The Simpsons secrets revealed as show hits huge milestone including special episode spoilers, predictions & best cameos
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
FURIOUSLY sketching a yellow family on the back of a piece of paper, cartoonist Matt Groening had just minutes to impress a room full of waiting TV executives.
The small-time comic strip maker had been given a shot at coming up with the next big animated series to fill a slot on American sketch series The Tracey Ullman Show.
12
The Simpsons is preparing to celebrate the show's 800th episode, 35 years after it first aired
Credit: Alamy
12
The early sketches of The Simpsons make the famous characters almost unrecognisable
Credit: Fox
12
Show creator Matt Groening (L), screenwriter Matt Selman and producer David Silverman have been behind The Simpsons' success
Little did he know that the rushed doodle of a dad slumped on the sofa, a mother with towering hair and three kids — one loud, one weird and one mute — would soon take the world by storm.
Now, more than 35 years on, The Simpsons is on the brink of celebrating its 800th episode.
In a rare interview, Matt, 71, told how inspiration for the family could not have come from closer to home.
While receiving an Honorary Cristal Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival this week, he joked: 'It's a little-known fact that my parents' real names were . . . Itchy and Scratchy.
'No, seriously, I have a real father called Homer, a real mother called Marge, real siblings called Lisa and Maggie and a real grandfather called Abe.'
Contrary to popular opinion, that does not mean that Matt based cheeky practical joker Bart on himself.
Instead, he thinks of himself more like Bart's nerdy and awkward best friend Milhouse.
The idea for the cartoon may have been simple, but Matt has never run out of steam.
Now in its 36th series, The Simpsons is currently on episode 790, with the milestone instalment due to air soon.
Actress Yeardley Smith, who has been the voice behind Lisa Simpson since the start, revealed that the cast had already gathered for a table read to test out the script for the 800th show, which is believed to be the finale of the current run.
The Simpsons reveals new actor for iconic character – as original star quits after 35 years
She was joined by Dan Castellaneta (Homer), Julie Kavner (Marge), Sabrina Carpenter's aunt Nancy Cartwright (Bart), Harry Shearer (Ned Flanders), Hank Azaria (Moe and Chief Wiggum) and Pamela Hayden (Milhouse).
Matt teased: 'Our main motivation is to surprise ourselves.
'We figure that if we can surprise ourselves, we will probably surprise the audience as well.
'We have parodies of cinema and references to books, TV shows and personal autobiographical anecdotes.
'As it goes on, we become known for different kinds of jokes.'
One constant that fans love though is the celebrity cameos.
12
The Simpsons has stood the test of time thanks to the show's combination of humour and creativity
Credit: Alamy
12
Singer Billie Eilish was a recent guest star on the long-running show, appearing in a scene with Lisa Simpson
12
The Simpsons has had uncanny success at predicting future events on the world stage
Huge names who have featured over the years include Ringo Starr, George Harrison and Paul McCartney, Gordon Ramsay, Elon Musk and former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
And the writers also famously have a spooky knack for predicting the future.
From Donald Trump becoming President to the creation of Apple's FaceTime, viewers heard it from Springfield first.
But even with hundreds of episodes under his belt, Matt has no plans to shelve the series any time soon.
In fact, he even hopes it lives on long enough to catch up with the timeline of another hit Groening production, Futurama.
Matt joked: 'The Simpsons will still be on air in the year 3000!
'Unfortunately, critics will say the show has really been going downhill in the last one thousand years.'
Here, we take a dive into The Simpsons' history books to look at its famous cameos and amazing predictions.
The predictions
12
The Simpsons forecasted many technological advancements like video calling
Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk
IT'S not just the gags that have fans hooked, but the fact the hit series has long had an uncanny habit of predicting major future events.
Through the show's 36 series, a number of storylines have been manifested into real life after first making their appearance in the form of cartoon animation.
In 2000, Bart To The Future saw Lisa Simpson becoming US President, but a billboard in the background of one shot had a billboard ad for 'TRUMP 2024'.
