Review: THE LATE LATE SHOW with James Corden

Unlike the vast majority of critics online, I'm aware of who James Corden is. He's the slightly love-hate B-list British celebrity, who created and starred in hit sitcom Gavin & Stacey, before becoming a panel show regular and hosting the Brit Awards almost every year. He's also an award-winning stage actor, best-known for The History Boys. In the U.S, he's less known, although recently had the ostensible lead role in Disney's Into the Woods musical. That's about to change now he's taken over from Craig Ferguson as host of CBS's THE LATE LATE SHOW, which airs in a ridiculous post-midnight timeslot and yet can still book Hollywood elite as guests. Only in America.

MSN TV: BBC1's THE MICHAEL McINTYRE CHAT SHOW

Over at MSN TV today: I've reviewed the premiere of THE MICHAEL McINTYRE CHAT SHOW, where the popular stand-up comedian hopes to follow in the footsteps of Graham Norton, Alan Carr, and Jonathan Ross...

I'm pleased there's a new face in the late night chat show arena as the UK's started to stagnate with the big three of Graham Norton, Jonathan Ross and Alan Carr and the periodic appearances of Paul O’Grady. Occasionally, the BBC likes to throw a new face into a week night chat show to see if they sink or swim. It's fair to say Rob Brydon's show barely kept its head above water, but it feels more likely audiences will take to comedian Michael McIntyre. As a format, it isn’t easy to make the chat show look distinctive.

Continue reading at MSN TV...

MSN TV: Sky1's THE KUMARS

Over at MSN TV today: I've reviewed Sky's revival of BBC spoof chat show The Kumars at No42, now shortened to THE KUMARS...

The desire for low-risk success means channels aren't above reviving other defunct hits from yesterday, and the BBC appears to have the most tombs worth raiding. ITV already have Birds of a Feather flying again, and now Sky has resuscitated Emmy-winning comedy The Kumars at No. 42 and re-titled it as The Kumars. Comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar plays a version of himself hosting a chat show from his family home, bankrolled and aided by his fictitious family: solemn skinflint father Ashwin (Vincent Ebrahim) and offbeat grandmother Ummi (Meera Syal, now Bhaskar's real-life wife). The Kumars are back for business, although the show's reflecting the global economic downturn since it went off-air.

Continue reading at MSN TV...

Chatrick: ALAN CARR - CHATTY MAN; THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW; THE JONATHAN ROSS SHOW

left-to-right: Norton, Ross & Carr; brothers-in-chat

British chat shows don't elicit much discussion online, where the genre is dominated by US late-night talk shows. That's a shame, because US talk shows are almost interchangeable and their formats haven't changed much since the 1970s, while UK chat shows tend to experiment more. I also find them more enjoyable because they're (a) less scripted (no "pre-interviews"), (b) ply guests with booze, (c) don't drag on all year, and (d) the guests are allowed to swear (which tends to please Americans in particular).

Review: VERRY TERRY, Channel 4

Kayvan Novak transfers his popular Fonejacker/Facejacker character Terry Tibbs to a spoof chat show, where the brash East End car salesman interviewed Hollywood legend Mickey Rourke and ex-Blue Peter presenter turned domestic goddess Anthea Turner (her appearance filmed weeks before her recent marital problems, sadly). We've grown so accustomed to spoof chat shows that they rarely surprise or delight in the same way Knowing Me, Knowing You or The Mrs Merton Show did in the '90s, but Verry Terry was markedly better than The Angelos Epithemiou Show. This was only a back-door pilot, heralding Channel 4's "Funny Fortnight" season, but it felt deserving of a full series commitment.

Review: THE ANGELOS EPITHEMIOU SHOW (Channel 4)

A character created for BBC2's Shooting Stars, burger van owner Angelos Epithemiou has now landed his own Channel 4 spoof chat show; following a pilot originally intended for last year's Comedy Showcase season. Dan Renton Skinner is the man behind the gormless loser, and his oafish creation remains someone I just don't warm to or find especially funny. It's hard to see what the joke is, other than the chance to laugh at someone who's ugly, stupid, and unfashionable—but in today's world there are plenty of real people for audiences to point at laugh at, crammed into various reality shows. A comic exaggeration of the kind of plastic bag-carrying weirdo you'd avoid in a kid's playground isn't something that deserves screen time these days. We've moved on culturally; or so I thought. I just find it sad that the '90s gave us character-comedy from the likes of Mrs Merton, Alan Partridge, the Pub Landlord, Ali G, and Borat (complex comic personalities with things say about our society and culture) while this century's thrown up… um, vulgar irritant Keith Lemon and simpleton Angelos Epithemiou. Are audiences happy with that drop in quality?

