[HEADING=1]Quintessentially British[/HEADING]
[HEADING=2]10 O'Clock Live-Channel 4, Thursday, 10pm[/HEADING]
Channel 4 go highbrow
The R&D department (or whatever the TV equivalent of R&D is) at Channel 4 may have stumbled upon something of a diamond amongst the crap they tend to spew out. They've come up with 10 O'Clock Live, a sideways look at the weeks news.
Now, you'd be forgiven for thinking 'Oh bloody hell, they've done Mock The Week only without the funny irishman and the rude scotsman'. But you'd be wrong. Not only does 10 O'Clock live take the rather ingenious approach of placing the show in the same format as tripe like The One Show, it's actually pretty funny.
So what actually goes on? Well, the show is filmed in front of a live studio audience (forgive me for using a line that should only be ever used prior to a crappy American sitcom)
who provide entertaining panto-like yells now and again, which are commented on by the presenters in a joke that while funny the first one or two times gets old very quickly.
The presenters themselves are Jimmy Carr, who starts every show by going through some news topics and delivering a series of one-liners which is pretty much the same as he does on any show he appears on, and therefore is only mildly funny. I may be biased here due to me thinking that Jimmy Carr isn't and never has been that funny, but he's by no means the weakest presenter.
No, that dubious honour goes to Lauren Laverne, the only female of the team and someone who is just not funny. She does a skit based on hyperactive American news which feels somewhat slapstick and wouldn't look out of place on Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights if you added some-no, a lot of swearing.
Charlie Brooker is his usual funny innuendo cracking self. He does a few news pieces but really should have been given a bigger role in the show as his pieces are funny and original. His take on the Tunisian Riots is pure genius, and had me rolling around clutching my stomach. But still he isn't the strongest presenter on the show.
No, the man who makes the show without a shadow of a doubt is David Mitchell. Mitchell is constantly on top form throughout the show (which in itself is a spirtitual successor to Alternative Election Night which featured the same team with the same hierarchy of funnyness) which you could say was just made for Mitchell. His intelligent take on comedy and dry English wit makes the show an entertaining venture.
But is it a good show? Well, it all depends on your outlook. If you can take the rough unfunny patches of Lauren Laverne, Jimmy Carr (sometimes) and even Mitchell and Brooker on occasion then there is some really funny stuff to be had here. Well done Channel 4. Pat on the back and a gold star. And hey, replace Laverne with Robert Webb and you might actually get on my series record list!
[HEADING=2]Verdict: Yeah, it's alright. [/HEADING]
[HEADING=2]10 O'Clock Live-Channel 4, Thursday, 10pm[/HEADING]
Channel 4 go highbrow
The R&D department (or whatever the TV equivalent of R&D is) at Channel 4 may have stumbled upon something of a diamond amongst the crap they tend to spew out. They've come up with 10 O'Clock Live, a sideways look at the weeks news.
Now, you'd be forgiven for thinking 'Oh bloody hell, they've done Mock The Week only without the funny irishman and the rude scotsman'. But you'd be wrong. Not only does 10 O'Clock live take the rather ingenious approach of placing the show in the same format as tripe like The One Show, it's actually pretty funny.
So what actually goes on? Well, the show is filmed in front of a live studio audience (forgive me for using a line that should only be ever used prior to a crappy American sitcom)
who provide entertaining panto-like yells now and again, which are commented on by the presenters in a joke that while funny the first one or two times gets old very quickly.
The presenters themselves are Jimmy Carr, who starts every show by going through some news topics and delivering a series of one-liners which is pretty much the same as he does on any show he appears on, and therefore is only mildly funny. I may be biased here due to me thinking that Jimmy Carr isn't and never has been that funny, but he's by no means the weakest presenter.
No, that dubious honour goes to Lauren Laverne, the only female of the team and someone who is just not funny. She does a skit based on hyperactive American news which feels somewhat slapstick and wouldn't look out of place on Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights if you added some-no, a lot of swearing.
Charlie Brooker is his usual funny innuendo cracking self. He does a few news pieces but really should have been given a bigger role in the show as his pieces are funny and original. His take on the Tunisian Riots is pure genius, and had me rolling around clutching my stomach. But still he isn't the strongest presenter on the show.
No, the man who makes the show without a shadow of a doubt is David Mitchell. Mitchell is constantly on top form throughout the show (which in itself is a spirtitual successor to Alternative Election Night which featured the same team with the same hierarchy of funnyness) which you could say was just made for Mitchell. His intelligent take on comedy and dry English wit makes the show an entertaining venture.
But is it a good show? Well, it all depends on your outlook. If you can take the rough unfunny patches of Lauren Laverne, Jimmy Carr (sometimes) and even Mitchell and Brooker on occasion then there is some really funny stuff to be had here. Well done Channel 4. Pat on the back and a gold star. And hey, replace Laverne with Robert Webb and you might actually get on my series record list!
[HEADING=2]Verdict: Yeah, it's alright. [/HEADING]
