The BBC's Best Loved Sitcom
| Chums | |
 | |
| Created by | Zoe Ball Bill Todman Jr. |
| Directed by | Jonny Campbell |
| Written by | Steven Moffat |
| Presented by | {{{presenter}}} |
| Starring | Ant McPartlin Cat Deeley Declan Donnelly |
| Judges | {{{judges}}} |
| Voices of | {{{voices}}} |
| Theme music composer | Jerry Goldsmith and Andy Love |
| opentheme | Chums Theme |
| endtheme | Chums Theme (instrumental) |
| Executive Producer | Fenton Bailey Zoe Ball Bill Todman Jr. |
| Producer | Mark Hall |
| Production location | The London Studios |
| Production company | Bailey-Ball-Todman Productions |
| Distributor | Passion Distribution |
| First Channel | CITV |
| Air Date | 4 September 1999 - 27 December 2003 |
Chums was a series of Sketches, parodying popular American sitcom Friends. The series saw Cat, Katy, Diane, Ant, Dec and Tony playing fictionalised versions of themselves, living together in a Newcastle-based flat.
Format
Each episode of Chums is around five minutes long, following a narrative unique to the episode itself. The opening moments show the freeze frame, from the previous episode, as to remind viewers of what had happened "previously on Chums." The titles (a spoof of the Friends title sequence) then roll and a new storyline will begins, often preceeded with the narrator joking as to the sketch's live audience - eg: "Chums is filmed before a... hive studio audience," followed by the sound of bees. For the final episode aired on 27th December 2003 as part of the final edition of SMTV Live airs on ITV, the narrator says "Chums is filmed for the last time ever," followed by the studio audience groans.
Each episode features a fight behind the sofa, often between Ant, Dec and Tony, which ultimately ends in Ant losing and being sent 'upstairs.' This gives Dec an opportunity to attempt to kiss Cat but his attempts are always interrupted by a new celebrity neighbour's visiting. The scene climaxes on a cliffhanger of some sort, prompting a 'freeze frame' where the cast freeze their positions, giving the illusion that the video itself has been paused. The narrator then adds to this drama, leaving a hook for the audience to "Find out in next week's episode of Chums." However, the cliffhanger would usually be resolved quite quickly (in some cases, during the recap voice over) and would end up having little bearing, if any, on the next episode.
Recurring Themes
- Fight Behind the Sofa
- Celebrity Appearances
- Tony and Cat kiss
Episodes
Main article: List of Chums episodes
Characters
Main article: List of Chums characters
The One with Buds characters
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