Review: THE SARAH MILLICAN TELEVISION PROGRAMME

The most overexposed comedian around now has her own BBC show. Sarah Millican's a very likable person (mainly because she exudes adorable auntie vibes), but she's become such a TV fixture these past few years that her presence has become quite irritating. And it doesn't help that her material often circles the same hackneyed female-skewing concerns of health, beauty, weight and dieting. Millican's early career, forged with a success Edinburgh Festival show, was marked by jokes concerning her then-recent divorce, which was fertile and interesting ground to cover from a woman's perspective. It would be nice if she used equally personal material in future, rather than reheat quips about exercise and eating.

But the biggest concern is Millican's aforementioned overexposure on our screens, because she pops up as a panelist, stand-up, chat show guest, and radio interviewee with alarming regularity. (It doesn't help that UK TV is overrun with shows that require fast and frequent turnaround of funny guests.) Regardless, it's no exaggeration to say there was a time, just before Christmas, when Millican appeared on my television screen no less than six times in a week—and that's surely overkill in anyone's book, except her agent's. Maybe she'll ease off now she's been rewarded for all her hard work with a chat show with her name in the title.

The Sarah Millican Television Programme recycles a fairly common format, with a mix of stand-up comedy and lighthearted chat. The guests this week were wildlife expert Chris Packham and best-selling "sexpert" author Tracey Cox, which thus enabled Millican to perform stand-up based on nature and sex. There were a few nice touches to the show's setup, too; like how Packham was seated almost as if he was the host, with Millican perched on a subservient sofa in front of him, and an amusingly-staged sequence with Cox mentoring Millican through a speed dating scenario in the show's finale. I was less keen on the overall conceit that this show is fundamentally about television, with Millican occasionally breaking off to joke about various TV shows, and show clips from other programmes on a big screen. A sequence with her receiving live advice from her real-life father, via live satellite link-up, also felt largely pointless. And why was Millican told to wear a head-mounted webcam when chatting to her dad?

Two things will decide if this show becomes a hit for BBC2. Are there enough people who find Sarah Millican pleasant company on a Thursday evening, as well as a funny comedian it's worth watching? And will the quality of the weekly guests (and thus associated topics for Millican's stand-up) be interesting? Packham and Cox weren't exactly big names, but neither were they faces we're seeing constantly on other chat shows. It would probably help if Millican's chats felt less rehearsed, as it was obvious she was steering the conversation around to pre-written gags, but otherwise this first episode didn't go so badly.

It's already a good deal more successful and affable than Ruth Jones' awful attempts in those occasional "specials" you rather suspect are "trials"—as the BBC seem keen to get a female face headlining a lighthearted comedy/chat show of this type. Maybe they've found the right person in Sarah Millican, who carries a certain appeal to both sexes. I'm just not sure the strength of her material's consistent enough, as there were some rather poor jokes in the mix here, or that she's necessarily right for BBC2—which is supposed to be the more experimental terrestrial arm of the BBC.

BBC Two, Thursdays @10PM.

Poll Result: who is your favourite chat show host?

Last week I asked you to name your favourite chat show host, and the results are now in! There were 51 votes and here's the outcome:

NO VOTES

Alan Carr (above-right), Chelsea Lately, Jimmy Fallon (above-left), Jimmy Kimmel, Jay Leno, Larry King, Craig Kilborn & Paul O'Grady.

ONE VOTE

Alan Titchmarsh* (2.50%) for his daytime ITV chat show.

6th – David Letterman, Ellen DeGeneres,
Piers Morgan & Stephen Colbert (2.56%)

A surprisingly low entry for David Letterman, who's one of the big-name US chat show hosts; a surprise show of support for Ellen DeGeneres (one of very few female chat show hosts); a slightly disappointing show of love for Stephen Colbert (the fact his show's not airing in the UK may be to blame); and a nod for Britain's own Piers Morgan now he's taken over from Larry King on CNN. (Americans still haven't realized he's an oily, sycophantic rat.)

5th – Conan O'Brien (5.13%)

In many ways more famous for the furor over his Tonight Show stint, which saw him replaced by his own predecessor, Jay Leno, after they both flopped in their new roles. Conan's always been the hipper alternative to the likes of Letterman and Leno, and it's no surprise he's popular in the UK because his style's perhaps closest to that of British chat show hosts. Still, his new TBS show isn't available to UK audience, which perhaps hampered his position in this poll

4th – Jon Stewart (7.69%)

More a satirical comedian and presenter than a chat show host, if we're honest, but The Daily Show has been a cult hit in the UK for a few years now—although that era was dealt a blow recently, when More4 stopped airing it.