Another episode in 1993 predicted COVID-19, when a flu spread through Springfield residents, while the EBOLA outbreak was predicted in a 1997 scene.
12
The show featured Lady Gaga performing at the Super Bowl years before she took centre stage
Credit: 20th Century Fox
Elsewhere, the cartoon predicted the 2013 HORSE MEAT scandal, in its episode aired in 1994, which saw schoolkids unknowingly served horse meat for lunch.
In a 1995 episode titled Lisa's Wedding, people were seen using SMART WATCH-like devices to communicate – an entire two decades before Apple launched their wearable gadget, while technology similar to FACETIME also featured.
12
Mr Burns attended an exclusive celeb gathering spookily similar to rapper P Diddy's infamous scandal-hit 'white parties'
Credit: Fox
And in 1998, Homer appeared to figure out the mathematical equation behind the HIGGS BOSON discovery, 14 years before particle physicists confirmed the concept.
A 2012 episode, Lisa Goes Gaga, saw the young character watching singer LADY GAGA at the Super Bowl – suspended from the air in the same manner as the star's real-life 2017 show.
And in 2019, Mr Burns attended an exclusive gathering for celebrities, which was spookily similar to rapper P Diddy's infamous scandal-hit 'white parties'.
The celebrity cameos
THE Simpsons is not short on memorable characters.
But that hasn't stopped some of the world's most recognisable stars from wanting to have their moment being reimagined in yellow.
The Beatles' RINGO STARR was the first of the group to make an appearance in 1991, where he appeared as himself to encourage family matriarch Marge to pursue a career in the arts.
He was soon followed in series five's Homer's Barbershop Quartet by GEORGE HARRISON, in 1993, and SIR PAUL McCARTNEY in 1995, who convinced Lisa to go vegetarian.
12
The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr is one of the famous celebrities to star on The Simpsons
Credit: 20th Century Fox
SIMON COWELL first appeared in the series in 2004 as a brutally honest telly talent judge, while Space X tycoon ELON MUSK landed in a spaceship in an episode in 2015 and TONY BLAIR met with Homer in a 2003 episode that featured an animated version of the Queen.
Needless to say, Her Majesty did not guest star.
While Coldplay's CHRIS MARTIN sang in an animated concert as part of the series in 2010, telly chef GORDON RAMSAY made his appearance in 2011.
12
Controversial billionaire Elon Musk had an appearance on the show - on a spaceship
And comedian RICKY GERVAIS cropped up not once but twice, starring in 2006 episode This Is Your Wife, and lending his voice to Season 22's Angry Dad: The Movie in 2011.
There's been no shortage of pop stars either, with BILLIE EILISH recording alongside Lisa in an animated short in 2022.
