This week John Byrne's spotlight is on Ray D'Arcy's return to TV, Graham Norton's gab-fest, and some telly-watching in suburban Britain.
Reviewed: The Ray D'Arcy Show (Saturday, RTÉ One); The Graham Norton Show (Friday, BBC One); Gogglebox (Friday, Channel 4)
Talk shows have changed considerably over the years, and while The Late Late Show continues to defy the ageing process, it's interesting to contrast and compare newer versions of the format. Last Saturday saw the latest version hit the small screen, as The Ray D'Arcy Show took off on RTÉ One.
As he lapped up the opening applause from the show's first audience, and looked a little uncomfortable in his new suit (that modern cut, with the jacket at least three sizes too small, has to be the worst jacket 'look' since the 1970s when lapels were planet-sized), the newest chat show host on the TV block was keen to point out that he'd felt the pressure ahead of the opening programme. Talking with people has never been a problem for Mr D'Arcy.
And while no Irish TV chat show can match the likes of the top UK and US shows for the high level of A-listers on tap, it always helps when the guests have the gift of the gab. The first one up was former Munster rugby player Donncha O’Callaghan, who came across as a very pleasant chap.
Not being a rugby fan, I'd never heard of him before, but he spoke well about fatherhood – specifically the thrill of fathering a son after three girls – his charity work for UNICEF, and taking the plunge to quit rugby in Ireland to join English side Worcester, and how that might affect family life.
Next up, Ray skipped his chair and desk, taking a seat on the guest sofa with Sean O’Brien, the obese Scouser whose nightclub dancing went viral on the internet, and turned him into a global sensation. He was initially trolled by idiots and then adopted as a role model by many, got invited to a party in Los Angeles and ended-up throwing a baseball around with the LA Dodgers.
Back in his chair, Ray was then joined by former X Factor judge Tulisa. She was naturally chatty but zipped her lips when it came to certain topics, although she did her best to make light of her sex tape experience. Still, no one was expecting the Spanish Inquisition. Well, maybe except Tulisa.
Best of all was Tommy Tiernan, who looked like he'd just rambled through a bramble bush on the way to Montrose. Ray wisely tore up his cue cards and let the bearded comic at it, talking about whatever took his fancy, from his increasingly flaccid penis to his facial appearance ("I look like an ALDI Roy Keane," he confessed). Tiernan, I'd say, must have been a very annoying child. He just can't shut up. But he is funny.
All in all, the show rattled along in a familiar fashion, although it did seem a little too long at about an hour-and-a-half. If it lost a third of that it would be in fine shape. But it's early days for Ray D'Arcy as a chat show host, and hopefully the show gets a little tighter over the coming weeks.
The night before The Ray D'Arcy Show, there was a contrasting chat show on offer as The Graham Norton Show returned to BBC One last Friday. Watching Norton in action is a master class in TV presentation. He's been at it for many, many years and it shows. He's clearly at the top of his game.
It also helps that The Graham Norton Show is filmed the day before broadcast. Apparently, around two hours of chat is recorded and then cut down to a very snappy 45 minutes. It packs a mighty punch and gives the show a great sense of immediacy. If anything, it feels more live. It's certainly the best show of its kind currently on TV.
This opener had Hollywood big-hitter Matt Damon and Oscar-nominated actress Jessica Chastain, who star together in new blockbuster The Martian. Alongside them was comic, musician, actor, and token local, Bill Bailey.
Damon, who loves being on the show, was in fine form, and Chastain was far from shy. Bailey just took whatever moments offered to him with his offbeat patter. The 45 minutes flew by, and Norton's ability to juggle his guests all at once is never less than a joy to watch. This is seamless and peerless TV. But it's pure showbiz, whereas Irish chat shows tend to mix celebs with human interest, which is a much more difficult blend to deal with as it offers light and sometimes very dark shade.
Another show that benefits greatly from excellent editing is Gogglebox (Friday, Channel 4), the telly-reviewing show that features recurring couples, families and friends from around Britain sitting in their living rooms. The big difference between this show and Graham Norton's is that they've to sift through a hell of a lot more footage to get the 47 minutes broadcast on telly every Friday.
This latest episode of the current run was a vast improvement on the previous week's surprisingly tepid offering. Maybe it was the content that got the couched critics going? Certainly, the opening show under scrutiny, the season six opener of Downton Abbey, had them talking. As Giles said to Mary: "Winter's on its way."
The key moment of the episode centred on Mrs Patmore teasing out Mr Carson's attitude to sex should they marry. It was awkward all the way, and when she told Carson, "You can have me, warts and all," it was a bit much for Scarlett Moffatt, who's rarely short of a memorable response. "Warts?" She grimaced. "I don't want that thought in my head!"
The great editing on Gogglebox became very apparent when the topic moved to a news item on the BBC about UK Prime Minister David Cameron's Pig Gate. It could've happened on another night, never mind at that precise time, but the camera cut to Leon in Liverpool, who asked his wife June, "Have you got any ham? I'd like a sandwich."
The most bizarre show on the week's viewing menu, and by some distance, was Singing in the Rainforest, on UK satellite channel Watch. This particular episode saw Happy Mondays head to Panama, where they performed live to a group of villagers blissfully unaware of the Western World, some of whom thought the band hilarious and joined in by copying band member Bez's unorthodox dancing style. The response at home? Laughter all the way.
The opposite was the case for a documentary about the Ku Klux Klan, the murderously racist group undergoing a bit of a revival in the USA. "They don't seem to be geniuses," Mary deadpans to Giles, when it turns out that the Klansmen's garb is highly flammable, and these guys habitually set fire to crosses. Leon recalls being verbally abused when he was a child because he was jewish. "I hate racism," he snarls.
Good ol' Gogglebox. All human life is there. It just happens to be stuck on a sofa and glued to the telly. Which is fine by me.
John Byrne
