I always forget to catch the show, but when I do see Trigger Happy TV, I hope I'm not in the middle of doing something else, because I will fall completely awestruck in front of the TV. Fantastic humor, without going "over the top" and being stupid and ridiculous. Absolutely brilliant!
29 Reviews
Great fun, with loads of funny gags!!!!
cool_cool_118 December 2006
Trigger Happy TV (2000) was really good fun, i remember seeing it on Sky TV when it first came out, Dom Joly did some really funny stuff on this show, playing some classic practical gags on the general public.
The classic gag with the massive mobile phone, when that phone rang, he would shout "HELLO" really loud, whether he was in a library, on a train etc etc, that ring tone and phrase became very well known here in the UK, everybody was doing in for a while!! He would also play pranks on celebrities, most of the gags were really good fun, but the show did eventually run out of steam, 3 series was about the right amount, the show also had a really good soundtrack, the music was another highlight for me.
I will give Trigger Happy TV 8/10 for the funnier early episodes and the good music they used.
The classic gag with the massive mobile phone, when that phone rang, he would shout "HELLO" really loud, whether he was in a library, on a train etc etc, that ring tone and phrase became very well known here in the UK, everybody was doing in for a while!! He would also play pranks on celebrities, most of the gags were really good fun, but the show did eventually run out of steam, 3 series was about the right amount, the show also had a really good soundtrack, the music was another highlight for me.
I will give Trigger Happy TV 8/10 for the funnier early episodes and the good music they used.
Genius!
Chris-44816 April 2001
This is probably one of the funniest TV shows ever made. Trigger Happy TV, fronted by the irrepressible Dom Joly, is a programme based loosely on Candid Camera. The show is a series of sketches that focus on those little irritating things in life (mobile phones, fishermen, traffic wardens) by blowing them out of all proportion. Trigger Happy is so irreverent, so insanely unique, that you're absolutely guaranteed to laugh. What's more, the whole thing is wrapped up by a delightful "sad-rock" soundtrack which, unlike canned laughter, makes you just laugh even harder. Look out for the park-bench secret agent, the educated punk, and the door-to-door Grim Reaper in particular! Fantastic.
Trigger Happy TV
jboothmillard13 December 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I thought Jackass was a great unwritten barrel of laughs, this is even funnier. He started out on the news having amusing protests, e.g. for Teddy Bear Rights, and now British Comedy Award nominated Dom Joly has become a Channel 4 celebrity, and rightly so. He basically plays many different and hilarious characters, and plays jokes on the normal everyday public, most of the time without their knowing or understanding. The most enjoyable characters (that appear more than others) are: The Phone Guy (shouts "Hello!" after the famous ring tone), The Spy/Secret Agent, The Dogs and The Squirrels. Also, as the interviewer he has managed to meet Tony Blackburn, Ian Botham, Alice Cooper, Jason Donovan, Terry Gilliam, Bob Holness, Ken Livingstone, John McCririck, Tim Rice, Tony Robinson, Leo Sayer, Peter Stringfellow and Toyah Willcox. It was nominated the British Comedy Award for Best New TV Comedy. The Christmas Specials were number 51 on The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments, and the programme appeared twice on The 100 Greatest Funny Moments. Outstanding!
Hilarious
Daelock13 January 2003
HELLO?!!! NO, I'M COMMENTING ON TRIGGER HAPPY TV!! YES...NO!...YOU'RE BREAKING UP, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!!!! If you don't have a clue what I just did, watch an episode of Trigger Happy TV and it'll all make sense. When I first saw it, I was quick to jump to conclusions that it was just some British take on Jackass or some trash like that and quickly dismissed it. Until I really began watching it(I don't remember what originally inspired me to, I think I saw a few more previews)and found comic gold. I understand there aren't any more episodes being made, which is a real shame, but I think I smell a DVD collection certainly worth buying. His gags are smart(but not like a Frasier episode) and yet some of them are rather crude, though he almost never resorts to making jokes about farts and crap. He also never inflicts bodily harm on himself or any other, he simply messes with people's minds and that is something that is very funny to watch. I'm very glad that the episodes that made it here did, but I don't think all of them have. I think we should get at least that. Dom Joly is not a genius, he's just someone who has some hilarious ideas and a craving to mess about with the general public. His jokes mostly work with a great set up and a powerful punchline. If you haven't given it a chance, you definitely should.
Squirrel power!
vaughan.birbeck27 September 2001
Dom Joly is a genius. Playing a Traffic Warden he will use a pedestrian crossing and warn the motorist who stopped for him he has 'parked' on double yellow lines. Dressed in a striped t-shirt and eye-mask he asks an elderly couple the way to the village post-office. As a park keeper he asks an old man if he is the vandal who chopped down trees with a chainsaw during the night ("If you want to do that sort of thing, sir, get a job as a forest ranger - don't do it here, OK?").