3rd - Jonathan Ross (20.51%)

Like Conan, perhaps more famous for behind-the-scenes turmoil just lately (after his radio scandal with Russell Brand), but Ross has been chatting with the rich and famous for over 20 years to great acclaim in the UK. His recent show Friday Night was a highlight of the TV week (particularly in the mid-'00s), as his flippant and saucy attitude often charmed and astonished those on his sofa—particularly American stars, who were often visibly  amazed at how risqué and unrehearsed the conversation could get. It's just a shame Ross slowly became a parody of himself in later years (often overstepping the line and just becoming embarrassing), before the BBC effectively neutered him after his radio prank backlash.

2nd - Craig Ferguson (25.64%)

A very surprising entry, to me! Craig Ferguson's a very interesting case—as he's essentially found a way to bring some of his British-born wit and attitude to the strict format of the venerable US chat show. It's perhaps not surprising he has a strong British following, given his Scottish roots, and perhaps Americans appreciate his irreverence because it's in some way refreshing?

1st – Graham Norton (28.21%)

The clear winner was Graham Norton, who's on something of a roll just now with his Friday night chat show, which recently won a BAFTA. It also helps that his show gets aired in the US on BBC America, only a few weeks behind the UK broadcast. Norton's never quite managed to better his Channel 4 series So Graham Norton, which was considerably more rude and daring, but his BBC show has started to find a good balance just lately. In particular, the format of having three guests on together (usually a big US star, a UK star, and a comedian) has been a real masterstroke. The four-way conversation works surprisingly well and can be very entertaining if the dynamic is right between the celebs, and the ensemble feel to the chat is like a breathe of fresh air in chat show terms. It also helps that the guests are apparently plied with booze beforehand, so everyone's very relaxed and often more daring with their anecdotes. Norton himself is an acquire taste perhaps, but his impish good humour works well to assure guests they're in safe hands, assured of a good time, and can perhaps go that extra mile.

Poll: who is your favourite chat show host?

This week, I want to know who your favourite chat show host is. The only stipulation is they need to have fronted a chat show within the past two years, so you can't choose past masters like Michael Parkinson or Johnny Carson.

I've prepared a list below that covers most of the major chat show hosts in the UK and US. You can choose ONE from my list, or vote for your own as the "other" vote. (And yes, I've included Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, even though their shows only include a chat show element, because I know they'll be popular.)

To stoke discussion in the comments: what actually makes a good chat show host? Do you like the serious approach of a Piers Morgan or his predecessor Larry King, or do you prefer the playfulness of Graham Norton and Paul O'Grady? Do comedians make the best chat show hosts, or journalists? Why are there so few female hosts? Do you think the US have this format down to a fine art, or do you think the likes of Letterman and Leno stagnated long ago?

It seems to me that most US chat shows are very rehearsed (rarely are a guest's anecdotes impromptu), whereas British chat shows seem to ply the guests with booze and have fun. I've lost count of the amount of times a big American guest looks genuinely delighted by the lack of restrictions placed on them during their UK appearances—and not just in terms of our relaxed attitude to profanity. They can honestly kick back and have a laugh, assured that the host will find time to plug their wares, and they'll come across as likeable human beings in the process. Is that fair to say?

Also, do any Americans here watch Graham Norton on BBC America? If so, what are your thoughts on that show and the difference in style between someone like Norton and someone like, say, Jimmy Fallon?

Vote below!




This poll will close on 1 July. The results will be made available here shortly after. To ensure good results, it would be helpful if you could help this poll go viral using Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, Google+1, etc. This is a direct link to the poll itself.

'ALAN CARR: CHATTY MAN' 4.1

Alan Carr's on the wane. The tedious Sunday Night Project's been mercifully axed and he's having to rely on the uninspired Chatty Man; his hit-and-miss chat show that proves cheeky banter and plentiful double entendres don't equal good TV. Carr's a likable chap if you can stomach his cackling, and I don't expect him to put guests under a Parkinson-esque spotlight, but for what's essentially Channel 4's version of The Graham Norton Show it wastes the potential of its guests to an alarming extent. Mind you, spare a thought for Carr's SNP colleague Justin Lee Collins: locked into a contract with Five playing heads-or-tails and darts.

On the first episode of this fourth series, Alan Carr's guests comprised a surprisingly decent lineup: Pamela Anderson, Russell Brand and three stars of smash-hit "dramedy" Glee.

