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Typically, the half-hour show would see 4–6 acts, and at the end of the programme, El Bow would invite all the acts who successfully avoided the elbow back onto the stage, and the audience asked to pick a favourite. The winning act would be given a prize of a straw donkey. Unlike most talent shows,
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The title for the show derives from the phrase meaning rejection, where "Spanish Archer" would be said to translate to "El Bow", hence "Given the elbow". The TV show deliberately took this in a very literal manner, and expanded the joke as far as it possibly could.
196:, inviting the audience to decide whether the act should continue. If the audience wanted to see more, El Bow would vacate the stage until the end, at which point, the performer would be presented with a prize of a
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music, while singing a comedy introduction to the first act. The tune of the song would always be the same. Pedro Paella appeared in 85 episodes before being succeeded by Terry
Tenerife, played by
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circuits, or members of the public eager to join in or show their talents. Most were happy to play along with the show’s deliberately chaotic and self-mocking premise.
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style outfit, complete with toy bow and arrow, and declaring "I am El Bow, I am the
Spanish Archer". The contradictions of the supposedly
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The acts would then be given one minute to perform, at which point El Bow would appear in the background, loading his toy
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would swing onto the set, ushering the act off-stage. As things were redressed for the next act, three
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The show would begin with
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If the audience did not want to see more, El Bow would loose the arrow, and a large polystyrene
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294:"If you’re good, and if you’re class; where do I shove my arrows?", "Gracias!"
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Spanish Archer was heavily criticised, along with other L!ve TV shows such as
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Acts were not limited, meaning the show featured a variety of
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television. Despite that it gained a huge cult following.
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character, such as the costume, and
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winners did not get to appear again, and there was no
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110:and filmed at the station's headquarters at
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317:"Breeding ground for news bunnies"
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348:British reality television series
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315:Adamson, Lucy (2 May 1997).
275:Britain's Bounciest Weather
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16:Former British talent show
98:of the 1990s, hosted by
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65:Original language
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145:After a few
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112:Canary Wharf
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51:Presented by
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279:dumbed-down
217:grand final
181:, later of
96:talent show
45:Bill Ridley
35:Talent show
302:References
224:Ruth Madoc
132:Robin Hood
104:Ruth Madoc
73:Production
59:Ruth Madoc
41:Created by
265:Reception
259:watershed
155:moustache
149:with the
342:Category
326:28 April
183:The Fall
175:Flamenco
283:tabloid
251:musical
244:cabaret
228:Spanish
136:Spanish
126:Content
108:L!VE TV
82:L!VE TV
68:English
255:comedy
167:guitar
163:banter
159:donkey
116:London
94:was a
205:elbow
147:jokes
140:Welsh
31:Genre
328:2023
273:and
234:Acts
194:bull
281:or
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173:of
114:in
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