Alan Carr’s back in There’s Something About Movies

WHEN it comes to blockbuster panel shows look no further than There’s Something About Movies. Sky One’s movie-focused quiz is back for a third series and packs as much of a punch as all the Rocky sequels put together. 

Or maybe that should be punchlines, as the focus is on laughter. Alan Carr is perfectly cast as the playful host; national treasure Jennifer Saunders and chameleon actor Michael Sheen co-star as rival captains; and stand-up comedian Tom Allen gets special billing as a regular panellist. 

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Guests in the latest run are drawn from the movie world as well as comedy and television, and all slot in neatly. The first show includes big-screen buff Jonathan Ross, who clearly knows his Bond from his Bourne, and Gemma Arterton, soon to be seen in The King’s Man alongside Ralph Fiennes. Trainspotting legend Kelly Macdonald is also lined up for an appearance. 

There is plenty of scope for gossip and giggles, with a series of rounds in which teams have a chance to demonstrate their knowledge of movies. Or failing that, just have a guess and crack a joke. 

Weekly highlights are the hilarious recreations of classic scenes. In the first episode Gemma Arterton is Dorothy to Tom Allen’s Scarecrow in a Wizard of Oz update, and, once you've read Alan Carr on Jennifer Saunders in the interview below, you will be desperate to see her as Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker. 

Michael Sheen excels at impersonating stars, whether it’s football manager Brian Clough in The Damned United, Chris Tarrant in Quiz, or former Prime Minister Tony Blair in The Queen. 

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And Alan Carr is always happy to send himself up. Anyone who saw him in stockings and suspenders in the reworking of Reservoir Dogs in series two may be wondering what he wears under his desk in series three. 

What is best of all is the combination of guests who clearly love films but also love making us giggle. You never know, you might even learn something. Who knew that Vin Diesel was a Dungeons and Dragons fan, as revealed in a past Bizarre Hobbies round. 

You could call it a quiz, but it is more a celebration of movies. Lights, camera, action. Get ready to laugh. But first, see what Alan had to say about his favourite moments from the series... 

What was your favourite moment from the last series – and what highlights should we look out for in the new one? 

My favourite moment has to be our version of The Shape of Water. Phil Wang and I recreated that iconic scene where Sally Hawkins kisses the Merman underwater. It was filmed at Pinewood Studios in the underwater tank where they filmed James Bond’s underwater scenes and Jurassic World, so I felt like a proper movie star. That’s the great thing about There’s Something About Movies: they never do anything by halves. They even hired out the Natural History Museum to recreate a Beauty and the Beast scene, with Tom Allen as the beast and Rob Beckett as the beauty… yes, you do really have to use your imagination for that one, but it’s just brilliant. I am a bit ticked off that they never asked me to be the candlestick.  

This series is jam-packed with movie parodies, from Alien and E.T. to Shaun of the Dead, but wait until you see Jennifer Saunders and Michael Sheen recreating Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker scene where he dances on the stairs in downtown Gotham. We filmed it off the Mall, next to Buckingham Palace – the tourists didn’t know what had hit them. It’s brilliant! 

How much is scripted and how much is improvised on the spot? 

The parodies are scripted, obviously, but the chat and banter in the studio is totally off-the-cuff. Due to the coronavirus we couldn’t have an audience but it worked in our favour because Jennifer, Michael, Tom and me get on so well that when the panellists joined us it just seemed like they were guests at our dinner party. I’ve learned as a chat show host the more at ease the guests are, the juicier the gossip that slips out. Hehe!
Do you ever get starstruck by the guests? 

I think as you get older you get slightly less starstruck because, without getting too deep, you actually realise everyone is the same. We’ve had some cracking guests on nevertheless: Tim Roth, Lily Collins and Florence Pugh, who went on to be Oscar-nominated this year. But for me, when we had Matt Dillon and Matthew Broderick on, I did get a little bit giddy. I had a crush on Matt Dillon when I was younger and, if I’m honest, I probably still do now, and Ferris Bueller‘s Day Off is one of my favourite films. We had such a laugh with Matthew. He invited me and Tom Allen to see his new play in the West End. We went along and met him afterwards and his delightful wife Sarah Jessica Parker, which of course made me and Tom get sooooo excited! So to answer your question – yes, we did get starstruck.
Do you suggest the film scenes that are recreated? Can you give us any hints of who plays who in the new series? 

I don’t suggest actual film recreations, but I will suggest jokes and maybe swerve them away from any full-frontal nudity that the writers have added for a cheap laugh. When you work with someone like Tom Allen, it's a real gift –he is just naturally funny. When we recreated Tom Hanks in Castaway, we washed up on the beach on a makeshift raft with scraggly wigs and a loincloth and someone reported us to the Coastguard thinking we were illegal immigrants. I’m sure they have clothes and hair products in France but, anyway, sometimes funny things just happen that are out of our control.
What is it like working with team captain Jennifer Saunders? How does she differ from previous captain Micky Flanagan? 

I was gutted when Micky Flanagan couldn’t do the second series but when I heard he was being replaced by Jennifer Saunders, I knew we were in safe hands. Mickey and Jennifer are both hysterically funny, but the one thing in Jennifer's favour is that she has appeared in a lot of movies throughout her career, and for a movie show that’s a real bonus. I do feel sorry for Jennifer though because we keep digging out these embarrassing scenes, some quite sexual, and she ends up bright red watching them between her fingers. 

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What's your all-time favourite movie and why? 

Rita, Sue and Bob Too – this is a proper Eighties film that I have watched over and over again, and do you know what? I always notice something new every time. A wonderful cast, brilliant acting, and the type of film that, sadly, we just don’t make in Britain any more. It really reminds me of growing up in Northampton.