Frank Skinner's Opinionated

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Frank Skinner's Opinionated
Presented byFrank Skinner
Opening theme"No Bulbs" by The Fall
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes18 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducerAvalon Television
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkBBC Two
Release16 April 2010 (2010-04-16) –
15 December 2011 (2011-12-15)

Frank Skinner's Opinionated is a British television comedy talk show hosted by the comedian Frank Skinner and produced by Avalon Television for the BBC. The show focusses on various topics in the previous week's news, with Skinner joined by two celebrity guests, also interacting with the studio audience. Each half-hour episode is filmed in a different location around the country. It was first shown on BBC Two, with a first series of six episodes broadcast from 16 April 2010, and a second of six more beginning on 25 March 2011. The third and final series began broadcasting on 10 November 2011.

Format[edit]

The show is a studio based light hearted talk show focussing on events of the past week, with a large amount of audience participation while also having supporting film clips. Skinner opens the show on his own, and in the opening piece outlines what the general themes of the night's show will be. The two celebrity guests then enter the studio, and they proceed to discuss those topics in more detail, with Skinner guiding the discussion and inviting questions and comments from the audience, some of whom are pre-selected to talk about a specific topic.

Guests[edit]

The two celebrity guests each week are all primarily known as or having originated in stand-up comedy, in addition to other regular appearances on comedy or light entertainment television. Some have appeared on more than one episode. The show has featured:

Production[edit]

A pilot for the show was recorded in December 2009 at BBC Television Centre in London. After the first series was completed, two more series were commissioned.[1] Due to the nature of the series, filming of each episode occurs in the days just before broadcast. As such, when promoting the upcoming second series on the BBC's The One Show, Skinner could only refer to film from the previous series.

The studio set consists of just a red sofa and chair, with Skinner sitting in the individual seat, and the two guests on the sofa. The show is filmed in various studios around the UK, with the location also forming part of the discussion topics. Across the three series, Skinner visited Epic Studios in Norwich, Waterfront Hall in Belfast and regularly visited Dock10 at MediaCityUK, Greater Manchester. Other filming locations included Glasgow, London and Maidstone.

Broadcast[edit]

Each series contains 6 half hour episodes, broadcast weekly in the 10pm slot on Friday nights on BBC Two. The first series ran from 16 April to 21 May 2010. The second series began on 25 March 2011 and finished on 29 April 2011.

Episodes[edit]

Series 1[edit]

# Title Guests Location Original broadcast
1.1"Episode 1"Miranda Hart and Al MurrayLondon16 April 2010 (2010-04-16)
Topics included plastic surgery, Frank's "lightbulb shaped" head, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and Dennis Avner (Cat Man); the forthcoming election, class and Prescott: the Class System and Me; marriage, Elizabeth Taylor's possible ninth marriage and Kerry Katona; speed dating, ophidiophobia (fear of snakes), with the audience including famed speed dater Joseph Ireland, an elocution coach and a woman who set the 2000 Guinness World Record for most cosmetic procedures – 47.
1.2"Episode 2"Dave Gorman and Laura SolonLondon23 April 2010 (2010-04-23)
Topics included binge drinking; infidelity and snooping on partners and neighbours, rear view sunglasses; the postponement of the 23rd James Bond film; the air travel disruption caused by an Icelandic volcano, with the audience including a publican, two volcanologists and an air stewardess.
1.3"Episode 3"Lee Mack and Sarah MillicanLondon30 April 2010 (2010-04-30)
Topics included spiritualism, the increase in ghost sightings; dieting, the Obamas favourite chocolates and Beyoncé's maple syrup diet; driving, White Van Man – the rudest drivers, driving tests; and Gordon Brown's bigotgate election gaffe; with the audience including a dieting woman who lost 10 stones 6 pounds in 13 months, a worker at the reputedly haunted Hampton Court Palace and Tower of London, and Professor Richard Wiseman who studies unusual phenomena.
1.4"Episode 4"Sarah Millican and Al MurrayNorwich7 May 2010 (2010-05-07)
Topics included the renaming of Norwich Union to Aviva, the American grandmother Pearl Carter's incestuous relationship; lying, snooker player John Higgins, common lies; beauty, Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba on Vanity Fair, strange crushes, the stress of relationships; and laughter and World Laughter Day; with the audience including Miss England Katrina Hodge, an expert on lying Glenn Wilson, a woman who fancies Ian Beale, and a Laughter Yoga instructor.
1.5"Episode 5"Jason Manford and Karen TaylorManchester14 May 2010 (2010-05-14)
Topics included football, the forthcoming World Cup, Wayne Rooney, Manchester City and Manchester United; the new coalition government, Sky News bias, Lembit Öpik's resemblance to a banana; protesting, anti-war demos, the Greek Riot Dog, Leila Deen's attack on Peter Mandleson; sleep disorders and odd positions, sleepwalking and narcoleptic dogs; with the audience including a Plane Stupid activist, a couple who protest nude, and the couple behind the Sleep Talkin' Man blog.
1.6"Episode 6"Patrick Kielty and Sarah MillicanGlasgow21 May 2010 (2010-05-21)
Topics included celebrity and fame, the final Big Brother series, the knighting of Simon Cowell, Sheena Easton's hostile Glasgow gig, the attack on Leona Lewis, celebrity disguises; a survey suggesting 20% of women would rather give up sex then chocolate; the Labour leadership election; the Lord Triesman bribery allegations; with the audience including X-Factor winner Steve Brookstein, a teenager undergoing a sex change, and Doctor Martin Toby, talking about evolutionary psychology.

