Is this the most offensive show Channel 4 have ever produced?

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I half-expected a thread on this, since I've been away for most of the series...

Playing It Straight.

A girl is wooed in the bright Mexican sun by 10 potential suitors, with her and her choice splitting the £100,000 prize money. There's a catch, obviously. Some of the male contestants are gay, and if she picks one of them he gets all the money. She doesn't know how many straight guys there are (and neither do we). So they have to, literally, "play it straight".

Would it be gilding the lily to add it's hosted by June Sarpong?

'Jokes' abound along gay stereotype lines, but perhaps the most cringeworthy moment thus far has been when the losers of the day task were taken to a gay bar with a floorshow in an attempt to make any gay ones break cover.

Am I the only one apalled, yet still watching?

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Monday, 9 May 2005 10:49 (twenty-one years ago)

This sounds potentially worse - from Charlie Brooker's Guardian Screen Burn column on Saturday:

Actually, there may be no need to wait: immediately after watching The Monastery, I sat through Bring Back - Grange Hill (Tue, 10pm, C4), by the end of which my hate cells were fully replenished. On the face of it, it's a harmless nostalgia show about ex-Grange Hill cast members. It turns out to be the most witless spew of viewer-insulting claptrap it's possible to imagine. Rather than simply phoning up former cast members and asking them to reminisce (the basic research that's fuelled every other nostalgia show ever) someone decided it'd be more entertaining to hunt them down on camera, as though they're fugitives or freaks of nature - then bully them into taking part in a "live performance" of their 1986 anti-drugs anthem Just Say No (for "live performance", read "excruciating PA in front of a palpably uninterested school disco crowd too young to remember them anyway").

At one point, former cast member Mmoloki Christie gets doorstepped, and quite rightly declines to join in (this is presented as bumptious on his part). Christie, who is now a film-maker, offers instead to shoot a small authored piece about his own memories of the anti-drugs campaign and the hypocrisy behind it. This inevitably turns out to be the only part of the programme worth watching. Why Channel 4 didn't simply keep this bit and erase all the crap surrounding it is a mystery. Still, on the bright side, at least I'm feeling angry and lost again already.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 9 May 2005 10:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I collect stamps.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Monday, 9 May 2005 10:52 (twenty-one years ago)

eh?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 9 May 2005 10:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I've been watching Playing It Straight. It is, indeed, absolutely awful, so I'm not sure why I still keep watching.

― caitlin (caitlin), Monday, 9 May 2005 10:55 (twenty-one years ago)

My missus used to work with the the bloke who played Vince Savage. Doubtless we'll be watching the Grange Hill thing - this is, very sadly, our one claim to fame. I know, pathetic, isn't it?

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 9 May 2005 10:57 (twenty-one years ago)

that first show sounds like a sky one kind of program.

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 9 May 2005 10:57 (twenty-one years ago)

there's a thread from a while back where ilx bemoans the poor quality of today's clip show talking heads -- there was a real stinker a while back. as it turns out the clip show was c4's way of launching a new '11 o'clock show' style "generation" of nu-comix, and they're all being launched on us this week in that grange hill thing and hahahaha, yes i *have* seen 'the day today' FAQ u. cunts.

― N_RQ, Monday, 9 May 2005 10:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't watch anything on Channel 4 currently.

― $V£N! (blueski), Monday, 9 May 2005 10:58 (twenty-one years ago)

My favourite TV show is Doctor Who and I even moan about that.

― $V£N! (blueski), Monday, 9 May 2005 10:58 (twenty-one years ago)

About ten seconds of rerun of 100 Greatest Number Ones yesterday evening - Barney Hoskyns being idiotic about Britney. Then flipped over for five seconds of Dame Vera Lynn's annual exhumation, then flipped into bed and screamed for eight hours straight.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 9 May 2005 11:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I've seen the trailers for that Grange Hill thing and it's presented by Justin Lee Collins, which can only make it worse than it could already be.

Some g00gling actually reveals Playing It Straight isn't a C4 property, but a premise they bought in from Fox. That makes it even more inexplicable/repugnant.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Monday, 9 May 2005 11:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Even Dave Lee Travis would be preferable to that West Country windbag Justin Lee Collins! Wear a fucking suit and tie! Get your fucking hair cut! Six months in the Territorials! Etc.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 9 May 2005 11:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I have a theory that all the incompetent fuckwits that 'present' on C4 (JLC, Sarpong, Russell Brand) got their jobs in exchange for writing off a bit of cocaine debt with C4 execs. It's the only explanation.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Monday, 9 May 2005 11:14 (twenty-one years ago)

This isn't the thread but Soul Deep was pretty good (Hoskyns connection).

