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Stars in Their Eyes

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This article is about the ITV television show. For the New Zealand version, see Stars in Their Eyes (New Zealand TV series). For the Just Jack song, see Starz in Their Eyes.

Stars in Their Eyes
GenreTalent show
Created byJoop van den Ende
Based onSoundmixshow
Presented byLeslie Crowther (1990–1992)
Russ Abbot (1993 Elvis special)
Matthew Kelly (1993–2004)
Davina McCall (2003 specials)
Cat Deeley (2003–2006)
Harry Hill (2015)
Voices ofAndrew Brittain
Peter Dickson
Sally Lindsay
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series17
No. of episodes209 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time30 minutes (1990–93)
45 minutes (1994–2006)
65 minutes (2015)
Production companiesGranada / ITV Studios in association with
  • J. E. Entertainment and Action Time (1990–2006)
  • Initial (2015)
Original release
NetworkITV
Release21 July 1990 (1990-07-21) –
14 February 2015 (2015-02-14)
Related
Starstruck (2022–2023)
Stars in Their Eyes: Kids

Stars in Their Eyes is a British television talent series, based on Joop van den Ende's Dutch format Soundmixshow. It featured a singing contest in which members of the public impersonate showbiz stars.

The show premiered on 21 July 1990 and initially ran until 23 December 2006. It was produced by Granada for ITV and originally presented by Leslie Crowther. Matthew Kelly took over in May 1993, before he was replaced by Cat Deeley in April 2004. An Elvis Presley special hosted by Russ Abbot aired in January 1993, as well as 2003 specials hosted by Davina McCall. A number of celebrity specials and a children's spin-off series were also aired during the original run.

A six-part revival hosted by Harry Hill aired from 10 January 2015 to 14 February 2015, but it was later axed by ITV due to low ratings and poor reviews.[1] In 2022, the format was revived as Starstruck.

History

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A series of non-televised pilots were filmed in 1989 hosted by Chris Tarrant.[2] However, in February 1990, Leslie Crowther was chosen as the host of the show which began airing on 21 July 1990. Crowther hosted the first three series, and a Christmas Special in 1991. At the time of his car accident in October 1992, he was booked to record an Elvis Presley special (which was later hosted by Russ Abbot) and a fourth series (later hosted by Matthew Kelly) in 1993.[3]

It then became clear that Crowther would not be able to return. He announced his retirement from showbusiness in November 1994 and died 2 years later. Therefore, Kelly hosted the show until the live grand final of the 15th series on 13 March 2004.[4] Kelly announced a few days earlier that he would quit the show in order to pursue his acting career full-time.[5] Kelly also hosted the 2001 pilot episode,[6] and first series of the kids version in 2002.[7]

In January 2003, Kelly was arrested by police over allegations of child sex abuse resulting in Davina McCall temporarily guest hosting the show for three celebrity specials that were broadcast the following month.[8] Kelly returned after the charges were dropped.[9]

Cat Deeley, who previously took over as host of the kids' version in 2003,[10] was Kelly's replacement for the final adult series in 2005.[11] Deeley also hosted several celebrity specials in 2004.[12] In June 2006, ITV denied reports that the series was facing the axe although admitted that the future of the show was being discussed.[13][14] Deeley hosted the show until its final episode in December 2006; the show was then axed by ITV.

The most impersonated stars are Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Cher, George Michael, Celine Dion, Kylie Minogue and Madonna.

2015 revival

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Harry Hill took over as host on 10 January 2015, with all episodes pre-recorded and the winner of each show again voted for by the studio audience.

The revival proved divisive – fans of the original format were critical of it, saying that Harry Hill had made the show about him rather than the contestants; while others acknowledged that the revival was a post-modern parody of the original, with its knowing ridicule of talent show cliches such as terrible performances being overpraised, and the actions of the presenter receiving high editorial focus to distract from the outdated performance element being thinly stretched.[15] Each episode features Harry being pursued by Adele (really a look-alike) for being in possession of her baby and she would comically chase him until she got the baby back.

In April 2015, it was announced that due to poor viewing figures, ITV would not be renewing the show for another series, and it was axed.[16]

2022 return as Starstruck

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Main article: Starstruck (2022 TV series)

Format

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Stars in Their Eyes is a talent show where contestants get the chance to appear and sing live as a famous singer. The show is most importantly a 'soundalike' show, but they are also dressed up to look as close as possible to the singer they are impersonating, often with wigs and heavy makeup. Each contestant would walk through 'smoky' doors before instantly reappearing dressed up as their chosen star.

