The Caution Signs Show

The Caution Signs Show is a British live-action and adult animated television series created by and starring Thomas Woodward for Channel 5, and first airing on the channel in 2001. The show is a pre-recorded compilation/variety show mixed in with a talk show, reality, and pseudo-drama. Alongside Thomas, other people starring in the show feature Lucas Elliott, Wendy Wilkerson, Holly Dalby, John Betts, Hudson Gates, amongst the few. The show has been noted for its unique take on the compilation series because of its mixture of other genres into the show, Thomas has claimed that it was to “retain audience attention”.

The first series aired on Channel 5 on 19th October 2001 and ended on the 21st of December 2001 for nine episodes. The show attracted large viewership to the channel due to its short runtime of thirty minutes, the mass amount of content, and it’s boldness to mock celebrities out of the blue. The show did so well that Channel 5, soon to be known as Five, greenlit a second series to be shown in September 2002. A Christmas special was broadcast on Boxing Day 2001, the first of many other special episodes. The first series was the only series of the show to date not to feature any adult animation, apart from the final scene of the last episode where Thomas ends up in South Park by accident.

The show had received critical acclaim from critics, calling it one of the first instances of adult animated comedy to be shown of free-to-air television. It had been noted for its humour, segments, and ideas. As of 2022, the show has 21 series and 216 episodes, with its 22nd series to be shown on 16th September 2022. The Caution Signs Show is the longest running original series from Channel 5 and the longest running British show to have adult animation.

Format
The Caution Signs Show is a variety show, set mostly in a studio hosted by Thomas Woodward. The show can start off in any way, like Thomas reminding viewers of his week or his so called Tip of the Week, where he gives the viewers a life lesson taught to him by his grandad. Afterwards, a clip is shown, usually an old clip from the black and white era, such as historical footage from World War II, or PSAs set out by the government to ensure the safety of the public. Following that is a sketch, a short scene set somewhere where a humorous situation plays out. After that, anything can really play out, depending on what Thomas feels like doing. Such as a review of a television series, a dramatic piece played out like a film, or a reality styled documentary where Thomas goes about his normal life in Wiltshire.

Following the advert break, we return to the studio where Thomas often introduces “special guests”, but each guest is listed under one category. In the first series, guests that entered the studio were, anarchists, communists, fascists, politicians, comedians, scam artists, and more. Often at times, when Thomas is trying to interview them, they will spew out their beliefs, often political, such as the communists, where an impersonator of Mao Zedong mocks capitalism and wants to be resurrected by China’s Central Television (CCTV). After Thomas ends the interview, chaos often erupts over the group as they argue on who does a better job on guarding their belief. After series two, many groups from South Park often come into the studio, to show an excuse for the show’s poor budget.

After series two, South Park is often used as a way to introduce the show to British audiences. Most of the time, it is originally animated for the show, with the team behind the show joining The Caution Signs Show as producers to work on the series. The situations in South Park are more mature than in the United States, due to Ofcom allowing bold material after nine o’clock. This results in the scenes being uncensored and uncut because of the new guidelines. Alongside South Park, various animators from Britain and other countries allowed their work to be shown on the show to allow them to be seen to a greater extent. These animations are more adult themed and have course language in them. Other times, parodies of other animated shows are shown like children’s television series, and adult themed shows from Fox.

By the end of the show, some random footage can be seen, often filmed by Thomas himself. Either that, or a parody of a British television series, a discussion in the studio, or some homemade footage by Thomas himself, in his house. This sometimes concludes the documentary segment from earlier or it’s placed for a certain reason. The scrolling credits either play over the end credits of another show, or some specially composed music by Edward Stove.

Whilst not often, more occasionally, some episodes will follow a serialised story either animated or live action. Stories can either be straight comedy, straight drama, or a mix of both.