Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown - The Lab

The Lab

The Lab has been with the show since the start and has survived the many revamps, though the set itself has changed. It was primarily used by the Doc, a mock German scientist and 1970s throwback from the University of Brighton, played by Peter Cocks. Although nowadays he's never referred to by name, in an early edition of the show, he revealed his surname to be Undgoggles, presumably making his first name Helmut. The Doc is usually accompanied by Stephen (as a lab-hand) for this part of the show, and the two attempt a simple experiment in order to demonstrate some scientific principle; the Doc also tries to incapacitate Stephen with laughter (and has succeeded on several occasions) by laying on thick innuendo, as well as comedic hints towards homosexuality and Nazism, much to the hilarity of adult viewers. At one of least experiments has resulted in a complaint to OFCOM being upheld for fear that it would encourage children to imitate a dangerous procedure.

The original Lab was a plain white room located somewhere in the large studio. Post revamp it occupied a fairly large part of the studio in an enclosed set. However, to make room for a new seated area within the enclosed set, and larger outdoor-oriented experiments, the Lab was reduced to at least half its original size and equipped with a cupboard that acted as a portal to the outdoors for larger experiments.

When the programme was renamed Saturday Showdown, the show no longer had the Doc or his lab. Though on the 18th March 2006, the Doc made a surprise appearance at the end of the main show. The part went as follows: Just as Holly and Stephen are about to say goodbye, Stephen found a German towel. They both say "he isn't back is he?" and we see through the door's frosted glass, the blur of The Doctor and he shouts through the letterbox. But viewers without cable or satellite never got to see him that week, as he only fully appeared on the CITV Channel's Holly and Stephen's Saturday Showdown Extra. Though Stephen asked the Doc on the show if he could come back next week it was to be a one off appearance, and The Foundation confirmed that the Doc was only a guest for this show. However, the Doc re-appeared for the final show on 1 July 2006.