Surprise, Surprise
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Surprise, Surprise | |
|---|---|
 Opening titles from the first series |
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| Format | Entertainment |
| Presented by | Cilla Black |
| Starring | Christopher Biggins (1984) 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.
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[edit] Format
The show was centred around Cilla Black, its format involved tricks to fool members of the public, phone calls to people and moments when estranged families would be reunited. 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'. Assisting Black for eight series was Bob Carolgees, more famous for his ventriloquist act Spit the Dog.
[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
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[edit] Specials
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