Through The Keyhole

Review: Who would work in a suit like this?

A long-gone, winning formula gets a revival - and the result is appallingly watchable.

Through The Keyhole review

The truth is that Through the Keyhole is quite an enjoyable show. For once there's no prize involved - be it novelty or otherwise - and no scoring system to result in a panellist being crowned that episode's champion: it's just a fun little game.

ITV clearly has big hopes for this reboot of the long-running celebrity home-invasion panel show. Both Vernon Kay and Paul O'Grady were reportedly in the running to spend their Saturday evenings rummaging through the drawers of the great, the good and the goadawful. Then ITV decided to split the difference, handing the task over to Leigh Francis's high-achieving alter-ego, gurning Northern malapropism-merchant Keith 'Ooosh!' Lemon.

And, love him, loathe him or remain in a state of semi-ignorant bafflement, Lemon is clearly in his element here, rifling through the pads of an Olympian (naturally), a couple of boy band refugees (jolly) and a former Deputy Prime Minister (oh, John...) while Dave Berry, Martine McCutcheon and Eamonn Holmes - who in the ITV-verse counts as a sage elder statesman - attempt to riddle out whose house is whose. In essence, it's a quizzed-up Cribs for crinklies.

Compared to much of the shiny-floored crunk that ITV (and, indeed, the BBC) has been pumping out of late, Through the Keyhole, or, as Keith has it Fruit'keyhole, is a fairly decent stab at bouncy Saturday evening fun. Decent enough, in fact, to make one wonder why it's been shunted back to 9.20 just to make room for a few F-bombs and other assorted bleeped out swears. This has got 7.30 - and therefore bigger ratings - written all over it.

Whatever you do, don't peer Through The Keyhole

Keith Lemon's new take on the classic formula is the worst kind of garish, self-congratulatory Saturday night TV guff.

Who would recommission a TV show like this?

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Keith Lemon interview

We're used to him causing mayhem on Celebrity Juice, but now Keith Lemon has taken the classic entertainment show, Through The Keyhole, and put his own spin on it...