived pop group Milk with his brother, releasing the single...

and Sarah Vandenbergh
Sarah Vandenbergh
Sarah Vandenbergh is an Australian actress.Vandenbergh played the role of Lauren Carpenter in Neighbours, 1993–94, and Kerry in Hollyoaks, 1999–2000. She was also a presenter on Fully Booked in 1997 and has appeared in the guest role of Lana Hemmings in Holby City...
Episode 3 – Jimmy White
Jimmy White
James Warren "Jimmy" White MBE is an English professional snooker player. Nicknamed the "Whirlwind" and popularly referred to as the "People's Champion", White is a multiple World Championship finalist renowned for losing each of the six finals he contested.White's extensive list of achievements,...
Episode 4 – Ant & Dec
Ant & Dec
Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly , known collectively as Ant & Dec, are an English comedy and TV presenting duo from Newcastle upon Tyne, England...
Episode 5 – Andrew Cole Vs. Kasey Keller
Kasey Keller
Kasey Keller is a retired American soccer player who last played for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer....
Episode 6 – Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones
Vincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...

vs. Andy Townsend
Andy Townsend
Andrew "Andy" David Townsend is a former professional footballer, who played in two World Cups for the Republic of Ireland and is now a television and radio pundit....
Episode 7 – Kasey Keller
Kasey Keller
Kasey Keller is a retired American soccer player who last played for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer....

vs. Andy Townsend
Andy Townsend
Andrew "Andy" David Townsend is a former professional footballer, who played in two World Cups for the Republic of Ireland and is now a television and radio pundit....
Episode 8 – Ian Kelsey
Ian Kelsey
Ian Kelsey is a British television actor.Kelsey was born in York, Yorkshire, England, to parents Julie and John . He also has an older brother named David. He trained at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre York and graduated at the Guildford School of Acting...

Vs. Camilla Power
Camilla Power
Camilla Power is an Irish-born English actress who is most notably remembered in her role as Jill Pole in BBC's TV adaptation of the book The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis...

"Emmerdale stars"
Episode 9 – Rupert Moon
Rupert Moon
Rupert Henry St. John Barker Moon is a former international rugby union player. He was born in England, but played club rugby for Welsh clubs Abertillery and Neath; he is, however, most associated with Llanelli. He played international rugby for Wales, winning 24 caps.-Personal career:Moon was...

and Dewi Morris
Dewi Morris
Dewi Morris is a former rugby union footballer, who played scrum half for England.Morris made his England debut in 1988 against Australia. He was dropped in 1990 in favour of Richard Hill, but returned to the England side in 1992 and was the Lions scrum-half in 1993...
Episode 10 – Let Loose
Let Loose
Let Loose are a British pop/rock trio, featuring Richie Wermerling on lead vocals and keyboards, Rob Jeffrey on guitars and backing vocals, and Lee J Murray on drums, percussion and backing vocals.The band initially scored minor success...
Episode 11 – C.J. Lewis
C.J. Lewis
C.J. Lewis is a British reggae singer. His biggest hit single was the 1994 cover version of "Sweets for My Sweet". The track was produced by Phillip Pottinger , as was his debut album, Dollars...
Episode 12 – Buff Bagwell
Buff Bagwell
Marcus Alexander Bagwell is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling between 1991 and 2001, where he was a five time World Tag Team Champion.-Professional wrestling career: Bagwell...

and Del Wilkes
Del Wilkes
Del Wilkes is a former American professional wrestler. Over the span of 14 years, he performed in various promotions such as American Wrestling Association, All Japan Pro Wrestling...
Episode 13 – David Coulthard
David Coulthard
David Marshall Coulthard, MBE, , sometimes known as DC, is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland.Coulthard, who was born in Dumfries and raised nearby in Twynholm, made his Formula One debut in 1994 and won 13 Grands Prix in a career spanning 15 seasons...
Episode 14 – Christmas 'Stars' Special
Episode 15 – Roger Black
Roger Black
Roger Anthony Black MBE is a retired British athlete. During his athletics career, he won individual silver medals in the 400 metres sprint at both the Olympic Games and World Championships, two individual gold medals at the European Championships, and 4x400 metres relay gold medals at both the...

