Just A Minute

 
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Last night's recording

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StevenApr 24, 2013
 

 
I thought I'd post an update after I was fortunate enough to get tickets for last night's recording for the next series.

It was at Broadcasting House in the Radio Theatre, but so much has changed there that it's worth letting everyone know. Audiences used to queue along Regent Street from the old doors at BH, and an audience services bod would walk along the queue putting a sticker on your ticket so the earlier you arrived the lower your number. Then you were directed to a small holding room, with a tiny bar, where you waited for about an hour then you were ushered into the theatre for the show.

Now you enter through a door further up Regent Street into the brand new part of the building, you go through security, putting bags and coats through the airport style scanner, you are scanned with a hand held scanner, then you go and sit in the newly opened Media Cafe, a large area with big cafe bar, a few seats, photos of famous BBC stars past and present, and a very realistic TARDIS. (Just about everyone tried the door, and had their photo taken with it!)

An audience services bod arrives at about 6-ish and then puts stickers on everyone's tickets, regardless of whether they'd been waiting for two hours or had just arrived. This of course leads to a scrum of pushing and shoving, and elbows in the face from people desperate to get their low number. All rather shameful, and it could be avoided if the security people put the stickers on as people arrived. Much fairer. Then of course we are ushered in the theatre doors opposite the cafe for the show.

(For those new members who have recently asked about how the show is done, well they record two shows. They do record more rounds than are broadcast, last night's episodes ran at 40 minuted start to finish, and during the first show they recorded ten rounds, for the second eleven. The set-up is just like it was for the last TV series, with Nick in the middle, his whistle blower (Trudi Stevens) sitting to his right, and two players on either side.

last night's panel was from left to right, Paul Merton, Pam Ayres, Kevin Eldon and Graham Norton. The first show started at Paul and went left to right with the subjects, and the second show did the reverse.)

Graham was on good form, Kevin tried hard and was amusing, but I think still overawed by the others. Pam was charming as usual, and Paul was Paul. They never stop the recording and run straight through, except for obvious pauses where Nick needs to blow his nose or has a cough, but sometimes even those are left in!

Nick was still as good as ever, although there were a few more stumbles over words, but then who cares?! The producer was new, a Katy 'something', who seemed very personable and in control of the show. It wasn't a classic edition by any means, but was funny, and of course still a legendary BBC show.

Any questions feel free to ask!

 
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