Skip to main content
Games Radar
  • Newsarama
  • Total Film
  • Edge
  • Retro Gamer
  • SFX
Total Film The smarter take on movies
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Subscribe
  • Podcast
  • Newsletter
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best Netflix Shows

Recommended reading

Anson Mount as Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Streaming Services The 25 best shows on Paramount Plus to watch right now
Elizabeth Banks as Nicky and Jessica Biel as Chloe in The Better Sister.
TV The 25 best shows on Amazon Prime Video to watch in June 2025
Severance
Apple TV Plus The 25 best shows on Apple TV Plus to watch right now (June 2025)
Jesse Plemons in Game Night
Movies The 32 most underrated movie comedies of all time
Carrie-Anne Moss as Greta Nelso and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Luke Brunner in Fubar season 2.
Netflix The 25 best shows on Netflix to watch right now
Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain
Movies The 33 greatest movies about showbiz
Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in the second season of Netflix's Wednesday
TV The best new TV shows coming your way in 2025
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

5 TV Shows That Wouldnt Work As Movies

Features
By Andy Lowe published 25 November 2008

When small screen into silver screen won’t go…

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Top Gear

Top Gear

Starring: Steve Coogan as Jeremy Clarkson, Bill Nighy as James May, Ewan McGregor as Richard Hammond, Ben Stiller as The Stig

The pitch: Three men with bad hair argue and mess about with cars. It’s The Fast And The Furious for the middle-aged.

The glitch: Even an IMAX screen would struggle to contain Clarkson’s ego.

Page 1 of 5
Page 1 of 5
Deal Or No Deal

Deal Or No Deal

Starring: Richard Attenborough as Noel Edmonds

The pitch: Edmonds is the fiendish, Joker/Jigsaw-esque mastermind who sends his victims boxes which contain either details of their grisly fate or some money.

The glitch: There’d have to be a stupid, budget-busting twist where the studio is revealed to be the contents of a big box held by a giant, bearded, God-like Edmonds.

Page 2 of 5
Page 2 of 5
Antiques Roadshow

Antiques Roadshow

Starring: Kristin Scott Thomas as That Woman Who Used To Be On The News

The pitch: That Woman Who Used To Be On The News is a woman archaeologist who rescues old people’s old junk from Nazi collectors and then watches while experts tell them how much it isn’t worth.

The glitch: George Lucas would ruin it by setting it on the moon or something.

Page 3 of 5
Page 3 of 5
Strictly Come Dancing

Strictly Come Dancing

Starring: David Hasselhoff as Bruce Forsyth, Sienna Miller as Tess Daly

The pitch: An elderly man lurks in the shadows as sprightly youngsters in spangly costumes prance around to jaunty music. Could be a sort of Wizard Of Oz redux, only more frightening.

The glitch: Bruce is a real wizard and, as consultant, would disrupt the set by doing seduction spells on the girls.

Page 4 of 5
Page 4 of 5
The News

The News

Starring: Tom Hanks as Huw Edwards

The pitch: An intrepid but dull explorer searches the world for the truth. He then sits behind a desk and explains his findings. A bit like The Da Vinci Code with a desk.

The glitch: Would have to wait until Hugh Grant's career is sufficiently hopeless for him to agree to play the desk.

Page 5 of 5
Page 5 of 5
Andy Lowe
See more Movies Features
Read more
Anson Mount as Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
The 25 best shows on Paramount Plus to watch right now
Elizabeth Banks as Nicky and Jessica Biel as Chloe in The Better Sister.
The 25 best shows on Amazon Prime Video to watch in June 2025
Severance
The 25 best shows on Apple TV Plus to watch right now (June 2025)
Jesse Plemons in Game Night
The 32 most underrated movie comedies of all time
Carrie-Anne Moss as Greta Nelso and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Luke Brunner in Fubar season 2.
The 25 best shows on Netflix to watch right now
Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain
The 33 greatest movies about showbiz
Latest in Movies
Daniel Craig in new James Bond movie No Time to Die
28 Years Later director Danny Boyle confirms he won't go back to James Bond: "That ship has sailed"
James Gunn
Superman director James Gunn confirms "dead is dead" in the DCU but with maybe one exception
Mace Windu in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
The Mandalorian director Bryce Dallas Howard clears up details about her Mace Windu discussions with Dave Filoni
Dichen Lachman as Ms. Casey
Severance star joins Boogeyman director Rob Savage's next horror film, which is based on a book by the Bird Box author
A Minecraft Movie chicken jockey scene
We finally know when A Minecraft Movie will be streaming, and it's in just a few days
Dakota Johnson as Lucy and Pedro Pascal as Harry in Celine Song's Materialists
New rom-com starring Marvel actors was inspired by legendary romance movies like Pride & Prejudice and The Graduate
Latest in Features
The Outer Worlds 2 screenshot showing a character leaping over cover
With The Outer Worlds 2, Obsidian is dedicated to making sneaky playstyles truly viable: "We have a strike team going room-by-room to see if we can stealth properly through each location"
The Outer Worlds 2 screenshot showing a handgun being reloaded in the middle of combat
After playing The Outer Worlds 2, I'm convinced that it has the potential to be Obsidian's greatest game – and the best FPS of 2025
Grounded 2 screenshot showing the entrance to the Ice Cream Truck chill area, with Summer Preview 2025 branding
Everything is bigger in Grounded 2, but Obsidian never considered stretching beyond four-player co-op: "It would have undermined what Grounded was really about"
Grounded 2 screenshot showing players exploring an ice cream truck, with Summer Preview 2025 branding
Obsidian won't rule out bringing Grounded 2 to PS5 in the future, but says that its initial release is "all about being in Game Preview and Early Access"
Grounded 2 screenshot with Summer Preview logo
After playing Grounded 2 for 30 minutes, it's clear that my favorite survival game is getting a massive glow-up
Marco Ng as Alan in The Way We Talk
A new Hong Kong drama about three d/Deaf friends brings sign language to the big screen in a different way
  1. Nintendo Switch 2: Welcome Tour screenshot
    1
    Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour review: "Mostly a fancy toy and not much more"
  2. 2
    MindsEye review: "An uninspired and forgettable sci-fi action adventure that feels like a Netflix movie you watch while on your phone"
  3. 3
    The Alters review: "More tactile and story-heavy than the Frostpunk dev's earlier games, but the fight for survival is just as fierce"
  4. 4
    Splitgate 2 review: "A slick and enjoyable free-to-play FPS, but a disappointing sequel"
  5. 5
    Date Everything review: "A masterclass in character design full of wonderful faces I love meeting, but juggling so many means sacrificing depth"
  1. The Yautja in Dan Trachtenberg's animated movie Predator: Killer of Killers
    1
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  2. 2
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  3. 3
    Karate Kid: Legends review: "Better than Karate Kid (2010), nothing on Karate Kid (1984)"
  4. 4
    Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning review: "Wraps up this spy franchise in spectacular style with Tom Cruise in peak condition, even if its villain lacks terror"
  5. 5
    Final Destination Bloodlines Review: "Meticulous murderous mayhem"
  1. Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley / Number One and Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
    1
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  2. 2
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  3. 3
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision
  4. 4
    Rick and Morty season 8 review: "Largely plays it too safe after years of crossing boundaries"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 6 spoiler review: 'The Interstellar Song Contest' is "a blast and sets the stage for a thrilling season finale"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...