The Bubble (UK TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Bubble was a British
television quiz show
hosted by David Mitchell
, and made for the BBC
by Hat Trick Productions
. Each week, three comedians were tasked to differentiate real news stories from fake ones, after four days of isolation in 'The Bubble', a remote country house. A first series was broadcast on BBC Two
from 19 February 2010, running for six episodes. A second series was planned but later abandoned.
The Bubble format was devised in Israel by Armoza Formats, and had already been broadcast in Israel, Poland, Denmark and Sweden. Already successful in those countries, the British version was the first to use celebrities as contestants, and was being aimed at a high-brow audience intended to appeal to those who watch the BBC Two quiz show QI
hosted by Stephen Fry
, recently promoted to BBC One
. A Dutch version also airs on BNN, hosted by Partick Lodiers.
In the first two rounds, correctly guessing the real story was rewarded with a point; in the final round, an incorrect guess resulted in a point being deducted.
Two rounds appeared only in the first episode of the first series: one where the contestants were shown a piece of video footage and had to guess why it was relevant to the news from three options, and another where Mitchell described a picture that had appeared in the newspapers and the contestants had to guess why said picture had appeared in the news.
for the BBC, who produce the long running BBC news quiz show, Have I Got News For You
. A pilot was filmed in February 2009 but was not broadcast. The pilot episode featured Katy Brand
, Miranda Hart
and Frank Skinner
as contestants. Episodes were filmed the day before broadcast, airing in the 10pm slot on Friday nights (except Ep.5).
According to Skinner, for the British version of the show The Bubble was a large and remote country house somewhere in the East Midlands
, in which the contestants lived with two of the production team for their period of isolation; being prevented from wandering away from the house, with their mobile phones confiscated, and denied access to newspapers, radio, television or the internet.
Both ITV News
and Sky News
assisted in filming fake stories for the show, and despite BBC presenters having taken part in a clip for the pilot, BBC News
subsequently refused to allow its presenters to work with the show, allowing only archive material to be used. A BBC spokesman said "We are sure The Bubble on BBC Two will be extremely funny but BBC journalists will leave it to the comedians to do the comedy", while critics of the decision pointed out that several of its presenters had taken part in other fictional shows before, and described it as a "sense of humour failure". The BBC boycott was featured as one of the news stories in the first episode, with nobody picking it as the real story.
According to Mitchell speaking in January 2011, both he and the BBC were keen to film a second series, however he later chose to work on 10 O'Clock Live
for Channel 4
, whose 15 week live run clashed with the period the BBC intended to film the second series of The Bubble.
Repeats of the series began airing on Dave in January 2011.
notes
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television quiz show
Quiz Show
Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...
hosted by David Mitchell
David Mitchell (actor)
David James Stuart Mitchell is a British actor, comedian and writer. He is half of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb, alongside Robert Webb, whom he met at Cambridge University. There they were both part of the Cambridge Footlights, of which Mitchell became President. Together the duo star in the...
, and made for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
by Hat Trick Productions
Hat Trick Productions
Hat Trick Productions is a British independent production company that produces television programmes, mainly specialising in comedy.-History:...
. Each week, three comedians were tasked to differentiate real news stories from fake ones, after four days of isolation in 'The Bubble', a remote country house. A first series was broadcast on 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...
from 19 February 2010, running for six episodes. A second series was planned but later abandoned.
Concept
In the show, three different contestants are placed in 'The Bubble', a place of isolation without access to the news. Contestant Frank Skinner speculated that the name of the show comes from the sterile isolation regime employed in so-called boy in the bubble medical cases. Once released, the contestants must then spot real news stories that have occurred while they were isolated, from fake ones created for the show.The Bubble format was devised in Israel by Armoza Formats, and had already been broadcast in Israel, Poland, Denmark and Sweden. Already successful in those countries, the British version was the first to use celebrities as contestants, and was being aimed at a high-brow audience intended to appeal to those who watch the BBC Two quiz show QI
QI
QI is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panellist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given...
hosted by Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
, recently promoted to BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
. A Dutch version also airs on BNN, hosted by Partick Lodiers.
