09 May 2008
GETTING JIGGY WITH IT
What's the most shocking thing about the ITV phone-in scandal? Surely it's the fact that the problems on Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway stem from the two worst items on the show.
The Jiggy Bank was comfortably the dullest and most boring part of Takeaway every time it appeared. As you'll be aware, the "game", such as it was, involved members of the public straddling the giant pig to dislodge cash. This may have been fun if you were there riding it, but it never once worked as a piece of television - you could never work out how much the thing worked and how much cash they were making. I was always amazed it lasted as long as it did, as it was such a hopeless item.
The biggest surprise, though, is that callers on the Grab the Ads phone-in were being vetted beforehand to judge their suitability to appear on air. I'm amazed by this, as the public's contribution to this "game", which invariably lasted about thirty seconds as it was always overruninng, consisted of nothing but them screaming "Hellloooooooo!" when they were put on air and "Hooraaaaay!" when they were given their prize. Most of the callers were completely indescipherable. Indeed, a few series back when the show was pre-recorded because of that strike at LWT, they played Grab the Ads without callers - winners' names were just flashed on screen - and it made absolutely no difference to the feature whatsoever. What on earth was the point of fixing it?
Indeed, the awful thing about these problems is that in every case, the phone-in aspect made no difference to the quality of the show and, in most cases, was in fact the most boring aspect. The Gameshow Marathon was a lovely piece of warm-hearted nostalgia, only spoilt by the amount of time they kept on demanding we call in.
I'm not blaming Ant and Dec for any of this. Sure, they were billed as Executive Producers, but there's such a thing as delegation. I would question whether the Editors of the newspapers printing such suggestions know much about their papers' distribution methods or how their switchboard operates. They have trust in those who are responsible for it.
The worst thing about all this is that, unlike most of the other issues at the Beeb when they were often ham-fisted attempts to solve problems, these scandals have come about purely due to cynicism and greed. And that's a real shame.
The Jiggy Bank was comfortably the dullest and most boring part of Takeaway every time it appeared. As you'll be aware, the "game", such as it was, involved members of the public straddling the giant pig to dislodge cash. This may have been fun if you were there riding it, but it never once worked as a piece of television - you could never work out how much the thing worked and how much cash they were making. I was always amazed it lasted as long as it did, as it was such a hopeless item.
The biggest surprise, though, is that callers on the Grab the Ads phone-in were being vetted beforehand to judge their suitability to appear on air. I'm amazed by this, as the public's contribution to this "game", which invariably lasted about thirty seconds as it was always overruninng, consisted of nothing but them screaming "Hellloooooooo!" when they were put on air and "Hooraaaaay!" when they were given their prize. Most of the callers were completely indescipherable. Indeed, a few series back when the show was pre-recorded because of that strike at LWT, they played Grab the Ads without callers - winners' names were just flashed on screen - and it made absolutely no difference to the feature whatsoever. What on earth was the point of fixing it?
Indeed, the awful thing about these problems is that in every case, the phone-in aspect made no difference to the quality of the show and, in most cases, was in fact the most boring aspect. The Gameshow Marathon was a lovely piece of warm-hearted nostalgia, only spoilt by the amount of time they kept on demanding we call in.
I'm not blaming Ant and Dec for any of this. Sure, they were billed as Executive Producers, but there's such a thing as delegation. I would question whether the Editors of the newspapers printing such suggestions know much about their papers' distribution methods or how their switchboard operates. They have trust in those who are responsible for it.
The worst thing about all this is that, unlike most of the other issues at the Beeb when they were often ham-fisted attempts to solve problems, these scandals have come about purely due to cynicism and greed. And that's a real shame.
27 April 2008
FROM GLADIATORS TO BEADLE
A couple of days spent at TV show recordings, courtesy of the relevant press offices.
Friday afternoon, and it was off to Shepperton to gesticulate with the oversized foam hand for Gladiators. And, good grief, it all felt pleasingly familiar. This is indeed the same wonderfully stupid, stupidly wonderful show we enjoyed in the 1990s. The line-up of Glads are suitably taut, and blessed with personality. I should think, though, poor old Atlas will rue the day a contestant dubbed him "Fat Lass". That's going to stick.
