The Show (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Show is a British television show, produced by London Weekend Television's factual programmes department for Channel 4
Television, which ran for a single series in 1997.
Starring comedian Bob Mills
the series comprised six 40 minute episodes and was transmitted on Saturday nights at 2100. The executive producer was Jeff Pope
and the series producer was Stewart Morris.
The format was unique to British television, with each episode effectively containing edited segments of The Bob Mills Show which took the form of a conventional chat show, with Mills interviewing celebrity guests and one or two musical performances.
This was interspersed with real 'behind the scenes' footage of the production team and guests, which typically showed the processes involved in getting the show to air, such as researchers booking guests, and briefing the host on the questions to ask during the show.
The backstage footage focussed on controversy and drama, including several arguments and creative disputes within the team, guests who dropped out, or who were dropped, and the problems of finding last-minute replacements - none of which was alluded to during the actual 'live' chat show segments, which were always impeccably produced and presented.
Although conceptually interesting, the programme was not a huge ratings success, and several guests were reported to be unhappy with a format that exposed their backstage tantrums, fee negotiations, and attempts to control the line of questioning from the host. Notably, Sandra Bernhard lost her temper with both the audience and her pianist, and Jean-Claude Van Damme's agent was not pleased that her client's fee was ridiculed on behind the scenes footage that was transmitted.
Steve Williams, who reviewed the show for the website, offthetelly.co.uk, said: "The final programme summed up everything that was great about the series. On a basic level, the director's (Tony Gregory) astonishingly sweary rant was amusing particularly as (Stewart) Morris had announced earlier that C4 had told them to tone down the bad language. But even more fascinating was Morris and Pope discussing whether there'd be another series with some C4 executives. We were told that C4 would either do another run of THE SHOW or another run of the courtroom series, NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. The last sequence on THE SHOW saw Mills and Pope deciding they probably wouldn't get another series - and they didn't."
Andre Vincent
got his break on the show as co-writer of Bob's opening monologue and studio warm up man.
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
Television, which ran for a single series in 1997.
Starring comedian Bob Mills
Bob Mills (comedian)
Robert Edward "Bob" Mills is a British comedian, notable for his appearances in cult TV series such as In Bed with Medinner and The Show, the latter an attempt to do a non-fictional British version of The Larry Sanders Show.Born in Chester, after a very short spell training for the Merchant Navy,...
the series comprised six 40 minute episodes and was transmitted on Saturday nights at 2100. The executive producer was Jeff Pope
Jeff Pope
Jeff Pope is a British television producer and screenwriter who co-wrote the film Pierrepoint and the television drama The Fattest Man in Britain and who won a BAFTA in 2006 for the drama See No Evil: The Moors Murders. He is also the Head of ITV Productions Factual Drama.Pope's first media job...
and the series producer was Stewart Morris.
The format was unique to British television, with each episode effectively containing edited segments of The Bob Mills Show which took the form of a conventional chat show, with Mills interviewing celebrity guests and one or two musical performances.
This was interspersed with real 'behind the scenes' footage of the production team and guests, which typically showed the processes involved in getting the show to air, such as researchers booking guests, and briefing the host on the questions to ask during the show.
The backstage footage focussed on controversy and drama, including several arguments and creative disputes within the team, guests who dropped out, or who were dropped, and the problems of finding last-minute replacements - none of which was alluded to during the actual 'live' chat show segments, which were always impeccably produced and presented.
Although conceptually interesting, the programme was not a huge ratings success, and several guests were reported to be unhappy with a format that exposed their backstage tantrums, fee negotiations, and attempts to control the line of questioning from the host. Notably, Sandra Bernhard lost her temper with both the audience and her pianist, and Jean-Claude Van Damme's agent was not pleased that her client's fee was ridiculed on behind the scenes footage that was transmitted.
Steve Williams, who reviewed the show for the website, offthetelly.co.uk, said: "The final programme summed up everything that was great about the series. On a basic level, the director's (Tony Gregory) astonishingly sweary rant was amusing particularly as (Stewart) Morris had announced earlier that C4 had told them to tone down the bad language. But even more fascinating was Morris and Pope discussing whether there'd be another series with some C4 executives. We were told that C4 would either do another run of THE SHOW or another run of the courtroom series, NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. The last sequence on THE SHOW saw Mills and Pope deciding they probably wouldn't get another series - and they didn't."
Andre Vincent
Andre Vincent
Andre Vincent is a stand-up comedian, writer and actor. Vincent sits on the board of The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society...
got his break on the show as co-writer of Bob's opening monologue and studio warm up man.
See also
- The Larry Sanders ShowThe Larry Sanders ShowThe Larry Sanders Show is a satirical television sitcom that aired from August 1992 to May 1998 on the HBO cable television network in the United States. It starred stand-up comedian Garry Shandling as vain, neurotic talk show host Larry Sanders, and centered on the running of his TV show, and the...
- Rob Brydon's Annually RetentiveRob Brydon's Annually RetentiveRob Brydon's Annually Retentive is a British television show, first aired on BBC Three in July 2006. Devised by Paul Duddridge, it concerns the making of a comedy panel game show called Annually Retentive, themed around historical events, and hosted by Welsh comedian Rob Brydon...