Probably I think too much about this show which I can’t even see live since I don’t receive C4. I find myself caring more than I should and therefore thinking about it more than I should. Most frustratingly, I don’t have the answers to how to change things to turn the tides. That doesn’t stop me from caring, researching, reading and thinking about it. I’ve seen many suggestions for how to go about it. The most interesting and also with the most impact is the one concerning personnel and duty changes.
The two most successful in the format, and incidentally the two least fitted for live broadcasting, have been Charlie Brooker and David Mitchell. Votes have gone up to make one of the two the anchorman and have the other three revolving around him. Not literally, obviously. About which of the two it should be the votes are still being counted though I hear Brooker’s name quietly resonating in the main reasoning of this theory.
I’ve been juggling this idea around as well. My hesitation to throw any of them out has me considering all 4 of them for the role. Not all 4 at the same time, because then we should be still in the same situation. Let me see if I can make setups for all 4 situations starting with the least likely.
Lauren Laverne for Anchor..uh..woman
Laverne is the weakest link in the outfit. Having her linking the pieces together will give her enough to do, but can also take away the strain of having her do too much comedy which she just simply isn’t equipped for. She could also do an interview, but that might kill the comedic atmosphere. Yet, more in depth interviews? The 3 gentlemen can do their things.
Advantage: Less comedy on Laverne’s shoulders and yet enough to do.
Disadventage: Puts her in the maybe painfully obvious unfunny moments of the show and leaves her lingering in the unfunny ‘token female’ atmosphere.
Jimmy Carr for Anchorman
Jimmy Carr was pretty much ‘the anchorman’ in the ‘Alternative Election Night’ doing most of the linking and talking it all together. His one-liner nature is perfect for linking, if pulled up in quality level. I would grab the opportunity to steal away the sketches he has done so far. I feel a bit bad about that, but like I posted before, I really don’t care for his sketches. Maybe if the sketches felt less sketch like…
What he can do is take over an interview from Mitchell, ala Jon Stewart style. For some reason I still think he’s more suited for interviewing than Mitchell is. Don’t ask me why, because 3 episodes have proved me wrong so far. Contributions by Mitchell could be the sketches we lose from Carr. Surely he’d be better at it than Carr? Brooker can proceed as he does.
Advantage: Carr is someone who can do linking well and it could still be funny.
Disadventage: If his jokes remain as lame as they tend to be, this could be a bit of a killer to the show. I know I would zone out and forget to watch the upcoming piece. Carr tends to be a bit wooden and unnatural when reading off an auto-cue; he too obviously reads off an auto-cue. In this format, I’m not sure what to do with Laverne.
David Mitchell for Anchorman
Now I come to think of it, I’m not sure how he would do. I usually find David Mitchell reading off an auto-cue highly annoying though more natural and amusing than Carr. I just can’t picture him permanently behind a desk cracking jokes at pictures projected next to his head. But as long we haven’t seen, we can’t really judge. I’d say give it a go, unless they choose to go with another format.
Mitchell could still do interviews, but I would rather let Laverne or Brooker take over one interview from him. Every time I use Brooker’s name in combination with the word ‘interview’ I think: “He’ll be pissing himself.” Yet, still seems a sound idea.
Advantage: Mitchell can bring the funnies in the linking. You could easily fit his item ‘Listen to Mitchell’ in this format. You would have to listen to him all the time anyway.
Disadventage: Mitchell has no experience in this area, but then again, he doesn’t in interviewing either. We all know how that goes. This format leaves Carr a bit hanging in mid-air.
Charlie Brooker for Anchorman
This is the most interesting suggestion. Not only can you pretty much leave the others do what they already do, though hopefully better with the exception of Carr doing the News round, it will also give Charlie more to do which I honestly believe he can. He can do the linking in a natural and funny way. Evidence can be found in his Wipes which are pretty much a collection of links and items. I still think he should take over an interview from Mitchell, because he can do that too. He did interviews with scriptwriters for an episode of Screenwipe. He also seems to be the only one (with Laverne actually) who can deliver an auto-cue line in a natural way, and (unlike Laverne) in a funny way. I said that already, didn’t I? But surely, I don’t need to highlight that point?
Advantage: We would see more of him (and his quif) and it’s almost guaranteed laughs. He’s good at linking off an auto-cue in a natural and funny way. Proof: his Wipes. A monologue can still snugly be fitted in there; required even.
Disadventage: It would be harder/awkward to get him from behind the desk to do sketches, which he actually does wonderfully as well. Proof: several Screenwipe episodes. He’d probably be pissing himself for another 10/11 weeks.
Of course if you choose to make someone anchorperson, it will automatically push the other three back in the format of the show. They can still contribute wonderful stuff, but they will noticeably fall under the reign of the anchorperson.
Other suggestions
Watch ‘Top Gear’: How do the Top Gear presenters do it? They have 3 completely different personalities and yet they congeal.
What about doing the interviews with 2; 1 of them taking a more reserved place in the interview and 1 leading? The second man can jump in when required. I’d vote Laverne as main interviewer, Mitchell second? Or Laverne and Carr; Carr proved himself worthy in the Round table discussions/banter.
Why not take away one interview from Mitchell and have him do 1 sketch?
Have Brooker interview people. (Or maybe scratch that)
Have Laverne interview people.
Have them linking to each other. Not like: “Over to you Jimmy” but rather like: “What does Jimmy think about it?” Obviously, after the linker has done his/her say. What follows could be a sketch.
Don’t put 2 monologues after each other; it would feel like preaching by two different egos. If you want two talks by two different egos then have them talking to each other. There must be subjects were Brooker and Mitchell disagree with each other. That’s definitely cue for a funny discussion; probably with a lot of shouting.
Have them presenting different views on one subject. Or do they agree on everything? Left leaning?
Why is Laverne not doing more crowd participation stuff? What happened to the crowd participation stuff?
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