― Masked Gazza, Monday, 9 May 2005 11:18 (twenty-one years ago)

are reality TV shows allowed to be meta? Because...

filming people watching being forced to watch crap TV sounds like great TV.

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 9 May 2005 11:26 (twenty-one years ago)

apparently el hosko used to be rad, but his comments about britney, thrid time around, really were shocking.

sidebar: why don't they just REMAKE all the clip shows? let's just have ANOTHER 100 best singles, but make them different, and have better zingers. they could do i love the 80s again also.

― N_RQ, Monday, 9 May 2005 12:06 (twenty-one years ago)

C4 did a Top 100 Million Sellers thing a couple of years ago and they asked me to come on and talk about "Telstar." I turned them down. "No money is worth this!" as Orson said when he wrapped up his Findus commercials.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 9 May 2005 12:17 (twenty-one years ago)

filming people watching being forced to watch crap TV sounds like great TV.

-- ken c (pykachu10...) (webmail), May 9th, 2005 12:26 PM. (link)

This happened already. Some late night thingy, Richard Bacon / Simon Amstell and so on, hosted by beardie bloke...?

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 9 May 2005 12:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I believe Paul Morley has appeared on said watching-crap-TV programme.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Monday, 9 May 2005 12:19 (twenty-one years ago)

iT JUST SOUNDS REALLY STUPID TO ME.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 9 May 2005 12:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember the playing it straight show when it was on the US--but I thought it did so poorly it was cancelled midway through?

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 9 May 2005 12:44 (twenty-one years ago)

The thing that makes me laugh about Playing It Straight is that they try to root out the gay contestants through trials of strength and nerve. Implication being that if they fail at these tasks they 'must be gay'.

Eh?

My brother's gay, and he could kick the shit out of me. Is he a freak?

― Buffalo Stan (Buffalo Stan), Monday, 9 May 2005 12:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Flipside had potential but was poorly executed and i still can't quite like Bacon, tho the other presenter was worse.

― $V£N! (blueski), Monday, 9 May 2005 12:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Justin Lee Collins looks like thalidomide Kevin Nash.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 9 May 2005 13:11 (twenty-one years ago)

And if you GIS "Justin Lee Collins", the 11th image returned is one of Jimmy Carr.

Just saying, that's all.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 9 May 2005 13:12 (twenty-one years ago)

They've had it in Australia. This depresses me.

― Nellie (nellskies), Monday, 9 May 2005 13:51 (twenty-one years ago)

wouldn't this be more interesting and also better TV the other way round? I don't find it offensive, just an indicator that a lot of people who work in TV are idiots (shocker).

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 9 May 2005 13:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I loathe Justin Lee Collins. And Jimmy Carr.

My housemate has worked around comedians for a while and says that, yes, in real life Jimmy Carr is just as smug and punchable. "Imagine being at a party with him," says housemate. "He can clear a room in seconds."
[Gender, name, nationality of housemate all protected for reasons of continuing employment]

― Anna (Anna), Monday, 9 May 2005 14:05 (twenty-one years ago)

there was quite an offensive thing on friday evening after the news: basically a take-off of that 'double take' prog with 'found footage' of politicians in private. this had the hilarious idea of michael howard "with family", ie doing a non-specific east european gypsy-dance. the prog tried to show that this was ironing, because MH is so anti-immigration/travellers. but i have spent the weekend with a book on loic and i *still* don't see how this works.

― N_RQ, Monday, 9 May 2005 14:09 (twenty-one years ago)

― N_RQ, Monday, 9 May 2005 14:10 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

Justin Lee Collins and Alan Carr sure love their blacking up.

― reverto levidensis (blueski), Saturday, 6 January 2007 00:01 (nineteen years ago)

In fairness, where do you start with that programme?

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Saturday, 6 January 2007 00:07 (nineteen years ago)

That's the first Friday Night Project I've watched all the way through. They really are appallingly unfunny, aren't they? Alan, you're gay, WE GET IT!

