TFI Friday was the chaotic show that tore up the rule book – but what happened to all the stars after the show was axed in 2000? Here, The Mirror takes a look at what came next for the iconic show’s main stars…
TFI Friday was the bonkers programme that ripped up the television handbook.
The mad Channel 4 show, which kicked off in February 1996, became essential viewing thanks to presenter Chris Evans’ mayhem. Dreamt up by comedy genius Danny Baker, TFI Friday epitomised 1990s defiance with its cutting-edge and groundbreaking concepts.
Whether you were having a quiet night in or heading out on Friday evening, it was the essential programme at 6pm.
The crowd gathered around a bar where celebrities had to stroll up for chats in the boozer-style setting – grabbing a beverage from Andrew the Barman. Meanwhile, a string of incredible performers took to the studio stage including Aerosmith, David Bowie, Kylie Minogue and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
However, with the anarchic programme breaking barriers, it frequently found itself embroiled in scandal. Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder cursed during a chat on the second episode of the opening series, then continuously bellowed the F-word during a live broadcast a month afterwards.
Additional legendary scenes featured Kylie Minogue kissing Geri Halliwell, Noel Gallagher quipping about “casing the joint” and Ewan McGregor declaring the Tory government had “f***ed everything up”.
Tragically it all finished in December 2000, though the programme was temporarily brought back for one series in 2015. So what are all the personalities from TFI Friday doing these days?
Chris Evans
Author and broadcaster Chris Evans was the programme’s leading light but following the programme’s decline, he passed on presenting responsibilities for the final series to a roster of celebrity guest hosts including The Spice Girls, Sara Cox and Elton John.
When TFI Friday was cancelled, he carried on hosting Virgin Radio’s breakfast programme but his deal was cut short in June 2001 after he repeatedly failed to show up for work.
Evans launched UMTV in August 2002, his own radio and television production firm, but battled to achieve strong viewing figures.
In September 2005 he permanently joined Radio 2 and enjoyed success with his Saturday afternoon and Drivetime programmes. He took over the Radio 2 Breakfast Show from Terry Wogan in January 2011 then departed once more for Virgin Radio in September 2018.
He became Top Gear presenter in June 2015 on a three-year contract but stood down after just a year following criticism from viewers over his presenting approach.
Back in 2016, Chris was compelled to defend himself against ‘bullying’ allegations dating back to the 90s when he worked on The Big Breakfast. Evans found himself at the heart of claims he ‘bullied’ colleagues and supposedly made one female producer on his Radio 2 programme cry.
Former co-host John Revell alleged Evans was “out of control” and BBC executives were “scared to confront him” as he urged BBC chief Tony Hall to suspend him.
In Evans’s defence, the BBC responded by stating there was nothing to investigate and other accusations regarding his behaviour on Top Gear were “completely untrue”. At the time, they said: “There is nothing to investigate as the accusation that Chris’s behaviour has fallen below the standards required of BBC staff since taking on Top Gear are completely untrue – something we have made clear a number of times.”
Chris’ mates insisted he was the victim of a “spiteful witch hunt” as part of a smear campaign to wreck his career.
Directly addressing the accusations, Chris told The Sunday Mirror: “All these bullying claims and other allegations are just ridiculous. “I’m not a bully. But of course if you sling enough mud, some will stick to the wall.
“Is it hurtful to see your wife – or your children – upset? Of course it is.”
In August 2023, he was diagnosed with skin cancer but given the all-clear just eight weeks later. Chatting on his Virgin Radio show during Skin Cancer Awareness Month, Evans shared that he had been diagnosed with the early stages of skin cancer. He reassured listeners that it was caught swiftly, making it “as treatable as cancer can possibly be”.
“I’m now sporting a proud scar. I’ve got my scar on the back of my calf,” he said. “I love my scar, because the scar led me to a sunnier tomorrow, and I’m still in that tomorrow today, and it’s a wonderful place to be.”
Danny Baker
Danny Baker was the brains behind TFI Friday. The comedy scribe, radio presenter and all-round entertainer went on to host the breakfast radio programme on BBC London 94.9 from 2002 to 2012.
He also penned a three-volume autobiography, which served as the foundation for his BBC sitcom Cradle to Grave in 2015. Close pals with former England striker Gary Lineker, the duo have collaborated on their own podcast, Behind Closed Doors.
In 2010, he was diagnosed with head and neck cancer and underwent months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. “I was very ill. I barely had the energy to heave myself over in bed,” he told the Guardian. “They told me: the good news is the prognosis is optimistic, the bad news is that, other than bone marrow, it’s the most gruelling of times – and that’s how it proved. My head had to have the radiation. If it’s in your body, it’s fine, but if it’s in your mouth, you can’t talk or eat and there are various other disgusting conditions that come with it… You’re not conscious, virtually, for three months.”
Frantic about how he would cover his bills during treatment, he called his old friend Chris Evans, who immediately lent him £30,000. “Chris did it in a heartbeat. I had no savings, so I borrowed money off Chris, and I’ve since been able to pay him back because we’ve remortgaged the house. But that was my overriding concern. It’d be the first thing that anyone who’s self employed thinks – what am I going to do?” He has since been given the All Clear.
Baker was embroiled in a racism row in May 2019 when he posted a picture of a chimpanzee with the caption: “Royal Baby leaves hospital” after the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan’s baby.
Following the Twitter furore he was axed by the BBC. Baker admitted it was “one of the worst days of my life” and said he was “paying the price for this crass and regrettable blunder”.
In an apology tweet, he wrote: “But it was a genuine, naive and catastrophic mistake. There is of course little media/twitter traction in such a straight-forward explanation. The picture in context as presented was obviously shamefully racist. It was never intended so – seriously who on earth would ‘go there’?”.
He added: “Anyway I am now paying the price for this crass and regrettable blunder and rightly so. Probably even this final word from me will extend the mania. (‘Dog whistle’ anyone? ) I would like to thank friends on here for their kinder words and once again – I am so, so sorry.”
Will MacDonald
Evans’s television partner Will ‘Wiiiiill’ Macdonald actually doubled up as a producer behind the scenes. The crowd would gesture towards Will and cheer his name whenever he appeared.
Reflecting on his favourite TFI memories in 2015, Will said: “Memory’s quite strange when it comes to TFI Friday. Right now, there are lots of people around the office watching old tapes and there’s a whole bunch of stuff I can’t recall at all.
“Apparently I laid in a bath of hot water for an entire episode but have no recollection of it whatsoever. We were in such a bubble, it all came thick and fast and was fuelled by alcohol, so there’s a startling amount I can’t remember.
“It’s a bit like childbirth – you look back and have fond memories but conveniently forget the pain involved.”
Following the programme, Will became executive producer for ABC’s My Kind of Town, Swinging and more recently Made in Chelsea.
Andrew ‘The Barman’ Carey
Andrew the Barman was a firm favourite amongst countless viewers. He served beverages to celebrity guests whilst positioned behind the studio bar.
In 2012, reports emerged that Andrew had flogged a pub in Belsize Park, north London for an eye-watering £2 million.
During speculation about a comeback, Andrew declared it would be a “great idea” to resurrect TFI Friday and quipped about adding “a few extra noughts” to his wage.
Therefore he felt “shocked, disgusted and disappointed” when Channel 4 chiefs failed to invite him back for the rebooted series.
“I think it’s disgusting that they did an anniversary show, and ran clips from the original series, but did not see fit to invite me or any of the other regulars from the series,” he told the Irish Post in June 2015.
“They had a bar there on the night but they didn’t invite me and I’ve no idea why.”
Source: Mirror
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