Thanks to Sky's hospitality, we small group of journos were able to regularly retire to a green room to watch proceedings on a monitor (the way the studio is set up, no one member of the audience can see all the games all the time). Rather fantastically, this was situated next door to the Glads . As well as passing them in the corridor, there was mucho banging on walls to be heard and bad-mouthing of contestants. Better yet, John Anderson popped in between bouts, and proved terribly friendly. When a press officer brought Spartan through to meet his admirers (our female contingent, obviously) he stood sheepishly in his dressing gown. "I think they want you to take your clothes off". Good lad that he is, he did.
As it happens, the episode we witnessed turned out to be a particularly twisty-turny affair. Watch out the for one with contestant "Super" Dan and the woman who bangs on about her sore finger. I'll be there, near Hang Tough, not quite mastering the point up-up-down-down to Another One Bites the Dust.
Then, Saturday, and an appointment at LWT Towers for the recording of An Audience Without Jeremy Beadle courtesy of ITV1. A fantastic selection of people filed in for this, from Debbie Rix to Greg Dyke, Sir Alan Sugar to David Hamilton, Janet Ellis to Wilf Lunn. Shuffling into the studio, I found myself behind Mike Savage and son, and surprised the man by engaging in conversation about Eureka. For the recording, I was seated beside a walking stick-wielding Sylvester McCoy and his two boys. In the row ahead, the Diddy one himself and Tony Blackburn.
Chris Tarrant hosted, bringing us a melange of Beadle action which did well to acknowledge both The Deceivers and Eureka, gave loads of screen time to Beadle's Box of Tricks, recreated that Game For a Laugh game and just generally summed up all that was ace about the bearded one - with the right balance of affection and piss-taking. Highlight: Tarrant snipping off Henry Kelly's neckwear, only for Sir Alan to growl: "You cut my tie, I'll cut your fucking bollocks off". "Ingrid's already done that," came the reply. Lowlight: Danny Baker's over-running, sadly off-beam and just not all that funny quiz, "About Beadle". The Bake was clearly gutted at having to junk a round based on Jeremy's various racial disguises. Still he did get off a zinger at the start. Having established Paul Ross was in the audience, he cruelly quipped, "That means I couldn't make it!"
Beadle couldn't make it either, of course. He would have gone for Sir Alan's tie, I bet. A great night, though, and two programmes I reckon are well worth tuning in for: Gladiators on Sky One and An Audience Without Jeremy Beadle, ITV1 - both in May.
STOP PRESS ITV1 have just confirmed Baker's quiz is to be dropped from the final show. Paul Ross looks set to make the final cut, though ...
Friday afternoon, and it was off to Shepperton to gesticulate with the oversized foam hand for Gladiators. And, good grief, it all felt pleasingly familiar. This is indeed the same wonderfully stupid, stupidly wonderful show we enjoyed in the 1990s. The line-up of Glads are suitably taut, and blessed with personality. I should think, though, poor old Atlas will rue the day a contestant dubbed him "Fat Lass". That's going to stick.
Thanks to Sky's hospitality, we small group of journos were able to regularly retire to a green room to watch proceedings on a monitor (the way the studio is set up, no one member of the audience can see all the games all the time). Rather fantastically, this was situated next door to the Glads . As well as passing them in the corridor, there was mucho banging on walls to be heard and bad-mouthing of contestants. Better yet, John Anderson popped in between bouts, and proved terribly friendly. When a press officer brought Spartan through to meet his admirers (our female contingent, obviously) he stood sheepishly in his dressing gown. "I think they want you to take your clothes off". Good lad that he is, he did.
As it happens, the episode we witnessed turned out to be a particularly twisty-turny affair. Watch out the for one with contestant "Super" Dan and the woman who bangs on about her sore finger. I'll be there, near Hang Tough, not quite mastering the point up-up-down-down to Another One Bites the Dust.
Then, Saturday, and an appointment at LWT Towers for the recording of An Audience Without Jeremy Beadle courtesy of ITV1. A fantastic selection of people filed in for this, from Debbie Rix to Greg Dyke, Sir Alan Sugar to David Hamilton, Janet Ellis to Wilf Lunn. Shuffling into the studio, I found myself behind Mike Savage and son, and surprised the man by engaging in conversation about Eureka. For the recording, I was seated beside a walking stick-wielding Sylvester McCoy and his two boys. In the row ahead, the Diddy one himself and Tony Blackburn.