and Du'aine Ladejo
Du'aine Ladejo
Du'aine Ladejo is an English-born athlete and television personality. In his sports career, he was best known for winning the 400 metres sprint gold medal at the 1994 European Championships and being a member of the United Kingdom and England 400 metre relay squads at the European Championships,...
Episode 16 – Prince Naseem
Naseem Hamed
Naseem Hamed is an English former professional boxer.He is the former WBO, WBC, IBF, & Lineal featherweight champion, and European bantamweight champion....
Episode 17 – Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
Episode 18 – *Shown 00:35am* Gore Special

Series 5 – 1995/1996

Episodes: 18

Air time: Thursdays at 6:30pm

Setting: Heaven

Servants: Angels – Helena Tepper

Helena Tepper

Helena Tepper is an English fashion model, actress, singer and TV presenter. As a model she has worked for brands including Granary Bread and Sony PlayStation 2; as an actress she appeared in the final Pierce Brosnan James Bond movie, Die Another Day...

and Tanya Kecskes

Recorded: ?

Episode 1 – The Shamen
The Shamen
The Shamen were an experimental electronic music band, from 1985–1999, initially formed in Aberdeen, Scotland, as a psychedelic-influenced indie rock act. The founding members are Colin Angus , Derek McKenzie and Keith McKenzie...
Episode 2 – Jadine Doran
Episode 3 – Stephen Hendry
Stephen Hendry
Stephen Gordon Hendry, MBE is a Scottish professional snooker player. In 1990, he was the youngest-ever snooker World Champion, at the age of 21. He has won the World Championship a record seven times and was snooker's world number one for eight consecutive years between 1990 and 1998, and again...
Episode 4 – Donna Air
Donna Air
Donna Air is an English television presenter, singer and actress.-Early life:As a former student of Gosforth High School, Donna attended the Drama School at First Act in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, where she was a pupil alongside Jill Halfpenny, Ant & Dec and Dale Meeks.-Television:She became...

and Vicky Taylor from Byker Grove
Byker Grove
Byker Grove was a British television series which aired between 1989 and 2006 and was created by Adele Rose. The show was broadcast at 5.10pm after Newsround on CBBC on BBC One...
Episode 5 – Stuart Wade
Stuart Wade
Stuart Wade is a British actor, best-known for playing "Biff Fowler" on ITV's Emmerdale from 1994-99...

and Tonicha Jeronimo
Tonicha Jeronimo
Tonicha Jeronimo is a British soap opera actress of partial Portuguese extraction. She starred on the show Emmerdale from 1994-97 until her character, Linda Fowler, was killed off....

from Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
Episode 6 – Dean Holdsworth
Dean Holdsworth
Dean Christopher Holdsworth is an English former professional football player, now manager. As a striker he scored 193 goals in 610 league games over a 22 year career. Despite playing for 16 clubs in 19 spells the majority of his goals and appearances came at Brentford, Wimbledon, and Bolton...

and David Kerslake
David Kerslake
David Kerslake , London is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Queens Park Rangers, Swindon Town, Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur, Ipswich Town and Wycombe Wanderers. He later became a coach.Kerslake won 29 England youth caps, a record at the time...
Episode 7 – Phil Babb
Phil Babb
Philip 'Phil' Andrew Babb is an English-born Irish former footballer who played as a central defender.Active in England and Portugal, he made over 300 professional career appearances, namely spending six Premier League seasons with Liverpool...

and Graeme Le Saux
Graeme Le Saux
Graeme Pierre Le Saux is a retired English footballer of French ancestry who played for the Premier League clubs Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers and Southampton, and for the England national football team. Primarily a left back, he was sometimes also played in midfield or on the left wing.After...
Episode 8 – Dean Holdsworth
Dean Holdsworth
Dean Christopher Holdsworth is an English former professional football player, now manager. As a striker he scored 193 goals in 610 league games over a 22 year career. Despite playing for 16 clubs in 19 spells the majority of his goals and appearances came at Brentford, Wimbledon, and Bolton...

