The multi-award winning Harry Hill’s TV Burp will return for an eighth extended series this autumn. This year has already seen the show scoop three BAFTA Awards (two UK and one US) pick up a Royal Television Society Award, and be nominated for the forthcoming National Television Awards.
Series seven produced countless memorable moments including: HARRY’S cover of the Bongo Song by Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack’s Calista; a bionic DEAN GAFFNEY being chased round the TV Burp studio while providing his own hi-tech soundtrack; high-kicking dancers heralding the arrival of ‘massive star’ AMANDA LAMB on Sally Morgan: Star Psychic; and some of the biggest names in TV exclaiming shock to HARRY after hearing the news that Emmerdale’s Val had… cataracts!
Viewers can look forward to the big-collared comedian returning for a bumper run of 25 episodes, including a review of 2008 over the Christmas holiday period and - for the first time - four extra shows in the New Year bring together the best all time TV Burp moments. As always, HARRY will dish out a weekly helping of clever quips and side-splitting sketches, served up with only the funniest clips, extra large laughs and a side order of silly that will have even the fussy Freaky Eaters queuing for seconds.
As it’s totally up-to-date there’s no way of telling what will feature, but all the major soaps are sure to be there, along with the big reality shows and whichever quirky telly gems catch HARRY’S eagle eye. Who will join a very exclusive club and follow in the footsteps of Born Survivor: Bear Grylls and American Inventor as TV Burp cult classics? Not to mention which of our favourite soap stars will be on the receiving end of HARRY’S trademark rib-ticklings? There’s only one way to find out…
A busy autumn for HARRY HILL will also see: Tim the Tiny Horse at Large published on 18th September while Harry Hill’s Whopping Joke Book is published on 16th October (both by Faber and Faber). Meanwhile HARRY has launched his own 100% Fairtrade brand of salted peanuts, Harry’s Nuts! - for which he will receive absolutely no payment.
“Harry Hill is becoming almost as important to ITV as his namesake Benny was in the last millennium … the freshest and most original show in mainstream television.”
Mark Lawson, The Guardian
“Consistently the funniest thing on television.”
Nigel Andrew, Daily Mail
“TV Gold: The running gags, celeb-baiting and food-obsessed genius of Harry Hill’s TV Burp … Television’s happiest success.”
Ally Ross, The Sun
Harry Hill’s TV Burp returns to ITV1 on 18th October 2008
For more information please contact Ben Nolan or Dan Lloyd at Avalon Public Relations on: 020 7598 7222 / benn@avalonuk.com or danl@avalonuk.com
OTHER THINGS THE PRESS SAID ABOUT THE LAST SERIES:
“There are some of us who would like to see Harry Hill’s TV Burp, ITV’s highest-rated comedy show, on every week, or even four times a week like Coronation Street. It’s an essential dose of daft humour and a valuable corrective to an awful lot of TV tosh.”
Alison Graham, Radio Times
“The funniest and cleverest programme on television by a mile.”
Jeff Anderson (Bafta Committee - Observer interview)
“TV Burp is the funniest show on British television.”
Chris Moyles, BBC Radio 1
“Masterfully skewers all the cheapness, incompetence, sentimentality and contempt for the viewer we see on our screens.”
Simon Hoggart, The Spectator
“The only show that I series link.”
Ian Hyland, News of the World
“If you haven’t yet bought into Hill’s delightfully silly comedic take on TV, join the increasingly huge gang of devotees.”
Boyd Hilton, Heat
“Easily the best thing on television.”
Tom Cullen, ShortList
“The new series of the big-collared comedian’s superb, skewed view of television opens with a review of 2007 … This new run of TV Burp marks the first day of ITV1’s revamped schedule, which also includes the return of News at Ten on Monday. It’s good to see that they’re keeping one of the best shows from the old ITV1 though.”
Matt Warman, ‘Television and Radio’ The Daily Telegraph
“The man oozes genius. And that knighthood of his - “for services to taking the pee out of soaps and stuff”, to quote the palace - can only be days away.”
