Top 20 BIZARRE British TV Moments

#20: Blackpool Pleasure Beach

“Most Haunted” (2002-10; 2014-19)

Every episode of “Most Haunted” is bizarre by its very nature as Britain’s most popular ghost hunting programme, but this early one where they went up north is easily one of the strangest. When you think of infamous, haunted locations in Britain, Blackpool Pleasure Beach isn’t really at the top of your list. And when you think of places that COULD be haunted within the theme park, you equally don’t think of the gift shop full of teddy bears that mysteriously move around on their own. Admittedly, the ghost train – 70 years old when they filmed – is also haunted and makes for more interesting viewing, especially when Derek contacts the most well-known ghost, Cloggy, and gets his name wrong, calling him “Clogger”.

#19: Love & Pavements

“Doctor Who” (1963-89; 2005-)

“Love and Monsters” is certainly one of the most contentious “Doctor Who” episodes out there. Serving as the first “Doctor-lite” episode – a way to trim the programme’s budget – people were dismayed when the Doctor and Rose were barely in it. Instead, we followed a team of crackpots trying to track the Doctor down, led by Peter Kay, a disguised alien. The truth about the Abzorbaloff, one of the show’s silliest-ever monsters, is that it was the creation of a “Blue Peter” competition winner; the villain devours people by absorbing them through his skin. The strangest moment of all, though, is THAT joke about Elton and Ursula after she’s been turned into a paving slab.

#18: The 2001 Ipswich By-Election Results

BBC News 24

Admittedly, this moment wasn’t exclusively for television, since lots of people were there in person to watch the results of this hotly-contested by-election come in. But imagine what we would have lost had the BBC News crew not been in the room! Following the death of the previous Labour MP, Jamie Cann, the voters of Ipswich put another Labour politician, Chris Mole, into power by a 4,000 vote majority. Victory was celebrated by dimming the lights, firing off some lasers, and blasting club music after the mayor read through all the results. The organisers were slated for making British politics far too silly, likening the scenes to a football celebration rather than a serious election result.

#17: Fish & Rice Cakes

“Body Image” (2007)

This infamous viral moment originally came from a BBC Three documentary called “Body Image”, in an episode covering young Brits aspiring to enter the world of competitive bodybuilding. Danny was only 17 when he appeared, going through everything he eats in a day – which is nothing but endless pieces of fish sometimes joined by rice cakes. Years later, and Danny’s talked about how the meme has completely taken over his life, speaking in podcasts about how he felt pressure to succeed as a bodybuilder because of the viral video. But he DID discuss this while wearing his own merchandise. He’s a barber now, anyway; has he ever cut YOUR hair? Let us know.

#16: The Dog That Says Sausages

“That’s Life!” (1973-94)

If there’s one thing people love, it’s a talking dog. This legendary clip became a water cooler moment up and down Britain back in 1979, with everybody wondering just how it was done, and whether Prince really WAS asking for sausages. While we’re sure that if dogs DID get the ability to talk, the very first thing they’d do would be to demand sausages, what you’re watching is essentially a magic trick. The dog’s owner touches his neck, making him growl, and then gently squeezes in a way that the sound “sausages” comes out. But it took forty-five years for Esther Rantzen, who hosted the show at the time, to reveal to the public how it was done on Radio 4.

#15: Fried Leeches

“Heston’s Feasts” (2009-10)

We could put any Heston Blumenthal dish on here, because they’re all weird, but we’re going with one so strange even he drew the line at serving it to his dinner guests during the making of “Heston’s Gothic Feast”. Inspired by a traditional Romanian dish, he decides he’s going to use leeches to make miniature blood sausages. The leeches are gorged on blood, killed instantly with liquid nitrogen, and then fried up to be eaten whole. Unfortunately, after all that work, Heston was less than impressed, and decided he couldn’t serve them and needed to come up with some other way to force his guests to drink blood.

