X-periMENTAL
Contents |
Host
Ortis (2003)
Simon Grant (2004)
Co-hosts
Holly Willoughby and boffin Herbie Treehead (2003)
Virginia Phillips - as the voice of S.A.M (2003)
Jane Farnham - credited as "Science Reporter" (2004)
Broadcast
Initial for BBC One, 8 January 2003 to 1 March 2004 (22 episodes in 2 series)
Synopsis
Entertaining science-y show on BBC One which invited kids to guess the results of an experiment by doing their own tests, it was very similar to Sky One science show Brainiac but was for kids.
These experiments were either very entertaining (how many rugby players can you fit in a 4-person boat without it sinking) to the frankly pathetic (how much squash can 20 kids drink in 30 seconds). The two teams would guess the outcome of the experiment by having a miniture version of the experiment and having a few minutes to work it out, after the outcome of the experiment, how many % correct the teams were is how many points they got, (so if a team was 25% right, they'd get 25 points). The teams over Series 1 were added to a leader board and the two highest scoring teams were invited back to the final.
In Series 1, there was also a computer character called S.A.M (which stood for Science Analysis Matrix) in who gave advice on the outcomes of the experiments.
Then came the highly entertaining bit... the throwing random household objects off a nitrogen cannon game (name copyright UKGameshows). This was usually accompanied by the audience screaming "Throw the toilet!" "Throw the toilet!"
Then it all went to pot (cue cheesy violin music). The teams went, Ortis and Holly Willoughby went, S.A.M went, Herbie went, the toilet went, leaving something that looked and sounded like a school science lesson and the outcomes of the experiments were voted by the studio audience on keypads this time. In short, series 1 was a superb example of how entertaining blowing things up was, series 2 was rubbish.
Catchphrases
"Throw the toilet!"
Videos
The very first episode
