World Shut Your Mouth (TV series)
Encyclopedia
World Shut Your Mouth is a hidden camera
television series starring Dom Joly
.
Dom Joly made his name on the similar series Trigger Happy TV
on Channel 4, and it is from its great success that he was hired by the BBC
to produce new programming. His first effort was an unsuccessful spoof
chat show named This Is Dom Joly
. The lack of success in conventional comedy prompted Joly to go back to his hidden camera roots and started to create a new series which was very similar to Trigger Happy TV, with short stunts overlaid with a soundtrack. Joly was the main participant in these stunts. As with his previous work, the programme had an emphasis on surrealism
, with sketches such as a spying gnome
and nerd
s taunting skaters
and Joly dressing up in aluminium foil like a superhero, being a partner of a traffic warden who is technically ignoring him.
The main difference between Trigger Happy TV
and World Shut Your Mouth was the scope of the show. Where Trigger Happy TV
took place in various places around the United Kingdom, the larger budget of World Shut Your Mouth allowed for international travel and filming, and many of the stunts took place at, or near, major international landmarks.
There were subtle changes in directorial style too, with zooms and close-up shots of the public's reaction to the various pranks. The team working on World Shut Your Mouth was also larger. Trigger Happy TV
was mainly the work of Dom Joly
and Sam Cadman, Dom doing the stunts and Sam filming.
In World Shut Your Mouth, Dom Joly
did the stunts, and produced the show with Richard Webb
. Janet Knipe directed and Al Campbell
filmed. The show also starred Danny Wallace
in minor supporting roles for some of the stunts, and he also helped develop some ideas for the show.
Perhaps as an Easter egg for serious Trigger Happy TV fans, at the end of each show when the credits had finished rolling, a credit is given to "The Gund Corporation". The name Gund is a pseudonym
used by Dom "whenever [he] is lying" according to his audio commentary on the Best of Trigger Happy TV
DVD
. The name Gund is often used by Joly when a character requires an identity.
In January, 2005 World Shut Your Mouth began to be shown at 10.35 Friday night on BBC One
. Despite its critical success it only ran for one series, which was released on BBC DVD
. The DVD
featured an entire extra episode that never aired, plus audio commentary on all episodes.
The series was named after the 1987 Julian Cope
hit World Shut Your Mouth
and Cope's 1984 album
of the same name.
Hidden camera
A hidden camera is a still or video camera used to film people without their knowledge. The camera is "hidden" because it is either not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another object...
television series starring Dom Joly
Dom Joly
Dominic John Romulus "Dom" Joly is a British television comedian and journalist. He came to note as the star of Trigger Happy TV, a hidden camera show that was sold to over seventy countries worldwide...
.
Dom Joly made his name on the similar series Trigger Happy TV
Trigger Happy TV
Trigger Happy TV was a hidden camera/practical joke reality television program. The original British edition of the show, produced by Absolutely Productions, starred Dom Joly and ran for two series on the British television channel Channel 4 from 2000 until 2002...
on Channel 4, and it is from its great success that he was hired by 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...
to produce new programming. His first effort was an unsuccessful spoof
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
chat show named This Is Dom Joly
This Is Dom Joly
This is Dom Joly is a spoof chat show presented by Dom Joly, originally shown on BBC Three in 2003. It featured interviews, live bands , "video diary" sketches, and the chance for a guest to describe an activity "in a nutshell".It followed the global success of Trigger Happy TV for Channel 4 with...
. The lack of success in conventional comedy prompted Joly to go back to his hidden camera roots and started to create a new series which was very similar to Trigger Happy TV, with short stunts overlaid with a soundtrack. Joly was the main participant in these stunts. As with his previous work, the programme had an emphasis on surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
, with sketches such as a spying gnome
Gnome
A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
and nerd
Nerd
Nerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...
s taunting skaters
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
and Joly dressing up in aluminium foil like a superhero, being a partner of a traffic warden who is technically ignoring him.