Other big chart names who have featured include TOM JONES, STING, ELTON JOHN, MERYL STREEP and DOLLY PARTON.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
26 minutes ago
- The National
Nan Shepherd: Naked and Unashamed cements her place in literary canon
The play tells the story of Shepherd as an author, teacher, hillwalker and lover, and explores the 30-years-delay in the publication of her masterpiece The Living Mountain. Now in its second run in Pitlochry, I did not want to miss. Before entering the studio space, we were told the show was 'very clever' by staff and it had sold out the remainder of the performances. The thirst for knowledge about Shepherd has not been quenched since her appearance on Scotland's five-pound note in 2016. She has taken her rightful place among the great Scottish writers of her time, of whom she was friends with, and with that, becoming a posthumous celebrity. Holding the titular role, Susan Coyle effortlessly shifted as a child playing in the woods with her father, to a young woman teasing a married man, a middle-aged teacher relishing in the outdoors, and an old woman reflecting on her life's work, then later in her final days. Around and around, we were carried, spinning through time and Shepherd's life. Along the way, Adam Buksh joined her, embodying several men who played key roles in her life. He transformed into her father, her lover John Macmurray, an American journalist who tracked her down in 1976, and her mentor Neil Gunn. The periods of her life that were played out each helped capture a full-bodied picture of Shepherd. We saw her as a child in the Quarry Wood by her house in 1901, aged eight – which later inspired her first novel, by the same name, published in 1928 – playing with her father and learning about communication between trees. We were then transported to 1981, to see Nan grown and old, in a care home in Aberdeen slightly lost and confused. These two scenes bookend the play, with us returning to them again for the final two scenes. The play makes clear that Nan was closely attached the granite city, with the audience asked to fill in the evident gap: 'I was born in Aberdeen, I went to school in Aberdeen, and so I teach in …' when we meet her in 1938 in a classroom. Again, none of the staging has been moved, and Coyle doesn't change outfits at any point during the 90-minute production. Yet, it is an entirely different time, place and person in front of us. While embodying Shepherd as a teacher, Coyle asks audience members to read passages written by several authors which relate to Scotland and its literary renaissance of the 20th century. We also hear from Charles Murray, Hugh MacDiarmid, Rupert Brooke, James Joyce, and Thomas Hardy, The delivery of these passages by both Coyle and Buksh ensnared the audience and we were hooked on every word. Later, while going through old clippings with Robertson, a review written by Lewis Grassic Gibbon of The Quarry Wood is found, in which he savagely tears apart her work and her use of Scots language. READ MORE: 20 years, 7000 fans, one folk family: Skerryvore's castle show was for them Gibbon would go on to publish Sunset Song four years later, and we are told by Shepherd that his autobiographer said he never read Shepherd's novel. Robertson is aghast that as a student in the US, he was taught Sunset Song and told it was one of the greatest Scottish novels there had ever been but had never heard of Shepherd or her work which embodies the same world as Gibbon's but came first. Shepherd in 1976 notes her novel was written in Scotland, while his was written in England. The audience is left to make their own conclusion, as historians have been also. Instead of holding the audience in a grudge, we explore the deeper impact of what Shepherd was attempting to do at a time when the world was not built for a 'female feminist Scottish writer,' unmarried and uncovering the secrets ready to be shared by the great outdoors in ways that would rival and overtake any male counterpart. So harsh was this backlash, from Gibbon and others, she locked The Living Mountain away. This is the catalyst of the show, with the direction, sound, and writing using this moment to give the narrative a sense of release once the drawer is open. READ MORE: 'Show some respect': Scots hit out at Danish influencer for 'damaging' protected land The relationship between Shepherd and Gunn is also explored but not with conclusion. The journalist pries into whether love letters were exchanged between the two, who had decades-long written correspondence, but Shepherd remains steadfast that he was her mentor. Again, it's not clear whether the pair were intimately involved but both the writing and direction of the show allows the narrative to be explored without making any conclusions about Shepherd's life. The audience is left to read between the lines of all we know about Shepherd. An Aberdonian woman who wrote before her time, saw beyond her reality, and truly understood what the beauty and intricacies of Scotland's landscape and culture could give to this world if seen in its entirety. Her final moments are played out, with a final scene between Shepherd and her father bringing tears to many in the audience who closed the show with a standing ovation.
