The Glam Metal Detectives


The Glam Metal Detectives is a comedy show produced by the BBC in 1995. Shown on BBC2 on Thursday nights at 9, it combined sketch and sitcom elements.
As with other shows launched in this timeslot, The Glam Metal Detectives attempted to innovate and combine genres, resulting in an off-the-wall mix of the sublime and the surreal which broke new ground with its 'multimedia' approach. The show consists of a single series of seven episodes.
The series starred Gary Beadle, Phil Cornwell, Doon Mackichan, Sara Stockbridge, George Yiasoumi, and Mark Caven. The scripts were written by the cast, director Peter Richardson, and Lloyd Stanton.
The show was designed to appear as if the viewer was channel surfing through a multi-channel wasteland, happening upon spoof adverts, short sketches, and recurring show elements. Like other BBC content of the mid-1990s, it often lampooned the low-budget quality of satellite television available in the UK at the time.

Content

Show segments included:
The series' theme "Everybody Up!", by Trevor Horn and Lol Creme, was released as a CD single, with the main cast appearing in character on Top of the Pops. A soundtrack album was also released.
A one-shot magazine special was published by Marvel UK to coincide with the launch of the show. It mirrored the channel hopping style of the show by featuring various magazine formats and comic book styles. The special was co-written by Peter Richardson, Robert Popper, the cast of the show and the magazine's editor, David Leach. It featured the artwork of - among others - Lew Stringer, David Leach and Art Wetherell. The magazine also used the same artwork for its cover that was used for the show's opening titles and subsequent video release. The special was intended to test the waters for a regular title should the show have been a success, but no more issues were made.
The first three episodes of the series were later released on VHS video.