It's Only TV But I Like It - Series 1 Episode 7 (BBC One, 15th July 1999)

Jonathan Ross presents the TV trivia panel game that picks its nose and eats its crows.

Joining team captain Julian Clary are TV presenter Carol Smillie, best known for co-presenting Wheel of Fortune, presenting Changing Rooms, and modelling swimwear for Edinburgh Woollen Mill, and is now a Humanist celebrant officiating humanist weddings, funerals and baby-namings.

Also on Julian's team is the late Leslie Grantham, best known for being a convicted murderer, but also for playing Dirty Den in EastEnders, and Boyard, the keeper of the fort in Channel 5's adaptation of the French adventure game show Fort Boyard.

Joining other team captain Jack Dee are Top of the Pops presenter Jamie Theakston, who had recently left Live and Kicking, and would go on to host A Question of Pop and be reunited with Zoe Ball on The Priory. He now presents the national breakfast show with Amanda Holden on Heart Radio.

And last but by no means least, we have veteran suave actor Leslie Phillips who sadly passed away on 7th November 2022 at the age of 98 (and his passing prompted me to finally upload this episode after it sat on a hard drive for six years). Phillips appeared in some of the early Carry On films (as well as 1992's Carry On Colombus) and a couple of the Doctor in the House films, as well as the long running BBC Radio comedy The Navy Lark. Other films he appeared in include Out of Africa, Empire of the Sun, Scandal, Mountains on the Moon, King Ralph and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Younger viewers will know his voice as that of the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films.

In this episode, Jamie and Julian express concern for the fingerless and mouthless residents of Trumptonshire, Phillips reaches for his glasses (can't imagine why), and Jack performs the Muffin the Mule/The Prodigy mashup we never knew we needed.

Created by Jonathan Ross, Andy Davies & Jon Naismith
Executive Producer - Adisson Cresswell
Directed by David G. Croft
Produced by Andy Davies & Jon Naismith
An Open Mike production for BBC Television.

First TX 15th July 1999. My thanks go to Steve Hurst for sending me a spare VCR back in 2016 so I could digitise this episode.