Chris Tarrant hosted, bringing us a melange of Beadle action which did well to acknowledge both The Deceivers and Eureka, gave loads of screen time to Beadle's Box of Tricks, recreated that Game For a Laugh game and just generally summed up all that was ace about the bearded one - with the right balance of affection and piss-taking. Highlight: Tarrant snipping off Henry Kelly's neckwear, only for Sir Alan to growl: "You cut my tie, I'll cut your fucking bollocks off". "Ingrid's already done that," came the reply. Lowlight: Danny Baker's over-running, sadly off-beam and just not all that funny quiz, "About Beadle". The Bake was clearly gutted at having to junk a round based on Jeremy's various racial disguises. Still he did get off a zinger at the start. Having established Paul Ross was in the audience, he cruelly quipped, "That means I couldn't make it!"
Beadle couldn't make it either, of course. He would have gone for Sir Alan's tie, I bet. A great night, though, and two programmes I reckon are well worth tuning in for: Gladiators on Sky One and An Audience Without Jeremy Beadle, ITV1 - both in May.
STOP PRESS ITV1 have just confirmed Baker's quiz is to be dropped from the final show. Paul Ross looks set to make the final cut, though ...
24 April 2008
HALF-BLAKED?
Rather incredibly, Sky One have announced they're bringing back Blake's 7. Andrew Sewell's involved! It's bound to be a hit!
11 April 2008
A BIG HAND FOR GLADIATORS
And, lo, in Hoxton did Sky One reveal their new pneumatic line-up of Gladiators, as the show readies for its return to British telly.
This being a big Sky press launch, it was - of course - the business. Original Gladiator ref John Anderson (in his original '90s white trousers) was there to gee-up the assembled journos ("Photographers - READY? Press - READY?"). Then the new Glads strode out onto a suitably themed catwalk, pyrotechnics a go-go. All struck mean poses (Atlas stealing the show with his "ring me" gesture as he left the stage).
Of course, you want the full list. Our female warrors are: Battleaxe! Enigma! Ice! Inferno! Panther! Tempest! The men: Atlas! Destroyer! Oblivion! Predator! Spartan! Tornado! There's no new Wolf, alas ... unless you count Richard Woolfe. No, don't do that.
And the events? Well same as the US show: Duel (correctly named - not Joust as they have it in America), Earthquake, Gauntlet, Hang Tough, Hit & Run, Powerball, Pyramid, The Wall and The Eliminator.
Best of all, they issued us journos with big old foam hands. I'm officially excited.
This being a big Sky press launch, it was - of course - the business. Original Gladiator ref John Anderson (in his original '90s white trousers) was there to gee-up the assembled journos ("Photographers - READY? Press - READY?"). Then the new Glads strode out onto a suitably themed catwalk, pyrotechnics a go-go. All struck mean poses (Atlas stealing the show with his "ring me" gesture as he left the stage).
Of course, you want the full list. Our female warrors are: Battleaxe! Enigma! Ice! Inferno! Panther! Tempest! The men: Atlas! Destroyer! Oblivion! Predator! Spartan! Tornado! There's no new Wolf, alas ... unless you count Richard Woolfe. No, don't do that.
And the events? Well same as the US show: Duel (correctly named - not Joust as they have it in America), Earthquake, Gauntlet, Hang Tough, Hit & Run, Powerball, Pyramid, The Wall and The Eliminator.
Best of all, they issued us journos with big old foam hands. I'm officially excited.
04 April 2008
C4 AND AGAINST
Andy Favell from C4's The TV Show has been back on the blog phone, this time with a list. "Of all the programmes that make people get in touch with C4," he says, "these were most loved/unloved in March."
So, here we go ...
Loved:
1. Cutting Edge: "Sex Change Soldier"
2. Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory
3. Channel Four News: the coverage of the Prince Harry blackout story
Unloved:
1. Channel Four News: the coverage of the Prince Harry blackout story
2. Deal or No Deal? (episodes 19 and 20 March)
3. Dispatches: "Undercover Tibet".
More details here.
