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I saw this week's 'You Have Been Watching' being filmed last night
Oh dear.
It wasn't all terrible, but it was a painfully long day. Got there at 5:30, left gone 10.
But the guests this week WERE terrible. Miller (from Armstrong & Miller) was pretty dire, seemingly forgetting that whilst debate is actively encouraged on the show the odd laugh would be good too. It took him until nearly 2 hours in before he raised a laugh. And the female guest Holly Walsh was absolutely stultifying. I'd have thought it was a good opportunity to make a name for herself, but she just wasn't on the same document - let alone page - as everyone else in the room. True, the first segment was horrendously blokey and at times pushing chauvinistic, but still...
David Mitchell saved it massively, as he does any panel show truth be told, but most of his really good stuff likely won't make the cut for being too long or controversial I suspect.
As for Brooker, he is a hero of mine but he desperately needs some new targets. It was a weird American Christian show again, that annoying Fox News presenter again and a high profile BBC youth crossover show again. But he wasn't helped by his guests forgetting to ring their buzzers and... y'know, crack jokes. Hell, even TALKING at times might have helped.
It'll probably cut down to a reasonable 45 minute show but Jeez, the person who books the guests really needs to sort it out. Much as I'm entirely unsure about Skinner & Boyle, at least they offer some jokes and opinions. This sorry bunch (barring Mitchell) had neither.
The highlight though was the huge area fenced off for the celebs coming to the after party; I spotted one - that blonde girl who had the affair with a student in Hollyoaks. In the break we had, she was the only person who got up and left the room. The warm up guy obviously had no idea who she was and made some comment as she left about 'needing a shit'. Great stuff.
It was made even better by her walking back in and waving at the whole crowd whilst mouthing 'Hi everyone' slightly smuggly. Ah, celebs...