The comedy show is back on a new channel after a revamp ? so what do you make of its new host and format?
When Paul Merton hosted his final episode of Room 101 in 2007, it's fair to say that it wasn't mourned. At first, people assumed that it would return the following year and, when it didn't, nobody really noticed. But then last month, without much in the way of hype or promotion, it sprang back to life on a new channel, BBC1, with a new format and a new presenter.
This time around Frank Skinner has taken over hosting duties and, rather than the single guest of old, three celebrities now compete to banish their least-loved items to Room 101. It certainly gives the show a different feel, but whether or not this revamp works is another matter entirely.
You can understand the reasoning behind this decision. In previous versions, episodes would live or die on the quality of the guest; a dreary interviewee would make for a tedious episode. But this time the guests get to squabble with each other. It means that Danny Baker can leap in and save everyone from disaster when someone like Fern Britton launches into another directionless, undercooked argument about sci-fi or Twitter or whatever else it was that narked her off in the first episode.
In practice, though, the results are patchier. Frank Skinner might turn out to be the best host the show has ever had ? he's less abrasive than Nick Hancock and less indulgent than Merton ? but it still runs the risk of descending into a Mock the Week-style shout-off, and the choices of each guest seem arbitrary at best. They're not genuine dislikes ? they're not Anne Robinson hating the Welsh, for instance ? because they have to fall under certain preordained topics, like 'food' or 'people'.
The BBC has certainly thrown its weight behind the revamp (the show is now prime time BBC1) but TV history is littered with the corpses of shows that have tried to reinvent themselves with a new host. Remember when Cat Deeley took over from Matthew Kelly on Stars in Their Eyes? Of course you don't. Even if you actually watched it, you've probably done your best to erase the mess from your memory. Even the performers looked downcast, as if the thought of mangling the nation's favourite catchphrase by saying "Tonight, Cat, I'm going to be..." was too much to bear. Remember when Lisa Riley took over from Jeremy Beadle as the host of You've Been Framed? Or, worse, when Jonathan Wilkes took over from Lisa Riley as the host of You've Been Framed? It was nightmarish.
There are exceptions to this, of course. Would I Lie To You has flourished under the stewardship of Rob Brydon, in stark contrast to when it was hosted by Angus Deayton. And Nick Hewer has undoubtedly reinvigorated Countdown with his haughty manner and fierce contempt of words such as "netizen". Even The X Factor gained a larger audience when Dermot O'Leary took over from Kate Thornton. And Dermot dances, for crying out loud.
So maybe Room 101 will go from strength to strength with Frank Skinner at the reins. The second episode was already a big improvement on the first, and it should only improve as it finds its feet. It's only one comedian replacing another on a light entertainment show, after all ? it's hardly Keith Chegwin taking over from Brian Cox on Wonders Of The Universe ? so it may well succeed. And if Big Brother can labour on with a duffer like Brian Dowling in charge, Room 101 has every chance in the world.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2012/feb/01/room-101-frank-skinner
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