We have a red box where we keep tickets and reminders of our London adventure. We opened the box this morning and threw another ticket into it. A ticket that reflected another first for us: being part of the studio audience for a television chat show. What fun!
The show, ITV’s That Sunday Night Show – described as a “round up of the week, casting a wry eye over the past seven day’s events and the week ahead” – is filmed in the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith.
We got there ridiculously early. Too early. We went away and came back to discover that a queue had begun to form outside the studio, so we joined it. It was VERY cold. After about half an hour, a young woman with a clipboard checked our tickets and gave us two entry stickers and told us to come back to the holding area in about an hour. We came back and queued in the holding area, as instructed and shuffled forwards like a herd of slothful cows, until we came to a stop outside the nether regions of the ITV Studio.
Guys wearing “crew” T-shirts handed out beers to everyone in the holding area. One way to keep a bunch of impatient punters happy, I guess, but maybe it was designed to make the audience loose or, at least, to find the show banter funny! We continued to freeze and stand and freeze and stand.
Eventually we started to shuffle forwards and through a storage area. Any air of superiority I might have been feeling was whiffed away by the sights and smells around us: a calamity of plywood in different lengths and shapes; metal cages filled with boxes and stuff; a forklift; several brooms; more boxes and stuff and wires and bins and buckets and clay models and stuff. We shuffled alongside a huge floaty white curtain and then tadah! There was the studio!
We were ushered into seats and sat in the fourth row, which was the first stepped-up row. I usually end up behind the overly-tall guy with huge curly hair, so I’m glad to report my view of the set was uninterrupted. Curly-haired tall guy was in the row below ours.
A “warm-up guy” came and introduced himself to the studio audience. His job of making us laugh was made easy by what he called a “self-pleasing” audience. Banter flew this way and that from audience members or, as I like to call them, part-time comedians. The lights went down and in walked show host, Adrian Chiles.
He introduced his interesting blend of guest panellists: Russell Kane, comedian; Janet Street-Porter, journalist and broadcaster; and Lord Alan Sugar, multi-millionaire and UK host of The Apprentice.
And so began the filming of the 30 minute-long chat show. It took two hours, with a short break after an hour, and we were impressed with how slick the filming process was. There were a few times when Adrian stumbled over his words, but he just repeated them and the show went on. At the end of the two hours, he did re-takes of about four intros to film clips and it was a wrap. Heavy editing will leave around 20 minutes to be aired between the commercial breaks.
Adrian looks at big and small news items from the past week, comments on them and invites comment from his panellists. It was interesting to see the dynamics between the three guests; Russell Kane is ever the cheeky-chappy naughty comedian, who made faces at the audience and chipped in with funny observations and jokes all the time. I loved that! Janet Street Porter elbowed her opinion in at every opportunity and I found her to be not only heavy-handed but grumpy and negative. Perhaps that’s her brand. Lord Alan Sugar added his no-nonsense opinion with flat, slicing hands. When he speaks, people listen. He said he loves visiting America because at least no-one says to him, “You’re fired.” Clearly he is accosted at every turn by British fans proffering that original line to him.
Russell Kane talked about the immediate feedback he gets as a stand-up comedian and the constant fear that if he doesn’t make his audience laugh, he’s fired. Adrian Chiles said to Lord Sugar,
“You’re funny, Lord Sugar, you know how to make people laugh. Did you ever consider being a comedian?”
His reply made me laugh:
“When I was small, I was walking with my mum. She said to me, ‘You know you’re really funny. I’ve heard that you make your friends laugh at school. Why don’t you become a comedian?’ I said to her, ‘Mum, do you mean going to the working men’s clubs where they throw beer and crisps at you and heckle you?’ She said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Mum, if you don’t mind, I think I’d rather become a multi-millionaire.’”
We were interested to notice a “Lord Sugar lookalike” in the audience. He queued just ahead of us and, unlike the rest of us punters, was dressed formally in a suit. I thought there might be some interest in the fact that Lord Sugar’s doppelganger sat among the rowdy rabble. Not a peep. It made me think of that song, “I took my harp to the party and nobody asked me to play. So I took the damned thing away.”
The show was packed. Adrian had three studio guests who ran the gauntlet of the panel’s comments and questions and unimpressed-ness. The guests included Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter movies), Terry Green, the voice of the UK Post Office queuing system (I felt sorry for him as the panellists ate him up, comment by comment) and Heston Blumenthal (celebrity chef and owner of The Fat Duck restaurant in London).
Heston has recently opened another restaurant in London known as Dinner by Heston, where he serves medieval food and focuses on the history of English food. He served Adrian and the panellists each a wooden platter adorned with what looked like a mandarin and two slices of toasted ciabatta. The mandarin was in fact a perfectly disguised chicken parfait, which all of the panellists – bar Lord Sugar – partook of and enjoyed. Lord Sugar ungraciously, I thought, declined to eat it as he said he was unimpressed by fancy food and preferred the fare he grew up with. Clearly that footage will land on the cutting room floor.
So, two hours, two “warm-up guy” sessions, a bunch of Russell guffaws and delightful Adrianisms later, we shuffled out of the studio and once more into the freezing London night. We’ll watch the programme tomorrow night for sure – maybe we’ll just hear ourselves laugh. Another first and another ticket in our red box.
