Christmas Sing Along!

I promised you a seasonal update today and what’s more seasonal than a good sing along to the tune of ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’?

In two thousand and six a man blagged from me:

12 Hobs a Nobbing
11 Gels for Spiking
10 Pens for drawing
9 shiny lip glosses
8 Soya drinks
7 Bottom disks
6 Tasty apples
5 Puma Trainers
4 Cans of lager
3 Magic Vases
2 TARDIS models
and a tiny plastic toilet…

And on that note I wish you all a fantastic Christmas and a Happy New Year. As for my New Years resolutions you can look forward to a couple of new features starting in January as I take blagging beyond just products and even attempt to find my own Blagman sidekick. Intrigued? See you on January 3rd…

Blags of the Year 2006 Part 2

As promised here’s the second part of my round up of the year. Don’t forget to check back on Wednesday for one more seasonal update to round the year off.

Comedy Blag of the Year - Sylvanin Families Toilet and Sink
After a bizarre desire to be able to say I’d blagged everything including a kitchen sink I contacted the makers of Sylvanian Families to ask for their help. A few weeks later I was in the possession of 5 centimetres of tiny plastic sinkery. They even bundled in a tiny toilet to boot.

Least Enjoyable Blag – Veet for Men Wax Strips
This award was a bit of a tie given that in the past year I’ve also had to endure a bug eating party game and Unazukin, the psychic toy. In either case I found Veet Wax Strips deserved this award purely for the brief pain they made me endure and for making me walk around with two rectangular gaps on my legs for 3 months.

Most Fanatical Fans – Relentless Energy Drink
When I first started blagging a friend of mine, JP, donated a crate of Relentless to the cause in the hope I could share the drink with the world. Since then the Relentless review has appeared on Wikipedia, Google and has attracted some of the most fanatical fans from around the globe. Of the comments posted my favourite are “It's like being smashed, but no terrible side-effects! W00t!” and He's right Vodka/RElEnTlEsS is great me and mates call it VR!!!!!!!.!"£$%^&*()$£$£”. Clearly they love it every bit as much as JP did.

Best Childhood Revival - Big Bottom Box
Long time readers will know I love talking about my childhood, whether that be fond memories of FunFax or less fond memories of Tamagotchi’s it’s always nice to find a product that reminds me of times gone by. One product which did this especially well was the Big Bottom Box which rekindled my childhood memories of sneaking to bed to watch the show as a child. As an interesting side note ever since running this review we've been linked to by several porn sites, I think they may not understand what the Bottom TV show is about....

Blag of the Year – Chocolate Hob Nobs
While not the most expensive or the most useful blag, this accolade has been awarded to Chocolate HobNobs for being my first blag and starting me on this crazy quest in the first place. They even took the time to wish me “good look with (my) experiment” and in essence are one of the reasons Blagman.co.uk exists today. For that reason alone they easily earn the title of blag of the year.

Blags of the Year 2006 Part 1

With only 2 weeks left of the year it’s about time I celebrated some of the best and more bizarre products to arrive in the first year of Blagman.co.uk. Sure it may be a bit premature but if you’re struggling for last minute present ideas look no further. I’ll be posting a couple more updates before the end of the year including Part 2 very soon, but for now sit back and relax as I recap the Blagman journey so far:

Most Expensive Blag – Chrono (£150)
You can judge a good blagger by the value of the stuff they get for free so I can think of no better place to start than Chrono. Essentially a giant diary, Chrono includes pages for recording every important moment for your life including your love life, favourite songs, cars, houses, money and more. It’s the time capsule for the 21st century!

Fastest Postal Blag - Bedlam Cube (16 hours)
This award records the time it took me to get from an initial phone call to receiving something in the post. Generally when blagging products there’s quite a delay between asking for something and receiving so companies can check that you really have a website, and that you are who you say you are. In the case of the Bedlam Cube the product arrived in a mere 16 hours which was pretty incredible given that the company owner who sent it, Danny Bamping, wasn’t even in the UK at the time.

Most Useful Blag - Filofax
What good is getting stuff for free if it won’t fit in to your everyday life? Several products from the past year have found their way in to my life but non-more so than the Filofax organiser I received back in August. Since then it’s become my permanent companion wherever I go and makes my life easier in a number of ways.

