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‘It’s a better time than ever to be really famous’: why comedians are taking over TV gameshows
From Romesh Ranganathan to Lee Mack, big-name standups are increasingly fronting quiz shows. What’s causing the glut of comics?Going from telling jokes about your sex life in a room above a pub to asking someone in a studio what the capital of Malaysia is might not seem like an obvious career transition. It is, however, increasingly common to turn on your TV and see a comedian fronting a gameshow. In recent times, Romesh Ranganathan has hosted The Weakest Link; Michael McIntyre has hosted The Wheel; Lee Mack has hosted The 1% Club; and Jason Manford has hosted The Answer Run. When there are so many other people who would be glad of the work – full-time presenters; actors; Nigel Farage – why is the male-standup-hosting-a-quizshow such a mainstay of modern TV?Joel Dommett is likely as familiar to the general public for his hosting as for his comedy. He thinks the snobbery that used to exist in the comedy industry about gameshows and adverts has subsided a little. “Comedians nowadays can do all those things and still be accepted as a decent comic,” he says. Continue reading...
From Romesh Ranganathan to Lee Mack, big-name standups are increasingly fronting quiz shows. What’s causing the glut of comics?
Going from telling jokes about your sex life in a room above a pub to asking someone in a studio what the capital of Malaysia is might not seem like an obvious career transition. It is, however, increasingly common to turn on your TV and see a comedian fronting a gameshow. In recent times, Romesh Ranganathan has hosted The Weakest Link; Michael McIntyre has hosted The Wheel; Lee Mack has hosted The 1% Club; and Jason Manford has hosted The Answer Run. When there are so many other people who would be glad of the work – full-time presenters; actors; Nigel Farage – why is the male-standup-hosting-a-quizshow such a mainstay of modern TV?
Joel Dommett is likely as familiar to the general public for his hosting as for his comedy. He thinks the snobbery that used to exist in the comedy industry about gameshows and adverts has subsided a little. “Comedians nowadays can do all those things and still be accepted as a decent comic,” he says. Continue reading...
