Gunge
Gunge is a British
colloquial term describing a runny substance, similar to
paint that is often featured in game shows and charity events. It is used by covering or dropping over a victim, often inside a
Gunge Tank, with the intention to cause embarrassment and make mess. The word
gunge also refers to a market or
granary in India (first used in English in the late 1700s, from the
Hindi gãj).
The slime meaning for the word originated in the late 1930s, probably as an alteration of the word
gunk. It was often a feature in the
1970s television show
Tiswas, though the use of gunge is believed to have been pioneered by the
BBC in its popular TV shows,
Noel's House Party,
Get Your Own Back and
Run the Risk.
See also
Slime, which was popularized by Nickelodeon.
In
You Can't Do That on Television, a
Canadian children's show popular on Nickelodeon, children were routinely subjected to Gunge when they said, "I Don't Know." It became a staple of the show where other actors would try and encourage their peers to say that phrase to get them "Slimed". This aspect of this popular show later became iconized in the Nickelodeon's slime logo, and live events where kids would be offered the chance to get "slimed" or publicly humiliated.
In
Noel's House Party, the public often voted to determine which celebrities on the TV show would be gunged in the Gunge Tank. In later years, the Gunge Tank became the Gunge Train, and celebrities were forced to take a ride on the train and were covered in gunge throughout their journey. Celebrities usually returned with their suits ruined and faces unrecognisable.
Celebrities that were gunged included
*
Dan Falzon *
Robert Kilroy-Silk *
Gary Olsen *
Andi Peters *
Carol Vorderman *
Anneka Rice*
Adam Woodyatt*
Philip Schofield (twice)
*
Edwina Currie*
Anthea Turner*
Ulrika Jonsson*
Mary Peters*
Nicola Stapleton*
Sue Lawley*
Bella Emburg*
Lynn Faulds Wood*
Annabel Giles*
John Leslie*
Richard Whiteley*
Eammon Holmes*
Jilly Goulden*
Bruno Brooks*
Jenny Hull*
Alastair McDougall*
Graham Cole*
Noel Edmonds (usually once per series)
Sometimes audience members were gunged on the show for reasons of revenge by family members of friends.
In some
Noel's House Party episodes, the gunge would change. Once foam rised to the persons shoulder and the gunge fell. Also the Gunge would hit the persons head and do funny tricks.
Gunge was, and is still used, as part of the
CBBC children's television show
Get Your Own Back, in which child contestants seek revenge against parents and teachers by competing to get them dropped into a pool of gunge. Celebrities that were gunged on this show include
*
Philippa Forrester*
H from
Steps *
Tim Vincent*
Zoe Ball*
Kirsten O'Brien*
Mr. Blobby*
Jeremy Spake*
Josie D'Arby*
Chris Jarvis*
Lucinda Cowden*
Peter Simon*
Rachel Victoria Roberts*
Jake Humphrey in a behind-the-scenes featurette
*
Dick and Dom from the children's TV show
Dick and Dom In Da Bungalow*
Dave Benson Phillips was gunged twice.
The entertainment factor attached to the process of gunging was realised by the producers of the charity event
Comic Relief who held an event, in cooperation with the
Guinness World Records at the
National Exhibition Centre,
Birmingham where an attempt to set a record for the Most People Gunged Simultaneously took place on March 12, 1999. 184
gallons of gunge was splattered over 731 people.
In the late 1990s, gunge became a focal feature in the BBC's contender for Saturday morning ratings:
Live & Kicking. Teenagers and celebrity guests are often seen competiting in quizzes on the show, and are gunged if they lose. Popstars
Lee Ryan,
Ben Adams,
Katy Hill,
Lesley Waters,
Katherine Merry,
Heather Suttie and
Victoria Hawkins were gunged on this show.
More recently, shows such as
Ministry of Mayhem (
ITV) and
Dick and Dom In Da Bungalow (
BBC) have revived gunge as a main feature in their programmes.
Gunge is now often used in charity and fundraising events too, in which certain figures are often sponsored to get gunged in front of a public audience.
Celebrities who have been gunged on other shows include:
*
Ben Adams*
Peter Andre*
Angellica Bell*
Kyran Bracken*
Joe Challands*
Declan Donnelly*
Stu Francis*
Simon Grant*
Andrew Hayden-Smith*
Jake Humphrey*
Paul Leyshon*
Chris Jarvis*
Matthew Lilley*
Ant McPartlin*
Stephen Mulhern*
Richard Orford*
Lee Ryan*
Kevin Simm*
Tom Wansey*
Danny YoungThe gunge used on programmes on BBC television is usually produced using a powder based thickener, known as
Natrosol. It has been used on
Noel's House Party,
Get Your Own Back,
Live and Kicking and many other shows.
Natrosol is an industrial food thickener, and its primary use is in confectionery and other food products. One typical application for it is the sauce used in fruit pies.
The method for making Natrosol-based gunge is to apply a small quantity of Natrosol powder to very hot coloured water, and to stir briskly for a few minutes. The colour usually comes from food colouring, thus making the gunge entirely edible and safe, with the taste being flavourless. The more powder that is added to hot water, the thicker the gunge will be. The mixture should be left to cool.
A common supplier of Natrosol is
Basic Chemicals Ltd of
High Wycombe,
Bucks,
UK.
|
Actor Adam Woodyatt sits inside the Gunge Tank before being gunged. |
A
Gunge Tank is a container/device used to aid the process of 'gunging' people.
Usually constructed with plastic transparent walls, the tank is made up as a box shape with three walls, and usually a front door for access.
A seat is occasionally provided for the victim to sit on, inside the tank.
The gunge is then dropped on to the victim from a considerable height, commonly using some kind of mechanism. The pouring of the gunge from above is sometimes triggered by a chain which opens up a space above the tank, in which the gunge substance is stored.
The gunge tank is commonly used in television programmes, notably the British TV series
Noel's House Party.
More recently, Gunge Tanks have been used in children's Saturday morning TV programmes.
