I’ve seen that face before
Opinion
As Channel 4 and Sky announce their new slates, will familiarity breed contempt?
The title of Grace Jones’ definitive take on Astor Piazzolla’s tango classic sprang to mind when I read last week’s press announcements of new shows from Sky and Channel 4.
A distinct whiff of déjà vu, especially in the case of C4, where current chief content officer Ian Katz demonstrated the drift of the broadcaster into creative decline with three new factual-entertainment shows that could easily have been produced in the early 2000s.
For Channel 5, in the era of Touch the Truck, The Farm and Back to Reality.
The shows?
Rehashed ‘survival-in-Paradise-with-a-twist’ reality competition Tempting Fortune, the self-explanatory contest Make Me Prime Minister (w/t), presumably where greed, hypocrisy and sexual incontinence are assets, and finally Scared Of The Dark, where celebrities spend a week in a ‘specially created pitch-black reality space.’
Isn’t that a defined as torture?
Still, it should be good for a few chuckles if stairs, loose carpets etc are included in the ‘Phantom Zone.’ Does make one think of toilet facilities and cooking, where accidents could also happen.
Hot meals off the agenda if light-emitting gas/electricity involved.
Another sign of the ‘lights are on, but no-one’s home’ vibe in Horseferry Road was Katz’s need to rehire former popular factual head Liam Humphreys (2004-17). Humphreys’ credits include Naked Attraction, The Jump, Undercover Boss and The Undateables, so just the person to beef up Channel 4’s 40th anniversary celebrations, which, in familar PR-speak aims to: “mark Channel 4’s 40th birthday with a series of impactful, profoundly controversial, and noisy shows which celebrate its unique place in the UK’s content landscape and reaffirm its role as Troublemaker-in-chief.”
Sky has been ramping up its originals, the first fruits of which were trailed last week. As you would expect, it’s a mixed bag, with a number showing promise whilst others appear decidedly run-of-the-mill.
I guess the decision to pick the ubiquitous Claudia Winkleman (pictured, main image) to host the Up Next 2022 event at The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane chimes with the over-familiarity of certain onscreen TV talent.
The choice of Winkleman was hardly an inspired choice, and quite an odd one, considering her long association with the BBC.
I like Romesh Ranganathan and Katherine ‘Wowcher’ Ryan can be amusing, but teaming up for the six-part comedy Romantic Getaway may be a bridge too far for me.
Granted Sheridan Smith is rated as a talent (although not to my taste), but the sheer volume of shows featuring the actor over recent months (Four Lives, The Teacher, and No Return already this year) has been noted by many, But again, her upcoming Sky show Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything may knock it out of the park.
At least she, ahem, pulled out of C4’s Adult Material, a drama that continued Katz’s apparent obsession with the seedy side of life.
Suranne Jones (Gentleman Jack, Vigil, Save Me and upcoming The Final Round) revisits Dickens’ seasonal morality tale in the punningly titled A Christmas Carole.
‘Comedy gold’ as Seinfeld’s Kenny Bania memorably once said.
Presumably, this contemporary comedic take on the old skinflint will take a lighter tone than BBC1’s slash-yer-wrists three-part Death Metal version of the story, where Guy ‘Mike from Neighbours’ Pearce played the character, who in addition to his usual nastiness harboured unwelcome sexual designs on Bob Cratchit’s wife.
Nice.
Suranne’s fellow former soap star, Ross Kemp, made a similar(ish) Scrooge update in 2000.
This extra helping of Dickens (‘Please sir, can I have some more?’) follows CBBC’s Dodger prequel and Sky Cinema’s Original, a parkour take on Oliver Twist which earned a one-star rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Reviewing Twist in The Independent, Clarisse Loughrey described it as: “a film that knows exactly what it wants to be but hasn’t a clue how to get there. And so, we’re offered a farrago of half-baked ideas and images, held together with all the sturdiness of a few sheets of paper jammed into a paperclip.”
And finally, spare a thought for Her Maj Queen Elizabeth II (I of Scotland), who will soon endure her Platinum Jubilee Concert, entertained by the likes of Queen (plus Adam Lambert), Duran Duran, Roderick ‘Rod’ Stewart, Craig David, Elbow, and headliner Diana Ross (4 June on BBC1).
A line-up that many would fork out not to see.
It’s hard to imagine that the 96-year-old monarch will be tapping an appreciative toe to Duran Duran’s Girls on Film, Stewart’s Do Ya Think I’m Sexy? or Queen’s Another One Bites The Dust, but, as the phrase goes, you never know.
I don’t have a lot of time for the House of Windsor, but some things surely go above and beyond the call of duty.
Stephen Arnell began his career at the BBC, moving to ITV where he launched and managed digital channels. He continues to consult for streamers and broadcasters on editorial strategy. He currently writes for The Spectator, The Independent, and The Guardian on film, TV and cultural issues. He is also a writer/producer (including Bob Fosse: It’s Showtime for Sky Arts) and novelist.