Anderson's booking is hardly a major coup these days, suffering as she is the decline of a showbiz career based entirely on sex-kitten looks. Should have paid attention in acting class, Pammy! Or at least taken life-guarding seriously as a fallback. Now she's living in a beach trailer ("double-wide" or not, it's a comedown) while appearing in panto alongside Les Dennis. She's been on so many chat shows there's nothing left to discover about her, or anything of interest to begin with. Carr clearly found it tough, too. Do you still bring up Baywatch in 2010? It's alarming to think a lot of teenagers are too young to remember the show now. Carr resorted to giggling over her panto naivety, talked about Playboy nudity (you re-shoot with no "tuppence" in shot for the Japanese version), and brought up her infamous sex tape with Tommy Lee. I may have been interested if this were 1997.

Brand was the best guest, there to plug his movie Get Him To The Greek, although whatever louche charm he once had I've lost interest in. Brand's a hirsute mix of chest, skinny legs, shark-like grins, bouffant hair and rampaging ego, and while there's some entertainment in seeing an eccentric British "rock star comedian" with inflated self-belief rise to a level of popularity in the US... now he's a celebrity with a popstar fiancée, appearing in films as facets of his own Id, he's become a bore to me. Brand comes across as an arrogant bighead too often, whose shtick of using flowery language (nine words where two would suffice) leaves me stifling yawns. It's a style that's now stale. Let's see if the Americans still think he's a breath of fresh air in a few to come, when the honeymoon period's over.

Carr at least got a few anecdotes out of Brand (not hard, as he's hardly shy), such as how he proposed to Katy Perry while in India riding an elephant with a fireworks phobia. But beyond that the highlight was seeing the pair try and swat a nuisance fly buzzing around the studio. Flies know shit when they see it.

Finally, the cast of TV phenomenon Glee; namely Matthew Morrison (Mr. Schue), Jenna Ushkowitz (um, the Asian girl) and Kevin McHale (uh, the one in the wheelchair). In pop-culture terms, this was kind of like Paul McCartney turning up on a chat show circa 1966 with Ringo and his manager. We know Chris Colfer and Amber Riley are in the country (they were on Jonathan Ross two days prior), so presumably chat shows get a combination of Glee stars the agents think each show is deserving of. Jane Lynch only does Leno, right? I guess Carr should be grateful he at least attracted Morrison, because in a few years it could very easily be Principal Figgins sat on his sofa.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing is just the time allotted to each interview. Pamela barely warmed the seat before she was out the door, Brand had more of a worthwhile chat, but then the Glee trio seemed to only get seven minutes of weak questioning and light mocking. And did Jenna even speak?

Overall, Alan Carr: Chatty Man is by far the worst chat show from the four main broadcasters. Carr just isn't a good interviewer, and his approach of charming his guests into having a lighthearted natter doesn't seem to work on Americans in particular (who are there for the business of promotion), so you tend to only get worthwhile TV when British comedians with a similar sensibility are on. But, please, there's only so much David Walliams you can take.

Carr just makes you realize how gifted Graham Norton is at eliciting gossip while making his guests feel relaxed and the audience included. There's none of that from Carr's eyesore set. The only affection his show has is offering guests booze the moment they sit down. The rest is lukewarm questions, delivered with garrulous desperation, peals of laughter, and grins. The audience may be laughing hysterically behind the camera, but I guess either the warm up man's a genius or Carr's drinks trolley does the rounds in the intervals.

20 JUNE 2010: CHANNEL 4/HD, 10PM

Glee cast on Jonathan Ross

Glee's Matthew Morrison, Amber Riley and Chris Colfer are on a promotional tour this summer, and all three dropped in on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross. Check out the video evidence above and below (before it's removed because of copyright claims!), and marvel at Colfer's ninja skills with sai's!

The Jay Leno Show - Cinema Ad

How do you advertise a new NBC chat show these days? If you're Jay Leno, you make a bizarre, darkly funny advert and run it in cinemas. Is this thing indicative of what Leno has planned for his 10pm show? In moving from late-night to primetime, is Leno going to surprise everyone with something really fresh and exciting? Lord knows US chat shows need a shot of something in their arm. Oh, who am I kidding, it'll be Jay Leno sat behind a desk interviewing celebs after reading an autocute'd monologue. He'll just be on earlier. Yawn. I hear he's blatantly ripped off Top Gear's "Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car" feature, too, as he's planning to have a spot where celebs race in electrically-powered vehicles.

ALAN CARR: CHATTY MAN 1.2

Everyone deserves a second chance, so I tuned in for the second episode of Alan Carr's new Sunday night chat-show. And... well, it was mildly better than last week's opener, but still very poor. Alan still looks uncomfortable once he's breezed past his comfort zone of the opening monologue, and this episode failed the ultimate test of every chat show: when the credits rolled, did anything stick in your mind, or did you learn anything interesting about the guests? No on all counts.