These situations are funny but what is even funnier is: the motorist gets angry; the couple *apologise* for not knowing where the post-office is, they're just visiting; the man in the park gives an anxious account of his movements.
Are these reactions typically British? That strange desire we have not to make a fuss and stick out from the crowd? The psychology of THTV is fascinating.
My personal favourites are the squirrels - but I've given away too much already!
These situations are funny but what is even funnier is: the motorist gets angry; the couple *apologise* for not knowing where the post-office is, they're just visiting; the man in the park gives an anxious account of his movements.
Are these reactions typically British? That strange desire we have not to make a fuss and stick out from the crowd? The psychology of THTV is fascinating.
My personal favourites are the squirrels - but I've given away too much already!
Finally, an INTELLIGENT hidden-camera show!
RHPSvegas12 January 2003
Okay, I don't know what to say other than if you don't find yourself
laughing at this you either: 1. aren't intelligent enough to understand
it - or - 2. are WAY too uptight (like many of the people shown)! Dom
Jolly's Trigger Happy TV is nothing short of comic genius. I'd like to
meet the man personally just to shake his hand! Yes, there are recurring
characters, but none of the jokes are exactly the same (which some
people don't seem to catch on to - they see the same character and
instantly think "he's doing the same thing, this is repatative, and
since I have the attention spam of a 2-year-old, I'm going to write him
off and say this isn't funny because I'm not intelligent enough to pay
attention and see what actually happens!").
Trigger Happy TV is NOTHING LIKE Jackass. Jackass is idiots hurting
themselves and others or just generally disturbing the peace and risking
getting their asses kicked if they haven't already kicked each others'.
Trigger Happy TV is cleverly planned out sketches that rely entirely on
public interaction to make them work. Some of it is juvenile, yes, but
you'll never see Dom Jolly or his cohorts destorying property (others or
their own) or deliberately hurting each other (or others) just for
kicks. When they dress up in animal costumes and get in play fights,
it's just for shock value/hilarity. No one is actually hurt. That is
where the difference lies.
Now, when are we going to get the original UK episodes unedited on US
region 1 DVD Mr. Jolly? I'll be first in line!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
laughing at this you either: 1. aren't intelligent enough to understand
it - or - 2. are WAY too uptight (like many of the people shown)! Dom
Jolly's Trigger Happy TV is nothing short of comic genius. I'd like to
meet the man personally just to shake his hand! Yes, there are recurring
characters, but none of the jokes are exactly the same (which some
people don't seem to catch on to - they see the same character and
instantly think "he's doing the same thing, this is repatative, and
since I have the attention spam of a 2-year-old, I'm going to write him
off and say this isn't funny because I'm not intelligent enough to pay
attention and see what actually happens!").
Trigger Happy TV is NOTHING LIKE Jackass. Jackass is idiots hurting
themselves and others or just generally disturbing the peace and risking
getting their asses kicked if they haven't already kicked each others'.
Trigger Happy TV is cleverly planned out sketches that rely entirely on
public interaction to make them work. Some of it is juvenile, yes, but
you'll never see Dom Jolly or his cohorts destorying property (others or
their own) or deliberately hurting each other (or others) just for
kicks. When they dress up in animal costumes and get in play fights,
it's just for shock value/hilarity. No one is actually hurt. That is
where the difference lies.
Now, when are we going to get the original UK episodes unedited on US
region 1 DVD Mr. Jolly? I'll be first in line!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now this is what Candid Camera SHOULD be like
Grapple Man18 November 2000
This show is just too funny for words! If you ever see it advertised where you live, watch it! The only people who won't appreciate the humour in this show are, people with no sense of humour or, dead. This takes Candid Camera and actually makes the idea funny. The reactions to the gags aren't the funny part, the actual gags are the funniest. It centres around one man making a fool of himself and making the audience laugh. That's it! The ideas involved in the gags are just amazing! Considering that practically only one man makes the whole show it's a tribute to skill and entertainment. Watch this show, now!
I cried watching this...
rob7539512 January 2002
I've been a fan of British TV shows for many years. Trigger Happy TV, by far, takes the cake. The sketch comedy was brilliant, and parts were so funny that I cried from laughing so much. I can no longer hear a Nokia mobile phone go off without snikkering to myself.
If you are able to procure a copy of this on VHS or DVD, get it. Be careful, though, if you are in the States because your machine needs to be able to read PAL videos and DVDs.
