Television Banter Thread.

OK, this might sound like an attempt to talk more about Look North, but I'll refrain as best I can from going overboard.

The intent for this thread is for you to post any real banter gems you hear from BBC/ITV/Sky/other news channels and banter from other types of television/radio show.

I'm not sure which forum this should be put into, but Mods, please feel free to move it if you think it's more appropriate in the TV Home forum!

So, let the banter begin!

I'm not a fan of newsreader banter.

It more often than not looks unprofessional, rushed, and staged.

Newsreaders are icons of seriousness and disipline, and to see them faff around at the end of the programme with the weather presenter or something does make them look awkward and you can often sense that the newsreader is getting an earful from the gallery while the bantering is taking place, and thus the banter (which should be laid back and relaxed) ends up rushed and looking silly.

I remember a couple of weeks ago, I cringed when there was a bit of a light-hearted item on at the end of the Ten O Clock News, about rats which had computer brain implants to control their movements. At the end of the report we cut back to Peter Sissons who was smiling broadly and said "Rap-Bots". He looks puzzled for a second and then corrected himself "Rat-Bots".

Banter I cannot stand is usually on Wales Today. That is as staged as the main programme's running order. Sports newsreader Bob Humphrys (John's brother), brought a pint of bitter into the studio.

I agree whole-heartedly with you Jamie. I hate it when there's banter on News 24 - it looks so much more professional when they don't, IMO.

That's because the BBC News 24 presenters & Peter Sissons are so stiff and starchy, and are just lost if they have to vaguely deviate from the autocue.

Who said news and news presenters had to be boring automotans ? ? Banter injects life into an otherwise formulaic bulletin.

I think banter is fine if there is a genuine rapport between the presenters - most people have a giggle with those they get on with at work so why shouldn't newsreaders? If I had to sit in front of a camera for four or five hours especially on a quiet news day, I'd want some light relief. So long as it is appropriate, I don't mind.

I'd agree that it tends to look out of place in certain situations - trying to force something between presenters when it isn't there is a classic example you see all over television. And some people are just not interesting or amusing no matter how hard they try, although sometimes in this case, the sheer dross spouted has co-presenters and viewers laughing their heads off.

I also think that a half hour news programme has different needs to a 24 hour news channel. If Sky News or N24 were simply news, news, news, blah, blah, blah, for 24 hours without the slightest hint of joy, nobody would watch. A half hour national news bulletin doesn't really need or suit banter. Regional news is different again - I would guess that round the country, everyone will report differing levels of banter?

This is going to turn into another N24 v Sky News debate...man the lifeboats!

Im must say I like a good bit of banter on News 24. You mostly get it with Jane and Matthew, along with John Territ the business presenter. He can be really funny sometimes! It's nice to get some now and then, instead of all these serious faces who continuously read the news. Surely they want some banter too, to give them a laugh now and then?!?!?!

It all depends on the person...

Personally I like to have a good amount of banter on the show because it makes it less boring. Presenters are people too, and they have to show some sort of personality to have a rapport with the viewers don't they?

Quantify how much 'banter' you find acceptable/unacceptable?

Are you saying, Rob, that you don't like a little joke at the end before the weather or don't like frequent banter?

Little chats after each report would drive me insane, but I don't think that a little light-hearted couple of lines before the weather (as N24 have started lately) does any harm.

I like and fully support 'real' banter. I.e. stuff which happens spontaneously, isn't on the autocue, isn't shouted down from the director, wasn't rehearsed first, or basically in any way staged.

What I hate is the type of banter which is so blatantly staged it's laugable.

Sadly newsreaders seem to be more and more becoming simply talking heads reading from the autocue, in which case banter just doesn't work.

But for certain teams who can pull off Spontaneous banter, it works really well.

And just to try and stop this from becoming a News24/Sky News debate, I don't think either of them is that good at it.

It's most suited to the regional news programmes but it would be equally suited to the national programmes if there was the right level of chemistry between the presenters, which in general there isn't.

When I'm at home in South Essex, I watch Meridian Tonight every day. One of the many reasons why: BANTER!!! I find the banter between Geoff Clark and Gemma Humphries an aspect of MT which makes it unmissable.

If I decide to work abroad after graduating in 2005, I will have to buy a Sky Digital box. Apparently you can choose which ITV region you want, so I'd probably choose Meridian and watch Fred Dineage and Carl Tyler's banter. MT (Southampton) is the only version available on Sky AFAIK.

I'm not really a fan of banter - it has a place in certain situations.

For example.. the national news programmes should not have too much - perhaps a bit with the light - hearted stories but otherwise its inappropiate.

On the other hand, banter is suited for the local news programmes. They do tend to be more relaxed and lets face it - a hell of a lot more silly stories.

You can't really compare local and national news because they do have a different tone.