Format
At the start of each episode, the three contestants are brought straight from The Bubble to the studio. In front of a studio audience they then compete against each other for points, as Mitchell presents them with both real and fake stories. The format varied across the series, but the three rounds that appeared in every programme were:- A news clips round, where three clips from news programmes were shown; one was real, and two had been faked for the programme using contributions from actors and journalists such as Quentin LettsQuentin LettsQuentin Richard Stephen Letts is a British journalist and theatre critic, writing for The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, The Oldie and New Statesman, and previously for The Times.- Early life :...
. This round would sometimes be repeated later on in the show using shorter clips and a voiceover from Mitchell instead of the original newsreader. - A newspaper headlines round, where three newspaper articles were shown; again, only one had genuinely appeared in newspapers, whilst the others had been mocked up.
- The final buzzer round, where Mitchell read out assorted news stories and the contestants had to buzz in and guess whether they were true or not.
In the first two rounds, correctly guessing the real story was rewarded with a point; in the final round, an incorrect guess resulted in a point being deducted.
Two rounds appeared only in the first episode of the first series: one where the contestants were shown a piece of video footage and had to guess why it was relevant to the news from three options, and another where Mitchell described a picture that had appeared in the newspapers and the contestants had to guess why said picture had appeared in the news.
Production
The show was produced by Hat Trick ProductionsHat Trick Productions
Hat Trick Productions is a British independent production company that produces television programmes, mainly specialising in comedy.-History:...
for the BBC, who produce the long running BBC news quiz show, Have I Got News For You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
. A pilot was filmed in February 2009 but was not broadcast. The pilot episode featured Katy Brand
Katy Brand
Katy Brand is an English actress, comedian and writer known for her ITV2 series Katy Brand's Big Ass Show and for Comedy Lab Slap on Channel 4....
, Miranda Hart
Miranda Hart
Miranda Katharine Hart Dyke , known professionally as Miranda Hart, is an English actress, writer and stand-up comedienne. She writes and stars in the BBC sitcom Miranda...
and 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...
as contestants. Episodes were filmed the day before broadcast, airing in the 10pm slot on Friday nights (except Ep.5).
According to Skinner, for the British version of the show The Bubble was a large and remote country house somewhere in the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
, in which the contestants lived with two of the production team for their period of isolation; being prevented from wandering away from the house, with their mobile phones confiscated, and denied access to newspapers, radio, television or the internet.
Both ITV News
ITV News
ITV News is the branding of news programmes on the British television network ITV. Since 1955, ITV's news bulletins have been produced by Independent Television News . The channel's news coverage has won awards from the Royal Television Society, Emmy Awards and BAFTAs. Between 2004 and 2008, the...
and Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
assisted in filming fake stories for the show, and despite BBC presenters having taken part in a clip for the pilot, BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
subsequently refused to allow its presenters to work with the show, allowing only archive material to be used. A BBC spokesman said "We are sure The Bubble on BBC Two will be extremely funny but BBC journalists will leave it to the comedians to do the comedy", while critics of the decision pointed out that several of its presenters had taken part in other fictional shows before, and described it as a "sense of humour failure". The BBC boycott was featured as one of the news stories in the first episode, with nobody picking it as the real story.
According to Mitchell speaking in January 2011, both he and the BBC were keen to film a second series, however he later chose to work on 10 O'Clock Live
10 O'Clock Live
10 O'Clock Live is a British satirical comedy/news television programme presented by Charlie Brooker, Jimmy Carr, Lauren Laverne and David Mitchell....
for 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...
, whose 15 week live run clashed with the period the BBC intended to film the second series of The Bubble.
Repeats of the series began airing on Dave in January 2011.
