The difference between the format of this show and the prior Whale On (1993) was so incidental that The James Whale Show even began with a modified title sequence from Whale On.
A somewhat surreal title sequence saw celebrity faces on the body of fish - including Frank Bruno and Paul Gascoigne - which were then gobbled up by a cartoon of a whale with a beard and glasses, before the whale spouted out the title of the show. The "spouting logo" is the only thing changed for this programme.
A somewhat surreal title sequence saw celebrity faces on the body of fish - including Frank Bruno and Paul Gascoigne - which were then gobbled up by a cartoon of a whale with a beard and glasses, before the whale spouted out the title of the show. The "spouting logo" is the only thing changed for this programme.
As with James Whale's two prior series, The James Whale Radio Show (1988) and Whale On (1993), although advertised as a "Friday night" programme, the start time was post-midnight, meaning technically it aired on the Saturday. This is reflected in the release dates for each episode.
James greatly ups his spoken disdain towards producer Mike Mansfield in this series, arguing with him via the camera as he claims that Mike is constantly interrupting him through his earpiece. However, in his 2007 autobiography "Almost A Celebrity", James appears to put aside any concerns that this was genuine and not just for comic effect, as he praised Mansfield greatly, noting that working on the show:
"[...] was like being part of a big family, perhaps because Mike Mansfield was a good mate of mine as well as being a talented producer. Nevertheless, I really missed the live shows. I wanted the danger and uncertainty."
"[...] was like being part of a big family, perhaps because Mike Mansfield was a good mate of mine as well as being a talented producer. Nevertheless, I really missed the live shows. I wanted the danger and uncertainty."