10 O'Clock Live: not quite there yet

Mixing comedy and news is becoming something of a television fashion these days, but the idea is anything but new. From the Mock the Week and Frank Skinner’s Opinionated, to ITV’s That Sunday Night Show, your average TV viewer is bombarded with satire to the point of harassment. This week, Channel 4 launched their own contender, 10 O’Clock Live, with a promise to “hunt down the news and beat the truth out of it,” but did it succeed?

Well, not exactly. The biggest draw of this programme is undoubtedly the team of presenters. Already tested last year on C4’s alternative election night, the combination of David Mitchell, Charlie Brooker, Lauren Laverne and Jimmy Carr is a good one, and each personality works mostly to their strengths. Carr, as the only stand-up comedian, delivers the headlines and one-liners at the beginning of the show, whilst some of Brooker’s material is pre-recorded in his usual acerbic style. This was a good call, as it’s sometimes evident that Brooker isn’t used to a live environment, and you can almost see the fear in his eyes. Mitchell, of course, was on Ranting Duty, and Laverne, though certainly the most experienced and natural presenter of the four, was given the job of introducing features and appearing in “wacky” news bulletins. I found this a bit odd; she would probably be better suited to conducting interviews than Mitchell, who, though excellent at ad-libbing asides to the audience, had difficulty controlling his interviewees.

And it really is this selection of personalities that helps the programme only just steer clear of patronisation. Mitchell’s moan about Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Brooker’s Newswipe-esque report on Tunisia were definitely the highlights, but a multicoloured studio that resembled an 80s dancefloor and an overly enthusiastic audience gave the impression that C4 were trying too hard to make current affairs cool. It was also confusing to see a rushed and frenzied discussion about the banking crisis followed by a mock report on holidaying to Tunisia delivered by Jimmy Carr, who was holding an inflatable beach ball. There wasn’t much “truth-beating” here.

Fortunately, nothing went drastically wrong during the live broadcast – there were some stutters, and a couple of erratic cameras, but nothing that tested the presenters’ ability to think on their feet. As for the news element, the show focussed on the big issues, including banking, Tunisia, and student fees, with guests such as the Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts. It was also interesting to see satirists actually interviewing politicians for a change, rather than sitting round a table and happily sniping at news footage. However, time restraints meant guests were often interrupted halfway through an argument, preventing them from revealing anything useful. During a four-way discussion on the banking crisis, a former partner at Goldman Sachs gave up trying to get a word in, and just sat back, looking totally bemused. The great thing about the alternative election night was the focus on just the election. On 10 O’Clock Live, many topics were discussed, but were often too brief to go into any real detail.

In short, I want this show to succeed, I really, really do. My hope is that over the coming weeks, important and influential guests continue to come, and that the presenters brush up on their interview skills. This programme just needs to work a little harder to offer something that other shows don’t.

Tune into Channel 4 this Thursday to see the second episode of 10 O’Clock Live, which will include an interview with Alistair Campbell.

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