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I Literally Just Told You – the gameshow where anything said could be a question because… Jimmy Carr literally just told us.
Yes, Mr Carr needs to top up his pension again.
Naturally, I’ll avoid spoilers because if you want to know who wins the show, you’ll have to watch it, but it’s safe to say that to give an example of a question or two, the first one being: Jimmy recently had how many vials of Botox injected into his head? We’re given the answer in his introduction, but was the contestant who was asked the question… actually listening?
I was… it was 300, wasn’t it? Maybe not.
Of the four contestants, Town crier Alan – who seemed such a misery guts, I thought he was a plant – is asked “Dead / Alive / Fictional”, one example being former Prime Minister John Major. This is the only answer I’ll give out of the many asked. Okay, we know Mr Major is alive, but as Jimmy clarifies for the programme, “At the time of recording” 😉
We’re told questions are written live – by Emy and Maggie (at the side of the studio) – as the show goes on, based on what happens. There are so many, though, that I expect a lot are written before, but clearly, additional ones are written as it goes on.
One thing I spotted during a pretend lead into the first advert break is that as Jimmy reads out a question for viewers to text in and win a holiday, the phone number to text begins 07700. That’s a fake first part of the number for TV shows and films to use. It’s the equivalent of US films and programmes using 555.
Starting a new series just before Christmas is not what TV channels normally do, but I Literally Just Told You is only three episodes, so maybe it’s a taster to see if people want more? It’s fun for an hour, but I wouldn’t rush to see more. I would, however, prefer TV channels to branch out further from the same stock hosts on their shows, and while this gameshow features members of the public rather than more well-known faces, those programmes made up of panels of the famous also shouldn’t just stick to the same people over and over.
Now, can we have more of Emy, please?
I Literally Just Told You is begins on Thursday December 16th at 10pm, and after broadcast, each episode is on All 4.
For some reason, the trailer isn’t online, but it’s airing frequently on TV.
Director: Ollie Barlett
Produer: Dan Mellanby
Question writers: Emy Adamson, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Writers: Dom English, James Farmer, Marc Haynes, Christine Rose
Music: A-Mnemonic
Host: Jimmy Carr
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.