At some point (probably in the final quarter of 2004) a test pilot was made of a new C4 show, 8 Out of 10 Cats.

The show was made by Zeppotron (a subsidiary of Banijay) which was formed in 2000 (see here) and they have worked with Jimmy on The 11 O’Clock Show (here), 8 Out of 10 Cats and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown etc. etc. And, most recently, Last One Laughing UK (here).

All I can find out about the pilot (with any confidence) is that it:

• Was hosted by Jimmy Carr
• Was 30 minutes long
• Was filmed AFTER the announcement by Broadcast Now (August 19^th 2004 – here) and before it was commissioned and the first show broadcast on June 3^rd 2005. I would assume the final quarter of 2004 as it would have taken some time to go through the commissioning process and then for it to be added to the scheduling.
• The pilot was made by Zeppotron / Endemol (Endemol was purchased by Banijay in 2020).

Not all pilot shows have gone on into production – see pilots category – here.

The show’s timeline, episodes, panellists, name origin etc. can be found on this post here.