Something strange happened on Jonathan Ross’s Friday night chatshow at the beginning of the weekend.
This series has seen Ross treading water within a format which is now so familiar it’s wrinkled and frayed. The set is caked in several layers of dust, the Four Poofs are wearily gripping the piano just to stay awake and Jonathan’s chair is visibly humming from overuse, but by some unseen force, this programme’s still managing to roll onward on wobbly wheels. Without ever fully submerging himself, despite the tired attempts at stand up and the ‘you’re a good looking fella’ routine, Ross is somehow keeping things going.
On Friday, however, it felt a little like the wheels came off.
The first interview, a rapid-fire banter-trading session with Mitchell & Webb saw JR lose confidence. As is evident in the above clip, by the end of the interview Mitchell was mock-analysing every question Ross thrown at him, seemingly just to keep things going. Though there was no malice, it looked like Ross took it a little to heart his questions were somewhat being showcased as shallow and meaningless, and his expression changed from winking matey geezerishness to full on, hangdog misery-mode at points. Personally, I found it slightly painful to watch.
To add insult to injury, early on Webb had referred to Big Brother as ‘tawdry’, making the interview with Davina that followed only slightly more excruciating than it was already set to be. After scraping through this session, it was time for Ross to interview Matthew Fox, this week’s big Hollywood star. And this is where things went from bad to worse.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ross experience such a bad interview. Not that Fox was a terrible subject – he was from the Adam Sandler school of quiet shyness, but quite responsive despite his inward humility. The problem was with Ross himself. After babbling on about Fox’s Italian wife, he then went onto some kind of maniacal autopilot in which everything Fox tried to say was interrupted. The conclusion to every anecdote was distrupted before a punchline had been thrown. And Ross persisted in reiterating questions, the answer to which would be meaninglessly obtuse even if he’d managed to get to them. The ’spanking’ line of questioning, which seemed to go on for hours, was such a drudge that, by the end of it, even Ross himself looked fatigued to the point of collapse. Like a shaved, knackered, sleep-deprived spaniel, ready to be put to sleep.
Have a look for yourself and, if you don’t squirm at least once, you need a full brain-scan.
*end of football comment*
50 Comments
The Mitchell & Webb interview seemed to entirely revolve around that dance routine and not the new series. From the way JR was going on about Webb you’d think he wanted to mount him.
It feels like I’ve been a bit mean about old Ross. It’s more the format and the cheesy ‘lazen gennermurn’ routine that should be put out to pasture.
I like him when he’s on about punk, Japan and all the geekier stuff.
I’ve never had Wossy’s show down as a ‘must see’ anyway but that was pathetic. Maybe you’re right, SH, why don’t they quietly drop this drivel and commission him to do some special interest documentaries about comics or sci-fi cartoons or Japanese punk or something.
Yes, fourstar, but WERE YOU SPANKED?
And did you play cricket at London Fields or Victoria Park yesterday?
Must’ve been LF, I’m thinking.
Not an avid Ross watcher, but you can’t help but think maybe the whole Sachs thing has sped up the demise of his show. The Daily Mail brigade are waiting for him to trip up, the die-hard fans are wondering when he’s going to get his edge back, and new viewers are only tuning in for the guests and not him. Just my opinion…
Also, been catching up on podcast 6 this weekend and wondered if it should be renamed the Grumpy Old Men Podcast? Piqued must have been such an unhappy child if he hated every kids TV programme! Though Rentaghost was shit, I’ll agree there.
In part one I was quite enthusiastic!
But yes – blame Piqued. It’s the WWM way.
I thought exactly the same thing. I texted a friend halfway through the Mitchell and Webb interview asking if it was just me that thought it was an awful interview. And that was before the Davina and Fox interviews which just got worse.
I missed the Mitchell and Webb bit and helpfully my PCs decided it doesn’t like YouTube much this morning…but I caught Davina and Matthew Fox.
The latter was supremely awkward – MF just looked embarrassed into laughing along half the time, like “why am I here again?”
Jonathan Ross used to have the right mix of jokey chat with some good questioning, but now its just a platform for Ross to garble his way through interviews.
I watched a bit of Alan Carr’s Chatty Man last night and switched off after the first interview when he started yabbering on about Twitter. Good adverts, bad programme.
It was pretty painful wasn’t it. I’m not really a Ross – basher. I quite like a bit of inane drivel on a friday night while I slip quitely into a drunken stupor but it was terrible.
Mitchell & Webb were ok but Ross didn’t seem prepared at all. Didn’t have anything to ask really.
Davina and the other guy were just vacuous. Ross asking the other guy “were you spanked” over and over again is not light entertainment, it’s light spanish inquisitions and a little uncomfortable after 3 or 4 minutes.
He should just get Manuel on there and be done with it.
SH: no, we were at Victoria Park (pitch 2 by the tennis courts) and we won handsomely by 76 runs with yours truly’s inswinging yorkers taking 3 for 19 off 4 overs.
I didn’t hear any shouts of ‘Fourstar!’ (or ‘Piqued!’ for that matter) though. Shame.
I was in V Park the day before for the Paradise Gardens thing. It was pretty rubbish.
So – I’m not alone on the Ross front. That’s good. I thought I was going over the top.
Not at all. I didn’t see the rest of the show but people said to me over the weekend that it was fairly limp.
I didn’t watch this. Instead I watched Step Brothers. I like the bit where he rubs his balls on the other fella’s drum kit.
