Rob Brydon to host 'mediocre' comedy game show

Thursday 8th August 2013, 5:16pm

The Rob Brydon Show. Rob Brydon. Copyright: Arbie

Stand-up comedian Rob Brydon is to present a new comedy game show.

A pilot for the currently un-titled new BBC One format will be recorded at Salford's The Studios complex, at MediaCityUK, on Friday 23rd August.

The Would I Lie To You? host will front the "Saturday night comedy entertainment show", in which "two members of the public compete for some of the most brilliant mediocre prizes on television".

The show's contestants will be assisted by five celebrities from the worlds of television, film, music and sport.

Applications are now open for free tickets to the recording via our free tickets page

The pilot marks a concerted return to Saturday night, family-friendly entertainment for BBC One, who have struggled to find a comedy success in the genre since the cancellation of long-running hits such as Noel's House Party and The Generation Game around the turn of the millennium.

Last Summer saw Lee Mack host a variety show, Lee Mack's All Star Cast, mixing celebrity guests with audience interaction, and a short, sitcom-like sketch segment, but after failing to achieve high ratings fast enough, it has not returned for a second series.

Meanwhile, the channel launched a new comedy quiz show at the weekend, I Love My Country, hosted by Gabby Logan with team captains Frank Skinner and Micky Flanagan. The family entertainment series's opening episode was watched by just under 3 million viewers, but has been subject to negative press reviews.

This Saturday will see the launch of another brand new format, That Puppet Gameshow, produced with the world-famous Jim Henson Company, original creators of The Muppets. Celebrity contestants will attempt to win cash prizes for charity, against a Muppet Show-esque backdrop of puppetry mayhem.

Family-friendly comedy and entertainment series traditionally perform exceptionally well through squeezed economic times, but British television has so far failed to offer and establish a hit in the genre since the current financial crises began in 2008.

Brydon has recently hosted three series of his own BBC Two light-chat format, The Rob Brydon Show. However, the series has reportedly been axed after viewing figures declined.

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