Subjective Tropes for the Game Show:
- This Is Your Premise on Drugs: The $100,000 Pyramid meets Super Password and whatever Jay Wolpert is on when he devises these shows, given his track record.
Subjective Tropes for the Novel:
- Harsher in Hindsight: One of Michael Davies's events for his project on ordinary heroes is referred to as "the Pandemic". Very few details are given, but it's stated to have been twenty years after "the second World Trade Center bombing", in other words 2021. In Real Life, that year saw the Covid-19 pandemic from the previous year continuing. The books were published in 2010.
- Tear Jerker: At least 50% of the books are tear jerkers. The rest are moments of heartwarming and awesome. Of particular note is Sir Godfrey's goodbye ("Is it a comedy or a tragedy?") and Eileen's experiences at VE Day.