Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong


Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong is a game show on Channel 4, presented by Alan Carr. During the first series, voice-over commentary in between rounds on the scores is provided by Leslie Phillips. From Series 2, the announcer is Peter Dickson. A Series 1 compilation was later released onto DVD in 2008.

Format

The first series of Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong was based around a gameshow format where two teams — "Celebrities" and "Civilians" — were asked a series of questions relating to the other team's lifestyle. Rounds included 'Celebrity Crypts', 'Life Swap', 'Kiss and Tell' and 'How the Other Half Lives'; producers claim that "fantastic prizes" can be won, much like a traditional gameshow format.
The second series abandoned the "Celebrities vs. Civilians" angle and went with two different teams of celebrities each episode.
The show also includes a celebrity news section, where Carr will irreverently discuss the week's showbiz news.

Episodes

Series 2

Series 2 started 10 October 2008. Although the series was originally commissioned for 6 episodes, only 5 episodes aired. However, at the end of the series, Alan revealed that there would be a special episode airing at Christmas time. The shows featured two teams of celebrities from similar programs or who have similar backgrounds playing against each other, such as Coronation Street vs EastEnders. Alan Carr noted in an interview with Jonathan Ross, that due to complaints from civilians they had to abandon the previous format and go along with celebrity teams.
DateEpisode numberDing TeamDong Team
10 October 20081Martine McCutcheon, Todd Carty, Gillian Taylforth and Joe Swash Julie Goodyear, Ian Reddington, Sally Lindsay and Bruce Jones
17 October 20082Tony Blackburn, David Gest, Sophie Anderton and Christopher Biggins Anton Du Beke, Claudia Winkleman, Craig Revel Horwood, and Rachel Stevens
24 October 20083Gok Wan, Nicky Clarke, Jodie Kidd and Nicky Hambleton-Jones Danny Dyer, Nick Moran, Martin Kemp and Neil Ruddock
31 October 20084Shaznay Lewis, Coleen Nolan, Jenny Frost and Mutya Buena Antony Costa, Kenzie, Tony Mortimer and Kian Egan
7 November 20085Louis Walsh, Amanda Holden, Neil Fox and John Barrowman Carol Vorderman, Rav Wilding, Trisha Goddard and Kate Garraway
23 December 2008Christmas SpecialAdele Silva, Paul Daniels, Debra Stephenson and Barbara Windsor Claire Sweeney, John Thomson, Michelle Collins and Joe Pasquale

Home release

On 20 October 2008, Universal Pictures released the entirety of the first season on DVD under the title of Alan Carr's Now That's What I Call A Ding Dong. It features all eix episodes edited as one single mini-feature, also including intercepting scenes of him interviewing Liz Hurley. Bonus features involve the unaired pilot, deleted scenes, a gag reel and a featurette.