The first episode of Thank God You’re Here (TGYH) aired on ITV1 on last Saturday night (12/01). The host of the show is Paul Merton (Have I Got News For You and many other comedy shows) and the guests for the first episode were Ben Miller (half of TV comedy duo Armstrong and Miller), Fern Britten (much loved morning TV chat show host), Hamish Blake (Australian radio host and veteran of TGYH Aus) and John Thompson (Fast Show & Cold Feet).
The show started with the introduction of the guests and explanation of the rules before Ben Miller was up for the first challenge. This had Ben as the captain of a spaceship (very similar to Peter Rowsthorn in series 1 TGYH Aus). Some comedians tend to struggle without a script and here we had a classic case, although that may also be down to first night nerves. The second victim was Fern Britten who was plunged into the character of a medium. This was a masterful performance of improvisation and control, as Fern took over the sketch and won.
The first pre-record was then played, where the cast were jockeys at a stewards enquiry and some good lines came out of this. The next person up was Hamish, who was in a little spot of trouble with his wife (wives) but performed admirably, if you consider trying to pick up the ladies during the sketch to be admirable. You could also see him trying not to use any Australian references at a couple of points during the sketch. Last of the players to perform was John Thompson who played a politician trying to defend a very dodgy year in office. Very good and confident pollie-speak, plus he seemed a bit disappointed when the sketch was over.
We then had something different, when Paul Merton got to do a sketch as James Bond. This seemed very strange and I’m not sure if it is something that should be maintained. The final all-in challenge had the cast dressed as nuns and having to explain themselves. Again, this was very similar to a scenario from the Australian version.
The show as a whole was a good first effort from most of the cast, but the absence of a judge was noticeable as Paul needed someone to exchange banter with, and the audience needs a person to identify with. It was interesting seeing scenarios similar to ones I’d seen previously and how different they can become when someone else is in the hot seat. There was no mention of the Australian version or that this wasn’t an original concept, but that was probably in the contract somewhere. The supporting cast were good for the most part, and hopefully they will improve as they get more experience.
The weirdest part was reading on Chortle today that the show was apparently a failure as it only managed a small (2.9 million) audience for the ‘prime’ slot of 9pm Saturday night. Bit of a harsh judgement for a new type of show with little pre-publicity, but it’s a harsh world here on UK TV. Hopefully word of mouth will keep the show alive, rather than allowing reality TV to kill it.
Visit the ITV Website for full details on the show & watch online.