Beadle's About
Format	Prank Show
Starring	Jeremy Beadle
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	10
No. of episodes	95
Production
Producer(s)	LWT
Running time	30mins (inc. commercials)
Broadcast
Original channel	ITV
Picture format	4:3, PAL 576i
Original run	22 November 1986 – 21 September 1996
Chronology
Related shows	Game For A Laugh
External links
IMDb profile

Beadle's About was a British television programme hosted by Jeremy Beadle, where members of the public became victims of practical jokes behind hidden cameras. It was produced by LWT for ITV, and ran from 22 November 1986 to 21 September 1996. Jeremy Beadle (born April 12, 1948) is an English television presenter, writer and producer, born in Hackney, London. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... London Weekend Television logo, 1978-1996 London Weekend Television Limited (LWT) is the ITV contractor for London, Friday 5:15pm to Monday, 5:59am. ... For other uses, see ITV (disambiguation). ... 4:3 is a ratio. ... For other uses, see PAL (disambiguation). ... 576i is the shorthand name for a video mode. ... is the 326th day of the year (327th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Game For A Laugh was a popular British TV light entertainment show between 1981 and 1985, made by London Weekend Television. ... A television program (US), television programme (UK) or simply television show is a segment of programming in television broadcasting. ... Jeremy Beadle (born April 12, 1948) is an English television presenter, writer and producer, born in Hackney, London. ... An office cubicle with all the contents covered in aluminum foil. ... A hidden camera is a still or video camera used to film people without their knowledge. ... LWT redirects here. ... For other uses, see ITV (disambiguation). ... is the 326th day of the year (327th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

Format

An example of one of the practical jokes would involve a person's car or van secretly being swapped for an identical one, and then having a disaster befall on it, such as it exploding, falling into the sea, or being dropped from a great height, as the owner of the vehicle looked on in horror. After a few minutes Beadle would appear in disguise (typically as a policeman or some other figure of authority, and often wearing a fake beard on top of his natural beard), and interact with the shell-shocked and/or irate victim. He would subtly drop more and more hints and would remove his disguise and point a stick microphone at the person. As the public were familiar with Beadle from the earlier show Game for a Laugh, they would then immediately realise they had been had, often with the words "I don't believe it!". Car redirects here. ... This article is about the road vehicle. ... Explode redirects here. ... This article is about the body of water. ... Microphones redirects here. ... Game For A Laugh was a popular British TV light entertainment show between 1981 and 1985, made by London Weekend Television. ...

Memorable Pranks

The most memorable prank that was ever seen on television was where a woman was convinced into believing that aliens had landed in her garden.

Popularity

At its peak, the show attracted approximately 15 million viewers, making it one of ITV's most popular Saturday night programmes during that period.

Profanity Bubble

The "Bleep" or "Oops" bubble used to block out offensive language was a well known feature from the show. The bubbles were simply clouds with either "Bleep" or "Oops" in them, the text being set in a font looking similar to the 'Balloon' typeface.

Mistakes

One infamous prank targeted a woman who was at a wedding, and was then destroyed. After Beadle removed his disguise and pointed the microphone at her, the woman ignored him and asked him to leave her alone, until a friend explained it was "Jeremy Beadle off the television".

One of the pranks in the early 1990s when a woman returned from shopping to find her red Ford Fiesta in amongst a car park full of identical cars. She instantly guessed it was a Beadle's About prank and the ruse had to be abandoned (the footage was never broadcast). The Ford Fiesta is a mid-class supermini car designed and built by the Ford Motor Company in Europe, and also manufactured in Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India and South Africa. ...

In 1993, a man was arrested for trying to pull the beard off a policeman, thinking it was Jeremy Beadle in disguise. Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Police (disambiguation). ...

Transmissions