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As Seen On TV. Image shows from L to R: Fern Britton, Steve Jones, Jason Manford. Image credit: Shine.

As Seen On TV

BBC1 panel show based around TV trivia. Hosted by Steve Jones, with team captains Fern Britton and Jason Manford

AKA:
Mad About TV (Working Title)
Genre:
Panel Show
Broadcast:
2009  (BBC One)
Episodes:
8 (1 series)
Starring:
Steve Jones, Fern Britton, Jason Manford, Darren Foreman
Writers:
Adam Bostock-Smith, Richard Easter
Production:
Shine

A panel show for Thursday nights that aimed to cater for our one, true national obsession... a nice bit of telly.

Steve Jones hosted, with team captains Fern Britton and Jason Manford rolling up their sleeves to pit their wits against each other. The team captains battled it out in five TV trivia rounds, with the help of celebrity guests.

Our Review: If you're expecting a TV-equivalent of Buzzcocks, or a media-centric QI, then you'd be very disappointed with As Seen On TV. The emphasis of the show was more on the side of the questions and answers than on the comical banter and witty retorts that make up so many other shows in the panel/quiz genre.

For some this focus on getting the correct answer was rather offputting (it split the BCG editorial team down the middle), with the show feeling - understandably - cold and lacking for those viewers hoping for an all-for-laughs panel game. However, the section of the audience who sat down to watch a slightly amusing TV trivia show were unlikely to have been disappointed by the format.

The one thing that the editors of this site did agree on is that Steve Jones made for a surprisingly good host.

BBC Executives were apparently not wholly satisfied, so we won't be seeing another series.