So, here we go ...
Loved:
1. Cutting Edge: "Sex Change Soldier"
2. Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory
3. Channel Four News: the coverage of the Prince Harry blackout story
Unloved:
1. Channel Four News: the coverage of the Prince Harry blackout story
2. Deal or No Deal? (episodes 19 and 20 March)
3. Dispatches: "Undercover Tibet".
More details here.
01 April 2008
UP, POMPEII
There was Martha. There was Sarah Jane. There was Captain Jack. There was Mickey. There was Rose. There was Harriet. There was even Davros ... Well, nearly. He was shrouded in darkness, but from the silhouette we knew.
This was the Doctor Who series four press launch, and the trailer that blistered out at the end of the screening. Held this evening at the Apollo West Cinema on Regent Street, London, it was a lowkey event by Who standards. Yep, yer Whileys, yer Sladens and even yer Cribbins were there (he was first to leave), but there was no after-show drinks. No party.
And the two episodes screened received a thumbs down, thumbs up reaction (in that order)
The opener - "Partners in Crime" - was, to be honest, not to my tastes. Fellow journos (I shan't name) seemed to queue up to concur with this opinion afterwards. Broad brush comedy, that riffs off both the current obsession with obesity and the not-so-current obsession with Supernanny Jo Frost. Sarah Lancashire wields a sonic device, but no Rani is she. She's marketing a slimming pill that secretly turns flab into mini marshmallow men. "They're called Adipose. Made out of living fat. From humans". Meanwhile the Doctor's mooching around some slimmer's house, evoking "Survival". "Thing about cat flaps," he says, "they don't let things in, they let them out too".
The second, "The Fires of Pompeii", was much better. Some very interesting stuff addresses the age old "why can the Doctor change some elements of the past and not others?" question, and the story's blessed with a fantastically disturbing looking baddy. I wasn't so keen on the shtick of presenting ye olde worlde "typical" family in the olden days ("You are not going out wearing that!"/"Don't start dad, it's what all the girls in Rome are wearing") but otherwise this was tops.
Throughout both were threaded plot points about home planets being destroyed, bees disappearing, and Donna having "something on her back". Oh, Donna, you say? No great revelation. If you liked her Christmas before last, you'll like her here.
The Q&A afterwards was guarded, with David Tennant, Catherine Tate and Russell T Davies taking questions ... mainly from kids, actually, who asked what the TARDIS looked like in episode one, and how the Daleks work. Efforts to ascertain when RTD and Tennant were leaving were given short shrift, Tate revealed she wears Marks & Spencer foot gloves, and it was confirmed Georgia Moffet (the Doctor's daughter) is indeed playing the Doctor's daughter.
"I think episode 10, 'Midnight' is creepy in a way we've not done before," said Tennant. "It's psychologically scary". RTD then chipped in that Donna goes through the mill in 11, in a way unlike any companion before. There was some talk about scheduling too. It's starting earlier than the team would like this year, but that'll be pushed back later in the run ...
But still. Davros. The audience hissed, then laughed. He's going to be great.
This was the Doctor Who series four press launch, and the trailer that blistered out at the end of the screening. Held this evening at the Apollo West Cinema on Regent Street, London, it was a lowkey event by Who standards. Yep, yer Whileys, yer Sladens and even yer Cribbins were there (he was first to leave), but there was no after-show drinks. No party.
And the two episodes screened received a thumbs down, thumbs up reaction (in that order)
The opener - "Partners in Crime" - was, to be honest, not to my tastes. Fellow journos (I shan't name) seemed to queue up to concur with this opinion afterwards. Broad brush comedy, that riffs off both the current obsession with obesity and the not-so-current obsession with Supernanny Jo Frost. Sarah Lancashire wields a sonic device, but no Rani is she. She's marketing a slimming pill that secretly turns flab into mini marshmallow men. "They're called Adipose. Made out of living fat. From humans". Meanwhile the Doctor's mooching around some slimmer's house, evoking "Survival". "Thing about cat flaps," he says, "they don't let things in, they let them out too".
