Harry Hill's TV Burp
television series
Harry Hill's TV Burp (also referred to as TV Burp) is a British television comedy clip show hosted by the comedian Harry Hill and produced by Avalon Television for ITV. The show's format sees Hill take a comedic look over a previous week's schedule of television programming across a range of genres, with episodes often featuring sketches and parodied scenes.
Much of its comedy derives from taking scenes out of context or highlighting unintentionally comedic moments, with frequent uses of callbacks and in-jokes. The programme often featured in-studio appearances from the people in its clips and television personalities, with a guest from one of the show's clips usually appearing to do a musical performance to finish the episode. Production of each episode primarily required Hill and his writing team to review preview tapes for a week's television schedule in advance to provide the foundation for the script of that week's episode.
TV Burp was aired on ITV1 between 2001 and 2012, when Hill left the show due to the intense workload reviewing clips to write the show. The show aired on Thursday nights for the first three series, before moving to Saturday evenings from series 4 onwards. It was critically acclaimed and won numerous awards, including three BAFTA TV Awards, a Rose d'Or for best comedy performance, and multiple British Comedy Awards. Although it initially struggled with viewing figures, it later became one of the most watched shows on British television and reached eight million viewers at its peak. An Australian version of the programme was made in 2009 for Seven Network.
Format
TV Burp is a clip show that features the alternative comedian Harry Hill taking a comedic look over a week's schedule of programming, focusing on scenes from a selection of television shows, including dramas, soap operas, documentaries, cooking shows, game shows, and reality TV. Hill presents the show from a desk in front of a studio audience, introducing and commenting on clips while dressed in a suit with an oversized collar and large black glasses.
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