Shooting Stars is a must for any silent cinema fan. Offering a rare insight into the workings of a 1920s film studio, there are location scenes, comic stunts and an on-set jazz band which demonstrate just what life was like in the early days of cinema. The Dove from Above" is a large prop animal suspended above the contestants merely for the purpose of bearing six key words for further questions. Guests would be prompted to "coo" down the dove. Alternatives to the dove in various series included "The Blue Suitcase" in the pilot, "The Crow from Below", "The Vest from the West", Matt Lucas as "George Dawes from the Upper Floors," "The Wonderful, Wonderful Car", "Donald Cox – The Sweaty Fox," "The Fly from Upon High" and "The Beast from the East."

In addition to the 'regulars', the panel consisted of other celebrities from music, sports, politics and other fields. Some of the most memorable episodes included members who were clearly unaware of the format; on one particularly famous episode, Dallas star Larry Hagman appeared on the show and was in a state of constant bemusement. Writing in The Guardian, Nancy Banks-Smith described him as looking "like a man in a nightmare". [1] In at least one round, an unoccupied pair of trousers will "walk" unattended across the studio. This is completely ignored by everyone else. In one episode, this is replaced by a taxidermy Great Dane which quietly drifts up behind one of the contestants' podiums. Reeves would often tell a joke, much to everyone's disappointment. The joke would always fall flat, often accompanied by tumbleweed blowing across the floor of the studio. Occasionally, someone else would tell the joke and would be met with uproarious laughter, much to Reeves' anger.Shooting Stars returned for an eighth series on 8 August 2011. It now featured Archie Andrews, a puppet who walks and "hands" the question to the contestant on the left of Ulrika. In November 2009, the first Shooting Stars DVD was released, containing the complete series 6. [2] The complete seventh series was released on DVD the following year. In November 1996 the first Shooting Stars VHS was released entitled Shooting Stars - Unviewed and Nude.

The film beautifully captured the story of brotherhood and showcased fantastic basketball shots. The well-rounded cast of Lebron James and his teammates Dru Joyce, Willie McGee, Romeo Travis, and Sian Cotton effectively portrayed the journey of the Fab 4 turning into 5. Although there were opportunities to delve deeper into the drama and emotions, the film only scratched the surface. Lucas quit the programme in the 2010 series due to scheduling conflicts with his other projects, and the role of scorekeeper was taken over by Epithemiou. The title of the show is a pun on the fact that much of the humour is at the expense of the guest stars. To prove this point, in the pilot episode at the opening song (singing "let's start Shooting Stars"), Vic and Bob are holding shotguns and fire these into the stars. In the "Dove from Above" round and subsequent versions of the round, if a contestant answers incorrectly, Vic says "UVAVU" / uː ˈ v ɑː v uː/ and pulls a silly face. If the contestant chooses a certain, prize-winning option, he pulls another face and says "ERANU" / ɪəˈr ɑː n uː/. The prize is invariably a bizarre and practically useless device.

The Dove from Above has only four categories, meaning that all are exhausted in every show. The rules for "Eranu" and "Uvavu" are still read out (usually with the final -u extended into a reference or comedy phrase), but these phrases are not actually used during the round, and no "hidden special prizes" are ever awarded in spite of Vic saying that they exist and every category of the Dove being used in every show. The phrases, and the references to a special prize, are finally dropped entirely in the last two episodes. The film clip round always included a clip that was related to the question, but the answer to the question was never shown in the film just like the lyrics of George Dawes' songs, despite Bob Mortimer as a running gag saying to watch or listen carefully. In one episode, Mark Lamarr's team were shown a clip from Citizen Smith (instead of a comedy clip created by the Shooting Stars team), and were totally unaware the question would relate directly to the clip. A serious question was asked requesting what a man's T-shirt read, only for Mark to make something up and then Vic saying his traditional "UVAVU!" wrong answer catchphrase. One of the most memorable film clips was a spoof of The Naked Chef, with Matt Lucas playing the part of Jamie Oliver, and Ulrika Jonsson playing the part of his then wife-to-be Juliette Norton. In the sketch, Lucas plays on highlighting Jamie's then constant use of the word pukka, constantly using the word while making sandwiches for a party in which he has invited his friends along (which he often used to do on his show, including the Sainsbury's adverts). He keeps saying that he'll use something later which he has discarded such as an eggshell, while Juliette twice appears asking if he would like any help, only to be turned away. At the end of the film clip, he throws a lot of chips in his motorcycle crash helmet. It was announced by Bob Mortimer on 15 November 2011 that the BBC had cancelled further series of the show. [6] The BBC have confirmed that the show has been axed. [7]

Shooting Stars returned in July 2010 for a seventh series. This series made the following further changes: The basic format of the show is that of a conventional panel game. Hosts Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer ask questions of the two teams with points awarded for "correct" answers; however, scoring is largely arbitrary. Each episode is produced by editing together excerpts of a longer session. Rounds include "true or false", the film clip round, the impressions round, and "The Dove from Above". In the impressions round, contestants have to guess what song Reeves is singing (incomprehensibly) in the style of an incoherent nightclub singer. What stood out was the film's focus on spreading the love to Lebron's teammates rather than solely centering on him. The park hoops scene gave me goosebumps, and it was great to see Marquis Mookie Cook, an actual hooper, bring realism to Lebron's size and basketball movements. Caleb McLaughlin's portrayal of Dru Joyce the 3rd was exceptional; the film made the most out of his acting talent. Shooting Stars is set in the 1990s, where a young LeBron James (Marquis "Mookie" Cook) and his three best friends -- Lil Dru (Caleb McLaughlin, Stranger Things), Willie McGee (Avery S. Wills, Jr., Swagger) and Sian Cotton (Khalil Everage, Cobra Kai)--declare themselves the "Fab Four," after the famed Michigan Wolverines' "Fab Five" of that era. From the moment we meet them, we realize this group of friends, under the guidance of coach Dru Joyce (Wood Harris; Creed franchise), is connected by more than basketball. So, when the coach at the top basketball school in their district threatens to separate them by putting Lil Dru on junior varsity, the Fab Four decide to switch schools to be able to play varsity together, joining the team at a predominantly white Catholic school instead. The community takes this as an insult, but the boys' dedication to each other is more important than anything else. With their new coach (Dermot Mulroney; August: Osage County), a disgraced former college coach seeking redemption of his own, the boys, along with former rival and new teammate Romeo Travis (newcomer Sterling "Scoot" Henderson), will face battles not only on the court but in real life, in their quest to become national champs, and will rediscover that what matters most about the game is the people playing beside you.