Noel's House Party At 30

Twitter @NHPat30

Welcome to a special series of blog posts marking the 30th anniversary of Noel’s House Party, arguably the biggest influential live entertainment television show of the 1990s.

A lot has been written and reviewed about the series both lauding and loathing, yet nobody has ever given it the analysis and insight it quite rightly deserves.

Television enthusiasts Jonathan Bufton and Robin Blamires have stepped in, with the help of
other fans of the show to write up a series by series exploration over 8 blog posts.

You’ll revisit memorable moments in the series from DLT’s rage, to NTV’s innovation, and how a pink spotty stooge designed for the Gotchas ended up becoming inescapable to the point of reaching Christmas number 1.

There’ll also be probes into the rise and fall of the show once hailed by former BBC1 controller Alan Yentob as “the most important show on the BBC” as it attracted praise from viewers and critics across the spectrum and scaled incredible highs in the ratings.

Yet despite the decline in the show’s performance and critical reception in the later years it remains fondly remembered as one of the most innovating and groundbreaking television programmes of its era, so join us as we whizz back to the night of the 23rd of November 1991 to relive how it all began.

And special thanks to Andy Pearman and his Youtube channel, providing a home
for every episode of the House Party, and spurring on the idea for this very site!