and Phil Babb
Phil Babb
Philip 'Phil' Andrew Babb is an English-born Irish former footballer who played as a central defender.Active in England and Portugal, he made over 300 professional career appearances, namely spending six Premier League seasons with Liverpool...
Episode 9 – Johnny Herbert
Johnny Herbert
John Paul Herbert is a British racing driver from England. He competed in Formula One, winning three races, and also in sports cars winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991 driving a Mazda 787B...

and Mark Blundell
Mark Blundell
Mark Blundell is a Formula One, sports car, and CART racing driver. He was a Formula One presenter for the British broadcaster ITV until the end of the 2008 season when the TV broadcasting rights switched to the BBC....
Episode 10 – Cobra and Panther from Gladiators
Episode 11 – Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
Episode 12 – E.Y.C.
E.Y.C.
E.Y.C. was an American pop/R&B group. Its members were Damon Butler, Dave Loeffler and Trey McKay Parker.They scored six Top 40 hits in the UK Singles Chart before disbanding...
Episode 13 – Whigfield
Whigfield
Sannie Charlotte Carlson , best known as Whigfield and also as Naan, is a Danish singer best known for the song "Saturday Night", a hugely popular single during the summer of 1994.-Biography:...
Episode 14 – Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer is an English actress. Palmer made an early television appearance on the children's drama show Grange Hill, but is best known for playing Bianca Jackson in the popular British television soap opera EastEnders. Originally in the cast from 1993–1999, Palmer returned to EastEnders in...

and Dean Gaffney
Dean Gaffney
Dean Martin Gaffney is an English actor most notable for his role as Robbie Jackson on the BBC1 soap opera Eastenders from 1993 to 2003, when his character was axed. He has since made guest appearances in the soap in 2004 and 2010. Gaffney went on to appear in various reality television shows,...

from EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
Episode 15 – Christmas Special - highlights from previous series
Episode 16 – Mr Motivator
Episode 17 – Stewart Lee
Stewart Lee
Stewart Lee is an English stand-up comedian, writer and director known for being one half of the 1990s comedy duo Lee and Herring, and for co-writing and directing the critically acclaimed and controversial stage show Jerry Springer - The Opera...

and Richard Herring
Richard Herring
Richard Keith Herring is a British comedian and writer, whose early work includes his involvement in the double-act, Lee and Herring...
Episode 18 – Janick Gers
Janick Gers
Janick Robert Gers is an English musician, best known for being one of the three current guitarists in Iron Maiden, along with Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, as well as his earlier work with Gillan and White Spirit.-Career and Personal Life:...

Series 6 – 1996/1997

Episodes: 18

Air time: Thursdays at 6:00pm

Setting: Atlantis
(the same filming location as Series 4)

Servants: Mermaids – Theresa Tilley and Leigh-Ann Woodall

Recorded: ?

Episode 1 – Samantha Fox
Samantha Fox
Samantha Karen "Sam" Fox is an English dance-pop singer, actress, and former glamour model. In 1983, at the age of 16, she began her topless modeling career on Page Three of The Sun, and went on to become a popular pin-up girl...
Episode 2 – Danny John-Jules
Danny John-Jules
Daniel "Danny" John-Jules is a British actor, singer and dancer. John-Jules attended Rutherford Comprehensive School, Penfold Street, Marylebone, from 1972 to 1977. He is best known for portraying Cat in the television programme Red Dwarf.-Dance and song:John-Jules is a baritone...
Episode 3 – John Regis
John Regis (athlete)
John Paul Lyndon Regis, MBE is a retired English sprinter. During his career, he won gold medals in the 200 metres at the 1989 World Indoor Championships and the 1990 European Championships, and a silver medal in the distance at the 1993 World Championships.He was a member of the British teams...

