Scene To Wrap: Drew Carey's Improv-a-Ganza

Drew Carey's Improv-a-Ganza was the third home of the amorphous group we'll call 'Drew Carey and friends' after Whose Line Is It Anyway and the Green Screen show. It ended sometime last year and hasn't been picked up by the network for a new season. I believe that some of the gang have rehoused in Trust Us With Your Life but I don't know when we'll see them all together next.

So I'm glad I stumbled upon Improv-a-Ganza a few days ago. And it's good, it's really good. The new additions- Jonathan Mangum and Heather Anne Campbell- work seamlessly with the Old Guard. And it's nice to see a female performer who doesn't bring the rest of the group down (I used to groan at every episode of Whose Line with Kathy Greenwood in it). But let me say this properly because I dread forced alliances with all sides, equally. It makes no difference to me whether there's a woman on the show or not and the lack of one indicates very little. What it does, however, is introduce a different chemistry, whether or not the women are playing at being women. So yes, Heather AC tick, Jonathan M tick, no Kathy G supertick.

The superest tick of them all goes to Jeff Davis. He was given a prominent part in the show, appearing in the third highest number of episodes after Drew and Ryan, and the way in which he occupied it is revelatory. He was always good but there's an assertiveness here that probably stems from his being more than just an infrequent guest. He gets more straight-acting scenes and is excellent in them, holding his own against Colin and Ryan. And the songs: oh the songs! Chip and Jeff turn lumberjacks into pancake stacks (and I'm not exaggerating).

We say hello to some great games, too: Question This, First Date, Forward/Reverse, New Choice, Showstopper. Some work better than they did on Whose Line, some work differently and some don't work at all. Why? Because Improv-a-Ganza is Whose Line, but bigger.

This isn't a minor (1) point, it's everything. A large part of Whose Line was a kind of warmth that came from a small studio, an audience that you could see and a stage that wasn't really a stage: distinct but not distant. Improv-a-Ganza is filmed in the MGM theatre in Vegas and even the opening credits speak to the change of scale. There's a proper stage, the audience aren't just audience but customers; it's an event. What does this mean for the show? It means that casual lines aren't really casual, that the performers are dressed are performers (neater clothes, donned with mikes), and that laughter can get lost in space.

The challenge for the show was to incorporate this large-ness while keeping the funnies intact. The games that work are the ones which do this well. First Date is a great example because, by having a couple volunteer for the show and by working around a relateable theme (two cast-members enact the couple's first dates with directions from them-10 minutes into this clip), it makes the sketch accessible. It can't just be about participation, though, and the show flounders when it is unable to regulate access. 'Options' is a less successful game because in an attempt to open it up, it stops and starts the action on stage to collect suggestions on acting styles from the audience. Not only does this make for an uneven sketch, coughing it's way to the finish, but it results in predictably similar suggestions: 'Kabuki!' 'Western!' 'Horror!' 'Shakespeare!'. Oh Las Vegas, make a new choice (2), won't you?

But, really, who cares if a couple of games don't work as well? There are more than enough things that work in favour of the show to make up for the docked points, and the points don't matter anyway (3). Sure, I miss Scenes From A Hat, Weird Newscasters and Hoedown (I can hear Ryan yell with joy), and I'd love to see Wayne, Laura Hall and Linda Taylor (and the third one) again. But Whose Line worked because the people on it were immensely talented and that hasn't changed. Colin and Ryan are still brilliant but the others have raised their game showcasing new possibilities: personal range, partnerships, comedic style. And that's a showstopper, if you know what I mean (4) (5).

(5) Sadly, the Game Show Network didn't know what I meant and stopped the show.

Off course: Masterchef UK, Episode 5

(Spoilers)

So the new series of Masterchef UK is back on and we're five episodes in. It's much better than the last series, thank god, because that one was awful (1). Silly format, not nearly enough cooking and an unpalatable (2) slant towards drama that made most of the contestants seem vaguely unlikeable, annoying and/or incompetent even if they were actually lovely people who could make omelette. I stopped watching after a few of episodes.

