British Comedy Guide
Michael McIntyre's Big Show. Holly Willoughby. Copyright: Hungry McBear
Holly Willoughby

Holly Willoughby

  • English
  • Presenter

Press clippings Page 3

Taking the pith: here's a second helping of highlights from Keith Lemon's chaotic panel show, presented via an appropriately strained framing device. Along with team captains Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton (plus regular panellist Gino D'Acampo), Lemon impersonates the couch critics of Channel 4's Gogglebox, adding a layer of panto meta-commentary to what is essentially a clips compilation with a makeup budget.

Graeme Virtue, The Guardian, 22nd December 2016

Holly Willoughby interview

The yummy mummy of three confessed her banter with the Celebrity Juice frontman was "great fun" and placed Keith - the alter ego of Leigh Francis - solely responsible for her recent Playtex title as the showbiz star with the most admired boobs.

Beth Allcock, The Sun, 12th June 2016

Forty-five minutes of high spirits in front of a rowdy audience - Play To The Whistle isn't so much a sport quiz as a chimps' tea party hosted by Holly Willoughby. Team captains Bradley Walsh and Frank Lampard attempt to keep things steady, while Romesh Ranganathan supplies banter. The show distinguishes itself, however, with the inclusion of physical games, which add an element of surprise. Diver Tom Daley and career panellist Richard Osman are tonight's guests.

John Robinson, The Guardian, 16th April 2016

ITV order Series 2 of Play To The Whistle

ITV has ordered a second series of Play To The Whistle, the sports-focused comedy panel show hosted by Holly Willoughby.

British Comedy Guide, 18th November 2015

Celebrity Juice turns 7 with Throwback Thursday special

Celebrity Juice celebrates its seventh birthday tonight with a special 'Throwback Thursday' episode.

Some of Keith Lemon's favourite games make a reappearance, as Holly Willoughby, Gino D'Acampo, Verne Troyer, Dean Gaffney, Chris Moyles and Tulisa join in the celebrations.

Harry Fletcher, Digital Spy, 24th September 2015

Holly Willoughby & Fearne Cotton dress as Ab Fab

Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton arrived at Keith Lemon's fancy dress themed party as aging PR Edina Monsoon and man-eating sidekick Patsy Stone - respectively played by Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley in nineties sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.

Jason Chester, Daily Mail, 30th April 2015

Holly Willoughby interview

Big nights out are few and far between for the Sussex-raised star, who is also mum to Harry, who turns six in May, and four-year-old Belle.

This is Gloucestershire, 29th April 2015

An obvious attempt to capitalise on the success of Sky One's superior A League of Their Own, Play to the Whistle had none of that show's charm or boyish humour. Part of the reason for this was the bizarre decision to have Holly Willoughby host the show which I don't think suited her girl-next-door style. Indeed, I found that she failed to make any of her scripted lines remotely funny and her attempts to act like one of the boys fell flat. In my opinion Play to the Whistle would've been a lot better had team captain Bradley Walsh taken up hosting duties. As anybody who watches The Chase knows, Bradley Walsh is a fine anchor and he was the stand out performer against a mediocre group. The only other highlights were provided by Jimmy Bullard who was the show's recurring character, often competing against team members in a number of challenges. Bullard, who was the best contestant on last year's I'm a Celebrity, would've made a better team captain than the dull Frank Lampard and I do feel the roles on the show definitely need a rethink. The other problem was that each round didn't last very long meaning that it was hard to play along at home or indeed root for either team. One example saw comedian Rob Beckett take on Bullard in a hurdles race which lasted all of about thirty seconds and provoked no laughter to speak of. There was also very little humour provided by the opening five minutes of banter the majority of which didn't do much for the overall feel of the show. At the end of the day, for a programme that's meant to have comedy at its centre, there was nothing about Play to the Whistle that was very funny. I do feel that if Walsh had replaced Willoughby and Bullard had taken his place at least there would've been a bit more fun. But as it was Play to the Whistle is one of those shows that has been written by committee and looks destined to join the host of Saturday night shows that eventually sunk without a trace.

Matt, The Custard TV, 18th April 2015

Holly Willoughby to host new ITV panel show

Holly Willoughby has signed up to present Play To The Whistle, a new comedy panel show for ITV focused on the world of sport.

British Comedy Guide, 26th March 2015

With 12 series already under its belt, you most likely know the drill when it comes to Keith Lemon's puerile panel show, packed with racy games and jibes at everyone from Katie Hopkins to Kim Kardashian. This new run sees Fearne Cotton and Holly Willoughby return as team captains, alongside guests including Jimmy Carr and former fill-in captain Gino D'Acampo. Here's hoping that the phonic charades of "Don't Show Keith Your Teeth" and toilet-based Chinese whispers "Shouting One Out" are slated for a reappearance.

Hannah J Davies, The Guardian, 19th March 2015

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