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Re: Article + Edinburgh Guest

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Dean BedfordAug 20, 2009
 

 
On Friday, August 21, 2009, at 12:55 AM, kj.naughton wrote:

>  
> --- In just-a-minute@..., Dean Bedford <dbedford@...> wrote:
> >
> > I suspect almost no-one goes on stage not having some thought about
> the
> > subjects. I'm not sure that's changed either. After all in his diaries
> > Kenneth Williams describes mugging up on historical subjects days
> before
> > a recording.
>
> ...although I do remember one round on the subject of "Tautology" where
> no-one on the panel except Sir Clement appeared to know what a
> tautology was. And I don't think Sir Clement would have had to look it
> up. :-) Perhaps it's just that the panelists don't always mug up on the
> subjects, even if they know what they're going to be. But, I have to
> say, if there was a chance I'd have to speak on a subject like that for
> a minute then I'd definately mug up!
>

A few years ago Claire Jones said the players had the option of looking
at the subjects when they gathered 30 to 60 minutes before the show. You
can see at a recording that many of them do have a few notes with them.
But these days they very rarely have subjects that require actual
research. Kenneth would always get a historical or artistic subject but
I really don't imagine say Paul Merton getting out a library book to
research some obscure subject even if he had the subjects early enough
to do so. He'd be far more likely to make up some tale about them.

I agree with Clitheroe that it added something different, depth to use
his word, to have some factual subjects and have them discussed at least
semi-seriously. It would be dull if every subject was like that but one
per show was good, I think. Even among the current panellists who are
pretty much all comedians now, there are people who I'm sure could be
erudite on a subject given the chance. Stephen Fry, Kit Hesketh-Harvey
and Gyles Brandreth spring to mind for example.

 
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