Hollywood bigshot Samuel L. Jackson was the first guest. Sam's quality control is very low, so it was no surprise they managed to book him. Topics touched upon included golf, the fact he's now the highest-grossing actor, Snakes On A Plane (with a clip!), losing at the Oscars with Pulp Fiction, etc. I've heard it all before, particularly the Snakes On A Plane anecdotes, and Alan Carr looked desperate when he made a tired joke about a sequel to Snakes On A Plane. What's that: Snakes On A TRAIN, you say, Alan? Ha, ha! That may have been funny a few years ago. He also asked the single most boring movie-related question in existence: what's it like working with CGI? Ugh. If I hear any more stories about tennis balls on sticks, using your imagination, or greenscreen, my brain will explode. Is there anyone left who doesn't know the in's and out's of modern FX? There are Peruvian mountain farmers who have a working knowledge of chromokeying.

Next up was nutty singer Katie Perry dressed as a giant bank-note, with the stolen face of Zooey Deschanel. To be fair, she was easily the best guest of the night. She's eccentric and vociferous, which is just what you want. The chat flowed a bit easier with Alan, but I can't remember a single word of it. Alan accidentally opened a wound between Katie and her ex-boyfriend, but he didn't manage to drag anything out of her once she clammed up over it. Sadly, her career's too young for her to have any interesting showbiz stories, beyond relating the craziness of her meteoric rise to stardom. She managed to pull off the Cleopatra-dressed-as-a-dollar-bill look, so that earned some respect.

The final guest was Ivana Trump, but I'll confess that I had no interesting in hearing what she had to say, so I'd changed the channel by then. Was she good? Did the chat revolve around money, her husband Donald, and having a silly surname?

So, this was another dud for me. Like all chat-shows, Chatty Man will lure me into watching if the guests appearing that week are people I like, but I won't be watching for Alan Carr himself. I like him, and his personality would have you assume he'll be a fun, gossiping laugh and make the guests feel relaxed enough to let down their guard, but he's surprisingly all at sea here -- asking obvious questions that have been asked thousands of times before, inbetween grasping for jokes he's prepared in advance (like the Pulp Fiction soundtrack playing at a dinner party gag, which Samuel L. butted in and ruined the timing of.)


21 June 2009
Channel 4, 10pm

ALAN CARR: CHATTY MAN

Another popular comedian is handed a chat-show to try their luck, with predictably poor results. Alan Carr's an amusing fellow on-stage doing stand-up (and the best thing about the awful Friday/Sunday Night Project), but his new series Chatty Man did nothing but present further evidence against giving funnymen an interviewer's job. They're performers, not facilitators of anecdotes.

The line-up of guests was interesting, but had its own share of problems. First up was Bruce Forsythe, who hasn't allowed himself to become too overexposed on the chat-show circuit, so I was looking forward to hearing from this national treasure. Sadly, all we got was Carr turning Brucie's catchphrases into punchlines, a clip from The Generation Game, and Brucie teaching Carr how to dance in an "unscripted" moment that had clearly been rehearsed beforehand.

Next up, actor-cum-documentary filmmaker Ross Kemp. I respect the man, but he's only ever plugging his serious documentaries about Afghanistan and, just recently, modern-day pirates. So, he's hardly a barrel of laughs, and it left Carr with no opportunities to ply his brand of giggly humour and double-entendres. Eventually, Carr resorted to showing a clip of a 20-year-old advert for a breakfast cereal Kemp starred in, and then dug himself a comedy latrine by dueting with Kemp in singing the ad's jingle. Excruciating.

Finally, there was "Hollywood hottie" Heather Graham (unfortunately wearing trousers, instantly killing half her appeal), and even more unfortunately proving herself quite a boring interviewee. She mainly just smiled and giggled every five seconds, before introducing a clip of her latest movie The Hangover (she plays a prostitute with a heart of gold™, having been stereotyped for years). I can't remember a single thing she said the moment the credits rolled. She's one of those celebs it's better to just admire in magazines and via their many instances of film nudity.

In-between the interviews, there was a half-hearted attempt at some funny business from Carr, most notably when highlighting celebrity "tweets" from social networking site Twitter, then poking fun at them. Out of context, 140-character statements obviously lend themselves to ridicule, not to mention the fact many are typed while drunk, or by renowned celebrity dullards. So, easy pickings, not particularly funny.

A really terrible start, basically. His SNP co-star Justin Lee Collins' chat-show on ITV2 was far superior, surprisingly. At least JLC appears to be genuinely interested in his guests, allows them to talk at length (more than Jonathan Ross and Graham Norton combined, actually), and there's a mild sense of unpredictability from him as a host. Carr looked hamstrung by a need to get to his pre-planned jokes, and isn't a natural conversationalist.


