Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
A BBC One chat show with Jonathan Ross.
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a BBC One chat show hosted by Jonathan Ross from 2001 until 2010. Each episode typically included three guest interviews, Ross’s opinions on current events, and live performances from a visiting band plus the house band. The final series started in January 2010, and the show ended on 16 July 2010.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Chat show
- Writer
- Jonathan Ross
- Shaun Pye
- Fraser Steele
- Jim Pullin
- Jez Stevenson
- Director
- Mick Thomas (2002–2010); John L. Spencer (2004), (Other(s) unknown)
- Presenter
- Jonathan Ross
- Starring
- 4 Poofs and a Piano
- Company
- Hotsauce TV
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
History
Starting in 2009, the show was produced in high definition on BBC HD. This required upgrading Studio TC4 at BBC Television Centre, making it the third HD-ready studio there after TC1 and TC8. The BBC pulled the programme on 29 October 2008 following the suspension of Ross and Russell Brand over the prank call controversy on Brand's show. It came back on 23 January 2009 with 5.1 million viewers tuning in. The 275th and final episode aired on 16 July 2010. From 12 June 2009, American viewers could watch it on BBC America at 8pm EST, and in 2010 it began airing on Australia's UKTV channel just weeks after the UK broadcast. In June 2010, Ross announced he would move to ITV for a new Saturday night chat show, The Jonathan Ross Show, which launched in September 2011. The most frequent guests were Ricky Gervais and Jack Dee, each appearing eight times; Eddie Izzard appeared seven times; Jeremy Clarkson and Jimmy Carr each appeared six times; Johnny Vegas, David Attenborough, Stephen Fry, Damon Albarn, and Simon Pegg each made five appearances; and Robbie Williams appeared four times.
Format
The programme was typically taped in Studio TC4 at BBC Television Centre. The musical accompaniment came from the house band, 4 Poofs and a Piano. Originally recorded on Thursdays, the taping shifted to Tuesdays after Ross returned from the fallout of the Russell Brand incident, which meant the show featured far less topical humour. The band members were Stephen de Martin, Ian Parkin, David Roper, and David Wickenden. For each episode, they all wore matching T-shirts with a guest’s face printed in the middle. Whenever a guest entered the studio, the band played a snippet of a song that usually made some reference to that guest. At the top of the show, Ross would move from his monologue into a homosexual innuendo aimed at the group. Several running gags appeared regularly. Ross frequently made jokes about the advanced age of veteran TV host Bruce Forsyth. This reached a peak on the 30 November 2007 episode, when Forsyth appeared in the opening segment as if to take over as host; Ross then called Tess Daly, Forsyth’s co-host on Strictly Come Dancing, to escort him off safely, again playing on his age. Ross also often cracked jokes about Heather Mills, Paul McCartney’s ex-wife. During interviews and between guests, Ross would share stories about his wife, children, and pets, mention news items, and show off funny products. At the start, guests were shown sitting in the green room, and Ross would ask the audience, “Shall I get my first/next guest out?” before introducing each one. While talking to one guest, he would typically chat with the others still in the green room.
Host
Ross speaks with a rhotacism, causing him to pronounce the consonant 'r' like a 'w', leading the British tabloid newspapers to dub him 'Wossy'. He is known for his flamboyant dress sense and regularly wins awards for being the best and worst-dressed celebrity. While appearing on the series Room 101, his own dress sense was one of the things he wished to banish. Ross was even blamed for a textile workers' strike in 1988; a sales director for a dyeing operation claimed that Ross's big, baggy suits set a fashion lucrative for the British cotton industry, leading textile workers to want a share of those profits. Ross is also well known for his distinctive long hairstyle, owning exotic pets, and being a big fan of David Bowie, Star Trek, Doctor Who, anime and comic books. He co-owned a comic shop in London with Paul Gambaccini and was the visual inspiration for the main character in the comic book Saviour.
More in 2010s British Television Talk Shows
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