TFI Friday

TFI Friday was an entertainment show, produced by Ginger Productions, written by Danny Baker and hosted by Chris Evans, for the first 5 series. The final series was hosted by a number of Guest Presenters. It was broadcast on Fridays at 6 pm on Channel 4 from 9 February 1996 to 22 December 2000, with a repeat later that night. Officially, the title stood for "Thank Four It's Friday", though a less innocuous interpretation of the initials, "Thank Fuck It's Friday", was clearly implied. The name was a reference to the popular phrase "Thank God it's Friday". The show's theme tune was Ron Grainer's theme from Man in a Suitcase.

Inspiration for other shows

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. The show became one of Britain's breakthrough TV programmes, kickstarting the careers of many rock and indie bands. It also created a new approach to the popular TV show format, which others have copied, yet few have emulated the same success of TFI Friday.

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...
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