The second, "The Fires of Pompeii", was much better. Some very interesting stuff addresses the age old "why can the Doctor change some elements of the past and not others?" question, and the story's blessed with a fantastically disturbing looking baddy. I wasn't so keen on the shtick of presenting ye olde worlde "typical" family in the olden days ("You are not going out wearing that!"/"Don't start dad, it's what all the girls in Rome are wearing") but otherwise this was tops.
Throughout both were threaded plot points about home planets being destroyed, bees disappearing, and Donna having "something on her back". Oh, Donna, you say? No great revelation. If you liked her Christmas before last, you'll like her here.
The Q&A afterwards was guarded, with David Tennant, Catherine Tate and Russell T Davies taking questions ... mainly from kids, actually, who asked what the TARDIS looked like in episode one, and how the Daleks work. Efforts to ascertain when RTD and Tennant were leaving were given short shrift, Tate revealed she wears Marks & Spencer foot gloves, and it was confirmed Georgia Moffet (the Doctor's daughter) is indeed playing the Doctor's daughter.
"I think episode 10, 'Midnight' is creepy in a way we've not done before," said Tennant. "It's psychologically scary". RTD then chipped in that Donna goes through the mill in 11, in a way unlike any companion before. There was some talk about scheduling too. It's starting earlier than the team would like this year, but that'll be pushed back later in the run ...
But still. Davros. The audience hissed, then laughed. He's going to be great.
31 March 2008
"TIDY!"
We're more than halfway through the latest series of Gavin and Stacey and so far, hardly anything has actually, you know, happened. But that's all to the good, because I reckon this is the funniest, most warm-hearted sitcom on telly for ages.
The Royle Family has always been heralded as the high water mark of realism in TV comedy, but Gavin and Stacey certainly comes close. The scene in last night's episode where everyone was getting excited over Mick's three-second appearance on The Six O'Clock News was wonderful, and surely everyone who's ever seen a loved one on telly could relate to it. Similarly last week's undignified fight between Smithy and his sister was both brilliantly funny and - as someone with a younger sister myself - a wonderfully accurate portrayal of sibling rivalry.
What's great is that all the characters in the series are likable, with even the more overt comic characters like Uncle Bryn and Nessa being fully rounded and sympathetic, without simply being used to set up jokes. The performances are exceptional too - James Corden is a great comedy actor and lights up the screen whenever he appears, and although some people seem to be finding Joanna Page a bit annoying, I think she's playing it just right, and her accent just makes the lines funnier ("It's going to be immense!").
The one drawback, though, is that it's on post-watershed BBC3, and presumably then post-watershed BBC2. Surely this is a series that deserves a pre-watershed BBC1 position? It's genuinely fun for anyone from nine to 99 - I recommended the last series to my parents and they really enjoy it too. Rob Brydon said that he suggested Corden and Jones removed some of less neccessary swearing to make it proper family viewing, and with a bit of editing, it could easily play at 8.30pm.
And I reckon that there, it would be the biggest show on telly, by miles.
The Royle Family has always been heralded as the high water mark of realism in TV comedy, but Gavin and Stacey certainly comes close. The scene in last night's episode where everyone was getting excited over Mick's three-second appearance on The Six O'Clock News was wonderful, and surely everyone who's ever seen a loved one on telly could relate to it. Similarly last week's undignified fight between Smithy and his sister was both brilliantly funny and - as someone with a younger sister myself - a wonderfully accurate portrayal of sibling rivalry.
What's great is that all the characters in the series are likable, with even the more overt comic characters like Uncle Bryn and Nessa being fully rounded and sympathetic, without simply being used to set up jokes. The performances are exceptional too - James Corden is a great comedy actor and lights up the screen whenever he appears, and although some people seem to be finding Joanna Page a bit annoying, I think she's playing it just right, and her accent just makes the lines funnier ("It's going to be immense!").
The one drawback, though, is that it's on post-watershed BBC3, and presumably then post-watershed BBC2. Surely this is a series that deserves a pre-watershed BBC1 position? It's genuinely fun for anyone from nine to 99 - I recommended the last series to my parents and they really enjoy it too. Rob Brydon said that he suggested Corden and Jones removed some of less neccessary swearing to make it proper family viewing, and with a bit of editing, it could easily play at 8.30pm.
And I reckon that there, it would be the biggest show on telly, by miles.