Balls of Steel

Whenever trying to work out whether a reality show is genuine reality or or completely staged, I think of the following argument: How many genuine, paid actors, can give as convincing a performance as the victims of this show appear to give. The answer is; Not that many. One comment about this show suggested that the entire program is staged, yet in the same comment they pointed out the story wherein Tom Cruise was a victim and was not happy about his participation. hmm? I won't argue that there may have been a certain amount of participation from well known franchises, but the reactions given by nearly all of this shows victims convinces me that it is completely truthful about who is aware of the stunt and who isn't. For someone to suggest that none of this shows contents is genuine says to me that this "Someone" has either; never watched an entire show, or not actually been clever enough to understand exactly what the point of the show is. My point being, don't comment on the show unless you actually know what you're talking about. PS. I think this show is pretty good.

This show is a competition of comedians from England for the coveted "Balls of Steel" trophy wherein each contestant tries to outdo the others with audacious acts of insolence on an unsuspecting public. Think Candid Camera meets Jackass. This show will make you belly laugh until the tears stream down your face. Each character is distinctive in their acts and ultimately the spirit of the show is well meaning and innocent in a silly way. Hosted by Mark Dolan, each contestant comes on to a talk show sound stage to set up their act for a live audience and play their filmed clip to be voted on at the end of the show. It features practical jokes, ambush journalism and mind games that titillate the voyeur in all of us to the most hilarious degree.The sensibility is tamer than Jim Rose yet more sophisticated than Just For Laughs Gags, with each comedian adept to a media savvy, telegenic obsessed t.v world.For the risible, curmudgeon or dogmatic idealist, this show is funnier than anything I've seen.

I think these people have balls of steel. like chatting up a girls boy friend right next to her, stapling a paper to your tongue, interviewing celebrities with a dildo or going into a t.v shop and putting a video on the main screen so that on every t.v it says "THIS SHOP IS S**T". It would be great if a movie was made of this. People should watch massive balls of steel which is the highlights of the series best event. The best stunt was putting a blindfold on a guide dog which was performed by the annoying devil. That was mean but funny. This is the one show that can match jackass

Watch this, its painfully funny!

This show hit the headlines well before it was transmitted due to a prank played on Tom Cruise where he was squirted in the face during a mock interview . Ah you remember seeing that on the news don't you ? Someone playing a prank on Tom Cruise , the same Tom Cruise who is legendary as being a great guy , someone who goes out of his way to meet his fans , someone who bends over backwards for an adoring public and who is recognised as the most sincere , genuine and nicest guy in Hollywood today and someone plays a prank on him . As people picked up on this the question was quickly asked " Why didn't they try that with Russell Crowe ? " After watching a couple of episodes of BALLS OF STEEL the answer is quite simple - The jokers are total and absolute cowardly spivs

The format is almost identical to JACKASS, TRIGGER HAPPY TV and BEADLE'S ABOUT except that presenter Mark Dolan comes out with laughable hyperbole that " Britain's rising comedy stars put their arse on the line for your entertainment " , laughable because none of the people on the show are any kind of " rising star " of comedy or anything else , while " entertainment " should come under the trades description act but most laughable of all is the claim that anyone put " their arse on the line " because:

THIS SHOW IS 100% STAGED - IT'S TOTALLY FAKE

The producers will deny this of course thereby insulting the public even more but it's very easy to see through this charade . Someone invents a new game called " human rodeo " where a man jumps on the backs of passers by . If you want to give it a name I think " Assualt " would be a better title . Strange that no one caught up in this game thinks of calling the police or giving their assailant a bloody good kicking . There's also another game called " Urban sprint " where a man goes out of a shop with a tag that causes the alarms to go off and he's pursued by security men who strangely never catch him and the game ends with the man running into a fast food joint and telling the staff to " Give me a f--ckin' cup of coffee you f--kers " Are we to honestly believe that these sequences are genuine ? Of course their not . Shops and fast food joints in shopping malls would only be too happy to see Channel 4 approach them asking if they'd like to take part in " a dangerous stunt show " since it gives them free publicity . It's the same with members of the public who happy with a few seconds of fame agree to let a man jump on their back , or take them on a dodgy taxi ride or allow a hot brunette to chat up their boyfriend . These victims are in on the joke and for the producers of this unfunny POS to claim that they're not is a blatant lie

One of the most insulting television shows to have been produced . Hopefully the " stars " of this crap will never be seen again

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Host Mark Dolan challenges a bunch of comedians trying to make a break-through to perform a variety of daring and sometimes dangerous stunts to amuse the public. At the end of each show, the audience votes for the act they think it took the most 'balls' to perform and the winner receives the BOS trophy.

Staged comedy is all well and good. It certainly takes up most of TV's airtime and over the years has given TV most of it's comedy gold. But surely the most humorous stuff is when the reaction of the fall guy is real and everything going on is genuine? This is the idea Balls of Steel tries to peddle, although there's been a fair bit of speculation as to whether indeed it is real or simply faked. Sometimes the presence of cameras in dubious places does get you thinking, and sometimes goofs on the part of people supposedly in on it all along do so also, but a lot of the time the reactions do appear genuine, satisfying enough for this reviewer anyway.

There are a few daring but ultimately harmless acts going on, such as Alex Zane's nonsensical game shows and acts where the participant's only harm themselves, such as Pritchard and Pancho, but sadly a lot of the humour is very twisted and cruel, and in some cases downright anti-social. If it is all being staged, then this might relieve some of the unpleasantness but it's sold on the basis that it's real, so...

As a presenter Dolan does give you the impression of carrying a false sense of superiority, like he sneers down at those who don't talk like him or don't have the same background as him, but is never directly, Angus Deayton snobby and this is pretty much the high-point of his career anyway, so...

It's all basically a UK spin on Jackass, built on the premise of real humour being more amusing than staged humour. It's onto something with this, but it doesn't spare the morally downbeat tone at it's heart. ***