TP
Hi all, new here. I have been a fan of the CM since I was a teenager, and I found this forum very interesting and very informative. I didn’t know anything about this TV show (and there was no internet back then) but I accidentally discovered it one day on TV and from then on I was always watching. Although now I understand that a lot of context was lost in translation – ever some of Richard’s jokes. The subtitles could not cover everything and I could not understand English back then.
In regards to the new series, I just wanted to give my opinion. I liked it, but unfortunately I didn’t really love it. And it is not because I am older, as the old series is still amazing even today. There is something not right about the new one, although I cannot exactly put my finger on why this is.
To me, the biggest problem I think is that the new series mocks itself far too much. “if you are still watching”, “is a game of people running around in jumpsuits still relevant”, “the presenter is not what the viewers wanted”, “we give rubbish prizes”, “the sets are fake” etc. I know it is supposed to be modern British humour, but somehow it doesn’t work for me – it is annoying and it is cheapening the show. The old series always respected itself and the presenters lived the experience rather than making fun of it.
Second problem is that we are constantly reminded that this is just a TV show. The original gave the impression that 6 crazy people and their host were running around alone, in jungles and in South American territories, in the ocean and in space within a single hour. No other human was perceivable to the viewer, and the continuity was respected to the point where Richard gave instructions on how to get the locked-in people back and had to help the contestants with the safety equipment. To the (not very attentive) viewer, it gave the impression of a one-hour film, something like Indiana Jones combined with Star Wars. On the contrary, the new series constantly reminds us that this is just a TV game show. The editing is terrible: people laughing in one frame and dead serious in the next frame. Missing seconds of the games. People magically getting safety equipment on. The dialogues between the host and the contestants are so heavily edited that it seems like many short phrases badly joined together, no spontaneous reactions from people. Richard refusing to go to the next zone with the contestants. The locked-in contestants magically appearing back. And Richard’s dialogues are mostly scripted, to the point that on occasions he does not answer to what the contestants are saying but he continues with his written script (see initial interaction with Kelly Holmes for example).
Don’t get me wrong, I generally love Richard Ayoade. But I am not persuaded that he is the most appropriate presenter for this. First of all, this program is an adventure and not a comedy. Also, a more spontaneous and a bit chattier presenter would have been more appropriate in my opinion. Richard O’Brien added to the entertainment with his spontaneous reactions to the contestants failures (“oh come on girl”, “go-go-go don’t think about it”, “come here I will show you how to press U3” etc.).
On the positive side:
- Great sets, much respect to the original
- Richard A. manages to maintain more or less the balance between mocking the failures and not being rude. Richard O’B had this nailed down. Ed was too nice.
- The editing of the games themselves is better than the originals IMO. Sometimes the original games were just shown as a series of close-up shots of various objects and people’s faces, and it was not allowing the viewer to understand and participate in the game. I felt like the contestants outside the room, when the computer didn’t give them a good shot.
In regards to the new series, I just wanted to give my opinion. I liked it, but unfortunately I didn’t really love it. And it is not because I am older, as the old series is still amazing even today. There is something not right about the new one, although I cannot exactly put my finger on why this is.
To me, the biggest problem I think is that the new series mocks itself far too much. “if you are still watching”, “is a game of people running around in jumpsuits still relevant”, “the presenter is not what the viewers wanted”, “we give rubbish prizes”, “the sets are fake” etc. I know it is supposed to be modern British humour, but somehow it doesn’t work for me – it is annoying and it is cheapening the show. The old series always respected itself and the presenters lived the experience rather than making fun of it.
Second problem is that we are constantly reminded that this is just a TV show. The original gave the impression that 6 crazy people and their host were running around alone, in jungles and in South American territories, in the ocean and in space within a single hour. No other human was perceivable to the viewer, and the continuity was respected to the point where Richard gave instructions on how to get the locked-in people back and had to help the contestants with the safety equipment. To the (not very attentive) viewer, it gave the impression of a one-hour film, something like Indiana Jones combined with Star Wars. On the contrary, the new series constantly reminds us that this is just a TV game show. The editing is terrible: people laughing in one frame and dead serious in the next frame. Missing seconds of the games. People magically getting safety equipment on. The dialogues between the host and the contestants are so heavily edited that it seems like many short phrases badly joined together, no spontaneous reactions from people. Richard refusing to go to the next zone with the contestants. The locked-in contestants magically appearing back. And Richard’s dialogues are mostly scripted, to the point that on occasions he does not answer to what the contestants are saying but he continues with his written script (see initial interaction with Kelly Holmes for example).
Don’t get me wrong, I generally love Richard Ayoade. But I am not persuaded that he is the most appropriate presenter for this. First of all, this program is an adventure and not a comedy. Also, a more spontaneous and a bit chattier presenter would have been more appropriate in my opinion. Richard O’Brien added to the entertainment with his spontaneous reactions to the contestants failures (“oh come on girl”, “go-go-go don’t think about it”, “come here I will show you how to press U3” etc.).
On the positive side:
- Great sets, much respect to the original
- Richard A. manages to maintain more or less the balance between mocking the failures and not being rude. Richard O’B had this nailed down. Ed was too nice.
- The editing of the games themselves is better than the originals IMO. Sometimes the original games were just shown as a series of close-up shots of various objects and people’s faces, and it was not allowing the viewer to understand and participate in the game. I felt like the contestants outside the room, when the computer didn’t give them a good shot.