Dara O’Briain’s Go 8 Bit On Dave
Having presented every show on BBC2, comedian (and part time Megabus model) Dara O’Briain, has now arrived to on Dave to host Dara O’Briain’s Go 8 Bit… Really, his name is in the title, so it would seem silly for someone else to do it.
Part comedy panel show, part physical game show, Go 8 Bit sees 2 teams use a mix of classic games such as PacMan, Asteroids, Resident Evil and Tekken, and newer games like Little Big Planet and Star Wars Battlefront, to battle it out and be named ‘Go 8 Bit Champions’. However, not all the games will be performed using screens an controllers, as some ‘game inspired’ physical challenges have also been thrown in for good measure!
The teams consist of 2 captains – well know internet gaming geek Steve McNeil, and comedian/actor (and ‘gaming muggle’) Sam Pamphilon. They are joined each week by a celebrity partner, such as Jason Manford, Susan Calman, Russell Howard, Marcus Brigstocke, Ed Byrne, Dave Gorman, and Rachel Riley to help them win the competition. Helping Dara out in a role she describes as “sort of like, in Dictionary Corner in Countdown” is comedian and gaming journalist Ellie Gibson.
The series was originally a smash hit live Edinburgh show for McNeil and Pamphilon, but as Dara seemingly has first dibs on presenting anything in the UK, it only seems natural for the well know tech and gaming geek to act as host. When asked about the format, he commented “The show inherently had an underdog element to it. Because Sam and Steve, whose show this originally was, who toured this live for years, had always set it up as Sam doesn’t like or doesn’t play games very much, Steve is really into it and really across it and knows everything about the previous generations and stuff. So already you’re rooting for Sam as Steve knows too much! There was a genuine worry that the shows would be a walkover for Steve constantly. And that’s not what happened!”
The first episode of Dara O’Briain’s Go 8 Bit, which features comedian Susan Calman and England goalkeeper David James, can be seen on Dave – Monday 5th September 2016 at 10pm