Mike Ward, Daily Star
“Burp, his review of the past week’s television, is irreverent but it’s never cruel. The mockery is affectionate and wickedly funny.”
Richard and Judy, Daily Express
“Let joy be unconfined. Harry Hill is back this week with a news series of TV Burp.”
Toby Bentley, TV & Satellite Week
“Highlights of the last series included extreme explorer Bear Gryll’s weird antics, nature presenter Nick Baker’s fruitless search for the giant saggy-skinned frog of Lake Titicaca, and the far-from-wise words of Paul Burrell on American Princess - all given a side-splitting spin by Harry himself. His highlights of the week’s soaps are always a delight, pinpointing just how daft some of our top TV viewing really is.”
David Bailey, TV Times
“Easily one of the funniest shows on the box, Harry is the best man to rip apart some of our favourite programmes " his little comedy sketches are enough to make you spit your spaghetti hoops all over your telly.”
Paul Hirons, Closer
“So, so funny. So inventive, so barmy, so ingenious. It just makes you laugh out loud.”
Jon Culshaw, (TV Times interview)
“So beware all those self-regarding actors, puffed-up extras and hapless prop people out there. Harry and his eagle-eyed team are watching and taking notes.”
Lorraine Kelly, The Sun
“Definitely one of the funniest shows on TV… We can’t wait to see what he’s come up with. Brilliant!”
Helen Fear, Reveal
“Has become the toast of prime-time ITV with the ever-inventive (and now BAFTA-winning) TV Burp.”
David Baldwin, London Lite
“Crazy baldhead Harry Hill richly deserved his double Bafta win.”
Garry Bushell, Daily Star Sunday
“Isn’t it about time Harry Hill was knighted for his services to television?”
Mark Wright, The Stage
“Funniest show around.”
Kevin O’Sullivan, Daily Mirror
“Quite simply the understated gem in ITV’s crown, the irreverent, cheeky and often surreal TV critique show returns for a new series. The Christmas special managed to blow everything else aired Christmas Day out of the water.”
Karen Hyland, OK! Hot Stars
“No show is safe from the cutting wit and amusing observations of television’s funniest critic, and this new series of Harry Hill’s TV Burp is up its usual high standard.”
Adam Ralph, Nuts
“His obvious love of all things telly has created a warmly hilarious family show that you would have to be a right old Scrooge not to laugh at this Christmas.”
‘Culture’ Sunday Times
“It is bound to be worth a chuckle or several.”
Anila Baig, The Sun
“For many, Harry Hill’s Christmas TV Burp was a gleaming highlight of the festive telly.”
David Butcher, Radio Times
“That’s the TVeasy Show of the Year award sorted, then, as nothing comes close to this genius dissection of the week’s telly.”
Toby Earle, TV Easy
“You know the drill " the big-collared alchemist turns base telly metal into surreal comic gold.”
Jonny Pile, Zoo
“The funniest man on television, by popular and critical consensus.”
David Stephenson, Sunday Express
HARRY HILL BIOGRAPHY
HARRY HILL is regarded as one of the UK’s finest and most original comedy acts. His unique brand of humour - interweaving running gags, inventive use of music, short films and far-fetched yarns " has been rewarded with numerous awards, nominations and accolades. Greatly admired across the Atlantic, Harry made an acclaimed appearance on The Late Show (CBS), and the show’s famous host and chat-show-king, DAVID LETTERMAN, has since personally invited HARRY back on the show seven times - a record for a British stand-up. His pedigree as a live performer is well known, and in 2002 he was personally invited to perform as the only non-music act by DAVID BOWIE at his Meltdown event at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
Since Perrier created the Best Newcomer Award for him in 1992, HARRY’S comedy career has gone from strength to strength. A prolific few years have seen him: win Best Entertainment Performance and Best Entertainment Programme at the 2008 BAFTAS (to go with Best British Comedy Performer in Television at this year’s inaugural LA BAFTAS); bag another gong for Best Entertainment Performance at the Royal Television Society Awards; receive a nomination for the upcoming National TV Awards; win two awards at the 2006 British Comedy Awards; not to mention the prestigious Golden Rose award HARRY already picked up for the show in 2004; completely sell out his 2005 tour Hooves, with the show released as a successful live DVD in November 2005; launch his first children’s book Tim the Tiny Horse to critical acclaim, and swiftly follow with a second " The Further Adventures Of The Queen Mum; and make his filmmaking debut with She’s Not Dead " a short film that he wrote, directed and starred in. HARRY continues to be the voice of You’ve Been Framed, where his off-the-cuff style of witticisms have led to him being widely credited as the saviour of the format.
