Just A Minute

From: kj.naughton <kj.naughton@...>
Subject: [just-a-minute] Re: Paul Merton: Innovative Rebel turned Straight-Laced Conformist?
To: just-a-minute@...
Date: Sunday, February 28, 2010, 7:19 AM

 

Hello Robert,

I tend to agree that Paul's appearances have changed over the years but, even if one accepts the assertion that he "tows the line and accepts his judgement like a good little boy" (which I'm not sure I do, but I'm not prepared to argue) then to say that that's "not on" does not follow at all.

I think the key is to realise that Just A Minute works best when there are a mixture of types of people on the panel. It would be an interesting debate in itself to identify the *types* of people on an ideal panel but, having given this absolutely no thought, perhaps we need an estabishment figure, a slightly risque figure, a raconteur and a rebel.

When Paul first came onto the panel he probably played the rebel; now there are other people who could do that and no-one who could play the establishment role. So he does that. The people on the panel are all performers performing. Not real life characters.

I'm reminded of Alan Coren who was regular on The News Quiz. He was, in real life, a fairly liberal character but on the show he displayed a right-wing persuasion, politically incorrect and perhaps even xenophobic. But he was playing a role that needed to be played to balance the show and no-one else would play that role. So he did. Or Al Murray whose main character, "The Pub Landlord", is also fairly right-wing and un-PC but who appeared on "The One Show" as himself. He commented on a piece about rehabilitation of prisoners to express a liberal view. One of the hosts said "I wouldn't have expected you to say that" whereupon he replied "I'm not the Pub Landlord. I play the Pub Landlord and there's a difference".

It's also the case that people, on the whole, tend to get less rebellious as the years go by.

So to expect Paul to display a similar character for all of the years he's appeared on JaM when almost everything else has changed - except of course for your hero - is perhaps not even a good idea and, almost certainly, JaM would be a worse show if he had done that.

Just my opinion, of course.

Cheers

kJ

--- In just-a-minute@ yahoogroups. com, "Bobby" <bobbyshaddoe3004@ ...> wrote:
>
> One thing I've noticed in the fairly recent episodes of Just a Minute is a shift in Paul Merton's behavior. In his youth when he first came on the show, he was something of a rebel, and an innovative one that not only argued with panelists but argued with Nicholas to no end. Nowadays, he seems to no longer argue with Nicholas' decisions or challenge his authority. In fact, there are some episodes that go by that have Paul pretty much towing the company line, not just with the audience, but with other panelists.
>
> By which I mean, that when a panelist or the audience disagree with the rulings or challenges the rules themselves or show their disappointment at the fact that someone dared to interrupt someone, and it happened to be something they were enjoying, he will now remind them about the rules, as they have been for 40 years now.
>
> I can understand Paul having a great love for the history of the program, but it just gets my goat that he now seems to have become essentially the new Kenneth Williams, the new face of the program who in his later years seemed to reach a comfort zone with the program and more often than not praise Nicholas for being the 'best chairman they've got'.
>
> Its like he accepts all of Nicholas' decisions without a fight now, just tows the line and accepts his judgement like a good little boy, and that's simply not on. Granted, I'm only listening to the 2008 episodes at the moment, I have no idea what 2009 or 2010 will bring to the table, so maybe Paul gets some of his fire back in those recordings. Who knows?
>