A comparison to Candid Camera has been made, but Trigger Happy TV is a lot funnier and much more original in the humor content. It's the same kind of motif as Candid Camera, but the recipients of the gags are not made to look stupid like Candid Camera did often.
See this show if you have the chance to. You won't be disappointed.
If you are able to procure a copy of this on VHS or DVD, get it. Be careful, though, if you are in the States because your machine needs to be able to read PAL videos and DVDs.
A comparison to Candid Camera has been made, but Trigger Happy TV is a lot funnier and much more original in the humor content. It's the same kind of motif as Candid Camera, but the recipients of the gags are not made to look stupid like Candid Camera did often.
See this show if you have the chance to. You won't be disappointed.
The best thing since sliced bread
peter.kirby20 December 2000
What can you say about this TV program. It's a guy walking around the streets playing the fool, and the funniest thing is watching the people's reactions. One such example is when he is wearing a fully striped burglar costume with a swag bag and be climbing over a garden wall and people will ask what he is doing and he would say "testing the wall" and they would walk away.
Dom Jolly is a genius, although I have to say I sometimes felt embarrassed watching his antics. If you get a chance to watch this jump at it. It is the funniest thing around.
Dom Jolly is a genius, although I have to say I sometimes felt embarrassed watching his antics. If you get a chance to watch this jump at it. It is the funniest thing around.
Very Very Funny
Darth_Voorhees3 April 2003
One night while I was watching Comedy Central this came on. I watched it,and I laughed my ass off. Probably the most I laughed while watching a television show ever. The British are really great when they do comedy. And Dom Jolly is one of the best British comedians since John Cleese. He tricks people,and put's them in rather stupid,and impossible situations. My favorite would have to be the 1,000,000 sex shop customer. Very funny! I recently found out Dom isn't going to be in Comedy Central's second season. I was kind of sad,no new comedian could reach up to his genius.
5/5
5/5
NOT the British "Jackass"
Obi54 April 2003
Okay, I hear a lot of people say that this is the British form of "Jackass," but that is far from the truth. What the Brits do is not crude, gross out humor, where they staple their body parts or run around trying to inflict pain on each other. A little more random acts of insanity occur in "Trigger Happy" as opposed to the random acts of stupidity in "Jackass." Trigger happy is the kind of stuff you and your friends could do (and believe me we have) and not get arrested for it. One of the greatest moments ever was where one was dressed in a a turtle outfit and was waiting at a cross walk. The cars stopped, he got down on his knees and slowly crossed. After about a minute and a half another guy dressed in a rabbit outfit ran passed him. London motorists laughed, I laughed, all my friends laughed. The stuff is classic, and I recommend watching the new seasons on Comedy Central...
10/10!!!
10/10!!!
Eat your heart out candid camera....
gnasher10016 March 2003
Dom Jolly, what can you say? He thinks of the stupidest things to do........... and does them. Never has someone acting so dumb (but still being extremely intelligent) been so funny. The exterminator coming round to get rid of the rat, only to find a man dressed in a giant rat suit reading a paper, and also interviewing Peter Stringfellow while unloading giant boxes of "Peter Stringfellow's Musk" and g-strings etc. in the background, the list goes on. If you think getting the DVD will make it annoying, think again - the commentary makes it more hilarious as Dom gives you the details of their antics and any problems etc. and it makes the scenes even more hilarious.
Genius.
Genius.
HILARIOUS STUPIDITY
Medacakathareal17 November 2004
Trigger happy TV is one of those great comedy shows that requires little or no thinking on the part of the viewer. I find it to be ridiculously hilarious, if you're into unintelligent and immature comedy this is your show. Flip it on, sit down and stare into the stupidity filled with massive laughs. Don't try to measure it up to other shows because it's on a different playing field. You have to dumb yourself down to there level, it's not easy and I have to admit this show isn't for everyone. As with every piece of entertainment there will be those who love it and those who hate it. I can be counted on the list of those who love this show. Its a beautiful salute to the stupidity of man and his television.
Wow.
noahsblack25 August 2002
My entire chest hurts from laughing so hard - I just saw an episode of THTV. This is hilarious! He screws with people in all the ways I've always wanted to, myself. Yes, it is a lot like Candid Camera, but CC WAS a good idea, just not done well. This is CC done well.
Hilarious and Brilliant!
theaustinpeay21 June 2003
This show is my favorite right now. It's absolutely hilarious. The ideas for pranks are really brilliant and original. Make sure you watch the older episodes that take place in England. I find the new cast and new location to be not as funny. Two thumbs up!