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Saturday Kitchen star exposes host's behaviour and admits 'viewers need to know'
Saturday Kitchen host Matt Tebbutt was left cringing following a guest's confession about him on the BBC One show A Saturday Kitchen guest didn't hold back as they exposed host Matt Tebbutt's behaviour on the programme. The BBC show returned to screens on Saturday morning (August 17) with Matt back at the helm. Joining Matt on the programme were chefs Paul Ainsworth, Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn, as well as special guest Sophie Ellis-Bextor. But things took an awkward turn when Matt demanded one of the guests to 'park it there' after they let slip a rather awkward confession about the beloved TV star. As Paul Ainsworth cooked up a delicious dish for Matt and the guests, Matt quizzed him: 'Is this on the menu in your restaurant Caffè Rojano?' Paul replied: 'Yes we put this on the menu,' to which Matt gushed: 'It's a great restaurant.' Wine expert Olly then chimed in: 'I love it, me and my family we've gone there several times. Really informal setting, delicious food.' Matt added: 'Super relaxed.' Olly said: 'Well in your case Matthew very relaxed. A little too relaxed perhaps..,' as an awkward silence filled the studio. Matt proclaimed: 'Let's park that there!' But chef Paul wasn't going to let it go. He said: 'Shall we go there? Shall we go there?!' Matt replied: 'Let's not,' as Paul continued: 'I think the viewers need to know that you fell asleep in Caffè Rojano!' An embarrassed Matt laughed along with his guests and he admitted: 'It had been a long day.' It comes after Matt spilled the secrets of working in live television - and opened up on the toughest part of the job. Despite revealing he relishes the challenge every week on the BBC show, Matt has admitted the crew face a number of challenges in a bid to make the long-running show continue to air smoothly. The 51-year-old chef has presented the weekend morning food show since 2017, when he took over from James Martin. And he has admitted that the crew are "like family" and are often met with many challenges, meaning they have to rehearse "a lot" despite it looking like they "wing it" at times. Saturday Kitchen airs every Saturday at 10am on BBC One.
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Private English island that's now open to the public with live music festivals and riverside bar
And the other islands near the UK you can buy for yourself ISLE GO Private English island that's now open to the public with live music festivals and riverside bar A PRIVATE island in the UK that hoped to be home to the 'Savoy on Thames' is open to the public - with a music festival on it every summer. D'Oyly Carte Island was previously called Folly Eyot before being bought by Richard D'Oyly Carte (behind the Savoy Hotel) in 1890. 4 D'Oyly Carte Island has a riverfront bar open to the public Credit: Alamy 4 The island was once privately owned Credit: Alamy 4 The island property is being renovated Credit: Alamy However, it remained closed to the public until last year, after it was bought by Andy and Sheila Hill in 2021. Last summer the island hosted a number of summer music events as part of larger Weymouth Festival. This year, the island is hosting the D'Oyly Carte Island Summer Concerts 2025 from July 4-6. Bands include Flo Collective, Yacht Brothers and Miami Coast. Running from 11am to 4pm, tickets cost £20 per person although kids under 10 go for free. Previously, people could only visit the island by using a chain ferry to pull themselves onto it. A footbridge was later built in 1964, which allowed easier access to the island. Now, people can park just outside the island, before walking the free foot bridge. The island is also home to D'Oyly's, an outdoor cafe where people can order food and drinks such as alcohol cocktails as well as crepes. People can visit on the island and sit in the outdoor garden or even pull up on the side by boat. The private party island loved by celebs thats is for sale for £25million Guests can even moor on the island with 45 pitches that have electricity and water, along with heated toilets on the island. New this year are a number of wellness events such as yoga, pilates and forest bathing with a number of classes already sold out. Original owner Richard D'Oyly Carte was dubbed the Simon Cowell of the Victorian era due to his creation of the Savoy Opera Theatre as well. After buying the island in the late 1800s, he also built the huge Eyot House on the island complete with a grand ballroom and even a real crocodile. It was hoped that the hotel would become the "Savoy on Thames" with a dedicated boat service between the two hotels. However, after being denied an alcohol license, the 13-bedroom property remained as their home, where they invited friends and family over instead as well as having their own private concerts. The Grade-II listed mansion was was left abandoned for years, was sold in in 2021 for £3million along with the island. It is now being converted, with the 13 rooms being reduced to 10 en-suite bedrooms and will eventually be open to the public. Until then, the hotels' grand ballroom opens every year to just 50 people as part of the D'Oyly Carte Music with "intimate performances" by top artists, yet to be revealed. In the mean time, here are some private islands you can buy off the coast of the UK. And a man who has been to more than 100 Scottish islands reveals his favourites.