#14: The Musical Episode

“The Story of Tracy Beaker” (2002-05)

For British millennials and older Gen Zs, kids’ TV doesn’t get any more iconic than this episode of “Tracy Beaker” – but isn’t it weird? All Tracy wants to do is stay up late, but she’s not allowed, so her subconscious rebels in the form of this nightmarish musical land, where the Dumping Ground is run by a tyrannical Cam and everybody’s spirit has been stolen. It would certainly be an easier pill to swallow if all of the actors could sing, however, and perhaps it was devised as a way for Dani Harmer, still aspiring to be a singer, to showcase her range. Whatever the reason, “Life is a Cabaret” is as cringe and odd as it is charming – but aren’t those songs catchy?

#13: Alien Invaders

“Beadle’s About” (1986-96)

As Britain’s most legendary prankster, Jeremy Beadle became a reviled figure because of his ruthless pranks against members of the public. But none was more outrageous than this, in which a woman, Janet Elford, was tricked into thinking a flying saucer had landed in her back garden in Dorset. They had police, a film crew, scientists, and the property owner, who of course was given the challenge of communicating with the otherworldly visitor. The moment when the fake alien pops its head up, only to get offered a cup of tea in response, may be the funniest thing ever committed to film in Britain. It was certainly a close encounter of the Beadle kind…

#12: Surprised by Alison Hammond

“This Morning” (1988-)

While this clip has gone viral, the context that often gets missed out is that member-of-the-public Jill had recently had a stroke. Then again, it’s hard to imagine that ANYBODY wouldn’t be extremely shocked and confused if Eamonn Holmes started talking to them through the television, and then Alison Hammond walked in. It was all organised as a heartfelt gift from Jill’s children, but did it go the way the producers expected? We’re sure it meant the world to Jill, but it was still an extremely confusing situation, with Alison grilling her about how she was feeling and then nicking her TV to replace it with a new one – not to mention dragging in Ainsley Harriott.

#11: Rotisserie Chickens

“Top Gear Ground Force” (2008)

Clarkson, Hammond, and May were convinced to do a “Ground Force” crossover for Sport Relief back in 2008, mocking the world’s foremost gardening makeover show. This excellent experiment is designed for those of you who don’t have a barbecue but you do have a handy jet engine lying around, and you’re absolutely desperate for a rotisserie chicken. We’ve all been there! May and Clarkson watch on as the chickens quickly spin out of control, and we’re amazed that nobody on the production team made them wear goggles just in case they got a big lump of flaming chicken chucked at their faces.

#10: Snake on a Table

“Come Dine with Me” (2005-)

Oh dear, oh dear. Unless they’ve been cooked and served, we’re not sure animals belong on the dining table – especially not snakes. Claire brought out her pet snake as an exotic accompaniment, and let him roam over the table to prove that snakes aren’t frightening. However, while it’s true that a corn snake can’t really do you any damage, they CAN give you salmonella poisoning if you don’t wash your hands properly after handling them. Which is exactly why it was a bad idea to bring him to the table, especially when he did his business all over the tablecloth, right next to Andy’s plate. We’re not surprised she lost.

#9: The Ghost

“Coronation Street” (1960-)

Did you know that the set of “Coronation Street” is also infamously haunted, and was visited by Yvette Fielding, too? Unfortunately, this isn’t a clip from that episode of “Most Haunted”, but rather a baffling apparition in “Coronation Street” itself, though we can imagine the screaming had Yvette seen the spectre. Dev and Kirk are sneaking around the run-down snooker hall looking for Pete when a big, green ghost appears, with some viewers commenting that it wasn’t remotely scary and looked like something from “Scooby Doo”. They were chased out and it was later revealed to be a prank, which if anything makes it even MORE like “Scooby Doo”.

#8: Vacuum-Packed Lamb

“Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares” (2004-14)

More culinary disasters, this was one of the most stomach-churning dishes we ever saw on the original UK version of “Kitchen Nightmares”. Gordon heads to the Dovecote Bistro in Devon for this revolting meal of vacuum-packed lamb, preserved for months and reheated in the microwave before serving. Gordon was absolutely appalled at the mushy lump of meat he was given to eat, refusing to taste it after the owner’s poor daughter told him that it had come from a packet and hadn’t even been kept in the fridge. It’s very rare that something’s so worrying he refuses to have a go. And to think, it cost eleven quid!

