I'm sure there are photos available showing what you would see on stage, but as you might imagine, the set is very simple. Nic and scorer sit at a desk in the middle of the stage. On each side of them is a desk at which two panellists sit, and each of the three desks is covered with a coloured cloth. There are bottles of water available on the desks as well as pens/paper (I think), and the scorer has a stopwatch and a whistle.
Nic and contestants come on to rapturous applause, whistling and whooping. Nic introduces the panel, and explains that there will be two recordings and then instructs the audience to do their thing after they hear the familiar introduction heard at the start of the show. The programme then progresses much as you hear on the radio, except there may be some retakes at the end if Nic has fluffed some lines.
The only one I have been to is the one at Oxford broadcast in 2005, which for me was memorable for two reasons. The first was that they had trouble with the sound system, which led to a delay, resulting in Nic asking the audience if they wanted to dispense with the interval, which unbelievably, they did! I ask you, what are the chances of attending a recording of JAM where the rest of the audience are teetotallers?????
The second irritation was the presence of a young boy (ca 11, I guess) behind me, who had a loud and not-to-be-surprised-at high-pitched laugh.
Still, it was good to see it live and I would certainly go again, but I'll take my own beer this time!
To: just-a-minute@...
From: drling0@...
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:25:42 +0000
Subject: [just-a-minute] Live Recording
I am sorry if this has been answered before but can anybody tell us what a live recording of Just a Minute (or ISIHAC) is like.
I left England over 20 years ago so the chances of me going to an actual recording would seem pretty slim.
Love as always, David