TFI Friday

*TFI Friday*
TFI Friday
Genre	Entertainment
Written by	Danny Baker (1996–2000); Chris Evans (2015, 2026)
Presented by	Chris Evans; Guest presenters (2000)
Theme music composer	Ron Grainer
Opening theme	Theme from Man in a Suitcase
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	7
No. of episodes	200
Production
Production locations	Riverside Studios (1996–2000); Cochrane Theatre (2015); The News Building (2026)
Running time	60 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production companies	Ginger Productions (1996–2000); Monkey Kingdom (2015); Olga TV (2015); Virgin Radio UK (2026)
Original release
Network	Channel 4
Release	9 February 1996 –; 22 December 2000
Release	16 October –; 31 December 2015
Network	Virgin Radio UK; Channel 4
Release	6 February 2026 –; present
Related
	OFI Sunday

TFI Friday (Thank Four It's Friday),^[2] known as TFI Unplugged since 2026, is an entertainment show that was broadcast on Channel 4 television in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2000, with a revival series in 2015, and on Virgin Radio UK since 2026.

It was produced by Ginger Productions, written by Danny Baker, and hosted by Chris Evans, for the first five series. The sixth series was hosted by several guest presenters. The show was broadcast on Fridays at 6pm from 9 February 1996 to 22 December 2000, with a repeat later that night. Its theme tune was Ron Grainer's theme from Man in a Suitcase, in keeping with Evans' frequent use of 1960s television themes in his work.

In September 2005, Evans announced that he would be returning the TFI Friday format to TV, with OFI Sunday airing on ITV. The first edition was broadcast on 20 November 2005 but was not as successful and quickly axed. A one-off revival episode of TFI Friday was broadcast on Channel 4 on 12 June 2015. The episode was well-received; on 23 June 2015, Channel 4 announced that it had commissioned a full revived series, which began airing on 16 October 2015.

In 2016, Channel 4 announced that there were no plans for any further series; however, in April 2026, the broadcaster picked up episodes of the Virgin Radio podcast version.^[3]

Format

The show regularly featured live music, mostly of the then-popular Britpop school. A snippet of "The Riverboat Song" by Ocean Colour Scene, a band particularly championed by Evans (and the very first band to play on the show, with the same song), was used as an introduction to guests, as they walked the length of a walkway up into the "bar" to be interviewed by the host.

Viewers repeatedly asked if they could have the TFI Friday mug (or one like it) that graced Evans' table every week, so the production company created a limited run of 1,000 mugs. These were offered for sale at a prohibitive price and for a limited period, after which the remaining stock was destroyed live on air when a washing machine was dropped on to them from the height of the television studio.

During November and December 1999, the show included a segment titled "Someone's Going to Be a Millionaire!", inspired by the ITV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (which would not have its first million-pound winner until November 2000). TFI Friday paid out the promised £1 million jackpot on 24 December 1999, becoming the first British TV show to do so.

Regular features

Features on the show included:

Freak or Unique – Every week, there would be five people waiting outside the studio, of whom three would be selected to show off a special if freakish talent (such as juicing an orange with their shoulders, or The Girl Who Cried Milk). A running gag throughout the run was the "Incredibly Tall Old Lady" who would always be waiting outside the studio. She was never nominated (mainly because it was obviously an old woman standing on a box).
Baby Left Baby Right – A small child was placed on a cushion and the guest was asked which way it might fall.
Fat lookalikes – People who looked like fat versions of celebrities which was then followed in later series by Asian lookalikes.
What Does the Fat Bloke Do? – An overweight man was invited on set and asked about his occupation, before dancing and leaving.
Comment from the Cafe – Evans would rope in Cedric (the proprietor of a local eatery) to perform various embarrassing skits. Cedric became famous for his catchphrase "Hellooooooooo!" and wooden acting.
Ugly Blokes – Unattractive gentlemen would have the opportunity to turn down the amorous advances of a "gorgeous girl" (Catalina Guirado). A photo of footballer Peter Beardsley was shown during the "Ugly Bloke" theme tune.
It's Your Letters – A wide assortment of viewers' letters (this was introduced by a burst of Reef's "Place Your Hands", re-recorded for the show with the words "It's Your Letters" replacing the original chorus of "Put your hands on").
Fishbowl Challenge – A goldfish in a bowl would have two toy bridges for company. Which would it swim under first?
Another running gag was directed at the show's producer, Will Macdonald (aka Wicked Will of MTV's Most Wanted fame), in which everyone in the bar would point their fingers, begin to swivel them and chant "Wiiillll" very creepily.
Will: Pub Genius – Will Macdonald would demonstrate a trick that could be performed using tools commonly found in a pub.
Wooden Bird with Purple Hair – Chris Evans would amuse the audience with a small nodding wooden woodpecker (with purple hair), that slid down a pole whilst an accompanying song was played.
The Lord of Love – The veteran actor Ronald Fraser dressed in a quilted smoking jacket would recite love poems to girls in the audience.
Wurthers – The show's cue card man. He became a frequent star of the show alongside Chris, during the last series of the show in which he was the host. At the start of every show, they would both engage in telling a joke working alongside each other, with Wurthers finishing the joke with "I'm only joking of course!", with Chris then replying "He's only joking of course!". This became a frequent running gag before eventually fading out, with this being replaced with Chris sending Wurthers out on a task. The first and most memorable of these was sending him outside to look for a mini driver, while it was raining. Near the end of the show, he found one and told her to say hello to the actor Minnie Driver, by waving at the camera who was at the same time being interviewed on the show with David Duchovny. The segment was originally a one-off, before being made a regular feature on the show.
Show Us Your Face Then – Someone in a football mascot outfit is introduced to the audience and invited to show them their real face.
Sink or Swim – The studio audience (and viewers) were invited to speculate as to whether a chosen animal (e.g. a mouse or a snake) would sink or swim in a fish tank. To gasps of concern from the audience, the mouse turned out to be a good swimmer.

Swearing

The show attracted controversy when Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder appeared on the second episode of the first series, and slipped out the word "fuck" during his interview on the show. A week later, Ewan McGregor also slipped out the word "fuck" on the show, when ranting about the Conservative government of the time.^[4] A month later, Shaun Ryder was invited back on the show to do a Stars in Their Eyes skit. Ryder performed (as Johnny Rotten) the Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant".^[5] The section was transmitted live, as it was not an interview.^[

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