(also Tennant has no shame)

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 6 January 2007 00:12 (nineteen years ago)

june sarpong is hot

― and what (ooo), Saturday, 6 January 2007 01:00 (nineteen years ago)

No.

― chap (chap), Saturday, 6 January 2007 01:03 (nineteen years ago)

Cosign.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 6 January 2007 01:04 (nineteen years ago)

Haha, I started this thread but have drunk in the same pub as JLC since. (Not that he isn't a cock, but an occupational hazard around Bristle)

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Saturday, 6 January 2007 01:39 (nineteen years ago)

(also Tennant has no shame)

I thought it was a shame that the girl he picked to be on stage with him and win huge prizes obviously did not give a shit that she was hanging around on stage with David Tennant who was trying to win prizes for her. He should have picked that nice fat woman in the pink shirt instead. She would have loved just being up there.

And that hidden camera stuff. Fucking awful.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Saturday, 6 January 2007 08:08 (nineteen years ago)

I think DT was probably scared of that girl in the pink shirt and thought he'd better take the least-likely-to-have-seen-his-cock-photos-menko-stalker-type one he could find.

I found Justin Lee Collins less annoying and slightly funnier than Alan Carr. (though I realise I've pretty much defined the phrase "damning with faint praise" there).

Getting George Galloway on worked, didn't it? Erm...

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 6 January 2007 12:25 (nineteen years ago)

Alan Carr is v. funny!

― Alba (Alba), Saturday, 6 January 2007 12:27 (nineteen years ago)

"haha, I'm gay. Did I mention I'm gay? Wooh, fisting, wooh, daisychains, wooh, knobs. GAY!"

Yes, we get it. You're hilarious. And quite possibly gay.

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 6 January 2007 12:29 (nineteen years ago)

The thing that really annoys me about both of those guys is that I have seen them do far more intelligent stuff than this, and I know the writers are much brighter than this, so what this programme is really saying is "we think you're too stupid to get our real humour, so we're going to give you this vomiting-off-the-end-of-the-pier shite".

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Saturday, 6 January 2007 12:32 (nineteen years ago)

I haven't really paid them much mind - JLC I am aware of from various nostalgia-fests which irritate the fuck out of me, Alan Carr, nope, nothing. This, and various clips of previous Friday Night Projects (none of which I've seen all the way through), is the first time I've really paid them much attention. I'm guessing it stands and falls on the guest host, yes?

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 6 January 2007 12:36 (nineteen years ago)

allen carr is funnier

― RJG (RJG), Saturday, 6 January 2007 12:49 (nineteen years ago)

The shot of one of the Friday night projectiles blacked up and in a coffin as James Brown had me ready to phone in a complaint. I still might. Am I being old-fashioned about this?

― Soukesian (Soukesian), Saturday, 6 January 2007 13:59 (nineteen years ago)

it was just weird. i'm surprised that anyone on UK TV would still actually do it. it wasn't a funny sketch anyway.

― reverto levidensis (blueski), Saturday, 6 January 2007 14:02 (nineteen years ago)

Is it even imaginable that a white comedian would do this on US TV?

― Soukesian (Soukesian), Saturday, 6 January 2007 14:05 (nineteen years ago)

well yes it is imaginable but obv. not very likely.

― reverto levidensis (blueski), Saturday, 6 January 2007 14:06 (nineteen years ago)

God, I'm so used to this kind of rubbish "humour" that I don't think I even noticed it.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Saturday, 6 January 2007 14:42 (nineteen years ago)

three years pass...

Did anyone catch Too Poor For Posh School last night? Basically X Factor with the prize being a full scholarship to Harrow School.

Utterly vile and couldn't stomach more than the first half hour but it couldn't have more successfully made the case against private schools if it tried.

― niminy-piminy cricket (Upt0eleven), Friday, 12 March 2010 12:29 (sixteen years ago)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

― louis do not fuck achewood (acoleuthic), Friday, 12 March 2010 12:30 (sixteen years ago)

And there was me all thinking 'Secret Millionaire amirite'

― louis do not fuck achewood (acoleuthic), Friday, 12 March 2010 12:31 (sixteen years ago)

thirteen years pass...

I feel like ringing a support line to complain that Channel 4 made me see Hugh Dennis having a wank.

― trishyb, Tuesday, 19 December 2023 22:14 (two years ago)

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