Series synopsis
Banzai is a British comedy television series that premiered on E4 on January 18, 2001. It ended on May 15, 2003. It stars Bill Murray, Burt Kwouk and Tadao Tomomatsu.
Banzai was a British comedy gambling gameshow spoofing Japanese gameshows and general television style. It was produced by Radar, part of RDF Media. Each segment of the show was a silly or bizarre contest. Members of the viewing audience were encouraged to bet with each other on the outcome of each segment.
The pseudo-Japanese characters seen on screen during the programme are meaningless.
Premise
Banzai was a British comedy gambling gameshow spoofing Japanese gameshows and general television style. It was produced by Radar, part of RDF Media. Each segment of the show was a silly or bizarre contest. Members of the viewing audience were encouraged to bet with each other on the outcome of each segment.
The pseudo-Japanese characters seen on screen during the programme are meaningless.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
Guest cast
Episodes
This series spans 4 seasons with 28 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 2 | May 15, 2003 | May 15, 2003 |
| Season 1 | 10 | January 18, 2001 | December 24, 2001 |
| Season 2 | 8 | November 13, 2001 | January 2, 2002 |
| Season 3 | 8 | March 27, 2003 | May 15, 2003 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jubilee Special | May 15, 2003 |
| 2 | Super Video Show - The Hidden Naughty Naughty Bet Bit | May 15, 2003 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Pilot An Animal Scientific Experiment In the name of scientific progress, scientists will find out how many helium ballons it will take to lift Larry the chicken off the ground. Will it be A: 30 B: 60 C: 90 D: 120 Nothing happens at 30 and 60 only makes him hover. The answer is C. We salute Larry for his sacrifice in the name of science. Mr. Shake Hands Man How long will it take for Kelsey Grammar to pull away from Mr. Shake Hands Man? Will it be A: 0 - 30 seconds B: 31 - 60 seconds C: 61 - 90 seconds D: 91 - 120 seconds The shaking and questioning begins. Kelsey eventually escapes using a classic sumo get-out manuever and clocks out at 40.1 seconds, so the answer is B. The Shuffle Of The Sinful Ladies Three similar-looking geishas stand in a row. Two of them are pure and wear white panties, however, one is a devil woman and wears red panties. The girls all shuffle around. Which one wears the red panties? Is it A, B, or C? It is C. Ye Olde Supermarket Trolley Joust |
January 18, 2001 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Men of Fire - War of Water Two firefighters, Ken and Peter, will face-off in a firehose water duel. Both must fire their high powered water hoses at each other and try to knock the other down. The duel starts. Peter starts off strong with a stable stance and a steady aim. Ken can't keep his balance and sprays off target. Peter knocks Ken down and wins easily. Mr. Shake Hands Man How long will it take for Bill Murray to pull away from Mr. Shake Hands Man at the ""Osmosis Jones"" premiere? Will it be A: 0 - 30 seconds B: 31 - 60 seconds C: 61 - 90 seconds D: 91 - 120 seconds The shaking begins and so does the timer. Bill seems to be enjoying the shaking and answers questions and tells jokes. Another reporter even questions Bill, but Bill keeps shaking! They're still shaking past the 80 second mark, setting new records left and right! But, oh no, Bill pulls away at 89.2 seconds. The answer is C. The Michael Jacksons Reverse Race Rendezvous Three Michael Jackson impersonat |
January 23, 2001 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Some of the scenarios in this episode include: Wig Man Wager, Wheel of Misfortune, Riveting Race with Genuine Babies, Dodgem with Blind Ladies, Baffling Briefcase Bet and Fantastic Freddy Man Flutter. |
January 25, 2001 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | November 13, 2001 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | November 20, 2001 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | November 27, 2001 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | March 27, 2003 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | April 3, 2003 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | April 10, 2003 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | E4 |
|---|---|
| First aired | January 18, 2001 |
| Last aired | May 15, 2003 |
| Runtime | 30 minutes |
| Status | Ended |