14 June 2009
Channel 4, 10pm

Graham Norton Show moves to BBC1

Graham Norton's BBC2 chatshow is moving to BBC1 to help increase the Irish comedian's profile. I guess all of his Saturday night reality shows trying to find musical-theatre stars somehow passed BBC1 viewers by? This is the latest in a worrying trend of successful BBC2 series moving to BBC1 for bigger audiences, and I'm not sure it's in the best interest of these shows...

The writing quality of Little Britain nosedived when it moved to BBC1 and they could afford more prosthetics, Have I Got News For You felt edgier when it was on BBC2, and the last series of QI transferred to BBC1 and wasn't up to its usual standard. Maybe it's all about perception, though. Nothing really changes behind-the-scenes (beyond having more money to spend), so what does it matter where they air? I guess it doesn't. But at this rate BBC2 are going to have nothing original I want to watch!

Jay Hunt, BBC1 Controller, speaking at a Broadcasting Press Guild lunch:

"One of the things we have been trying to do with Graham, along with his Eurovision commentary, is to find a home for him where he can be true to entertainment. I want viewers to see him as the great entertainer he is."

On his risqué humour:

"I don't think Graham has to be rude. It is not his rudeness that makes him compelling. He has a madcap humour that sits at the heart of what he does. I think he can co-exist as a family entertainer and as a late-night chat show host."

Well, that's already been proven with him doing family-friendly stuff on BBC1 and more adult material on BBC2, but Norton's already diluted his act for Auntie Beeb. Remember his glory days on Channel 4 with the delightfully filthy So Graham Norton? The BBC2 show is a pale shadow of that raucous series, so surely a move to the even more mainstream BBC1 can't be good for Norton's fans.

When it returns this autumn, Norton's chatshow will likely air on Mondays (possibly Wednesdays) at the slightly later time of 10.35pm. Given the fact Jonathan Ross' chatshow has a 10.35pm slot on Fridays, will there be some clashes and squabbles for guests in the week? Is it a good idea to have two different late-night chatshows on the same channel?

"The Graham strategy is part of something I do feel strongly about. He is a unique talent. My decision to move Graham across does not effect any decisions about Jonathan going forward. Jonathan has done some fantastic interviews recently and I am proud to have him on the channel."

"I have had the conversation with Jonathan and [his agent] Addison [Cresswell] and they both want Graham on Jonathan's show to mark him coming to the channel. I have actively been trying to build [10.35pm] as a destination slot. We want to get younger viewers to BBC1."

Interestingly, there appears to be a widespread desire to give people late-night chatshows on UK television. Justin Lee Collins just finished the inaugural run of his ITV2 chatshow (which was in direct competition with Norton's BBC2 show at 10pm on Thursdays), and Alan Carr is about to debut a chatshow on Channel 4.

Ultimately, it doesn't really matter where Norton plies his trade. His show will benefit from increased exposure and the budget increase will help him land bigger-name guests (not that his BBC2 show was scratching around in the dirt for celebs.) I guess I'm just disappointed that BBC2 are losing so many great shows to their elder brother, so it's in danger of just becoming a "test site". A shame, as most shows transferring to mainstream channels have their teeth removed in transit.

Michael C. Hall on Jonathan Ross

As promised, here's an embedded video of Michael C. Hall's appearance on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross. The star of Dexter was suave, confident, funny, relaxed and easygoing throughout. Ross' questions were fairly routine (and no mention of Hall's recent marriage to his co-star Jennifer Carpenter, as that was perhaps too "inside" for general audiences), but there were some amusing moments. And, if Dexter commits suicide in the last ever episode, Hall's female (and male) fans will get to see his freshly-waxed back! Part 2 after the jump:

Dexter chats to Wossy

Michael C. Hall (Dexter) is appearing on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross this week! Just thought I'd mention it, as I know there are plenty of Dexter fans out there who will want to tune in (Fri, BBC1, 10.35pm). I've only ever seen Hall interviewed for press junkets, so it should be fun seeing him on a more relaxed chat show for once. Has he ever appeared on Leno, Letterman or Conan in the US? I can't find any clips on YouTube. Anyway, this should be a real treat, as Hall's a great actor who isn't overexposed in such circles, so it should offer a good insight into the man behind everyone's favourite serial-killer. Well, provided Woss shuts up for long enough to let him speak. I wonder if he'll mention Hall's recent marriage to his co-star Jennifer Carpenter?

