The 5 O'Clock Show

And "Bert".

Well, I don't know what to think, after all the talk that C4 needed to completely revamp the format, it basically feels like we've stepped back into 2007 and Paul is on holiday!

How long till Paul sits in for the week?

As far as I remember he's not Golden Handcuffed to ITV?

Wasn't the whole reason the POG show "ended" because he insited it would be impossible to do the same show given the budget cut's CH4 were proposing? yet here it is...more or less exactly the same show. Which would suggest Paul's departure was more to do with ego.

Or the roster of presenters are considerably cheaper than Paul.

Notice that Mel Sykes is one of the presenters, there's an idea for C4, they could resurrect Today with Des & Mel.

Ah yes - regurgitating an already used pairing in a similar slot.

Trebles all round.

I have to conclude you're already a television executive, and if not, you soon will be.

Well that kind of gives the lie to Pauls implications that it wasn't about HIS pay, and him saying that they wouldn't be able to do it properly on the money and would be left with too few cameras etc...

It just seems to have a much cheaper fill to if plus the seems to be using a smaller studio, as there even less audience than before. It does seems some half of the staff are gone with only a few being kept.

How would you be able to ascertain that?

I comment on this again on friday just to be sure, but I doubt Otto's or some others as cost cutting was needed.

Even Patrick the warm up guy is back.

From what I saw of the morning repeat, it's the old show without Paul.