Play DJ
Contents |
Host
Amy Garcia
Emma Lee
Nigel Mitchell
Mark Ryes
Ruth Frances
Tim Dixon
Greg Scott
Yiolanda Koppel
Co-hosts
Kirsty Duffy (guest, 1 programme)
Broadcast
Two Way TV for ITV Play, 11 December 2005 - 5 March 2007
Synopsis
Imagine a television programme where the daily production budget doesn't even run to a packet of Tic Tacs, where the cost of playing the entire game is actually 20 times the amount you pay when you make just one entry in a premium-rate phone-in quiz and where you hear Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol too many times to mention.
That was pretty much 'Play DJ' in a nutshell.
Broadcast from from a Broom Cupboard-esque studio using 3 webcams, Play DJ was the ultra-cheap and ultra-depressing in participation television. You only had to watch five minutes of the thing to see that two people were playing the games the whole time.
These games were naturally derived from ITV Playalong, which was simply the automated text-based quizzes and word puzzles that were run during ITV Play's downtime. Izit, Buzzwords, Quiz Time and Crack The Code made up the pack.
An earlier iteration of the show saw Nigel Mitchell turn up on weekend mornings to provide a live voiceover and invite viewers to send text messages.
The switch to in-vision led to an assortment of mini-Quizzes and bonus prize games such as Money Multiplier, Mini Bingo and Letter Cash. The presenters would also play songs when they had run out of things to say, hence the DJ format.
But despite this (and the presence of Greg Scott), it didn't stop Play DJ from remaining such a pitiful show. There was also a text chat bar for viewers which made for uncomfortable viewing when certain presenters were greeted by slightly disturbing messages from certain fans.
Play DJ breathed its last upon the suspension of the ITV Play channel, which quickly gave way to closure - ironically, what turned out to be its last show boasted a slightly revamped studio and a return to its former teatime slot and a slight admission that even they weren't sure if they would return.
Key moments
The dominance of the entire show held by such devoted players like Caitlynsdad, Cuddlebunny and Cheeky G (who now runs a Play DJ fansite on MySpace)
The numerous technical breakdowns and late starts that forced the show off air to be replaced by Playalong, which was the same as Play DJ, except there was no live presentation! Incidentally, unlike any of the ITV Play shows, Playalong lasted from the opening to the closing of the channel.
Trivia
Eight months after the show signed off (with a 'See you tomorrow' endcap), Play DJ won the AFDESI International Television award for Best Mobile Interactive TV Application.
The show's gallery producers (as namechecked by the hosts so many times) were Neil, Natalie and Andrew Radio Rendle (Nigel Mitchell's best mate).
Play DJ spun-off into a late night show called Play DJ Late, funnily enough.
The programme was moved around in the schedules a lot (and found itself covering much of the day's schedule). It started in a simple 6-8pm slot on weekdays before it began broadcasting on weekends for 4 hours, between 10am and 2pm. Eventually, it ran for as many as eight hours on weekdays and 13 hours at weekends. The final show aired - on ITV Play's last day of full broadcasting - in its old 6pm slot.
One of its lesser known presenters, Amy Garcia, would go onto become the main anchor of BBC Yorkshire's regional news programme, Look North.