Day Of The Triffids cast; Richard & Judy flop; Doctor Who salary; No Heroics USA; Witches Of Eastwick; Lost In Austen movie

The BBC's two-part remake of John Wyndham's Day Of The Triffids has attracted a stellar cast: Dougray Scott as hero Bill Masen, Joely Richardson, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave, Eddie Izzard and Jason Priestly. The script has been written by Patrick Marber (Closer) and is now filming. The story concerns a world where the majority of the population have been blinded by a meteor shower, allowing walking carnivorous plants to slowly takeover.

Richard & Judy's New Position is likely to be axed by December, following its lowest ever viewing figures: a truly pathetic 8,000. That's a 90% decrease since R&J transferred to new digital channel Watch from Channel 4, with 100,000. The couple used to enjoy ratings of 3 million at Channel 4, but were lured to Watch because of a big pay-deal and more creative freedom. A recent change of timeslot from 8pm to 6pm doesn't seem to have helped matters, and the couple don't seem to have retained their Channel 4 audience. There is widespread speculation that Judy Finnegan will retire when New Position ends (to write books), leaving her husband to pursue a solo career.

Matt Smith is being paid £1 million for a three-year contract on Doctor Who, when he takes over as the Time Lord. David Tennant (who Smith is replacing) is reportedly on £1 million per year, so this new deal will save the BBC a lot of money.

ITV2's superhero comedy No Heroics is going to be remade by Will & Grace's Jeff Greenstein, who hopes to create an American pilot for ABC. The sitcom was mostly ignored in the UK (being a low-budget, minority channel project), but creator Drew Pearce could get the last laugh if his idea becomes a big hit in the States. Mind you, superhero comedies on television have a bad track record. The Tick, anyone?

And finally... veteran TV director David Nutter is helming the pilot of ABC's The Witches Of Eastwick adaptation; a fantasy drama about three women with supernatural abilities who summon the Devil to their sleepy town. The script has been written by Josh Friedman (who recently worked with Nutter on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.) Nutter himself has become the go-to guy for television pilots in the States, having directed 14 that all got picked up for series.

Remember ITV1's Lost In Austen last year? The fantasy costume drama about a modern girl who is transported into the fictional universe of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice? Well, it seems you can't keep a good idea down for long. British director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) is developing a movie version, that he will produce. No word on casting yet, but wouldn't it be funny if Gemma Arterton (who appeared in the series, fairly briefly, as Elizabeth Bennett) is promoted to lead for the movie, in light of her post-Bond fame? Of will they get a loudmouth Yank to play the lead, for maximum fish-out-of-water potential?

Al Murray vs. Jonathan Ross

Now that venerable Michael Parkinson has shuffled off into chat retirement, the only rival to Friday Night With Jonathan Ross is Al Murray's Happy Hour; a show that even has the gumption to compete against Ross in the same timeslot!

Here's a comparison of last week's editions of both shows:

Al Murray had "the Phils" as guests: Phil Collins, Fiona Phillips, Philip Glenister and the first UK performance of New Kids On The Block since they reformed. Of course, Collins is a music legend, but something of has-been in most peoples' eyes (if you're under 15: he sang the music behind the Cadbury's drumming gorilla advert.) Phillips will probably become a has-been now she's decided to leave the cosy GMTV sofa. And NKOTB were has-beens who've only reformed to milk cash from fans in their thirties.

Jonathan Ross had "the Steves" as guests: Steve Coogan, Stevie Wonder and.. well, Abi Clancy. Coogan spent most of his time talking about Alan Partridge and responding to tired rumours of a Partridge movie and being pigeon-holed by the Norwich DJ's success. However, thanks to a blossoming US film career where 95% of the audience don't even know about his British oeuvre, Coogan seemed more accepting of the predictable direction Ross' interview took. It was also nice to hear he isn't abandoning the UK and has a tour and sitcom imminent, too. Obviously, there was no mention of Hamlet 2, a recent Coogan comedy that flopped so badly in the US that it didn't scrape into the week's Top 10.

Abi Clancy was there as a fresh-faced bit of eye-candy, with a fashion show to plug (imaginatively titled "The Fashion Show"), and withstood a few digs at her relationship with beanpole footballer Peter Crouch. She seemed nice enough, really. One of those harmless glamour models it's best to just look at. You can't really hate a beautiful girl with a gentle Scouse accent and the brain capacity of a thimble -- can you?

Stevie Wonder was The Big Deal, obviously: a genuine legend of music giving a rare UK interview. He was on good form with interesting anecdotes and self-deprecating jokes. Ross and Wonder even jammed together in the show's finale; an event that bettered Murray's drumming with Collins in a fake pub… even if Ross wasn't a capable musician like Murray!