Biggest Blag - Slim-Fast
Back in September I was confused as to exactly why Unilever would send me eight cartons of their Adez drink when one would have sufficed. Since then other big blags include 9 lip glosses from L’Oreal and 11 products from Brylcream (essentially a years supply!) but neither of those bundles can hold a torch to the daddy of them all - 19 products from Slim-Fast. This bundle included everything from shakes, pretzels, snack bars and soup, easily making it the biggest blag so far.

Most Enjoyable Blag – Evel Knievel Deluxe Dare Devil Set
Not only was this one of my favourite toys of the year it was also one of the best toys I’ve ever played with. Sure it’s noisier than a jet leaving Heathrow but for all the stunts and tricks it lets you pull of it’s worth every penny and reminded me why I started asking for toys to review in the first place.

Don't forget to check back next week when I annouce my Blag of the Year, Least Enjoyable Blag and even which product has the most fanatical fans. Enjoy the weekend!

Bullseye Board Game

Anyone that’s ever tried to watch darts on TV will have spotted that the majority of matches often turn in to repetitive battles to see who will miss treble 20 first. That would be fine if professional players didn’t know how to hit treble 20 with their eyes closed and because of this matches can drag on and on as you anxiously wait for one person to make a mistake. TV darts in the 1980s however were an entirely different matter, sure the professionals were still engaged in their long drawn on battles but the rest of us got to enjoy a much more fun variation on the theme: Bullseye.


For the past few years the most we’ve heard about Bullseye has been a few jokes from Peter Kay but recently that’s all started to change. There’s been a new series of the show on Challenge TV, a DVD game, and even a board game which I was lucky enough to blag. All we need now is a Big Break revival and a decent remake of Gladiators and it’ll be TV heaven all over again.

Rather than watering down the TV show Upstarts have decided to make the board game as faithful as they could, in fact the only real thing missing is the spelling round and celebrity bit for charity, which you can always recreate if you manage to grab Pat Sharp for a quick game. As the game is so faithful it takes a little bit of time to familiarise yourself with the rules the first time around but once you work out how much money to award for each round you’ll be sorted. All you need to do then is find a nail to hang up the darts board and you’re good to go.


Just like the TV show the board game has been designed for use with 6 players but if playing with less or more (up to 8) the rules can be changed slightly to accommodate for this. Mostly this means either splitting in to two teams or allowing one person to act as a question master and in either case the classic Bullseye formula works just as well.

For those who haven’t seen the show but fancy a darts game regardless there’s really nothing to stop you. The focus for rounds 1 and 2 is hitting spots on the board and answering questions to win prize money. Round 3 switches things around by allocating different prizes (and prize values) to different spots on the board which then adds money to your team. Lastly there’s the chance to play for a grand prize which includes Bullseye favourites such as speed boats and His and Her’s Jet Skis. No water required….


In short this is probably the most authentic board game version of a TV show I’ve ever seen. From the questionable prizes to the bizarre questions everything is as it should be. Well apart from the magnetic darts but that’s probably for the best…

“Fancy blagging yourself an unofficial world record?”

Thats the title of an email which arrived in my mailbox just over a week ago. Not one to turn away from a gauntlet (especially one which includes ‘blagging’ in the title) I threw together a selection of my best blags so far, filmed a video of them on my digital camera and nine days later I became the proud owner of the unofficial world record for “Most Stuff Blagged”.

You can see the video a few scrolls below but first a bit of background. The site handing out these accolades is www.unofficial.tv and current records include ‘Most pointless bike stunt’, ‘Synchronized Farting’ and even a surfing mouse. To submit your own record for judges approval you simply register and upload a video file. Then after a quick check over by the Unofficial World Record Team your video will appear on the site. In my case I managed to register and get my video approved and on the site in just 12 hours which is a pretty quick turnaround if you can’t wait to show the world your attempt at ‘Most Swearwords in a minute’ (28 being the current record to beat)

So without further ado here is my attempt at a video, it’s a little quiet so be sure to turn the volume up… That reminds me I really should blag a video camera one of these days:



By taking the best bits from The Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley’s Believe it or not and splicing in a bit of You Tube culture in to the mix Unofficial World Records is a fantastic stop for anyone searching for the most unusual videos on the web. To explore the videos submitted so far or to submit your own visit www.unofficial.tv .

