10 O'Clock Live is the new much-loved satirical program which launched with 1.373 million viewers and a proud 7.8% audience share. Fantastic, finally a fresh new look at the state of the world. No politician can possibly escape the sharp comments this show fires at them. No underground bunker can protect dictators in the Middle-East from the scrutiny of the British public's views, views which are wrapped in a thin sheet of comedy and fired out of the mouths of accomplished comedy geniuses.
Well, almost.
Charlie Brooker is the reason I watch the show, a headline act who rose to my attention on Newswipe, a program in which he (alone) took a news story, ripped it to shreds, then explained why the whole affair was ridiculous. He seemed unstoppable, any story had a satirical spin and his savage pessimism makes us think deeper about current issues, even if some of his thoughts venture on the mind-numbingly surreal.
David Mitchell is the second in command, and if Brooker ever does leave the show, Mitchell will be more than able to direct the whole show on his own. He has sharp wit delivered with a plethora of words that the 'common man' wouldn't come across in a lifetime. On the other hand, I think some of his best work is on Peep Show, and I cannot wait for the next series!
Jimmy Carr is a classic comedian... no, in fact he's a comedian in a league of his own. A mixture of Brooker's pessimism and Mitchell's quick wit, Carr adds a childish smile and gets everyone laughing, his skits on the show are funny and innovative. Yet at the end of the day, he's not the strongest on the team, it's nice to see him telling different jokes (I'm alluding to some of the sexist and inappropriate jokes he makes as a stand-up comic), but maybe a news show isn't for him...
Lauren Laverne on the other hand was scraping the barrel when came to laughter, her comments fell flat and someone should tell her that saying 'fuck' every few sentences is not the way to make a good show, even with a strong regional accent. Charlie Brooker may say it a lot, but he's a comedy genius. 'Satire' is not just about dumping insults on politicians, like Mitchell, you have to make informed comments. I go back to a previous example of comedy gone wrong where people like Laverne will laugh at Ann Widdecombe because she's ugly, but Mitchell will laugh at the fact that she keeps getting elected despite being a sexist racist ignorant pig who thinks stem cell research is wrong because human/animal hybrids are against nature.
I hope for the next series of 10 O'Clock Live, that Channel 4 realises that Brooker and Mitchell are carrying the show on their shoulders and not getting enough air time. Carr is a comedian and the show shouldn't pile too much newsreading on him, and Laverne is simply wrong for the job.
But it is satire, and you don't always get it right the first time round.
