Spicks and Specks

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Spicks and Specks set.

This article is about the Australian TV show Spicks and Specks''. For the Bee Gees album of the same name, see Spicks and Specks (album).

Spicks and Specks is an Australian television program concerning the music industry. It airs on the ABC at 8:30 on Wednesday nights. It has returned for a second season in 2006.

The show is hosted by stand-up comedian Adam Hills and consists of two teams of three. The team captains, New Zealand-born actor/comedian Alan Brough and Triple J announcer Myf Warhurst, appear on the show every week. The other panelists are guests, usually musicians or comedians. Regular guests include Ross Noble, members of Tripod, Hamish Blake, Andy Lee, Frank Woodley, Colin Lane, James Morrison, Renee Geyer, and Ali McGregor.

Games

The show takes the format of a quiz show, with Hills asking unusual questions of the panels. Regular segments, which vary week-to-week, include:

Substitute, where one panellist from each team sings three well-known tunes, substituting words from a text provided by Hills. This is usually a technical manual of some kind (texts used have been "Datsun 180B Service Manual", "2004 Australian Government Tax Pack" and "A guide to Yabbie Farming"). The other panellists of that team then guess the songs.
Know Your Product, where each team chooses one of four given topics - 3 questions around this topic are then asked which either team can answer. The questions are usually ordered by points allocated and the number of answers needed. (eg. first question is worth 1 points, only 1 answer needed, second question worth 2 points, has 2 answers, final question worth 3 marks & has 3 answers.)
Samplemania, where 5 or 6 songs are edited into one short 30-second clip. Players must identify the different songs in the soundclip.
Musician or Serial Killer, in which each panellist is shown a photograph and asked to choose whether the subject is a musician or a serial killer.
Sir Mix'n'Matchalot, where each team is given three famous people and three facts about each of these people. They have to match the fact with the correct person.
Bottom 100 in which Hills provides each team with a choice of two awful songs and asks them to determine which was rated worst by a given group or list.
Common People in which the teams identify the commonality between three musicians.
Malvern Stars on 45 in which a single contestant rides a bicycle which powers a record player. The speed each record plays at is determined by the speed at which the contestant pedals. The contestant must continue to ride until their panel correctly guesses as many songs as possible in the time limit.
Cover Versions in which one contestant is chosen to draw a picture (in silence), representing either a song title or an album cover, as their panel attempts to guess which song it is.
Mondegreens - which are misinterpreted song lyrics - is where the contestants are asked to guess which song contains the mistaken lyrics.
Looking for Clues, where teams have to guess the name of a band from a cryptic clue given by Hills.
Look What They've Done..., where song clips have been changed (for example, being played backwards) and the players must identify the tracks. More Commonly a guest artist or group is used to play the tracks in a different style to the original.
Something's Missing, where the teams are shown album covers with an item or word blanked out, and they must identify the missing item.
One out of Three Ain't Bad, where teams are given a famous musical story and are presented with three possible endings. Teams must select the true ending to the story.
Word Up, Teams are given 5 words relating to a song, they must then identify the song.

The final round of each program, The Final Countdown, is devoted to a generic musical quiz.

Despite points being awarded for each round, there are usually no prizes involved. One exception to this occurred after comedian Rich Hall demanded to know what the prizes were, he was offered a John Butler Trio hat and some thongs, items belonging to audience members which were later returned.

The space between rounds is usually devoted to musical trivia provided by Hills and comic repartee between the panellists. The end of the show usually features a humorous film clip or guest song which is often related to a topic referred to earlier in the show.

Theme

The show's theme tune was performed by The Dissociatives, a duo consisting of Silverchair singer Daniel Johns and dance musician Paul Mac. Mac once appeared on the show as a panellist.

"Spicks and Specks" is also the first hit song by the pop group The Bee Gees from which the TV show takes its name and which the show's theme music is based on. It is likely that the show was inspired by the similarly formatted BBC show Never Mind The Buzzcocks.

External link

[Spicks and Specks] official website.

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