Ah Celebrity Juice
I sometimes wonder how this programme was pitched to ITV execs? Was it pitched as a post modern humorous, but ironic take on celebrity culture and ingrained misogynistic behaviour in the entertainment industry. Or was it sold as a Quiz show with loads of banter, piss taking, celebs and loads of nicely stacked ladies for the lads.
I suspect it was sold as something close to the former but what we have got is definitely close to the latter. Leigh Francis in his role as Keith Lemon revels in his role as probably the most politically incorrect TV celebrity since the late Benny Hill. Alongside Keith are regulars Holly Willoughby or as she is known on the show Holly Willough-booby (no explanation needed here) and Fearne Cotton seemingly less favoured by Lemon for being less favoured in the ways that appeal to him.
Celebrity Juice has been phenomenally successful for ITV2, bringing in close to 2 million viewers per show. It has however divided wider opinion, while clearly a lot of people love its humour and banter, there are also people who worry about what they see as its over indulgence in lewd school yard humour the sort we last saw with the late Benny Hill.
If the lewd humour offends you, then last night’s episode would have left you apoplectic. Fearne Cotton is off having a baby, and drafted in as her replacement was Kelly Brook. Now Kelly Brook is ample in a similar way to Holly Willoughby possibly even more so and the appearance of both of them on the show seemed to send Keith into an overdrive of bawdy behaviour.
Does it matter that Holly and Kelly both seemed “up for it”? Holly in particular I would assume doesn’t have to do this show. She co-hosts two of ITV’s flagship programme’s This Morning and Dancing on Ice, and even managed to get a gig on rival BBC as well as the host of The Voice. So why you might ask does she feel she needs to take part in a programme where she is blindfolded and a prosthetic male organ waved in her face?
She is either operating on a level of irony that we mere mortals can only aspire to or she is pretty much ready to do anything for a laugh.
Personally I enjoy Celebrity Juice but I am not sure I should. It is like having a double cream filled chocolate doughnut from Krispy Kreme, lovely but you somehow know it is not to be encouraged.
Did you watch it? 