A harmonious quartet?
Well, it was quite a valiant attempt wasn’t it? David Mitchell, Jimmy Carr, Lauren Laverne and Charlie Brooker’s new entertainment news show with a live studio audience launched on Channel 4 last night, at, er 10 o’clock.
The show opened with a cheering audience, reminiscent of 90s cult show The Word, with the presenters sitting around what looked like a dining room table, ignoring the wild hoopla behind them. After an intro from Lauren, who took on the role of presenter and officiator, we were straight into the first segment, a typically sharp and polished topical monologue from Jimmy. It was a good start. Then over to David at the table for a discussion about banking, which he chaired with wit and a sure-handed authority. After a decidedly un-live VT from Charlie on Sarah Palin (an easy target if there was one) the first ad break hit us like an alarm clock on a Monday morning.
So far, so… OK. There were a few topical laughs and a bit of light grilling, but nothing to really grab us. And 10 o’clock live continued in much the same way for another 40 minutes or so (and 2 further ad breaks). There was a lot about Tunisa, but nothing on the phone-hacking story or the Chilcot enquiry, which, as the incendiary subject of discussion over on BBC Question Time, poached a lot of viewers. I am still devastated that I missed George Galloway accuse Alastair Campbell of being “implicit in the death of Dr David Kelley”
Mitchell’s segment “Listen to Mitchell”, a pater-familias type monologue set in Victorian-looking set (although with a modern bar stool for him to sit on) worked well, but Lauren’s only segment, a spoof-style USA topical news report was cringily bad. It meant to be ironic, but failing to succeed, simply came across as poor quality.
Overall, the show suffered from trying to do too much. If it cuts out the unsuccessful segments and expands the decent ones, giving guests more time to discuss issues, Mitchell more opportunity to wield his intelligence, use Jimmy as the slick front man, gives Lauren the one-to-one interview and keeps Charlie away from the unscripted stuff I think it get there.
10 o’clock Live was somewhat savaged on Twitter, but it was only the first ever show. Given a little more time and confidence, it could become a worthwhile mid-week stop-off.
