Surprise, Surprise
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| Surprise, Surprise | |
 Opening titles from the first series |
|
| Format | Entertainment |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Cilla Black |
| Starring | Bob Carolgees (1985 - 1995) Gordon Burns (1986 - 1991) Tessa Sanderson (1990 - 1992) |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 14 |
| No. of episodes | 128 (inc. 9 specials) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | LWT |
| Running time | 60mins (inc. comms) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV |
| Picture format | 4:3 (1984 - 2000) 16:9 (2001) |
| Original run | 6 May 1984 – 26 December 2001 |
Surprise, Surprise was a British TV show hosted by Cilla Black, produced by London Weekend Television. It ran from 6 May 1984 to 26 December 2001. The production team overlapped with that of the earlier Game for a Laugh and the subsequent Blind Date. There were also similarities to Jim'll Fix It.
Contents |
[edit] Format
The show was originally a vehicle for Cilla to proun around, play a trick and fool members of the public and also phone people up to speak to. There were also many variety acts that appeared on the show. Many special guests appeared, occasionally appearing live, (examples including Neil Diamond). It involved surprising members of the public with long-held wishes and reuniting them with long-lost loved ones. The concept of the first series had been to film 'surprising' and often odd items of the type previously seen in Game for a Laugh - the format was not successful. However, the final item in the final show of the first series featured a successful 'surprise' reunion and executive producer Alan Boyd changed the format slightly, so all items in subsequent series involved 'surprises' rather than just being 'surprising'.
[edit] Theme songs
Cilla Black introduced and closed each show by singing a theme song. The theme song from series 1 to 8 was written by Kate Robbins and often imitated by Cilla impersonators, began "The more the world is changing, the more it stays the same...". The track was released on Cilla Black's 1985 album Surprisingly Cilla and as a single on the Towerbell Records label. A new song was written from series 9 to the show's end in 2001: "Reaching out, holding hands, reliving memories... Life is full, full of surprises...And the nicest surprise in my life is you!"
[edit] Transmissions
[edit] Series
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 May 1984 | 10 June 1984 | 6 |
| 2 | 14 October 1984 | 2 December 1984 | 8 |
| 3 | 19 January 1986 | 9 March 1986 | 8 |
| 4 | 18 January 1987 | 15 March 1987 | 9 |
| 5 | 10 January 1988 | 6 March 1988 | 9 |
| 6 | 6 January 1989 | 3 March 1989 | 9 |
| 7 | 16 February 1990 | 20 April 1990 | 9 |
| 8 | 22 February 1991 | 26 April 1991 | 10 |
| 9 | 3 April 1992 | 29 May 1992 | 9 |
| 10 | 25 April 1993 | 4 July 1993 | 10 |
| 11 | 10 April 1994 | 19 June 1994 | 11 |
| 12 | 23 April 1995 | 2 July 1995 | 10 |
| 13 | 31 March 1996 | 2 June 1996 | 10 |
| 14 | 4 July 1997 | 5 September 1997 | 10 |
[edit] Specials
| Date | Entitle |
|---|---|
| 23 December 1984 | Christmas Special |
| 22 December 1985 | Christmas Special |
| 28 December 1986 | Christmas Special |
| 27 December 1987 | Christmas Special |
| 22 June 1997 | ...in Australia |
| 22 March 1998 | Mother's Day Special |
| 14 March 1999 | Mother's Day Special |
| 2 April 2000 | Mother's Day Special |
| 26 December 2001 | Christmas Special |