The main difference between Trigger Happy TV
Trigger Happy TV
Trigger Happy TV was a hidden camera/practical joke reality television program. The original British edition of the show, produced by Absolutely Productions, starred Dom Joly and ran for two series on the British television channel Channel 4 from 2000 until 2002...
and World Shut Your Mouth was the scope of the show. Where Trigger Happy TV
Trigger Happy TV
Trigger Happy TV was a hidden camera/practical joke reality television program. The original British edition of the show, produced by Absolutely Productions, starred Dom Joly and ran for two series on the British television channel Channel 4 from 2000 until 2002...
took place in various places around the United Kingdom, the larger budget of World Shut Your Mouth allowed for international travel and filming, and many of the stunts took place at, or near, major international landmarks.
There were subtle changes in directorial style too, with zooms and close-up shots of the public's reaction to the various pranks. The team working on World Shut Your Mouth was also larger. Trigger Happy TV
Trigger Happy TV
Trigger Happy TV was a hidden camera/practical joke reality television program. The original British edition of the show, produced by Absolutely Productions, starred Dom Joly and ran for two series on the British television channel Channel 4 from 2000 until 2002...
was mainly the work of Dom Joly
Dom Joly
Dominic John Romulus "Dom" Joly is a British television comedian and journalist. He came to note as the star of Trigger Happy TV, a hidden camera show that was sold to over seventy countries worldwide...
and Sam Cadman, Dom doing the stunts and Sam filming.
In World Shut Your Mouth, Dom Joly
Dom Joly
Dominic John Romulus "Dom" Joly is a British television comedian and journalist. He came to note as the star of Trigger Happy TV, a hidden camera show that was sold to over seventy countries worldwide...
did the stunts, and produced the show with Richard Webb
Richard Webb
Richard Webb may refer to:*Richard D. Webb , Irish publisher and abolitionist*Sir Richard Webb , British admiral*Richard Webb , American film, television and radio actor...
. Janet Knipe directed and Al Campbell
Al Campbell
Al Campbell is a Jamaican reggae singer active since the late 1960s.-Biography:Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Campbell's singing career began in church, where his father was a preacher, and Al would sing to raise funds...
filmed. The show also starred Danny Wallace
Danny Wallace (writer)
Daniel Frederick Wallace is a British filmmaker, comedian, writer, actor, and presenter of radio and television. His notable works include the books Join Me, Yes Man, and the TV series How to Start Your Own Country.He lives in London, with his wife, an Australian publicist...
in minor supporting roles for some of the stunts, and he also helped develop some ideas for the show.
Perhaps as an Easter egg for serious Trigger Happy TV fans, at the end of each show when the credits had finished rolling, a credit is given to "The Gund Corporation". The name Gund is a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
used by Dom "whenever [he] is lying" according to his audio commentary on the Best of Trigger Happy TV
Trigger Happy TV
Trigger Happy TV was a hidden camera/practical joke reality television program. The original British edition of the show, produced by Absolutely Productions, starred Dom Joly and ran for two series on the British television channel Channel 4 from 2000 until 2002...
DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. The name Gund is often used by Joly when a character requires an identity.
In January, 2005 World Shut Your Mouth began to be shown at 10.35 Friday night on 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...
. Despite its critical success it only ran for one series, which was released on BBC DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. The DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
featured an entire extra episode that never aired, plus audio commentary on all episodes.
The series was named after the 1987 Julian Cope
Julian Cope
Julian Cope is a British rock musician, author, antiquary, musicologist, poet and cultural commentator...
hit World Shut Your Mouth
Saint Julian (album)
Saint Julian is the third solo album by Julian Cope. It has a very strong pop sound, compared to other Cope releases, and spawned several of his best known tracks ....
and Cope's 1984 album
World Shut Your Mouth (album)
World Shut Your Mouth is the debut album solo album by Julian Cope.-Background:World Shut Your Mouth was written during Cope's 1983 retreat to the village of Drayton Bassett , following the breakup of Cope's former band The Teardrop Explodes...
of the same name.