Scripted shows
Discussion
I've always thought HIGNFY and Buzzcocks were totally spontaneous aside from the host. Top Gear entirely scripted.
As for Mock The Week, I think it's slightly scripted - any rounds featuring Hugh Dennis, John Culshaw or Rory Bremner are clearly prepared beforehand where it's essentially comedy voices over a video clip, but the rest is spontaneous to a large extent (although the 'do two minutes stand-up on this topical news story' is basically 'hope you get lucky and you can tenuously link some of your existing stand-up to this topic').
As for Mock The Week, I think it's slightly scripted - any rounds featuring Hugh Dennis, John Culshaw or Rory Bremner are clearly prepared beforehand where it's essentially comedy voices over a video clip, but the rest is spontaneous to a large extent (although the 'do two minutes stand-up on this topical news story' is basically 'hope you get lucky and you can tenuously link some of your existing stand-up to this topic').
Mock The Week
I'd say "structured." I'd have thought they know the questions beforehand, the stand up bit they probably ask for what topic they want, but there is a lot of spontaneous and witty stuff thrown in.
Have I Got News For You?
As above, but the presenter is on full auto-cue duty!
Top Gear
There have been many threads about this already. I think it has lost a lot of it's old charm from the spontaneous stuff, partly as a result of being such a comercial success. However, it's worth a watch, because occassionally they pull something out of the bag, and make my hair stand on end...
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Seems quite random, so probably the least scripted of those listed.
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All just my opinion though.
I'd say "structured." I'd have thought they know the questions beforehand, the stand up bit they probably ask for what topic they want, but there is a lot of spontaneous and witty stuff thrown in.
Have I Got News For You?
As above, but the presenter is on full auto-cue duty!
Top Gear
There have been many threads about this already. I think it has lost a lot of it's old charm from the spontaneous stuff, partly as a result of being such a comercial success. However, it's worth a watch, because occassionally they pull something out of the bag, and make my hair stand on end...
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Seems quite random, so probably the least scripted of those listed.
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All just my opinion though.
Mock The Week is scripted in a way.
The comedians get given all the topics that will be covered in the show and they get a few weeks to come up with some material.
I downloaded Frankie Boyles podcast a few weeks back and he was trying out some Mock The Week material so he could chose what to include in the show.
The comedians get given all the topics that will be covered in the show and they get a few weeks to come up with some material.
I downloaded Frankie Boyles podcast a few weeks back and he was trying out some Mock The Week material so he could chose what to include in the show.
Rule of thumb for Top Gear: If anything "spontaneous" or dangerous happens then you can guarantee that it was planned in their production meetings.
Will Self has also revealed that HIGNFY has pre-show meetings where the topics are covered. Frankie Boyle likewise for Mock the Week.
Will Self has also revealed that HIGNFY has pre-show meetings where the topics are covered. Frankie Boyle likewise for Mock the Week.
Edited by bonsai on Wednesday 25th November 16:33
M3CHA-MONK3Y said:
Mock The Week is scripted in a way.
The comedians get given all the topics that will be covered in the show and they get a few weeks to come up with some material.
I downloaded Frankie Boyles podcast a few weeks back and he was trying out some Mock The Week material so he could chose what to include in the show.
Mock the Week is a topical news show isn't it? Is the clue not in the name?! The comedians get given all the topics that will be covered in the show and they get a few weeks to come up with some material.
I downloaded Frankie Boyles podcast a few weeks back and he was trying out some Mock The Week material so he could chose what to include in the show.
How can they be given the topics "a few weeks" in advance?
youngsyr said:
M3CHA-MONK3Y said:
Mock The Week is scripted in a way.
The comedians get given all the topics that will be covered in the show and they get a few weeks to come up with some material.
I downloaded Frankie Boyles podcast a few weeks back and he was trying out some Mock The Week material so he could chose what to include in the show.
Mock the Week is a topical news show isn't it? Is the clue not in the name?! The comedians get given all the topics that will be covered in the show and they get a few weeks to come up with some material.
I downloaded Frankie Boyles podcast a few weeks back and he was trying out some Mock The Week material so he could chose what to include in the show.
How can they be given the topics "a few weeks" in advance?
I went to a recording of Argumental (yeah I know it's not on the OP's list but it's similar) a while back, and could see the teleprompter. The host was fully scripted, while the rest was only partially scripted, but it looked like that was down to individual preference. Jimmy Carr had a full script, but others just had individual lines on the prompter to remind them of topics.
RizzoTheRat said:
I went to a recording of Argumental (yeah I know it's not on the OP's list but it's similar) a while back, and could see the teleprompter. The host was fully scripted, while the rest was only partially scripted, but it looked like that was down to individual preference. Jimmy Carr had a full script, but others just had individual lines on the prompter to remind them of topics.
How long did the show last "live" compared to what is actually broadcast?I recall reading that shows like HIGNFY and even Question of Sport can go on for hours sometimes and are very heavily edited.
I've been to see HIGNFY being filmed, and apart from Angus (at the time) I would say none of it is scripted. The guests probably get a little warning on the news stories coming up - but not explicitly, I think they have a weeks worth of news briefed to them in the couple of days beforehand. Not Merton or Hislop, though. It was 90 minutes of filming and every dialogue and exchange was off the cuff and playing off each other. I twas like watching a bunch of friends chatting in a pub, and reacting to the flow of conversation.
Conversely, watching "Whose line is it anyway" being filmed was an excercise in repetition and boredom. For a show that is supposed to be improvised, there was an awful lot of "lets go back and do that again please, audience can you laugh at the same points".
Conversely, watching "Whose line is it anyway" being filmed was an excercise in repetition and boredom. For a show that is supposed to be improvised, there was an awful lot of "lets go back and do that again please, audience can you laugh at the same points".
IQ was just over 2 hours IIRC for however long one episode lasts on the box (1 hour?).
Fry was partially on an autocue/prompt cards but all the guests seemed very spontaneous - some of the chat was hilarious, some dreadfully boring. Fry swears a hell of a lot during the recording, but you obviously don't get to see any of that on TV.
They did do one or two retakes at the end though, I think they said it was because they didn't get the sound/camera shots right, so they were rehashed versions of the live part, but it would only be a max of 2 or 3 minutes of what was eventually aired.
Fry was partially on an autocue/prompt cards but all the guests seemed very spontaneous - some of the chat was hilarious, some dreadfully boring. Fry swears a hell of a lot during the recording, but you obviously don't get to see any of that on TV.
They did do one or two retakes at the end though, I think they said it was because they didn't get the sound/camera shots right, so they were rehashed versions of the live part, but it would only be a max of 2 or 3 minutes of what was eventually aired.
Edited by youngsyr on Thursday 26th November 09:54
Tiggsy said:
Anyone who thinks who panel show guest roll up 5 mins before filming and just make it up as they go probably think Clarkson and co and genuinely surprised when a producer hands them a challenge on their outside broadcasts!
The way some of the guests on IQ rambled on, I'd be amazed if they'd been thinking about their answers in advance.There's a reason why they cut out over half of what they film on some of these shows, it's because a lot of it is boring, unscripted crap!
I also can't see Alan Davies scripting his responses for 10 x 2h30m recordings or however many programmes of IQ they shoot over a couple of weeks. Most of the time he looked like he was asleep during the recording that I saw!
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