On paper, Ross had the best guests (well, just) -- but not as many. But Murray's show was much more enjoyable, though -- even with a layer of artificiality because Murray's always in-character as The Pub Landlord. As Caroline Ahearne discovered out in the '90s with Mrs. Merton, a character-based chat show allows you to get away more.

Ross relies on cheeky banter, mild crudity and playful sex-talk as a "leveller" with his celebs, whereas Murray is free to be direct-yet-lovable from behind the guise of a blue-collared bloke's bloke. A celeb could get irritated or confused by Ross' attitude toward them, especially if they're foreign, but it's easier for celebs to laugh along with a fictional character like the Landlord, because he's an endearing creation.

Murray managed some gentle digs at Collins' divorces (which the Genesis member warmed to after a frosty beginning) and capped it all with that joyous drumming session on kegs and optics. Incidentally, I've never liked Fiona Phillips and her boneheaded presenting style on GMTV, but she actually came across very well here. She also looked (whisper it) quite foxy. Well, if you like the older woman with a slightly insane smile.

Overall, the BBC are more likely to get the big names guests, especially now Friday Night is te UK's only established chat show with a bit of pedigree. Its our Letterman, Conan and Leno rolled into one. But Happy Hour is the funnier comedy alternative, even if it's an ITV show that gets clogged up with ITV celebs plugging ITV shows. But the sight of Murray's "Big Bob" gyrating to an audience-sung ditty is a damn sight more entertaining than the unfunny, overrated, useless and slightly creepy Four Poofs & A Piano.


Friday Night With Jonathan Ross -- BBC1, Fridays 10.35pm
Al Murray's Happy Hour -- ITV1, Fridays 10pm

THE CHARLOTTE CHURCH SHOW 3.1

I don't begrudge Charlotte Church her fame and fortune. She earned it, thanks to the bewildering global appeal of kids singing classical music. I'd rather see her famous than some reality TV star hawking perfume, books and a trite pop song. Emerging from her teen hedonism of recent years, Charlotte's now a baby-making machine for other half Gavin Henson -- the Welsh pretty-boy rugby star who, "coincidentally", lost form when Ms. Church came calling...

A half-decent attempt to segue into pop music seems to have been forgotten about, but Charlotte's bills need paying, and her fame needs careful cultivation -- so the Welsh warbler returned to her oddly-popular Channel 4 entertainment series last night...

The Charlotte Church Show has been bumped from post-pub Fridays to Thursdays -- thanks to Big Brother eviction nights, just ask The Sunday Night Project. Little has changed: Charlotte's still thinks she's hilarious (and not merely a literate reader of weak gags from an autocue), she's heavily pregnant again, and remains incredibly self-absorbed.

And, is it just me, or is Charlotte Church yesterday's news? Her crown of female hedonism has been stolen by genuine caners like Amy Winehouse, the whole singer-turned-entertainer thing ran its course with Lily Allen's copycat BBC Three show, and does anyone still view Church as a role model? And no, being a loving mother with curves doesn't automatically give you role-model status. She's relatively normal, I'll give her that. If little girls want to model themselves on Charlotte Church instead of Kate Moss -- so be it.

But I just can't warm to The Charlotte Church Show. Singers should stick to singing and not encroach on other peoples' territory. There are talented people out there (many training to be TV presenters), whose jobs are being stolen by actors/singers wanting to extend their profile.

Everything also smacks of a vanity project. Charlotte's unable to go more than a few sentences without dragging a conversation back round to herself -- regaling us with well-trodden memories of singing for The Pope, blah blah...

And have you noticed how most entertainment series don't involve their studio audiences properly these days? Ant & Dec and Graham Norton are the only people who realize their paid to entertain the audience. Charlotte seems to think she has a crowd of acolytes watching, all just happy to be there. Too often the audience are left to react as naturally as they can to Charlotte's anecdotes, clunky joke-telling, and witless interviews. At best, they get picked on for public ridicule...

Pity the poor, deluded, sharp-faced woman who had her unhealthy love of Hollyoaks exposed last night. She got to meet her pin-up, actor Chris Fountain. The catch? A photo of her drinking alcohol from a condom was shown on TV, and everyone now knows she calls her shit "King Kong's Finger". Oh well. She seemed happy enough at the humiliation. She was on the telly! Yay! With Chris Fountain and Charlotte Church! Yayyy!

There are worse people in the world than Charlotte Church, who at least keeps herself down-to-earth and free of any diva-ism. There are worse candidates to host a late-show entertainment show, too. I just think audiences deserve genuine entertainers -- not have-a-go singers trading on their common-touch appeal.


10 July 2008
Channel 4, 10.00 pm