Heats

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The contestants appear firstly as themselves, talking briefly to the host about their lives and giving clues as to who they are going to be performing as, finishing with the now famous catchphrase 'Tonight [presenter name] I'm going to be...' The contestants then disappear through the equally famous doors and reappear as the famous singer they are going to impersonate, seemingly instantly.

At the end of the show, the studio audience vote for their favourite, and the winner is announced. The winners from each show in the series return for the grand final to perform once more.

Grand Final & Live Grand Final

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1990–1992, 2015

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In the original Leslie Crowther version and 2015 revival, the grand finals were pre-recorded, and the winner of the whole series was voted for by the studio audience at the end of the show. The first series final in 1990 also had a celebrity panel, consisting of Joe Longthorne, Sally Dynevor and Pete Waterman, who gave their opinions after each performance.[17]

1993–2006

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When Matthew Kelly took over, the grand finals were broadcast live, and the winner of the whole series was voted for by the viewing public through the phone lines and in later years online as well. The winner was announced later that same evening in a separate broadcast.

The same process applied during Cat Deeley's tenure as host.

Episode guide

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Main article: List of Stars in Their Eyes episodes

Champions

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Regular series

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Junior series

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Transmissions

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Main series

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Series Start date End date Episodes Host
1 21 July 1990 25 August 1990 6 Leslie Crowther
2 8 June 1991 13 July 1991 6
3 22 February 1992 28 March 1992 6
4 22 May 1993 24 July 1993 10 Matthew Kelly
5 14 May 1994 16 July 1994 10
6 6 May 1995 8 July 1995 10
7 2 March 1996 25 May 1996 13
8 15 March 1997 7 June 1997 13
9 21 March 1998 13 June 1998 13
10 13 March 1999 5 June 1999 13
11 11 March 2000 20 May 2000 11
12 23 September 2000 2 December 2000 11
13 5 May 2001 14 July 2001 11
14 16 February 2002 27 April 2002 11
15 3 January 2004 13 March 2004 11
16 15 January 2005 26 March 2005 11 Cat Deeley
17 10 January 2015 14 February 2015 6 Harry Hill

Stars in Their Eyes: Kids

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Series Start date End date Episodes Host
Pilot 21 July 2001 1 Matthew Kelly
1 31 August 2002 5 October 2002 6
2 5 April 2003 31 May 2003 9 Cat Deeley
3 20 March 2004 15 May 2004 9
4 21 January 2006 18 March 2006 9

Specials

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A number of different specials were aired during the course of the show's original run, the majority of which featured celebrities as the contestants.

Non-celebrity

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Date Entitle Host
28 December 1991 Christmas Special Leslie Crowther
15 February 1992 Highlights Special
2 January 1993 Elvis Special Russ Abbot
1 January 1994 Christmas Special Matthew Kelly
7 May 1994 Favourites Special
24 December 1994 Winners Special
23 December 1995 Christmas Special
30 October 1999 Champion of Champions Special
26 December 2000 Christmas Special
14 April 2001 Stars in Euro Eyes
25 December 2001 Christmas Special
26 October 2002 European Championships (Part 1)
2 November 2002 European Championships (Part 2)
7 January 2006 Family Special Cat Deeley

Celebrity

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Date Entitle Host
2 December 1998 Celebrity Special Matthew Kelly
9 October 1999 Celebrity Special
1 January 2000 Celebrity Special
1 July 2000 Celebrity Special
16 September 2000 Celebrity Special
6 October 2001 Popstars in their Eyes Special
24 November 2001 Coronation Street Special
4 May 2002 Celebrity Divas Special
11 May 2002 Coronation Street Special
17 August 2002 Popstars Special
12 October 2002 Celebrity Special
28 December 2002 Celebrity Christmas Special
1 February 2003 Legends Special Davina McCall
8 February 2003 Coronation Street Special
22 February 2003 Soapstars Special
16 August 2003 I'm a Celebrity Special Matthew Kelly
23 August 2003 Soapstars Special
27 December 2003 Christmas Celebrity Special
24 April 2004 Celebrity Special Cat Deeley
1 May 2004 Soapstars Special
8 May 2004 Celebrity Special
26 June 2004 Celebrity Special
3 July 2004 Soapstars Special
17 July 2004 Celebrity Special
18 December 2004 Celebrity Special
2 April 2005 Celebrity Special
23 July 2005 Celebrity Special
30 July 2005 Soapstars Special
6 August 2005 Reality TV Stars Special
13 August 2005 Celebrity Special
24 December 2005 Celebrity Duets
25 March 2006 Celebrity Special
1 April 2006 Celebrity Special
8 April 2006 Celebrity Special
23 December 2006 Celebrity Special

