Remember at the end of 2020 when we all thought 2021 couldn’t be any crazier than the year just gone? Well, we were wrong.
It’s been one hell of a year.
2020 may have been the year that life as we once knew it was flipped on its head thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic – with several lockdowns and continuous restrictions introduced – but 2021 was the year that madness continued stronger than ever, and although some level or normality did start to resume as the year went on, we still had a good few months spent twiddling our thumbs with time to kill.
So it’s a good job we’ve had television to keep us sane and entertained, right?
In 2020, Twitter user @thediyora decided to create a thread rounding up some of the most iconic TV moments in one place, so we wouldn’t go forgetting them any time soon – and it’s fair to say it was absolutely hilarious.
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And this year, we have Twitter user @scottygb to thank for doing the same thing.
Not only is Scott a pretty well-known Twitter user, but his actual job is being a TV critic and broadcaster, so if there’s anyone we can count on to round-up all of the best and, in his words, “WTF moments”, of British TV in 2021 to give us a good laugh, it’s him.
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It has been a hard week, so as a distraction from all of it here’s my favourite WTF British TV moments from 2021 ✨
From that time on the Great British Bake Off when Prue Leith talked about how she always put in “two holes” in her doughnuts so she could “squirt” the filling, to when a groom on Married at First Sight thought he was meeting his bride as she walked down the aisle, but it was actually one of the bridesmaids, and most-recently, when Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman accidentally “dunked on” comedian Jack Whitehall’s American accent in his new film during a clip that was shown on the Graham Norton Show, the list is guaranteed to have you giggling at least once or twice.
And that’s only touching the surface, as there’s a total of 33 brilliant TV moments that make up this Twitter thread.
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There’s plenty to unpack here.
4. When Prue Leith talked about how she always put in “two holes” so she could “squirt” on Bake Off pic.twitter.com/6wKx2AwCMr
Are there any other iconic British TV moments you would add to the 2020 list?
As mentioned, there’s 33 moments that feature on this list in total, so we haven’t included every single tweet from the thread in this article, but if you do fancy having a look through the full thing, then head on over to @scottygb’s Twitter here.
Featured Image – Channel 4 | ITV
TV & Showbiz
Akon speaks on his connection to Manchester after run of Co-op Live gigs
Danny Jones
Music veteran Akon has recently discussed his connection to our city following his run of live shows here in Manchester.
In fact, he went so far as to say he feels much more affinity here than he does with ‘The Big Smoke’.
The seasoned Senegalese-American rapper, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur and humanitarian, teamed up with fellow chart-topper Ne-Yo for not just one, not even two, but three whole nights at Co-op Live this May as part of their co-headline tour across the UK and Ireland.
Chatting with Simone Riley on BBC Radio Manchester before the third and final gig of the trio, Akon admitted that there’s “something about Manchester” that he loves way more than London.
As you can see, while he couldn’t quite put his finger on what exactly is about it in the North compared to the capital, he said simply that “it’s crazy here”, and he loves it.
Same, mate. Same.
Admitting that he feels “more attached to Manchester than London” and labelling the energy from the crowds as “stupid” up here (he meant it in a good way, we promise), Simone couldn’t help but confess her joy over his comments.
He’s not the only global superstar to have recently shouted out their affection for 0161, either, as Billie Eilish also said something similar.
Speaking to the mainline BBC at the premiere of her Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), she said that while the dates lining up were certainly a key factor, there were other reasons why she chose Manchester to film her new movie.
Our Audio North team were also lucky enough to chat with Akon’s touring partner Ne-Yo recently, too, who also had nothing but good things to say about us as a place to play.
As for Akon, the 53-year-old has obviously played here plenty of times over the decades, with last year’s tour being his first return in a decade.
That being said, given how glowingly he’s spoken about us and how popular these joint performances were, we reckon it won’t be that long before he comes back.
Last but not least, we obviously couldn’t resist going along to at least one of the nights for ourselves; listen to what we had to say about the tour in our full review down below.
BBC to air long-lost Morecambe and Wise episode this month to celebrate star’s 100th birthday
Emily Sergeant
A long-lost episode of The Morecambe and Wise Show is set to air on the BBC this month, after being ‘missing’ for decades.
In what is already gearing up to be a memorable moment, the episode – which was first broadcast on the BBC on 16 September 1968, and was thought to have been lost forever before being recovered – will be shown on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer in a couple of weeks time to coincide with when Eric Morecambe would have turned 100 years old.
The episode was discovered by Film Is Fabulous! – which is a charitable trust run by film collectors and television enthusiasts.
It was found in the estate of a former television industry professional, before being returned to the BBC.
Audiences tuning in to the episode can expect to see sketches written by Sid Green and Dick Hills – with Ann Hamilton appearing as Pauline in a sketch set in a nudist colony, while Jenny Lee-Wright plays Eric’s niece, a balloon dancer.
📢 ‘Missing’ episode of The Morecambe and Wise Show is coming to the BBC!
A long-lost episode first broadcast in 1968 will be shown on BBC Four and @BBCiPlayer on Thursday 14 May, to coincide with when Eric Morecambe would have turned 100
It also includes a musical performance from The Paper Dolls, who enjoyed hits in the 1960s.
This ‘lost’ programme is the third episode from Morecambe and Wise’s first series after returning to the BBC, following a period working with commercial television.
Eric Morecambe’s daughter, Gail, has described the recovery of the episode as ‘a lovely surprise’, adding: “I’m really looking forward to seeing it on a screen once again after so many years.”
Gary Morecambe, Eric’s son, added: “I honestly didn’t think there was anything out there left to find, and when something like this comes out of nowhere, it’s really quite wonderful. Hats off to Professor Justin Smith and his team, whose dedication and hard work brought this gem back to us. I’m very excited about seeing it for the first time since I was 12.”
Noreen Adams, who is the Director of BBC Archives, concluded: “We’re delighted to share this comedy gold that we thought was lost forever with viewers across the UK.”
This long-lost episode of The Morecambe and Wise Show will be broadcast on BBC Four at 8pm on on Thursday 14 May, and available to watch whenever you like on BBC iPlayer from then.
Emily Sergeant -
20th December 2021 