#7: Catherine Tate Raps

“Big School” (2013-14)

This scene is meant to be deeply cringe-inducing, but it perhaps succeeded too well, because like much of “Big School”, it’s very difficult to watch. David Walliams’ short-lived school sitcom just didn’t know what it wanted to be, other than extremely embarrassing for all the people involved, Catherine Tate included. While dealing with unruly student Dean, they decide to rap through their feelings, improvising some lines that will have you squirming in your seat and wishing it was over. The teachers ARE the butt of the joke, but like Dean, we still find this nightmare almost impossible to sit through.

#6: Death by Truffle Oil

“Midsomer Murders” (1997-)

After about thirty years on TV, you can’t blame “Midsomer Murders” for coming up with some of the most ludicrous ways to die ever conceived by a mystery show. This might be the strangest of all, though, because of just how elaborate it was, and how easily it could have gone wrong. Our unfortunate victim is found tied up to a tree having had his stomach ripped out by truffle-sniffing wild boars, lured towards him after he was doused in irresistible truffle oil. It’s an elaborate, but fitting way to kill a man obsessed with the very best of truffles.

#5: The Gnome Kidnappings

“Nationwide” (1969-83)

1976 was a dark year for the residents of Merseyside, as the small town of Formby found itself terrorised over Christmas that year by a team of ruthless gnome-nappers. “Nationwide”, usually a serious current affairs show, reenacted the gnome kidnappings in an extremely dry manner, reminiscent of “Panorama’s” famous spaghetti hoax. The crimes were never solved, but decades on, a bloke rang up Radio 2 and owned up to the crime wave, saying that he and his brother had done it for a joke when they were children. But it’s more remembered for this baffling, but very funny, news segment, suggesting that a James Bond villain is the culprit.

#4: The Ghost of a Boxer Dog

“Taskmaster” (2015-)

You just never know what Lucy Beaumont is going to come out with next, certainly not during this inaugural prize task of the sixteenth series of “Taskmaster”. She launches into one of the weirdest anecdotes ever heard on the programme – which is no mean feat when she’s competing for that honour with the likes of Bob Mortimer – about a deeply unusual discovery she and then-husband Jon Richardson found during their garage conversion. Do you believe her? Have you ever felt the spirit of a dog get into bed with you? Be sure to let us know. It was in the very same episode that she also claimed her legs were actually arms.

#3: The Cookie Monster

“Newsnight” (1980-)

Much like the “Nationwide” gnome report, the BBC let another unusual character hijack “Newsnight” – which is also usually a dour and serious affair – back in 2013. Just as the show wrapped up, Emily Maitlis announced that the BBC had recently signed the Cookie Monster, who was due to be appearing alongside fellow Hollywood A-lister Elmo on a new children’s programme. Years later, things got even stranger when Mr Blobby appeared to promote his panto stint on BBC News. He rocked up, screamed his own name, and menaced the studio, exactly as you’d expect. Honestly, we prefer the Cookie Monster; he certainly causes less mayhem.

#2: Noodle the Cat

“Britain’s Got Talent” (2007-)

What on Earth was this? Everybody was baffled when an animated cat took to the stage on the 2023 series of “Britain’s Got Talent”, wowing everybody with his singing voice after hacking up a furball. But what was perhaps even stranger than this nonsense was Noodle getting four yeses, entirely on the strength of his singing. He got a standing ovation and shot through the competition, reaching the semi-finals until the mask came off. It was eventually revealed that the voice of Noodle was Tom Ball, the previous year’s runner-up, with the public outraged that a former contestant was allowed to progress as if it had suddenly become “The Masked Singer”.

#1: The Demonstration

“Virgin Island” (2025)

Channel 4 shocked the world yet again in 2025, when it came out with a show called “Virgin Island”. It was exactly what you’d expect: a group of virgins, most of them in their twenties, going to a special camp in the Mediterranean to see whether they could overcome their intimacy issues. It was disturbing all the way through, with the participants being encouraged by some so-called “experts” with extremely dubious credentials to strip down and let go. In the very first episode, they were given a demonstration of intimacy by two of the experts, which was so intense it reduced some of them to tears. Just what was Channel 4 thinking?

Let us know in the comments what you’d rather eat: fish and rice cakes, or vacuum-packed lamb shanks?