Reception

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Ratings and awards

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It is still one of Britain's most successful shows of all time, attracting around 13 million viewers for the live grand final at the end of each series. It has one of the most memorable catchphrases in British TV history: 'Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be...’ and was named Most Popular Entertainment Programme at the National Television Awards in 1996, 1998,[28] 1999[29] and 2000.[30] The show was nominated for the same award again in 1997, 2001[31] and 2002[32] but lost out to other ITV shows (An Evening With Lily Savage in 1997, My Kind of Music in 2001 and Pop Idol in 2002).

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Harry Hill's Stars in Their Eyes: Has it been axed by ITV?". Digital Spy. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  2. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Tarrant, Chris (1946–) Biography". Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Tonight Mathew I'm Going To Be..." British Classic Comedy. 12 May 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Street trio bid farewell to Kelly". BBC News. BBC. 14 March 2004. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  5. ^ Wilkes, Neil (9 March 2004). "Kelly quits 'Stars in their Eyes'". Digital Spy.
  6. ^ "Youngsters get their big break; Stars In Their Eyes: Kids Special ITV, 8.15pm". Daily Record. Trinity Mirror. 21 July 2001. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Stars In Their Eyes: Kids 2002". 5 September 2002. Retrieved 17 March 2020 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  8. ^ Wilkes, Neil (17 January 2003). "McCall stands in on 'Stars in Their Eyes'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Police drop Kelly abuse inquiry". BBC News. 24 February 2003.
  10. ^ "Deeley takes Kelly's Stars role". 12 March 2003. Retrieved 17 March 2020 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  11. ^ Wilkes, Neil (18 February 2005). "Cat Deeley quits 'CD:UK'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Kelly to quit Stars in Their Eyes". Irish Examiner. 13 March 2004. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  13. ^ Dowell, Ben (1 June 2006). "Stars in Their Eyes awaits ITV's verdict". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 March 2020 – via www.theguardian.com.
  14. ^ Singh, Anita (2 June 2006). "Final bow for 'Stars in Their Eyes'?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Tonight, Harry, I'm Going to be A Post-Postmodern Nightmare: The Dismal Return of 'Stars in their Eyes'". Vice. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  16. ^ "Harry Hill's Stars in Their Eyes axed after one series". Metro. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  17. ^ "Third time lucky for Stars in their Eyes on ITV?". 14 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  18. ^ "A kind of magic for Stars winner". BBC News. BBC. 21 May 2000. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  19. ^ Lister, Mark (22 May 2000). "Freddie beat Big C; Op saved Stars In Their Eyes winner". The Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  20. ^ "Stars win for opera diva". BBC News. BBC. 3 December 2000. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  21. ^ "Dusty dazzles as Stars winner". BBC News. BBC. 15 July 2001. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  22. ^ "Stars winner looks ahead". BBC News. BBC. 28 April 2002. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  23. ^ "Gordon wins European Elvis title". 10 January 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2020 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  24. ^ "Teenager wins TV talent show". BBC News. BBC. 7 October 2002. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  25. ^ "Starry-eyed Laura wins". Liverpool Echo. Trinity Mirror. 2 June 2003. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  26. ^ "Teenage singer Ashlea Pearson is looking forward to a career in showbusiness, despite failing to win a public vote in a TV talent contest". The Journal. Trinity Mirror. 17 May 2004. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  27. ^ "Stars in Their Eyes". www.georgeformby.co.uk. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  28. ^ "Barrymore makes it four in TV awards". BBC News. 28 October 1998. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  29. ^ "Thaw's double TV victory". BBC News. 27 October 1999. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  30. ^ "National Television Awards: The winners". BBC News. 10 October 2000. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  31. ^ "Top TV nomination for Barrymore". BBC News. 9 October 2001. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  32. ^ "National TV awards: 2002 shortlist". BBC News. 15 October 2002. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
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