FiredUp

Firebox Loves Total Wipeout

Have you seen it yet? Total Wipeout (not to be confused with Paul Daniels/Bob Monkhouse's 'Wipeout') is a modern day It's A Knockout for adults. When watching it you soon realize that this programme can't have been made in the UK, the lovely weather, the Teletubby set. It was infact shot in Buenos Aires.

The contestants tend to look like the sort of people you'd see on a Thomsons Holiday coach. A bizarre mixture of pepped up dad's, prove it to the world wags and Iceland "Baby it's cold outside..." workers. But enough about them, in fact the weirder the contestant, the more you want them to fail and boy do some FAIL.

Total Wipeout consists of a series of weird and wonderful water-based challenges to test the contestants ability to stand on a plinth as a big clock-like beam comes towards them, dodge a wall of boxing gloves, and bounce on a set of 4 massive balls to get to the end. Then there's the final challenge where you have to jump over barrels like Donkey Kong, walk over slippery beams and pretty much avoid falling into the pool.

The show airs on Saturday nights on BBC1 and is presented by Amanda Byram (Thomsons rep) in sunny Buenos Aires and Richard Hammond (Hamster) in a very cheap looking set in London.

Have You Got The Krypton Factor?

'Derr derr derrderr de de de der'

Err what was that?
It was that pangy theme tune from Krypton Factor.

Oh wait, that quiz with those people who have to do them challenges then at the end they do the assault course?
Yeh thats the one! Well it's coming back on ITV in 2009. It originally ran for 18 years!

Sweeet! With that presenter who acted like your mate's dad?
Gordon Burns?

Yeh
I think ITV are currently looking for a new host. Looks like it could be Carol Vordeman.

Will it have the same old school puzzles?
No, the producers have promised to use "the latest technology" to challenge the next set of participants' observation skills, intelligence and general knowledge. Claire Horton, the controller of entertainment at ITV Productions, said: "We are taking a brilliant format and bringing it bang up to date with state-of-the-art technology.

Can't wait!
Well why not watch some of the old ones...

We're Off To The Beeb!

Tonight the Fireboxer's will be out in force to watch 'Hole In The Wall' being filmed for the BBC. For those of you that haven't seen it yet, there's a Japanese gameshow called 'Human Tetris' which is fast becoming a YouTube sensation.

The goal is to squeeze through cut out silhouettes in a moving wall. If contestants cannot find a way to fit through the wall, they are pushed into a pool of water. Simple but really fun to watch as the silhouettes become more and more difficult to fit through.

We don't know who'll be on the show yet but we have read on Wikipedia that Dale Winton is hosting it, but we're not sure how true that is. We reckon there'll be lots of inuendo if he is. Who would you get to present it?

Either way, we will let you know more details tomorrow!

Check out another style of Human Tetris here.
And when does Pacman come to the UK?

We Got A Visitor! MORPH!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls please be standing for... MORPH!!!

Morph? You're kidding!
Yes that 70's classic plasticine dude came by Firebox HQ today to be photographed and boy-oh-boy were we happy to see the little fella.  Put it this way, we couldn't shut him up! "Burbba" this, "Behh Behh" that, he was quite amusing.

Didn't he burn in that fire?
Nope. Apparently he didn't burn in the recent Aardman fire, but the box he was stored in was burnt. So it is a miracle he lived to tell the tale really. It's purely coincidence that he came to FIREbox.

Wow. So how's he doing?
Morph is getting older now and doesn't make many public appearances, but he told us he still enjoys drawing (with a very big pencil) and sleeping in his wooden watercolour box.

But what about the other guy he hung around with?
What Tony?

No the angry one! Dave?!?
Chas! Well he didn't really mention him to be honest. Who knows? They might have sorted out their disagreements.

So then what happened?
Well, several pics and cold drinks later and it was time for him to make his way back home to Bristol. Needless to say we were well chuffed to meet him.

When do we get to meet him?
Soon. How about Christmas?

Morph is coming to Firebox. So stay tuned!

Listen to an interview by BBC Bristol with one of Morph's creators Peter Lord here.

FACT: Did you know that the idea of Morph came about because BBC Producers wanted something to 'jolly up' Tony Harts show.

Oprah Winfrey Flips Out!

That got your attention! She does kinda 'Flip' out but using a Flip Digital Video Camera of course. And guess what you lucky people? We sell them! We got 3 colours to choose from: pink, black and silver.

Everyone is talking about this little beauty and it's already taken America by storm. Even Oprah has got one and she was surprised how easy it is to use.

And a little closer to home is our Chief Executive, Michael Smith who has filmed a nice review for us

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