They practically raised a generation, with Millenials glued to their TV screens every weekend for Dick & Dom In Da Bungalow.
Yet in recent weeks, hosts Richard ‘Dick’ McCourt, 49, and Dominic Wood, 47, have come under fire for their pranks, with one viral moment showing the pair promise to give a young girl a pony before promptly snatching it away from her.
Gen Z have been horrified by the antics on the Noughties show, labelling it ‘cruel’, while Millennials have fought back by insisting it was just harmless fun.
In an exclusive chat with Daily Mail, the comedy duo defended the ‘good gag’, with Dominic explaining: ‘It was all lighthearted nonsense really.
‘It was just silly, it wasn’t ever trying to be horrible, it was just entertaining! She and the other kids on that show had the best time of their lives.
‘That girl – after the show had finished and we came off air – she was crying with laughter about it, she thought it was the funniest thing ever. She knew it was a joke.’
They practically raised a generation, with Millenials glued to their TV screens every weekend to watch Dick & Dom In Da Bungalow (pictured in 2003)
Yet in recent weeks, hosts Richard ‘Dick’ McCourt, 49, and Dominic Wood, 47, (pictured in 2021) have come under fire for their pranks
One moment from the show has gone viral in which the pair promised to give a young girl a pony before promptly snatching it away from her
The duo – who have partnered with Google Gemini on a new campaign to help renters keep their deposit – do admit that they wouldn’t be able to get away with the same sort of show today.
‘I think it’d be different,’ Richard mused.
Dominic added: ‘It wouldn’t be that far from what it was now, but I don’t think we’d even entertain it.
‘Even if someone said, could you do a one-off and bring it back, I think we’d probably say no.
‘You always risk with nostalgia, bringing back something and it doesn’t tick boxes in people’s brains, how they remember it back then.
‘Sometimes you’re best just parking something where it was and not touching it again, and I think that’s where we got to with the Bungalow.’
Dominic noted that she didn’t think it would work for a younger audience today either as he mused: ‘I don’t think the attention span of young people now would actually cope with two hours’ worth of content.
‘Usually now it’s three seconds and you’ve moved on to the next thing, whereas before it was two hours to just sit and relax and just be distracted.’
The youngster seemed unsure how to react during the prank but Dick and Dom have insisted that she found it hilarious and was ‘crying with laughter’ after the show ended
Gen Z have been horrified by the antics on the Noughties show, labelling it ‘cruel’, while Millennials have fought back by insisting it was just harmless fun
The duo have turned their back on children’s TV, with Dominic last year relaunching himself as a DIY expert.
Active on Instagram and TikTok under the name @the_houseofwood, Dom, 46, has amassed more than 500,000 followers across social media platforms, capturing the attention of users by documenting his home renovation project in clips that are at once informative and amusing.
His hobby was sparked during the Covid lockdowns in 2020 when he and his wife, Sandi, bought a 1930s property in Surrey for their young family to live in.
By the time they moved in, social distancing regulations meant it was impossible to hire the builders and tradesmen that people normally rely on when it comes to renovations and home improvements.
Now Dominic and Richard have joined forces yet again to launch Dick & Dom in Da Rented Flat in a bid to help renters keep their end of tenancy deposits.
As the end-of-tenancy season looms, and with the Renters’ Rights Bill set to shake up renting in the biggest reform for a generation, new research from Google reveals why so many renters lose their deposits.
Dick & Dom in Da Rented Flat sees the duo reunite outside the bungalow and step into the realities of rented life, showing how Google’s AI tool, Gemini, can coach even the most clueless renter through simple DIY fixes – helping them keep hold of their hard-earned cash.
You can watch Dick & Dom in Da Rented Flat on Instagram @DickandDomofficial
Now Dominic and Richard have joined forces yet again to launch Dick & Dom in Da Rented Flat in a bid to help renters keep their end of tenancy deposits