Oh my God!
Okay, the show we filmed (just to recap) is called 'Let Me Entertain You' and will be shown on BBC2 (UK) at 4:30pm weekdays. It's like an update of the gong show - the audience have a button which they press if you fail to entertain them. Once fifty percent of them have pressed, a klaxxon sounds and they boot you off. If you last three minutes, you get a fanfare and they give you £1000.
We arrived at Teddington Studios in London yesterday morning, and had to wait all day before filming began at about 7pm (remember, we had to film two back-to-back shows) so it was already a LONG day. Then we had to hang around while the presenter (Brian Conley - IT'S A PUPPET!!!!) filmed some opening links. Then the audience came in, and a warm-up comedian did a bit to help settle them. We were first up, singing Barcelona (Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe). We lasted the whole three minutes, got the fanfare AND the £1000, and a place in the semi-final (Which meant we had to do it all again!)
We were the only act not to be voted off before the 3 minutes were up!
They need two from each heat to go through, so the act who lasted next longest got through as well (The Celtic Colleens, an Irish-type folk group.)
We were expecting to get voted off in the semi, because it was mostly the same audience, and we sang the same song - Eve, my singing partner wouldn't go for 'Dead Ringer', sadly.
We were on last this time. The other contestants included two 'Cocktail'-style barmen, with all the fancy juggling, and a really clever young man who did a combo of 'human beat-box' (whilst singing AT THE SAME TIME!!!) and piano. He's called 'Mr Mouth', and he was AWESOME - he'll go a long way. They both lasted the full three minutes, so we REALLY thought we'd had it. So we go on again, expecting to hear the klaxxon and be kicked off, but the audience kept us on again! Another £1000!
Then we had this really tense moment while they counted the votes. As three acts had made it to the three minute mark, the two with the fewest votes would go through to the grand final. Unfortunately we were just TWO votes out. But we didn't mind - we had £2000, plus all our expenses, food and drink, hotel etc paid, AND WE GOT TO BE ON TELEVISION!!! Yay us!!!
The series starts on Monday (21st Aug) but I think our episodes will be on 13th/14th September. Not entirely sure, so keep an eye out.
PS I'm the one who looks like Meat Loaf.
Sean