and Tony Jarrett
Tony Jarrett
Anthony Alexander Jarrett is a former sprint and hurdling athlete from England. He was a sliver medalist in the 110 metres hurdles at the World Championships in 1993 and 1995, and at the European Championships in 1990, and won the gold medal in the event at the Commonwealth Games in 1998.Jarrett...
Episode 4 – Paul Leyshon
Episode 5 – Uri Geller
Uri Geller
Uri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy...
Episode 6 – Richard Rufus
Richard Rufus
Richard Raymond Rufus is a former English football player, who spent his entire career at Charlton Athletic.Born in nearby Lewisham, Rufus progressed through the youth system at The Valley, making his debut for the club as a teenager in 1994 at the age of 19...

and Michael Duberry
Michael Duberry
Michael Wayne Duberry is an English footballer who plays for League Two club Oxford United. He started his career with Premier League side Chelsea and also played for Leeds United, Reading, Stoke City, Bournemouth and St...
Episode 7 – Chris Armstrong
Chris Armstrong (footballer born 1971)
Christopher Peter "Chris" Armstrong is an English former England B international footballer who has played as a striker for Wrexham , Millwall, Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers between 1989 and 2005.-Crystal Palace:After short spells with Wrexham and Millwall, Armstrong found...
Episode 8 – Richard Rufus
Richard Rufus
Richard Raymond Rufus is a former English football player, who spent his entire career at Charlton Athletic.Born in nearby Lewisham, Rufus progressed through the youth system at The Valley, making his debut for the club as a teenager in 1994 at the age of 19...

and Chris Armstrong
Chris Armstrong (footballer born 1971)
Christopher Peter "Chris" Armstrong is an English former England B international footballer who has played as a striker for Wrexham , Millwall, Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers between 1989 and 2005.-Crystal Palace:After short spells with Wrexham and Millwall, Armstrong found...
Episode 9 – Christmas Special - The Gamesmaster Christmas Quiz
Episode 10 – Zoë Ball
Zoë Ball
Zoë Louise Ball is an English television and radio personality, most famous for becoming the first female host of the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show and for her earlier work presenting the 1990s children's show, Live & Kicking.-TV career:The daughter of the children's TV presenter Johnny Ball and his...
Episode 11 – Deepak Verma
Deepak Verma
Deepak Verma, is a British Asian actor, writer and television/film producer.- Career :Verma trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama for three years . He made his television debut in the Scottish detective series, Taggart in 1992...
Episode 12 – Bear Van Beers
Episode 13 – Tracy Shaw
Tracy Shaw
Tracy Shaw is a British actress and singer.She is best known for her role as hairdresser Maxine Peacock in British soap opera Coronation Street during the 1990s and early 2000s.-Career:...
Episode 14 – Phil Tufnell
Phil Tufnell
Philip Clive Roderick Tufnell is a former English cricketer turned television personality. A slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler, "Tuffers" as he was known played 42 Tests and 20 One Day International matches for England, as well as playing for Middlesex from 1986 to 2002...
Episode 15 – Paul McKenna
Paul McKenna
Paul McKenna is an English hypnotist and self-improvement author.McKenna has written and produced books and multimedia products, hosted self-improvement television shows and presents seminars in hypnosis, neuro-linguistic programming, weight loss and motivation.-Career:Paul McKenna started in...
Episode 16 – The Brotherhood (band)
Episode 17 – Gene
Gene (band)
Gene were an English alternative rock quartet that rose to prominence in the mid 1990s. Formed in 1993, they were popularly labelled as a Britpop band and often drew comparisons to The Smiths because of their Morrissey-esque lead singer, Martin Rossiter. Gene's music was influenced by The Jam, The...

(band)
Episode 18 – Michael Fish
Michael Fish
Michael Fish MBE is a semi-retired British weather forecaster, best known for his BBC Weather television presentations, although he was actually employed by the Met Office....

Series 7 – 1997/1998

Episodes: 10

Air time: Wednesdays then Tuesdays at 6:00pm

Setting: Desert island

Servants: Castaways – Helena Tepper