Crackanory. Mel Giedroyc. Copyright: Tiger Aspect Productions
Mel Giedroyc

Mel Giedroyc

  • 55 years old
  • English
  • Actor, writer, producer, comedian and presenter

Press clippings Page 17

Mel Giedroyc takes a break from cake to reveal her personal nightmares - including pretentious types who pronounce spaghetti with the full Italian accent - in the hope that Frank Skinner will consign them to the oblivion of Room 101. But there's tough competition from her fellow guests: actor Hugh Dennis is lobbying for Las Vegas to be wiped from the face of the earth, while Cilla Black has a lorra lorra laffs trying to trash modern technology. And knickers.

Caroline Westbrook, Metro, 1st February 2013

There often comes an awkward moment when the guests outline their pet hates and you wonder if the audience will applaud at the end of the pitch. Sometimes they don't, and it leaves the celeb stranded, because the line between righteous yes-we-all-hate-that anger and ranting about minutiae is a hazy one.

Luckily, host Frank Skinner usually rides to the rescue with a well-observed quip. Tonight, he tops Mel Giedroyc's gripe about people who overpronounce Italian words in restaurants ("spag-HAY-tee") by observing that if you tried the same in a Chinese restaurant, it would be dreadful. Meanwhile, Hugh Dennis hates leaving cards, and Cilla Black believes there's a conspiracy surrounding knickers.

David Butcher, Radio Times, 1st February 2013

All the obvious targets were shunted off into the vault of shame a long time ago, so the attraction of Room 101 these days is the window that it gives into the bizarre minds of celebrities.

Without a script, and without anything to plug, what are they really thinking? This week it's showbiz legend Cilla Black who provides some of the most unexpected moments, as ­comedian Frank Skinner invites his guests to nominate their pet hates concerning people and modern life, plus their wild card entry.

"When I used to watch you on TV I used to wonder what we'd talk about if we ever met," Frank admits. "I never expected this." His other guests, Outnumbered star Hugh Dennis and Great British Bake Off presenter Mel Giedroyc, can only stare in wonder as Cilla explains her gripe with one particular gadget.

But Frank has also got an old clip of Cilla that's odder than the rest of the show put together.

Jane Simon, The Mirror, 1st February 2013

Frank Skinner seems uncharacteristically star-struck at having Cilla Black on the show, perhaps because so many of his guests have been distinctly underwhelming (even boring) so far this series. Cilla's professional sparkle certainly jollies along some fairly morose contributions from comedian Hugh Dennis and TV presenter Mel Giedroyc as they discuss their competitive dislikes of, among other things, pompous celebrities, office leaving cards, Las Vegas and knickers.

Gerard O'Donovan, The Telegraph, 31st January 2013

Mel Giedroyc - letter to my younger self

Mel Giedroyc, 44, on meeting comedy partner Sue, The Great British Bake Off, and the 'incredible moment' that changed her life.

Mel Giedroyc, The Big Issue, 27th November 2012

Interview: Mel Giedroyc, comedian and broadcaster

'When I didn't get into drama school, I spent three days in bed with a bottle of whisky'

Laura Barnett, The Guardian, 6th November 2012

While some panel shows are having trouble finding their footing, Would I Lie To You? just seems to keep going from strength to strength.

Rob Brydon, David Mitchell and Lee Mack seem to make a perfect team. There's so many angles for them to play with: Mitchell's poshness verses Mack's working class background; Mitchell's southerness and Mack's northerness; Mitchell and Mack's Englishness verses Brydon's Welshness, and so on.

There is one significant change to this new series, however, that being the show is now on before the watershed. This, for me, is a worry. You may remember that this happened to QI when it moved to BBC One, which ended up as a failure and resulted in QI moving back...

However, it would seem that it's survived this changed. The show seems to be just as funny as ever, especially the bit when Mack trying to claim that his ex-girlfriend's names spell out the world "Bermuda". The guests, Alexander Armstrong, Mel Giedroyc, Alex Jones and Chris Tarrant, provided much amusement too.

Ian Wolf, Giggle Beats, 17th April 2012

For those unaware, Sorry, I've Got No Head is a sketch show broadcast on the CBBC Channel.

Despite this being a children's show, it's surprising in many ways. For starters, there is quite a lot of good comic talent involved. Amongst those starring in the show include Marek Larwood, Justin Edwards, James Bachman, Marcus Brigstocke, Mel Giedroyc, Nick Mohammed, David Armand and Graham Norton in a voice-over.

The sketches include Jasmine and Prudith, a pair of eccentric posh women who believe everything costs a thousand pounds; Ross the schoolboy from the Outer Hebrides whose school has been badly damaged in a storm and is thus he is the only one who attends; the easily-scared Fearless Vikings; and The Witchfinder General who accuses anyone of being a witch if he doesn't get his own way.

Another interesting thing about Sorry, I've Got No Head is that it has no laughter track. Most TV sketch shows tend to have one, and you would expect a children's sketch show to do so as well, but this doesn't.

In a way the show treats the audience a bit more like adults than many other sketch comedies. The laughter track provokes you into laughing, which might explain why shows such as That Mitchell and Webb Look and The Armstrong and Miller Show have them, to encourage the viewers to laugh along and keep watching. Sorry, I've Got No Head doesn't see the need for one. Perhaps it's because this show is less of a risk as it's on a digital channel for children.

Sorry, I've Got No Head is quite a diverting show, which in its own way is entertaining for people of all ages. And if you're bit a embarrassed about watching it with other people, you can always look at it on the iPlayer as if it were a guilty pleasure.

Ian Wolf, Giggle Beats, 23rd May 2011

The Thick Of It's Chris Addison and Mel and Sue's Mel Giedroyc join Dave Gorman tonight in judging his audience's often superb ideas to improve modern life. Suggestions in this episode include a hand-shaking machine, the prototype of which is quite impressive, an ingenious idea to liven up Olympic coverage and a de-wedging device for buttocks prone to munching cloth. Anything that brings the spirit of Heath Robinson to television is a good thing.

The Guardian, 18th October 2010

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