S27.E01: Michael Bublé, Daisy Haggard, Martin Freeman, Michael Sheen

[Athena]

Quote

Graham returns with a special lockdown series of his chat show. On his virtual sofa this week are singing superstar Michael Bublé, Daisy Haggard and Martin Freeman, the stars of dark family comedy Breeders, and, playing Chris Tarrant in Quiz, Michael Sheen, who gives Graham a masterclass in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Plus a home music performance from Brit award-winning Celeste and red chair stories from around the world.

 

[Orbert]

It was entertaining enough.  I don't watch any other chat shows, so this was my first exposure to how one might modify a chat show to function given the current state of events.  While it certainly wasn't the same as the regular format, Graham is still awesome and carried it though.

Without the interaction between guests on the couch, everything moved much more quickly.  In fact, I think Graham may have had just a bit of trouble adjusting to that, as he seemed sometimes to be hurrying things along, which is normally required to keep things under control, but not necessary when it's just a series of one-on-one interviews.  Each bit with each celebrity felt a bit short, a bit rushed.  Every time, I thought "it's over so soon?"  Except for the singer, Celeste. I didn't really care for her song.

My son asked why he didn't Zoom everyone. (For the uninitiated, Zoom is software that allows for real-time video conferencing.  There are many such products available.)  I don't know, I think it's likely that the segments were taped separately.  He didn't actually set up a time for everyone to all be on line simultaneously.  That would've been cool, and I'm sure there's some option to capture the whole meeting for later editing and broadcast.  Maybe next time?

[MissLucas]

I saw the next show and the format has remained one-on-one. But maybe they're still experimenting. One thing to keep in mind for Zoom sessions: people live in different time-zones, depending on the guest list that could pose additional challenges.

[Irlandesa]

I do think the Martin and Daisy segment was the best where he did two at a time.  I think other talk shows have adjusted a bit better since their interviews have always been one-on-one whereas one of the things that makes Graham's show so special is the couch.

[dubbel zout]

I DVR'd the show and had no sound, and it's not posted on the app yet. Argh.

[Ailianna]

My DVD also had no sound, but the next morning it was available on Spectrum's on demand.  I'm really glad that Graham isn't letting the pandemic shut him down, and I loved the bit at the beginning with the green screen.  I'm not sure why, it just tickled me.  I watched it twice.

[dubbel zout]

I have Spectrum; if I can't get the show on the BBC-A app, I'll try on demand.

[dubbel zout]

I did get this on demand. I'm glad the show is still able to happen, but this format really shows how exceptional Graham is when he has multiple guests on the couch.

[Ailianna]

On 5/18/2020 at 12:33 PM, dubbel zout said:

I did get this on demand. I'm glad the show is still able to happen, but this format really shows how exceptional Graham is when he has multiple guests on the couch.

I still love Graham, of course, but I am beginning to think it's the multiple guests (and maybe a little the alcohol) that make the magic.  Normally, even guests I have no other interest in can make me pay attention (and sometimes love THEM).  This format is a little more blah, and more like every other show out there.  Not my GNS but better than norhing.  

[dubbel zout]

One advantage to the single-guest format is that no one hogs the sofa.

[Brookside]

On 5/25/2020 at 3:05 PM, dubbel zout said:

One advantage to the single-guest format is that no one hogs the sofa.

A long time ago, far far away, Graham used to interview them separately and then just brought them together at the end.  I prefer that format, since like you say, no-one hogged the sofa, except maybe an egotistical Tom Cruise and a hilarious drunk Bill Murray.

[dubbel zout]

I actually prefer the multiguest format, as the interaction between can be very entertaining. As host, Graham is responsible for making sure no one hogs the time, though he's sometimes too deferential to certain guests for my taste.

Sometimes I wish he'd have the "big" guest on first and alone, and then bring everyone else out for the rest of the show. That hopefully gives everyone else a time to shine. I know he does that when there's a time factor, but it might also work if the guest can stay.

[Ailianna]

Regarding multi-guest versus single guest:  One at a time and we never see Will-I-Am with Miriam Margolyes.  

[Bruinsfan]

When Miriam's on everyone else on the couch just needs to listen and look for seatbelts, cause she'll be taking them on a wild ride!

Edited June 22, 2020 by Bruinsfan

[MissLucas]

Put Lady Glenconner and Miriam Margolyes on the couch and let things unfold.

[Bruinsfan]

I can just see Miriam informing Lady Glenconner that she was half of the couple already in that room on the latter's infamous wedding night.