Gary (talk show)

Gary was a British talk show that aired each Monday through Thursday at 11:00 p.m. on Sunlight Television in the United Kingdom. The programme premiered on 21 March 2000, and was hosted by actor and filmmaker, accompanied by his sidekick. Describing itself as a traditional late-night talk show, Gary drew its comedy from recent news stories, political figures and prominent celebrities, as well as aspects of the show itself.

In November 2006, Sunlight Television announced that the show would air its final episode in March 2007, as they were planning to close its operations on 1 April; the series finale aired on 21 March 2007.

Structure
Gary initially followed the established six-piece late-night format popularized by American evening talk show hosts such as, and. Each episode of Gary runs 60 minutes in length, including commercials, and typically consists of:


 * Act 1: Monologue
 * Act 2: Comedy Bit(s)
 * Act 3: Celebrity Interview 1
 * Act 4: Celebrity Interview 1 continued
 * Act 5: Celebrity Interview 2
 * Act 6: Musical or Stand-Up Comedy Guest, Signoff

Guests come from a wide range of cultural sources, and include actors, musicians, authors, athletes and political figures.

Opening titles
The original hour-long show opened with Richter proclaiming "Coming to you from the Liquidstorm Studios in New Cross, it's Gary!", and introducing Oldman,, as well as the episode's guests. For the first several seasons, each episode had a title, which Hargreaves would announce at the end of the opening sequence. The titles were in the style of old fashioned murder-mystery radio shows, television sitcoms, or other assorted jokes.

The original title sequence was designed by Rob Ashe and Archibald Richardson. There were several different variations of the opening credits, with the final product being inspired by graphic designer. The opening design process was described by Ashe as utilizing "organic-looking textures made of construction paper, soak them in soda, and light them in Photoshop."

Monologue
Oldman opened each episode with a monologue drawing from current news stories and issues. The monologue was sometimes accompanied by clips and brief comedy skits, in addition to occasional interactions between Oldman and Hargreaves, and the audience.

Sketches and comedy bits
One or more comedy bits followed the monologue. Following the monologue, some comedy bits (such as those based on video clips) were presented from the monologue stage. Following the first commercial break, additional comedy sketches were typically presented from the desk area. Some sketches were original and appeared only once. Occasionally an additional sketch would air between the first and second guest.