P.S If you enjoyed the video be sure to let me know in the comment box or drop me an email at mike@blagman.co.uk and who knows there could be more low-quality grainy videos to come!

Bradley Walsh's Soccer Shockers

Back when I was at school it didn’t matter if the defender let someone past, or if the forward passed to someone else, if a goal went in and you were the goalkeeper then it was your fault. Of course things weren’t really so clear cut back then, with 10 lads on a tennis court kicking randomly and hoping one of their limbs would hit the ball it really wasn’t so clear cut just who was to blame. Thankfully with professional football and a much bigger pitch when someone messes up it’s very easy to see.


As is the case with this compilation which chronicles the best global Soccer Shockers from over the years going back as far as 1960. Bradley Walsh also features as he returns to Griffin Park where he used to play many years ago. Through his journey he encounters such memorable events as a janitor winking in a corner (“I said winking!”) and various phone calls from his agent / contractor. He also manages time to lie about the running time by exclaiming that he’ll be bringing you soccer shockers “for the next hour or so” when the DVD really only lasts 52 minutes.

Despite this short running time there are still a lot of standout moments which will at least make the DVD memorable for a couple of watches. As with school the first people to get the blame are the goalkeepers, although in this case it’s clear to see exactly how they mess up. I won’t spoil the many delights on offer other than with a few screenshots on this page, because a lot of the joy comes from the unexpected.


And I’m doubting that he expected that….

To make the DVD more than just a series of clips Walsh also provides a voice over which for the most part does the job. Lines such as “If he’d gone any further out of his area he’d have had to pay to get back in to the stadium” while not comedy classics are more than enough to do the trick. Walsh’s commentary also proves highly useful for those blink-and-you’ll-miss-them moments where he’ll warn you exactly what to look out for, and if you still miss it several clips are played back in slow mo for a second chance.

Aside from goalkeepers other people to get a raw deal are defenders and forwards, so pretty much everyone really. Oh, and lets not forget everyone’s favourite friends: referees who also get a montage of clips at their expense. Last of all there’s also a few clips of off the pitch violence to round the DVD off.


Although barely longer than the first half of a footy match while it lasts Soccer Shockers is likely to prove great entertainment for anyone who has ever laughed at a players expense. Naturally if you’ve got a footballing family and you need something for the festive period then you can’t really do much better than this. Well this or a kick about in the back garden… just make sure you don’t go in goal.

Soccer Shockers can be ordered from the handy box below:

Doctor Who Shaker Maker

My lack of artistic skills is already well documented so I should warn you in advance that this post may contain images that may shock and disturb you….


One of the best things for the BBC about the revival of Doctor Who has no doubt been the fantastic merchandising opportunities the show presents. Books, toys and DVD’s are all ready for Christmas and even iconic characters such as the Cybermen have been immortalised with action figures and even a voice changing helmet. The TARDIS (which must be typed in capital letters or else) and the Darlek’s on the other hand have also been immortalised, although in this case they’ve literally been immortalised in Plaster of Paris.

Each pack of Doctor Who Shaker Makers includes two moulds and two packs of power so you can either make one of each figure or create Dalek twins if you fancy it. Extra packs of powder can be ordered with 2 more packs costing £2.99 so it’s not the end of the world either if your first attempt doesn’t quite go according to plan. In my case I decided that the rectangular shape of the TARDIS would be far easier than the curved body of a Dalek.


Making the figure is actually ridiculously easy and there really is no excuse for covering your living room in plaster of paris. Creating the model is a simple case of adding warm water and powder to a cup, clipping on a mould and attaching a cup to catch any excess run off. Then you shake for a couple of minutes, and leave it to dry for 90 minutes.

Unfortunately in my case I just so happened to leave the flat just as the 90 minute mark arose. Thinking that an extra hour or so wouldn’t hurt I returned after the figure had been setting for two and a half hours and proceeded to attempt to remove it from its casing. As you can imagine the bottom of the unit snapped off and the bottom half of my TARDIS turned to dust. Unprepared to give up on my flawed creation I then set about painting.