List of episodes
- Winners in bold
| Episode | Air date | Contestants | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 February 2010 | Victoria Coren Victoria Coren Victoria Elizabeth Coren is a British writer, presenter and champion poker player. Coren writes weekly columns for The Observer and The Guardian newspapers and hosts the BBC Four television quiz show Only Connect.... |
Reginald D. Hunter | 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... |
| 2 | 26 February 2010 | Ed Byrne Ed Byrne Ed Byrne is a Perrier Award-nominated, Irish stand-up comedian, voice over artist and actor. He has presented television shows Uncut! Best Unseen Ads and Just for Laughs, and is a regular guest on various television panel games... |
Germaine Greer Germaine Greer Germaine Greer is an Australian writer, academic, journalist and scholar of early modern English literature, widely regarded as one of the most significant feminist voices of the later 20th century.... |
Jon Richardson Jon Richardson (entertainer) Jon Joel Richardson is a British comedian.Jon co-hosted a Sunday morning radio show on BBC 6 Music with fellow comedian and friend Russell Howard, and continued to present the show himself after Howard left, until 7 March 2010... |
| 3 | 5 March 2010 | Clive Anderson Clive Anderson Clive Anderson is a British former barrister, best known for being a comedy writer as well as a radio and television presenter in the United Kingdom... |
Andy Hamilton Andy Hamilton Andrew Neil Hamilton is a British comedian, game show panellist, television director, comedy screenwriter and radio dramatist.-Early life:... |
Sarah Millican Sarah Millican Sarah Millican is an English stand-up comedian. Millican won the if.comedy award for Best Newcomer at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.-Career:... |
| 4 | 12 March 2010 | Marcus Brigstocke Marcus Brigstocke Marcus Alexander Brigstocke is an English comedian, actor and satirist who has worked extensively in stand-up comedy, television, radio and in 2010-2011 musical theatre. He is particularly associated with the 6.30pm comedy slot on BBC Radio 4, having frequently appeared on several of its shows... |
Julia Hartley-Brewer Julia Hartley-Brewer Julia Hartley-Brewer is a British broadcaster and columnist. She presents the weekday afternoon radio show from 1pm to 4pm on LBC 97.3FM, the talk radio station.... |
Sue Perkins Sue Perkins Sue Perkins is an English comedienne, broadcaster, actress, and writer.-Education:Perkins was educated at Croham Hurst School, an independent school for girls in Croydon in South London, at the same time as the BBC Breakfast News presenter Susanna Reid... |
| 5 | 18 March 2010 | Katy Brand Katy Brand Katy Brand is an English actress, comedian and writer known for her ITV2 series Katy Brand's Big Ass Show and for Comedy Lab Slap on Channel 4.... |
Tim Key Tim Key Tim Key is an English actor, comedy writer, and performance poet. In 2009, he was the winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Award and was also nominated for the Malcolm Hardee Award for Comic Originality.-Edinburgh Fringe:... |
Josie Long Josie Long Josie Long is an English comedian.-Background:Long spent her early life in Orpington, South East London, where she attended Newstead Wood School for Girls in Swift House. She also attended GIFT Ltd. summer schools. She began performing stand-up comedy at 14, winning the BBC New Comedy Awards at... |
| 6 | 26 March 2010 | Miranda Hart Miranda Hart Miranda Katharine Hart Dyke , known professionally as Miranda Hart, is an English actress, writer and stand-up comedienne. She writes and stars in the BBC sitcom Miranda... |
Shappi Khorsandi | Robert Webb Robert Webb (actor) Robert Webb is an English actor, comedian and writer, and one half of the double act Mitchell and Webb, alongside David Mitchell.-Early life:... |
notes
- Episode 5 aired a day early due to Sport Relief 2010Sport Relief 2010Sport Relief 2010, was a fund raising event organised by Sport Relief, broadcast live on BBC One and BBC Two from the evening of 19 March 2010 to early the following morning...
- Sue Perkins swapped weeks with Andy Hamilton due to an injury