Chances are you haven't seen this new semi-improvisational comedy show, hosted by Paul Merton, if ratings are to be believed. Just 2.9 million people watched the first episode a few weeks ago, despite being on primetime ITV1, and it lost 200,000 viewers this week.
Based on the Australian original, the series has celebrity guests being dressed up in a particular costume and pushed through a door, into a scene/situation they're unfamiliar with. After being greeted with the customary "thank god you're here" by one of the actors, they basically have to sink or swim in whatever situation they find themselves in... and be funny. It's Quantum Leap with chuckles.
The quality of guests hasn't been too bad, either. The first week saw Fern Britten, Ben Miller (he's everywhere these days!), John Thomson and "regular" Hamish Blake (an Australian comedian who's appeared on the Aussie original). The second episode starred Coronation Street's Sally Lindsay, stand-up comic Michael McIntyre and Clive Anderson (no stranger to improv, having hosted Whose Line Is It Anyway?)
The show itself is quite fun, although consistency of laughs depend on the quality of the celeb being thrown in at the deep end. Clive Anderson (who became a RAF officer) proved he's a quick-witted on his feet as sat behind a desk, although he's always been prone to quite obvious wordplay. Sally Lindsay (as a shopaholic) managed a few amusing lines, but ultimately her acting was better than her joke-making.
It's a bit strange that there aren't professional improvers involved, as episodes already resemble "celebrity specials". Consequently, the decision to use comics/presenters/actors has meant some sketches are dry and disappointing.
Hamish Blake has been the standout performer so far -- particularly in a brilliant sketch where he played a dead tennis player arriving at the Pearly Gates. His experience with this show's format clearly gives him a big advantage over everyone else.
Paul Merton is the host, and participates in a sketch himself every episode. He's a comedian who's revered for his improv skill, but I've always found him very overrated in that department. His shtick on Have I Got News For You is usually predictable and laborious these days, while his early appearances on Whose Line Is It Anyway were often ham-fisted. Merton's supposed mastery of improv is again exposed as hype here, with his improvisations relying on obvious comebacks and mangled meanings.
Overall, I really like the idea behind Thank God You're Here and it's a decent evolution of Whose Line Is It Anyway -- with enough freshness to keep my interest for now. My only real complaint is that an hour is far too long, and it would be brisker and funnier at 30 minutes. It might also be wise to get a core group of improv experts involved, to paper over the lulls – as it's only funny seeing people flounder for a few minutes... before it becomes embarrassing and unfunny.
19 January 2008
ITV1, 9.00 pm
Based on the Australian original, the series has celebrity guests being dressed up in a particular costume and pushed through a door, into a scene/situation they're unfamiliar with. After being greeted with the customary "thank god you're here" by one of the actors, they basically have to sink or swim in whatever situation they find themselves in... and be funny. It's Quantum Leap with chuckles.
The quality of guests hasn't been too bad, either. The first week saw Fern Britten, Ben Miller (he's everywhere these days!), John Thomson and "regular" Hamish Blake (an Australian comedian who's appeared on the Aussie original). The second episode starred Coronation Street's Sally Lindsay, stand-up comic Michael McIntyre and Clive Anderson (no stranger to improv, having hosted Whose Line Is It Anyway?)
The show itself is quite fun, although consistency of laughs depend on the quality of the celeb being thrown in at the deep end. Clive Anderson (who became a RAF officer) proved he's a quick-witted on his feet as sat behind a desk, although he's always been prone to quite obvious wordplay. Sally Lindsay (as a shopaholic) managed a few amusing lines, but ultimately her acting was better than her joke-making.
It's a bit strange that there aren't professional improvers involved, as episodes already resemble "celebrity specials". Consequently, the decision to use comics/presenters/actors has meant some sketches are dry and disappointing.
Hamish Blake has been the standout performer so far -- particularly in a brilliant sketch where he played a dead tennis player arriving at the Pearly Gates. His experience with this show's format clearly gives him a big advantage over everyone else.
Paul Merton is the host, and participates in a sketch himself every episode. He's a comedian who's revered for his improv skill, but I've always found him very overrated in that department. His shtick on Have I Got News For You is usually predictable and laborious these days, while his early appearances on Whose Line Is It Anyway were often ham-fisted. Merton's supposed mastery of improv is again exposed as hype here, with his improvisations relying on obvious comebacks and mangled meanings.
Overall, I really like the idea behind Thank God You're Here and it's a decent evolution of Whose Line Is It Anyway -- with enough freshness to keep my interest for now. My only real complaint is that an hour is far too long, and it would be brisker and funnier at 30 minutes. It might also be wise to get a core group of improv experts involved, to paper over the lulls – as it's only funny seeing people flounder for a few minutes... before it becomes embarrassing and unfunny.
19 January 2008
ITV1, 9.00 pm
