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Trigger Happy TV is a British hidden camera television show, created, produced by and starring Dom Joly. Unlike most hidden camera programmes, many of the scenes in Trigger Happy TV did not revolve around trapping normal people into embarrassing and impossible situations. Instead, Joly often made fun of himself rather than others, and many scenes made people stop and either laugh or simply wonder what was going on; the passers-by are never made aware of the fact that they are on television, presumably until they sign a release form allowing the use of the footage shot.
Such scenes include Joly answering a very large mobile (cell) phone and shouting at the top of his voice (normally in quiet locations like golf courses, movie theaters, and libraries), a chef chasing an actor in a large rat costume out of a restaurant, and two actors dressed as masked Mexican wrestlers getting into a spontaneous fight in a grocery store. The programme's surreal sketches have been described as being influenced by Dada. Other scenes include people dressed as animals breaking into a fight and the progress of various costumed pedestrians (such as a snail and an old man) across a zebra crossing in London. Joly also often dressed as a Cub Scout, a foreign person with bad English, or a park attendant.
The show also didn't include a laugh track, instead playing instrumental and sometimes sad music during sketches. Another Dom Joly-related show, World Shut Your Mouth, does not have a laugh track either.
Two series and a Christmas special of the show were produced in the UK, from 2000 to 2002. Three DVDs were released, containing the "best of" both series and the Christmas specials.
Other Memorable and Recurring Sketches
- Joly is seen dressed in a Halloween burglar costume standing outside of a house. He asks passersby to borrow a ladder. On one instance he asks a man to hold the ladder for him while he climbs down, but once on the ground runs away screaming "We burgled the house! Me and him just burgled the house!!", leaving the man holding the ladder.
- Joly, dressed in a porkpie hat and white jumpsuit, walks up to a couple sitting on a bench in a park. He proceeds to do a terrible step squad style dance with two sticks. He then stops and calmly places his hand out as if asking for change.
- Joly is seen in a laundromat with boxer shorts and an undershirt on, and wearing a hockey mask on his face, a la Jason Voorhees. He stuffs a bloody jumpsuit into the washer.
- In a side alley, two actors dressed in furry style dog suits assault another actor dressed as a dog who is tied to a chair.
- Outside of a pornography shop, a crowd has gathered, complete with horn players and a television crew. When a customer leaves the shop fanfare erupts and an interviewer tells the person they are the millionth customer.
- Joly stands in front of an enormous picture of himself plastered against a wall that says "Do not trust this man!", but still manages to get passersby to talk to him and do things for him.
- People sit down to have Joly, dressed as a French artist, paint their portrait. Rather than actually painting the portrait, Joly paints a comical phrase or picture on the canvas and walks away, leaving the customer sitting in the pose with a funny message in front of them.
- Persons are stopped at random on the street and asked to take a blindfolded taste test of a new cola. Once the person is blindfolded and given a cola in each hand, the interviewer and crew silently walk away leaving the person standing there. Sometimes a noticeably different crew replaces the original one.
- Joly lands an interview with a British celebrity, but while talking to them is gradually distracted by an enemy, or is kidnapped right in front of the interviewee by a van of hoodlums.
- Joly pretends to be a punk (complete with piercings and mohawk) and asks people in the park directions to a classical music concert. He then proceeds to read poetry and turns around, showing his jacket, which says "FUCK OFF!"
- Joly dressed as a stereotypical spy (with a long dark raincoat and hat pulled down) approaches people randomly in public places and furtively utters a non-sensical phrase which is meant to be a code, such as 'the houses in moscow are blanketed in snow at this time of year'. The person is usually visibly bemused or responds literally - ('Are they?'). Joly then says he must have the wrong person and is looking for 'The Black Hand' or some other stereotypical 'spy name'.
US edition
As well as being shown on UK's Channel 4, it also caught on in America. Subsequently, a series was produced in America in 2003. It starred additional American actors, presumably so the characters would be more believable to the American onlookers. Dom Joly predominantly made appearances as foreign characters. It was broadcast on the American television station Comedy Central, as well as free, standalone episodes available on Comcast Cable's ON Demand service.
Belgian edition
Belgian TV Channel Kanaal Twee also launched a set of "Trigger Happy" videos. Some include remakes of the British version, but also a number of unique situations have been caught on tape.
Despite the show's popularity over two continents, Joly says he will not make any more in Britain, as his face and voice is now too well known.
See also
External links
Channel 4 television programmes | Comedy television series | British television sketch shows
"Trigger Happy TV"