The best show on Tv
superman_uk_9915 February 2001
THTV is the best show ever to be made the whole idea of it is so funny. It featured no less than ten regular sketches and characters (played by Dom) and relied on the reactions of the general public. To it's credit, rather than an over-the-top display a-la Beadle victims, the Trigger Happy reaction was more often a bemused stare or a 'what the hell just happened?' kind of look. The playful anarchy of Dom targeting unsuspecting Joe public captured on camera by Sam Cadman and the clever use of a superbly eccletic soundtrack (Elastica, The Jam, Straw, Supergrass, Gordon Lightfoot and Blur etcall gelled together!) all made for a stunningly refreshing change. All i can say is watch it and die laughing...
Happy for Trigger Happy!
General_G9 October 2005
Dom Joly is the perfect guy for a hidden camera show. I love show where people fool the public. There very simple and very funny. One reason I think Dom Joly is good for these types of shows is his voice. Its just a funny British voice. I'm surprised the people don't recognize one the show. There has to be at least one time where hes fooling somebody and they recognize him. They should air those on Bloopers. The English version is just as funny as the American version, but I do like to see the sites in the English version, what it looks like in England. I really miss this show. Well at least Comedy Central shows the reruns and keeps this great show popular.
An even funnier version of Candid Camera
puka_puppi835 September 2003
I never watched much of comedy central until my sister introduced me to the hilarious show, Trigger Happy. It has a hilarious spice with its oddity, which makes it even better. Dom Joly is humorous, and with the three co-stars now, the show gets even better. The only downfall to the show is when it just isn't funny. The older(England episodes) aren't near as funny as the new(US ones) but they still pack a few more original laughs. Over all, I'd say it's a great show that really gets you, well, happy!
funniest thing ever
ofurkusa6 April 2003
this show is the funniest thing ever... my favourite would have to be the "don't trust this man" gag, the "1.000.000 toilet/sex shop customer" and many many more.. as for people who've commented on the show being repetitive and blahblahblah.. they just don't have a sense of humor, it's that simple. And i feel sorry for them.
the same joke is NOT funny more than once
binga834 October 2002
I am a big fan of british telvision but this is not as great as all the other UK stuff I must say that when I saw "Trigger Happy TV" for the FIRST time I laught the whole time, then I saw the next episode and I laught, but not as hard, then when I had seen it a few more times it started to be a bit boring. The reason for that, was that I got really sick of the dogs fighting and man screaming in his mobil phone. (don´t get me wrong, those jokes were brilliant, before I saw them for the 5th time).
You can still manage to fall off your chair whilst laughing -- and that's with the repeats
JenBluffheid22 July 2002
How can anyone not love this TV show? In my opinion, it is one of the best British comedies, and most people agree with me.
The theme tune is amazing. I have been searching everywhere on the internet for it, but, unfortunately, no luck. Yet, now that I know there's a soundtrack, I'll buy that. All of the music is superb. The song title captures the sketches to perfection.
Even though some of the sketches are, in a way, repetitive, they show it on a different angle. You can still manage to fall off your chair whilst laughing -- and that's with the repeats.
Dom Joly is amazing with all the sketches. If you watch this, I can assure you that you will laugh. It is laugh-a-minute hilarity on this programme.
Next time you here a Nokia mobile, you will start laughing. And that's a promise!
The theme tune is amazing. I have been searching everywhere on the internet for it, but, unfortunately, no luck. Yet, now that I know there's a soundtrack, I'll buy that. All of the music is superb. The song title captures the sketches to perfection.
Even though some of the sketches are, in a way, repetitive, they show it on a different angle. You can still manage to fall off your chair whilst laughing -- and that's with the repeats.
Dom Joly is amazing with all the sketches. If you watch this, I can assure you that you will laugh. It is laugh-a-minute hilarity on this programme.
Next time you here a Nokia mobile, you will start laughing. And that's a promise!
The British Jackass
Gygax_Jr25 November 2002
Trigger Happy TV is very much a show in the same vain as MTV's Jackass. This does not mean that it is a cheap rip off in any terms. Whilst Jackass' pranks revolve around stupidity and vulgarity (which means that its funny) Trigger Happy's pranks are possibly more well thought out and more clever (which is also very funny). If you find the Cell Phone gag does not split your sides I dont know what will. I highly recomend it.
8 out of 10.
8 out of 10.
Not Funny TV
cosx26 September 2002
I am simply bewildered. Combining lame sight gags with lame pranks cannot really be called original or funny. My reaction is the same as most of the onlookers on the show: a glazed-over look of disbelief and wondering what the point is (and not at all amused). To the fans of the show: please remember that out-of-the-ordinary or unexpected does not automatically equal funny. For example, if I find a carrot in my mailbox tomorrow, it will be totally unexpected, but it will not be funny.
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