Series 2[edit]

# Title Guests Location Original broadcast
2.1"Episode 1"Miranda Hart and Lee MackLondon25 March 2011 (2011-03-25)
Topics included Midsomer Murders; Charlie Sheen; religion, rising atheism & potential bias in the forthcoming census, recognition of The Druid Network; animals, the death of Knut, human's relationship with their dogs, dog-hair jumpers, dog sex-toys and clothing, Miranda's new dog Peggy, Greyfriars Bobby; The Budget and Muammar Gaddafi's Amazonian Guard; with the audience including Andrew Copson of the British Humanist Association, Arthur Uther Pendragon a Druid Chief, Catrima Gabrielle a telepathic animal communicator, and a woman who uses a website to date older rich men.
2.2"Episode 2"Katy Brand and Ross NobleSalford1 April 2011 (2011-04-01)
Topics included April Fool's Day, practical jokes and Jeremy Beadle; living in the country; who has not completed their census form; the Big Society, community spirit and real-life superhero crime-fighters such as "The Statesman" in Birmingham and "Man in Black" in London; with the audience including a social scientist, an investment banker who quit the city, a Jewish community assistance group, and the "Knight Warrior" who patrols Salford.
2.3"Episode 3"Victoria Coren and Greg DaviesGlasgow8 April 2011 (2011-04-08)
2.4"Episode 4"Sarah Millican and Ross NobleNorwich15 April 2011 (2011-04-15)
2.5"Episode 5"Chris Addison and Andi OshoNorwich22 April 2011 (2011-04-22)
2.6"Episode 6"Katy Brand and Alan DaviesMaidstone29 April 2011 (2011-04-29)

Series 3[edit]

# Title Guests[2] Location Original broadcast
3.1"Episode 1"Katy Brand and Dave GormanSalford10 November 2011 (2011-11-10)
3.2"Episode 2"Alun Cochrane and Sarah MillicanMaidstone17 November 2011 (2011-11-17)
3.3"Episode 3"Victoria Coren and Greg DaviesMaidstone24 November 2011 (2011-11-24)
3.4"Episode 4"Chris Addison and Katy BrandNorwich1 December 2011 (2011-12-01)
3.5"Episode 5"Russell Howard and JameliaNorwich8 December 2011 (2011-12-08)
3.6"Episode 6"Reginald D. Hunter and Sarah MillicanGlasgow15 December 2011 (2011-12-15)

Reception[edit]

The first episode was watched by 1.877 million viewers, an 8.8% audience share, ahead of the first episode of Facejacker (1.186m) on Channel 4, and an episode of Grey's Anatomy (0.853m) on Five.[3]

Music[edit]

The song played during the credits and the interludes is "No Bulbs" by The Fall, Skinner's favourite group.[citation needed]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Ian Wolf (26 October 2010). "BBC orders two more series of Frank Skinner's Opinionated". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  2. ^ "Series 3 (2011)". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  3. ^ Deans, Jason (19 April 2010). "TV ratings: Frank Skinner shares his opinions with 1.9m viewers". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2010.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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