Ahh, just when I thought I was getting a grip on my rampant nostalgia trip, BBC 2 broadcasts a look back at the brilliant Reeves & Mortimer ‘quiz show’ Shooting Stars, prior to a one-off return of the show to mark the 15th anniversary of its first broadcast (15 years?! Oh my God, I’m so old, we all looked so young, etc…) Anyway, I really don’t mind being reminded of the fact that I used to view the approach of my 25th birthday as a sign that I was growing old (as opposed to my 35th) if it means being reminded quite how funny a lot of Shooting Stars was.

Anyone who didn’t live in the UK during the 90s will probably be bafled as to why a ridiculously surreal quiz show which featured hosts who resembled Morecambe & Wise on acid, team captains including a 50s throwback and Ulrika “She’s football crazy, she’s football mad, I can’t think of a footballer Ulrika hasn’t had” Jonsson, a pre-Little Britain Matt Lucas* dressed as an abusive baby and team regular Johhny Vegas, whose main job seemed to be getting drunk on Guinness before being made to run around, was so popular.

Well, check out this sample question, and this compilation clip.

Bob Mortimer: True or false: Bill Cosby was the world’s first black man.
Johnny Vegas: False.
Bob Mortimer: Of course it’s false. Sydney Poitier was the first black man.

I particularly remember being reduced to tears of laughter by the dance you’ll find at  1.10 and the song at 1.35. Truly, a baked potato made my day better.

*I’ve just noticed that David Walliams also seems to have featured.

Shooting star imageby friggy 30 on flickr