Season Finale of Laugh or Cry TV

Season 2 Debuts soon. Richard Madeley Helium Prank is showcased in Webisode 25, the finale of season 1. For those who have already seen it, please note that there is 8 minutes of previously unseen footage such as media fallout and parents reactions.


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ATTENTION RABID FANBASE. PLEASE READ.
Webisode 25 marks the end of Season 1 but we are not going away. Season 2 is madder than ever, and is coming soon. However, you need to know this. If YouTube shuts down or our YouTube channel is shut down, we can still be found on our official website. I’m not trying to shove the website down your throat but it is important to know that the only home we will always have is http://www.laughorcrytv.com

ALSO
Season 2 is pencilled in for summer 2010 but in the meantime Ed will continue updating his personal video blog regularly with behind the scenes videos. Here is a link to his personal YouTube channel http://www.laughorcrytv.com/meccaofmadness.htm

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Webisode 25 | Season Finale features…
Richard Madeley Helium Prank
Media Coverage such as newspapers, BBC radio and websites such as the Telegraph
Parents Reactions
More Fallout
Season 2 Promo

INTERVIEW WITH EDWARD ABOUT WEBISODE 25

The helium prank was performed on my birthday.
We’d been to TGI Fridays where there were some helium balloons. We always planned to go to Richard’s book signing because we are fans of his but literally on the way I thought of this idea. My original idea was actually not how the prank is presented in this webisode. My original idea was to ask him to inhale from the balloon with no helium so that when he spoke in a normal, low voice he would be shocked and confused that it wasn’t the high pitch one he would have expected to come out. However, I then realised that he’d probably unintentionally speak in a high pitch and turned the prank into what it became, an experiment in human psychology.

I’m going to take this opportunity to respond to some of the comments I received by viewers.
Comment 1 was about Richard and me. It said, ‘an ass and a cock together’. I replied, ‘which am I? Answer: the cock, because I f***ed him, then pissed on your comment’.

Comment 2 was made by a news website editor and also a radio presenter made a very similar comment. The comment was ‘so you’re given a helium balloon filled with helium, except there’s no helium in it. That’s what happened to Richard Madeley, who thought he’d better pretend to have a squeaky voice anyway!’

To clarify, the joke is me turning up with a handful of helium balloons and passing one to him that I had previously emptied of all helium and blown back up myself, without his knowledge. So at this stage he’s thinking that he’s inhaling helium and despite not actually doing so, the high pitch voice comes out because he is subconsciously expecting it to. At no point was he aware he wasn’t inhaling helium.

Comment 3 was in response to what I said in the video just after the prank. I said ‘I couldn’t resist because I had some helium balloons on me’. In response to that, someone commented ‘I thought they just had oxygen in them?’

First of all I’m not sure why this viewer is confused? I felt it was obvious that I had some balloons with helium since I was holding some that were floating in the air in full view of everyone, which I took along for realism. But I went on to explain that the one I gave him didn’t have helium in it.
Secondly, his comment went on to suggest that he’d caught me out, like I was contradicting myself and he’d now exposed me. If I was indeed tricking my audience and the joke wasn’t what I said it was, I definitely wouldn’t willingly contradict myself in my own video as he suggested so I’m afraid he misunderstood the situation there.

Since there were lots of people who didn’t get it, I don’t know whether to take responsibility for perhaps not explaining the prank properly in the video or not. Looking back, I do feel that I adequately explained it though it’s a shame some didn’t get it because my intention is to entertain everyone. I reality, it’s probably that people just watched it casually and aren’t into it as much as I am. So from that point of view it’s understandable.

When I put up the video originally I put my contact details up with it and was contacted by various media which I was really happy about. Now, I’m completely aware that it was his involvement that got the media coverage but that’s why I did it in the first place. You make your own luck, as they say. I like how in the newspaper the first 10 pages were about Barack Obama then page 11 had the helium prank on it, as if that was the second most important news of the day.

What’s completely lost when a viewer watches the prank is the usual story whereby you don’t see how hard it was to actually get permission from the store to film it in the first place, let alone blow a balloon in his face. Similarly, I was pleased that I asked him to say his catchphrase of ‘welcome back’ but that too was hard to actually request, as I got the impression that everyone there probably thought there was something wrong with me. My family says there is.

I was interviewed by a radio station about my history of filming videos and I offered to wait by the phone in case they wanted to speak with me live on air.
It turns out they didn't but I didn’t mind waiting. It was a 4 hour show and I waited the whole time just in case. Actually a funny story during the wait was that my mom was reading a local newspaper which reported a rape in the town centre from the night before. I jokingly said ‘oh, did you say that happened yesterday? Because that was me who did the rape, I forgot to tell you’. She was shocked and said ‘what, really?’. I said obviously not.

I’m now going to present The Sun’s national newspaper article about the incident.

TV’S RICHARD IS FULL OF HOT AIR

Telly favourite Richard Madeley squeals and squeaks in this hilarious video – after being duped into thinking he has inhaled helium.
A cheeky prankster fooled the 52-year-old host into believing he had sucked from a helium-filled balloon, which really only contained oxygen.

Web comic Edward Harris had pleaded with the chat show king to give him a birthday message after sucking back helium. And despite the balloon only containing oxygen Richard still put on a high pitched voice. The footage – shot during a recent book signing – has now been placed on the internet.
Introducing the clip, unknown Harris, says: "Everyone knows when you inhale helium from a balloon you speak in a high pitched voice. But what if you lead someone to believe there was helium in that balloon when there really wasn't? Would they still speak in a high pitched voice because of human psychology?”

"Who better to be the test subject than UK celebrity Richard Madeley?"

Harris – clutching a bunch of balloons – collared his victim at a WHSmith store where Richard was signing copies of his book Fathers and Sons. He invited the star to wish him a happy birthday after breathing in a lung full of helium. After taking a small breath, Richard squealed: "So a very happy birthday Edward." Gaffe prone presenter Richard then hands the joker a signed book before chuckling: "There you go mate. Well listen, happy birthday, have a great day, thanks for coming down."

Soon after, tubby Harris rushes to his mum and dad to relay what happened. The embarrassing episode was recorded by an unknown third person before it was posted on the web. The clip was posted on video sharing website YouTube on Monday for Harris' mini series Laugh or Cry TV.

Harris said: "I actually really liked meeting Richard Madeley. He's one of my favourite TV personalities. He was really professional, really polite, really nice and I bought his book but I couldn't resist because I had some balloons on me."

SEASON 2 COMING SOON

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