Sunshine signing off for today!
Sunshine in London 
I’ll make sure to watch it. Where are you sitting?
I’ve been in the tv audience quite a few times (most recently for the first live political debate) and it’s always fascinating. Been on telly a few times, too. Great fun!
What’s the red box?
It is great fun, Tilly! And wow – you’ve been on telly! Impressed!
We were sitting in the fourth row of the central section. I don’t think the camera turned on the audience at all, but you might hear me – I went “woo” once or twice! hahaha! 🙂
Sorry – I’ll amend the copy to link to my previous post about the red box – it’s a box where we keep tickets and reminders of our London adventure.
Enjoy your weekend!
Watching it now and hearing lots of woos!
This is worth watching: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlUb8jt0WP0
Pamela Stephenson as JSP on Not The Nine O’Clock News.
Hahahahaha! There were a lot of woos … 🙂
That Pamela Stephenson clip is hilarious! She sounds just like JSP – what a hoot! Thanks, Tilly.
What fun. You are wringing every single bit of adventure out of your London experience. You really should think about writing a book.
You’re right there, Renee – we’re trying out everything we can! Such fun!
I’d LOVE to write a book … let’s chat about that when you’re HERE! 🙂
i sat in on a friend’s radio show this week, it was fascinating
you have been nominated with a persona theme in the weekend theme (by cindy) hope you’ll join in
Hi there, view. I’m sure it was fascinating!
I’d love to join in – do I need to write the post this weekend? I wasn’t quite sure…
Thanks for coming by, I’ve seen you at a few blogs – good to meet you!
Sunshine – I’ve always wanted to go to one of those chat show tapings. The fact that they served you beer while waiting is a big bonus in my book. You may have to get a bigger red box at the rate you’re going. I applaud you for getting out and taking it all in. Hugs, Diane
It was really fun, Diane! Our red box is pretty full, I tell you! Lots of opportunities when you come over here, ok? xx
I’m with Renee’ on this one — you really need to write a book: London from an Outsider’s Perspective, or something to that effect. What a lovely, memorable experience you’re having! All the queue-ing up reminds me of a trip to Disney World way back when. Since your wait was so cold outside, I’d have preferred a nice cup of tea over the beer, though!
I’d absolutely love to write a book, Debbie – I guess I just have to do it, hey? A cup of tea would have been fabulous; I felt the same way, Debbie! 🙂
Sunshine–
You are doing EVERYTHING! 🙂
Now I’ll never even HAVE to go to London!
🙂
blessings
jane
I love this comment, jane! But you’ll have to come to London just to check …. ok? 🙂
How fun! I’ve never attended a taping for a show. Sounds like an exciing adventure. I would have preferred a hot cup of coffee over the beer as cold as it was.
It was a first for us too, Jeanne, and such fun! I would have loved a hot cuppa too …
Sunshine … you get around, girlfriend! The only people I know who’ve been to tapings have been to “Oprah” and all said it was worst experience and she wasn’t a minute nice when the camera was off. Keep entertaining!
Thank you, dearest izzie! Everyone was really great last night – there was no change when the cameras were off. Sorry to hear about the O being like that…
That sounds like a lot of fun. (My 11-year-old will be jealous to know you were in the same room as Draco Malfoy!) Please let us know whether the final edit is anything like the show you saw live!
It was fun, Todd – hope your 11-year old is impressed! I’ll be so interested to see the final edit – I’ll let you know how it is compared to the taping.
We just watched the show on ITV, and it’s amazing how little makes it to the final edit. It was fun to watch, knowing what was happening in the background and what comments and chirps were flying around. Loved it.
That would be a neat experience 🙂 I would love to see Russell Brand live.
It was fun, midnitechef. The Russell we saw last night was Russell Kane – another British comedian.
Fun post, Sunshine!
We were once at a show which was being taped for CBC Television (a musical show)…every time the host (a very good-looking Scottish tenor named John McDermott) would mess up, they’d make him do it again. It got to be funny (and a bit tedious), because John often “booted” two or three times before getting it right. I never got to see the final product on TV…
Hugs,
Wendy
Thanks, Wendy. The musical show sounds like fun – pity you didn’t get to see the final product.
You always seem to have the most fun! I’m with Renee. I think you should write a book! Have you thought about developing a proposal to submit to an agent or publisher? This may be the work you’ve been looking for–right under your nose!
Thank you so much, Kathy! Gosh, I’d love to write a book … I guess I just need to do it. I so appreciate your encouragement.
It must have been interesting to see Tom Felton. (He’s so deliciously evil in the movies.)
When I briefly lived (5 months) in Australia, I got to go the Aussie version of “The Price Is Right”. Great memory! A lot of sitting around while they set up shots, but fun. We were told to clap and cheer loudly, and apparently I did so well that people that I knew who saw the show asked which contestant I knew. Apparently they zoomed to me cheering no less than 7 times. I never got to see it. But I’ll never forget. 😀
I would so love to do that again! Thanks for the story and the little trip down memory lane that you triggered.
Thanks, Winn – you must have been such a brilliant audience member! Pity you didn’t get to see yourself – famous, hey? 🙂
Wonderful, Sunshine, and brilliantly written. I’ll be scanning that audience for a stray ray of Sunshine…
Thank you so much, Kate – praise indeed!