By Let Me Entertain You - which starts on ITV tonight - is a truly interactive talent show, since viewers can upload their own singing, dancing and lip-syncing videos and get them on the show! We already spoke to host Michael Underwood about what it's all about, but we also thought we'd get his take on some classic viral videos - even if they weren't all singing and dancing.
Once we'd assured him that it was all very family friendly ("You're not about to show me filth, are you? 'Two Girls, One Cup?' I don't want to see it!") we whipped out our laptop and treated Michael to some legendary clips to get his take...
Chocolate Rain
"Oh, it's an original song? Oh wow. First of all, this is exactly the type of thing we're after. Do you know what, when I tell people about the show, they always say to me, 'What is so interesting about people singing in the clips?' Are you kidding me? This guy is basically just standing in front of a microphone, singing 'Chocolate Rain'... in a very weird voice, and he's like 12. But that's just very entertaining, because you want to watch him! You're like, 'What is he doing?'
"He actually loves what he's doing and even the bit where he's telling you why he's turning his head away from the mic... That is exactly the type of thing that we're after. It's that. And almost, that's not wild enough. That's brilliant, but we would love it if he recreated something. 'Chocolate Rain' - let's see you create some chocolate rain. It's about being creative, and the more creative and more entertaining, we'd use it. But yeah, he's brilliant. That's classic. He would be on the show."
DS: Would you have original songs on the show? "Do you know what, I would have that one! And I'm imagining what my link in to that would be! 'Listen, there's lots of hit songs out there but there's songs that you're yet to hear, and we've got the first play'. You might have just created a new feature - 'Future Hits'. I like that."
Taylor Swift and a goat.
"You see, now, that is my sense of humour. This is what I'm talking about with creativity, and this is what I love about these sorts of videos and the people online. It's such a simple idea, isn't it? She sounds a bit like a goat or a lamb or whatever it is, and then they cut it in and it just works brilliantly. Again, I would love that. It's exactly the type of thing. It's ridiculousness. Yeah, I love that. I'd not seen that, either."
One Direction sing badly - Michael's pick!
"One I have seen recently, which I know has done the rounds massively, is the One Direction one. Have you seen that one? Where they've been revoiced and they're singing really badly. It's just so funny because it looks so genuine. You've got Harry doing it... I love that. All of that. They're so big and brilliant that they're such a target... but yeah, I love it!"
DS: There's also one where two 'older gentleman' reconstruct a YouTube comments argument on a One Direction video (you can watch it here). "That is perfect! I have seen that! He's like, 'No way, Harry's not gay!' It's brilliant. I just love it. I could sit and go on YouTube and watch these all day. And you just think, 'I'll watch a few minutes of it', and you find yourself just looking! You know when you've watched one on YouTube, it has those suggestions at the end, and you think, 'That one looks quite funny', and you click on that and before you know it you're in some horrible loop of viral videos and you can't get out. I need to see the next thing! But it's brilliant."
Little Mix's Jesy does a Jamaican accent
DS: This video is less singy, but I've got a Little Mix one. "Are you saying Little Mix are less singy?"
DS: It's Jesy trying to do a Jamaican accent. Have you seen this? "Oh no, I haven't." [watches] "Ohhhh my God! Do you know what, I'm so glad I'm not Jamaican. If I was Jamaican, I'd probably be massively offended. What is she thinking?"
DS: To be fair, she is asked to do a Jamaican accent - it's just that that's not one. "I just think it's brilliant. What I think is really funny about that is that she didn't go, 'Oh, I'm not sure I can do one'. She went, 'I'm going to commit to this. I'm going to do it. Do something'. That is ridiculous. That is ridiculous."
That adorable baby panda sneezes.
"I remember the panda sneezes. That is the cutest thing ever. I love the shock. I love the shock with mum eating and then just being shocked. Animals are always going to be cute. When I was doing children's TV, it was, 'Animals. Always put animals in, because everyone loves animals'. Most people have a pet of some sort and they just think animals are cute. And also pandas are so - normally, pandas are a bit boring."
DS: I always think pandas look like humans in a costume. "Now you've said that, now I'm thinking there's someone in that panda! No, I think pandas don't do much normally. So when you see them do something that we do, it's just quite funny. The same with gorillas and chimps. But that's just cute."
DS: Would you say to people submitting their videos to the show - put an animal in it? "Only if the animal's singing or dancing or lip syncing. If you could get your dog to bark to a Lady Gaga track or something, maybe it could make it in. But the videos have to be singing, dancing or lip syncing - or some sort of mix of them all. On my list, I think lip syncing's the best. It's the easiest one to do, if you want to stand a chance of getting on the show. But if you've got a clip of someone who danced like a fool at your mum's wedding or an uncle embarrassing himself silly, or any of that, we'll take all of that. We love all of that as well and that could make it on the show. Lip syncing's key - but if you could get an animal to lip sync, wow."
DS: There's one of a cat playing a keyboard (watch it here). "See, that's close. Is it a hit? Is it a Taylor Swift song? I would imagine that if it was a cat playing a hit song on a piano, we would find room for that. We would have to find room for that!"
Someone tries to jump through ice and utterly fails (contains strong language.)
"Oh, the jump through ice? That is brilliant! That is brilliant. That's when he jumps up and goes to dive through it and it doesn't crack - he just slams into it. This one hurt - you know this hurt. I love all this bravado before as well. Ooooh! It's the sound. It's the sound. Oh my God. That is hilarious.
"But yes, for us it's all about the singing and dancing. You can have so much fun with it and people can just do it. You find a lot of people record themselves doing that, and lip syncing as well. Even in the car. Have you seen the viral video going round of the good-looking couple doing the song from Frozen, lip syncing in the car and the kids in the back just not bothered? They lip synced the whole song - they've obviously practised way too much! But that - perfect. If you can do it, your parents can do it, if you, your brother and your parents can do it - sing in the car and film yourselves - all of that is exactly the kind of thing we want. And it doesn't have to be perfect! It doesn't have to be the whole song. If you do 30 seconds of it - just give us a taste of the best bit, and we'll take it and it could be on the show."
Let Me Entertain You begins tonight (April 26) at 6pm on ITV.
