- Radio Times
- Review by:
- Alison Graham
You may wonder how many more times we can see clips of Grace Jones walloping Russell Harty or Oliver Reed drunk on Aspel and Co. Yet we never tire of famous people making complete asses of themselves on national TV.
There are some surprises, though, in this 2006 programme about the chat show’s place in the history of light entertainment: Tennessee Williams interviewed by David Frost, and a quietly outraged Roman Polanski berating Harty for his clumsy references to the death of Polanski’s wife Sharon Tate at the hands of Charles Manson.
About this programme
7/8. Stephen Fry narrates an exploration of the enduring success of chat shows, charting how the format has entertained and influenced the British public over the decades. He looks at the wide range of shows in the genre, from the outrageous antics on Jerry Springer to the development of the comedy interview with hosts such as Mrs Merton and Graham Norton, and explores how the format developed on both sides of the Atlantic. Contributors include Michael Parkinson, Terry Wogan, Sally Jessy Raphael, David Frost, Clive James, Clive Anderson and Joan Rivers.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Narrator
- Stephen Fry
- Contributor
- Michael Parkinson
- Contributor
- Terry Wogan
- Contributor
- David Frost
- Contributor
- Sally Jessy Raphael
- Contributor
- Clive James
- Contributor
- Clive Anderson
- Contributor
- Joan Rivers
- Contributor
- Graham Norton
Crew
- Director
- Elaine Shepherd
- Producer
- Elaine Shepherd
- Series Editor
- Anna Gien
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