For painting the kit comes with Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Black and White colours. That’s another reason I chose the TARDIS as you only need blue, white and a bit of black, with no need for mixing colours and vandalising the carpet in my flat. For those feeling more adventurous than I am (or smart enough to lay down some newspaper) there’s a handy colour chart on the bottom of the box to tell you how to mix colours together. Green and Red for example should be all you need to create your own brownish coloured Dalek.


After some very quick painting I ended up with the poor show you see at the start of this review. Although not a work of art it was fun to make, and I’m sure anyone with even a tiny iota of art talent will be able to create something much better than my abomination, and if not there’s always chance to make a second one….

Check the box below for the latest pricing for Shaker Makers at Amazon:

Panda 'Licorice' stick

With my final year coursework due in 2 days there’s just time for a quick honourable mention today before I get my head stuck back in the books.


These days everyone seems to be turning their back on liquorice. With bassets making Liquorice allsorts without the liquorice and the death of 1p sweet shops it seems fans are running out of options. Thankfully Panda have introduced a new liquorice bar (or licorice as they’re calling it) to help fans get their fix and the best part is it tastes even better than Bassets liquorice. The bar I got for free made for a nice little snack and I’ve spotted these popping up even in Tesco locals so if you miss the taste of the sweetshops you knew growing up then these should be nice and easy to find.

The Big Bottom Box

When talking about the Test the Nation game I found it incredibly bizarre that the junior quiz contained questions on shows such as Ali G and Big Brother. After all parents would like to assume their children are happy watching Winx club and the latest transforming robots show. The reality however is that every child growing up has a secret show, one that they sneak to watch every week at 9, in my case growing up that show was Bottom.


Yes the exploits of Eddie ‘Elizabeth’ Hitler and Richard Richard were for many years my bed time entertainment. Growing up I was exposed to all sorts of fighting, swearing and frying pan round the face moments and it didn’t really affect me at all. An hour of Bottom probably contained more sick moments than a weeks worth of Grand Theft Auto or whatever game the tabloid press and blaming the downfall of society on this week, and I turned out to be a perfectly normal individual (well I think so at least).

Sadly Bottom only ran for three series and once it was over as far as I knew that was the end of their Hammersmith flat and their humorous exploits. Little did I know that for the adults of the UK a series of live tour shows kept the magic going and sadly given their 18 rating the TV show was the last I saw of Bottom for quite some time.


Now with 18 age restrictions way behind me and a brand new Big Bottom Box Set containing five live shows, the Guest House Paradiso movie and a best of disc released on Monday December 4th I have a chance to once again continue my childhood TV show. For this review I received the best of disc which contains the best moments from the first few live shows which are set in the classic Bottom flat, a prison and a desert island. I should however point out that although the location may change the jokes are consistent and very funny throughout.

In terms of the best of DVD although you won’t realise it immediately the clips have been put in to some of the strangest montages ever committed to DVD. This includes a montage of scenes where Richie (accidentally) eats poo of some kind, a selection of trademark fight scenes and best of all a set of scenes where Richie and Eddie forget their lines. For those of you who have no idea what Bottom is about I should point out these scenes are done in a comedic manner, and not like Dirty Sanchez style dares.


“Have you seen my glasses”
“Yes I have Eddie they’re on your face”
“No my other glasses, one had scotch in it and the other had gin”

To pad out the best moments for the live shows there are also a few short clips in between containing a fake policemen, doctor and cleaner, amongst others who comment on the bizarre antics of the Bottom twosome. These sections won’t blow you away but in a couple of cases they do set up the next comedy clip by providing some background for those who haven’t seen the shows in full.

All in all I found the Best of disc to be great entertainment. For those buying the Big Bottom set this is the perfect disc to introduce someone new to Bottom. Although make sure you don’t show it to children under 18, they’ve probably got their own secret show to watch instead.


The Big Bottom Box is released on Monday 4th December including 7 DVD’s of Bottom including every live show, a best of disc and the Guest House Paradiso movie. You can buy it for the ridiculously low price of £29.99 from Amazon.co.uk using the handy box below.