BBC One showed a one off special of the Royle Family tonight. Proof positive of how good writers Caroline Ahern and Craig Cash are. Not since David Sullivan penned Only Fools and Horses has a comedy covered such an emotional range and has gone between these emotions so seamlessly. I will admit, i have'nt sobbed like i have tonight since Ben died in scrubs...
Leading quite fittingly into my next subject: reality television
I have Developed an idea for a new TV show where once more Joe public is the star. I call it
GO ON, CRY!
Here's how i see it panning out. Before production begins, the public are asked to nominate somebody to be on the show. The type of people suggested to take part would be people you have grievance with for whatever reason. After a sample is shortlisted for the show, researchers will scrutinise the history of these contenders for damning periods of their personal history or elemants of their past they are loathe to remember.
For each show you'll get the first part shown early in the evening showing 3, maybe 4, people that the public will vote for, with only one of them to be in the 2nd part of the show to be aired later in the evening. The Negative historical montage for each votee will be shown to inspire the voting.
After the votes have been counted, the member of the public with most votes (under a pre-planned elaborate ruse) will be lead to a room with a table and chair (pretty much an interogation room). They are sat down and after a short wait, in walks an actor to provide the entertaining build up to the climax. Imagine a Chris Morris-esque figure coming into this sparsely furnished room and then launching into a very personal, desriptive, emotional and aggressive rant, tailored around the "victims" past. The actor will carry on with this until it is visible to the actor and the audience in the studio and nationwide, that our unwitting contestant is about to crack under the pressure.
To add cultural weight to the show (in the same vein as Deal or No Deal for example) the last thing the actor says to this person before he leaves the room is: "Go on, Cry". The actor leaves abruptly and we areleft with a very slowmoving close up of the contestant crying like the world is going to end tomorrow while the credits run at the bottom of the screen...
Here's how i see it panning out. Before production begins, the public are asked to nominate somebody to be on the show. The type of people suggested to take part would be people you have grievance with for whatever reason. After a sample is shortlisted for the show, researchers will scrutinise the history of these contenders for damning periods of their personal history or elemants of their past they are loathe to remember.
For each show you'll get the first part shown early in the evening showing 3, maybe 4, people that the public will vote for, with only one of them to be in the 2nd part of the show to be aired later in the evening. The Negative historical montage for each votee will be shown to inspire the voting.
After the votes have been counted, the member of the public with most votes (under a pre-planned elaborate ruse) will be lead to a room with a table and chair (pretty much an interogation room). They are sat down and after a short wait, in walks an actor to provide the entertaining build up to the climax. Imagine a Chris Morris-esque figure coming into this sparsely furnished room and then launching into a very personal, desriptive, emotional and aggressive rant, tailored around the "victims" past. The actor will carry on with this until it is visible to the actor and the audience in the studio and nationwide, that our unwitting contestant is about to crack under the pressure.
To add cultural weight to the show (in the same vein as Deal or No Deal for example) the last thing the actor says to this person before he leaves the room is: "Go on, Cry". The actor leaves abruptly and we areleft with a very slowmoving close up of the contestant crying like the world is going to end tomorrow while the credits run at the bottom of the screen...
