Dame Edna's Neighbourhood Watch
Encyclopedia
Dame Edna's Neighbourhood Watch was a 1992 comic game show
.
Hosted by the flamboyant Dame Edna Everage
, on the surface, three members of her "all-female, invitation-only audience" would be randomly chosen to play a quiz game for fabulous prizes. (Prizes included a Ferrari
, jewellery
, and a box of chocolates with all the soft-centres removed, as well as work-out sessions with Edna's own 'personal trainer', the hunky Roberto Bulges [pronounced "Bul-JESS"].) However, after selecting the lucky three contestants with her "heat-seeking gladiolus
", which she also calls her "purple possum pickers" ['possums' being her affectionate nickname for her female guests], those chosen would be sent off to be "made up and microphoned" by Sister [nurse] Vedgegood, while Dame Edna explained the show to the remaining audience: a camera crew has been dispatched to the home of one of the three "randomly-selected" contestants, and the quiz to follow will be about the contents of their house.
Once the three contestants have returned and have their buzzers, the quiz begins. The initial questions are easy, showing famous residences, such as the White House
, or Buckingham Palace
, with Dame Edna asking the question "Who lives here?", but the third question would always be accompanied by pictures from the remote camera crew. Naturally, two of the contestants would be stumped, but the third one, after recognizing her own home, would be dragged up by Edna and turned into "a consultant".
The show then began in earnest: the camera crew, accompanied by Edna's mute and frumpy bridesmaid Madge, enter the contestant's home, and begin rifling through her things. Their discoveries--such as discarded underwear, nude photographs, hidden liquor supplies, and lovers' trysts--would provoke shrieks of hilarity from the studio audience and red-faced embarrassment from the unfortunate contestant.
The other two contestants would then be quizzed about what they've just seen. Some of the questions were actually quite difficult, and inquired about minute details. Others were much simpler: "Dot has wall-to-wall carpeting. Is this tasteless?"
In the end, neither contestant would get nearly enough points to collect a decent prize, but the consultant and her husband (who had "set her up") would be given a fancy, all-expenses paid vacation (in the first series, they are also presented with a bouquet of gladiolus and a commemorative plate bearing a cartoon-like drawing of Dame Edna).
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
.
Hosted by the flamboyant Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna is a character created and played by Australian dadaist performer and comedian, Barry Humphries, famous for her lilac-coloured or "wisteria hue" hair and cat eye glasses or "face furniture," her favorite flower, the gladiola and her boisterous greeting: "Hello Possums!" As Dame Edna,...
, on the surface, three members of her "all-female, invitation-only audience" would be randomly chosen to play a quiz game for fabulous prizes. (Prizes included a Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
, jewellery
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
, and a box of chocolates with all the soft-centres removed, as well as work-out sessions with Edna's own 'personal trainer', the hunky Roberto Bulges [pronounced "Bul-JESS"].) However, after selecting the lucky three contestants with her "heat-seeking gladiolus
Gladiolus
Gladiolus is a genus of perennial bulbous flowering plants in the iris family...
", which she also calls her "purple possum pickers" ['possums' being her affectionate nickname for her female guests], those chosen would be sent off to be "made up and microphoned" by Sister [nurse] Vedgegood, while Dame Edna explained the show to the remaining audience: a camera crew has been dispatched to the home of one of the three "randomly-selected" contestants, and the quiz to follow will be about the contents of their house.
Once the three contestants have returned and have their buzzers, the quiz begins. The initial questions are easy, showing famous residences, such as the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, or Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
, with Dame Edna asking the question "Who lives here?", but the third question would always be accompanied by pictures from the remote camera crew. Naturally, two of the contestants would be stumped, but the third one, after recognizing her own home, would be dragged up by Edna and turned into "a consultant".
The show then began in earnest: the camera crew, accompanied by Edna's mute and frumpy bridesmaid Madge, enter the contestant's home, and begin rifling through her things. Their discoveries--such as discarded underwear, nude photographs, hidden liquor supplies, and lovers' trysts--would provoke shrieks of hilarity from the studio audience and red-faced embarrassment from the unfortunate contestant.
The other two contestants would then be quizzed about what they've just seen. Some of the questions were actually quite difficult, and inquired about minute details. Others were much simpler: "Dot has wall-to-wall carpeting. Is this tasteless?"
In the end, neither contestant would get nearly enough points to collect a decent prize, but the consultant and her husband (who had "set her up") would be given a fancy, all-expenses paid vacation (in the first series, they are also presented with a bouquet of gladiolus and a commemorative plate bearing a cartoon-like drawing of Dame Edna).