With Will Arnett as executive producer

American broadcaster ABC is bringing back The Gong Show.

Arrested Development and Bojack Horseman star Will Arnett is executive producing ten episodes of the show 

It originally ran from 1976 to 1980 – with a short-lived revival in 1988 – and featured the likes of  Rip Taylor and Phyllis Diller as judges, who wer allowed to gong off the quirky speciality acts who appeared 

 Pee Wee Herman and Police Academy comedian Michael Winslow were discovered through the programme, which featured regular appearances from The Unknown Comic, who would perform while wearing a paper bag over his head. 

Channel 4 aired the show in the 1980s, and  piloted a British version with Frankie Howerd as host, but it never made it to air.

However, it is thought the success of Simon Cowell’s similar ‘…Got Talent’ format, which airs on rival NBC, has spurred ABC into reviving the show.

‘The comedy culture we are living in has finally caught up to The Gong Show, so the timing is perfect,’ said Holly Jacobs from Sony Pictures Television. 

Gong Shows have continued to be a vibrant part of the open-mic live comedy circuit in the UK, with many venues having their own versions, spearheaded by the Comedy Store’s King Gong.

Published: 3 Oct 2016