MARK’S TV: Return of the panel shows
During the last few weeks, two of the hardier, longer lasting (by today’s standards) panel shows have returned to the screens. Not only has Mock The Week lumbered back onto the Thursday night schedules, but Jimmy Carr’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats has popped back up on a Friday night too, alongside Alan ‘ooh haven’t I got big teeth/funny glasses/a voice that inspires suicide’ Carr and British TV’s latest attempt to find out just what it is that Claudia Winkleman can do well (there must be something. Maybe). Interestingly both shows have returned sans one of their team captains.
Over on 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Saturday night Skype stroker, Jason Maford has gracefully bowed out and handed his role as team captain to the very promising looking John Richardson. I’m sorry, did I say gracefully? What I meant was that he’s forsaken pleasuring himself in front of his Macbook and is instead letting ITV thrust a wad of money between his cheeks and wrap its soft, wet, pouting lips around his rampantly engorged man meat. Or, to put it in less nightmare inducing terms, he’s concentrating on an ITV talent search (Britain’s Got The Comedian Factor probably) and the show which he shares star billing with human muscle-suit Peter Andre. PETER F*CKING ANDRE. Incidentally, that sound you can hear is Manford’s credibility grabbing its coat and slamming the door in tears. Either that or he’s just booted Skype up.
Meanwhile on BBC 2, It seems that hyperactive man-child Russell Howard has packed away his blue smarties and moved permanently to BBC3 and (bafflingly) the nation’s arenas. So far he has only been gone for two episodes but it’s already apparent how unnecessary and, frankly annoying he was becoming. After the departure of screen hogging controversy funnel, Frankie Boyle, Howard’s attempts to be edgy were soon made clear to be little more than talking about wanking in a funny voice, like a 14 year old trying to sabotage a school talent show by being rude in front of the parents and staff.
The third major panellist to leave the (fairly) long-running show, Howard’s departure has arguably had the least affect on the show as a whole. When Rory Bremner left, Mock managed to find its feet, mostly because it shrugged off its all-encompassing obsession with letting him crowbar a Tony Blair voice into every round, but for all his controversy, Boyle’s exit left the show looking pale and toothless. It’s only now that the show is starting to find its balance again, but it’s not as near the knuckle as it used to be, and the regular rotation of familiar faces are becoming even more smug with themselves, all of which is starting to make Mock The Week look increasingly irrelevant, especially when Have I Got News For You is still consistently brilliant.
Manford’s decision to leave 8 Out Of 10 shouldn’t really affect the show too much, being as it is a post-pub guilty pleasure. In Mock The Week’s case however, the shake up is definitely for the greater good, but it remains to be seen whether the Beeb can reverse the sense of complacency which has crept into the Thursday night comedy free-for-all. Mock The Week’s selling point was always its edge, and unless the panellists start to actively push the boundaries again, instead of just using it as a springboard to further TV exposure (where presumably the guest who shouts loudest and most often gets some sort of alcohol advertising contract), then they might as well all join Manford on ITV’s comedy graveyard. At least they’ll get plenty of money and appearances on This Morning for it.
