It'll be Alright on the Night

Infobox Television
show_name = It'll be Alright on the Night


caption =
format = Blooper show
picture_format = 4:3 (1977 - 2001) 16:9 (2001 - present)
runtime = 60mins (inc. adverts)
creator =
starring = Denis Norden (1977 - 2006) Griff Rhys Jones (2008 - present)
channel = ITV1
first_aired = 18 September, 1977
last_aired = present
num_series =
num_episodes = 30
country = UK
producer = LWT
related =
imdb_id = 0304207

"It'll be Alright on the Night" is a long-running British television bloopers show screened on ITV and produced by London Weekend Television. It was one of the first shows created with the specific purpose of showing behind the scenes bloopers from film and TV and it has been running since 18 September, 1977. Denis Norden was the host from 1977 to 2006 and Griff Rhys Jones took over in 2008.

Format

The show is usually one hour in length and aired in ITV's Saturday evening entertainment slot. However some of the first few episodes up to and including "It'll Be Alright on the Night 6", which aired in 1990 originally went out on a Sunday evening. Two episodes also debuted on a Friday, which are "It'll Be Alright on the Night 3" on Christmas Day 1981 and "It'll Be Alright on Christmas Night" on Christmas Day 1987.

The shows followed a simple format. Norden, traditionally holding his trademark clipboard in his hand, appears on an otherwise empty stage and delivers a humourous piece to camera, followed by a selection of outtakes taken from various sources. Popular sources for clips include numerous British and American sitcoms, news reports and foreign broadcasts may or may not include explanatory subtitles.

Episodes

(*) - originally transmitted on Channel 4; was first shown on ITV on 29 June, 1986

(**) - subsequent repeats have been billed as It'll Be Alright on the Night 5

(***) - original transmission was billed as Alright on the Night's Silver Jubilee Special

Broadcasting

Despite being a staple of ITV's light entertainment programming for nearly 30 years, comparatively few episodes of "It'll be Alright on the Night" were produced, with rarely more than one new episode a year being screened. Episodes included a number in their title screens to aid identification with the audience. The last new episode to be aired was "It'll Be Alright On The Night" aired in 2008.

During its run, several special episodes were also made, including anniversary specials, "late night" versions with less family-friendly content and a one-off 2001 election edition.

The majority of the episodes were filmed at The London Studios, but in the show's later years, Granada's studios in Manchester were also used, as well as the now-closed Meridian Broadcasting studios at Northam, Southampton. A few episodes were filmed on-location; most notably, "Alright on the Night's Cockup Trip" which was presented from the Great Cockup fell in the Lake District, and "It'll Be Alright on the Night 11" which was presented from an empty Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London.

During its run, the series has had three main producers: Paul Lewis (1977-1984), Paul Smith (1984-2002) and Simon Withington (2003-2006). Sean Miller and James Sunderland also produced some episodes.

The series also inspired the spin-off show "Denis Norden's Laughter File", which started in 1991. Although it followed largely the same format as its sister show, while "It'll be Alright on the Night" focused solely on bloopers/outtakes, "Laughter File" also screened clips that included pranks and practical jokes.

ee also

*TV's Naughtiest Blunders
*TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/ilove/years/1977/tv2.shtml BBC Cult TV]
* [http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/series/40905 British Film Institute page]