Is that Ferrell and the bloke off Boogie Nights?
I thought Walk Hard was SHIT
It is.
It is.
Is it?
Hey guys, it was a shitty weekend. 3 of my daughters friends were killed early on Sunday morning. Drunk driver hit the 3 of them walking 2 died instantly, the other at the hospital. And it’s her birthday today, Thursday was her graduation from grade 8. SO right in the middle is the death of her 3 friends. Sad, really sad, they estimate his speed at 160 kph.
I only saw the first interview. Ross need to lose the Letterman fixation and just be himself.
He visibly upset Mitchel, whose video pod-cast are brilliant!
4 poofs were dreadful as always. Tuneless and tacky. If he’s going to copy Letterman, at least get a decent band.
His radio show is still fantastic….
My weekend was even shitter than that. On Saturday I received a letter from EDF energy saying my direct debit had been set too low, and now I have to pay £120 to bring my account up to date. Those French bastards.
So have we Naps AND so have many others.
I sense foul play….
Nick – They’re shitbags! I reckon it’s an invidious attempt by the Frogs to wear us Britishers down. Revenge, perhaps, for us having the brass neck to bail ‘em out of two world wars.
BASTARDS!
At the risk of turning into Esthe Ranson (?)
http://www.moneysupermarket.com/community/forums/t/ripoff-edf-30807.aspx
It is all Thatchers fault blah blah blah…
Naps, just tell them you’ll add £10 a month to your DD for the next year and that’s your final offer or you’ll move supplier. They’ll take it.
Are you sure this isn’t Harold Wilson’s fault? Or Ted Heath’s?
Fourstar – I’ve thought of a better solution than that. I’m going to steal my gas from the eighty year old woman who lives next door. Her state pension’ll probably cover the price hike.
Sorry FS, I was watching the F1. I was a feeling a bit fragile after putting on a good show in LF the previous evening.
Clarry, I had a very happy childhood, I just hated most kids TV shows but watched them anyway, of course.
I watched half of it, drunk in Brussels and it didn’t make any sense.
It was more boring than beige paint, Matt, ON ACIDS
Heh, saw this and thought of you, Naps:
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1843&Itemid=59
James – are you serious?
Christ…
Sorry to hear that old fellow.
Quote of the day:
I watched half of it, drunk in Brussels and it didn’t make any sense.
In fact, I think Matt’s stumbled across a formula for forthcoming One Minute Reviews.
Swineshead – What about my bloody gas bill? Are you sorry about that? Eh?
Thatcher sold of all the utilities Naps.
It will all be in the book I’m not writing ….
Nick – Did she? Thanks for that bit of information. I’ll add it to my big book of stuff I didn’t know, despite living through the ’80s.
*adds it to book*
Naps – clearly I’m devastated for you.
Yes it is exactly true. Then I just heard it was a pretty horrible weekend in the town people were dropping like flies. All Motor Vehicle releated. One ATV, and the other a motorcycle hit a car that pulled out in front through the intersection on the highway. Bike A travelling 120kph hits Car B travelling at 80 kph. What is the resultant of the force of Biker A? And here I was telling my wife I would get a motorcycle (I still may). And sometimes it’s not even the person driving the bike being stupid. Wow I am rambling sorry guys.
I have an idea for you for your WWM I actually seen it on TV. So I stole it for you. Do you know there have been quite a few of suicides that have occured after they have been on reality tv. 11 from what they said yesterday.
11?
Where’d you see that then?
Dreadful news James, sorry.
I realise that Naps but that was my point. Poor old Harold and Ted didn’t sell orf the utilities.
Never mind, I enjoyed a wonderful fathers day at West Quay Southampton looking at fabric for fucking roman blinds….
Father’s day? Ha ha! Ridiculous. What the hell do you think you’ve done to deserve your own day? Farted in a chair? Stunk up the bathroom? Wandered into your living room in your underpants when your daughter’s friends were there, one bollock dangling from the side of your kecks?
“Thanks, Dad, for spending twelve years reading Auto Trader on the shitter when I needed to get ready for school, you idle bastard.”
Her friends still talk about that bollock, to the school therapist.
AND it was Exchange and Mart..
I’m on the hunt for a new flat to rent at the moment. Am I alone in thinking that having your kitchen located in your living room is a little bizarre? A bit like living in a caravan?
Oh, sorry … I’ve just read the details, and apparently it’s ‘modern city living’.
I got a Melton Mowbray pork pie from my 3yo daughter for Fathers/Father’s/Fathers’ Day.
It was bloody lovely.
Fourstar – You didn’t deserve that pork pie. And that child should be in a WORKHOUSE.
Modern City Living is code for ‘This flat is small however we will charge ridiculously because its surrounded by big office and shopping buildings and too many people who are drunk’.
I got a handmade piece of stained glass.
It’s a great day eh 4*?
The day after Mrs Nicks birthday too!
Orbette – I’m staggered at how small these flats are. I’m looking to rent somewhere for about £500 a month, and for that price there’s tonnes of these new-built ‘city living’ buldings with flats no bigger than fucking bedsits. What fucking idiot has his kitchen in his living room? Mmmmm … your apolstery smells of bacon and chip fat … lovely.
You may as well live in a mobile bloody home.
Nick: I’m jealous of the stained glass now. Yours must go to a posher playgroup than mine.
She’s 13, 4*….