Harry Hill’s TV Burp Series 8 is HARRY’S twelfth project for ITV1 - following the success of the 2001 Rose D’Or International TV Festival nominated one-off special, the 2003 Rose D’Or International TV Festival award-winning The All New Harry Hill Show and the acclaimed, award-winning seven previous series of Harry Hill’s TV Burp - not to mention two Christmas specials. Having also starred in three series of his hugely successful, Broadcast Award winning Channel 4 show Harry Hill, HARRY had already established himself as a firm favourite with television comedy audiences. Other memorable appearances include his performance as MORRISSEY on Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes (ITV1), The Royal Variety Performance (ITV1), being honoured on This Is Your Life (BBC1), An Audience with Harry Hill (ITV1) and teaching the ‘horn xylophone’ on a celebrity episode of The Generation Game (BBC ONE).
AVALON TELEVISION
Avalon Television is one of the leading producers of award-winning comedy and light entertainment programmes in the UK. Founded in 1993, the independent production house supplies television programming to all the British terrestrial channels and the leading cable and satellite stations, in addition to content for radio broadcasters.
Recent television productions include: the double-BAFTA and British Comedy Award-winning Harry Hill’s TV Burp (ITV1); Al Murray’s Happy Hour (ITV1) - the British Comedy Award winning peak-time entertainment show; two series of the Royal Television Society and Rose D’Or award-winning sitcom Not Going Out (BBC ONE): the critically acclaimed Touch Me I’m Karen Taylor (BBC THREE); the Rose d’Or award-winning Kombat Opera Presents (BBC TWO), a series of contemporary musical comedies from the creator of the multi-award-winning hit musical Jerry Springer - The Opera, with collaborators including STEWART LEE, DAVE GORMAN and TERRY JONES; a feature-length documentary, written by and starring DAVE GORMAN, entitled Unchained America (More 4); Laura, Ben and Him, a multi-character sketch show for ITV2 written by and starring hotly-tipped new writer performers LAURA SOLON, BEN WILLBOND and MAREK LARWOOD; You Can Choose Your Friends (ITV1) - a 90-minute comedy-drama starring the late ANTON RODGERS and JULIA McKENZIE; a prime-time reality format in the US called Wake Up Call (ABC Network); and The Greg Behrendt Show, a first-run syndication show in the USA produced by Avalon Television and Sony.
Avalon Television also produces radio, with recent projects including: series five of Out To Lunch (BBC Radio 2), a comedy show for Saturday afternoons hosted by RUSSELL KANE " featuring some of the finest up-and-coming comic talent currently working in the UK; a fifth series of DAVID BADDIEL’S acclaimed BBC Radio 4 comic-discussion show, Heresy; series three of Banter (BBC Radio 4), hosted by Sony Award-winning ANDREW COLLINS, a comedy panel show in which the guests including RICHARD HERRING and RUSSELL HOWARD are asked to hammer out Top Threes in categories covering anything from playwrights to Playstation; and series two of Political Animal (BBC Radio 4), a socio-political satire show, hosted and linked by ANDY ZALTZMAN and The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (More 4) regular JOHN OLIVER.
OTHER SHOW CREDITS
The series is produced by SPENCER MILLMAN and directed by PETER ORTON. Executive Producers are RICHARD ALLEN-TURNER, BLUEY RICHARDS and JON THODAY.