This series is very good, though. It hasn't wasted any time waffling (3) about. We met eight contestants, then six, then four, everyday for three days, and now we have ten contestants, no wait-nine (one quit)- and, yeah, five episodes in. Okay so far? I wish I could have worked 'two' and 'seven' in somewhere but as they say, two many cooks... (4)

They just had their Jane Austen catering challenge. Eamonn definitely wanted to be team leader but Andrew got the job. Poor Eamonn. Never mind- he wasted no time in dishing (5) out orders anyway. Then they went and lost and he didn't get to meet Jason Atherton, who I keep calling Mike Atherton because at least he's interesting. Poor Eamonn. That will be my new catchphrase. His voice, by the way, is almost exactly like Bill Bailey's when he's announcing the food to the Austen Friars (6) between about 21.23 and 21.26- check out the inflection at the end of the sentence ('Best food you will taste in Bath!', says Eamonn. Poor Eamonn.)

No I don't dislike him. Okay, maybe a little bit but only in this episode and that too because he was being bossy and a bit ungracious about the loss. But I'm sure he makes a super omelette.

Where were we, anyway? Oh, yes, okay. So Ashvi's recipe involved putting some vegetables into some other vegetables. I think she was secretly listening in on the other team and picked up this gem from Aki: 'My idea...stuff whatever we can with whatever we have, and make it taste good, and look really good'. Extraordinary stuff. To which we might hear the superhero version of Ashvi saying 'Yeah, I'll stuff those cabbages alright! And the tomatoes- I'll stuff those too! In fact, damn it all, I'll stuff the whole thing up!' And she did. Poor Eamonn.

And while we're on the subject of quantum physics, I don't know how to feel about Aki. The part of me that's been a serial student all her life is screaming madly for her because she's a doctoral student doing something other than footnoting; the other part wants to tell her to simmer down (7) a bit. But she seemed really efficient in this challenge so good for her.

I like Emma's teeth.

I hope you didn't miss the brief sparks (8) between Shelina and Tom when they were cooking in Mike Atherton's kitchen between 42.11 and 42. 22 ('Back!' 'Back!'). How lovely. Tom's great, by the way, have I mentioned this? Yeah, he's smart and seems to be able to keep it together. I have a feeling he won't win because the people I root for never do- they often come in second, though so at least that's something. Shelina seems good too. She certainly did a good job as team leader and wasn't flopping about like a boneless chicken.

Who else is left? Andrew I really like. Greg said of him that he's part-'food library'. I think the other part may be some kind of pixie. Yeah, I like him very much. Jay's great too. I generally like the kind of people who keep their heads down and do their work well. Jonathan was really growing on me and he did so well in the challenge. Wonder why he quit. I'm sure it's not because of the pail of snail he had to serve- that may have been a big deal for Mike A. but it shouldn't have made much of a difference to the competition. I have a feeling that Afsaneh is off her rocker. Her crazed smile when Greg was telling her that she couldn't possibly remake the custard or whatever at 28.01 was positively frightening.

Moving on from the contestants, I laughed quite a bit at the crowd at the Austen festival. I'm quite cynical and some of them invited comment: strange woman giggling at women not being allowed to serve themselves, I'm looking at you. But most of them were just nice, trussed up (9) people in bonnets so hooray for their commitment. I did want to throw some paper at the mayor/sheriff person who felt compelled to make his cultural mark by likening a crab dish to a Damien Hirst, and the woman who had an epiphany along with her side order of Ox cheek. And did the mayor/sheriff look alarmingly like David Bamber's Mr Collins from the BBC's 1995 series or was it just the side-effect (10) of him standing next to Adrian Lukis (who played Wickham)?

But the show's been great so far and the contestants seem a good lot (what do I know? I can't even braise an egg) so I'm in and I'm hungry.

P.S. (1) is offal, in case that's the one you couldn't process (11).

Shows I love

The shows I've watched can be neatly arranged by provenance, specifically the UK and the US. I've watched very little television that's not made in one of these two places and practically none of those are worth mentioning.

I don't want to do a ranked list of my favourite shows because it's too boring and solemn. So here's a list without numbers (a nifty invention of mine), along with the precise moment I was hooked. The nine I've picked represent my preferences quite well so I hope the odd number doesn't making you tense (1).

Arrested Development: because there's always money in the banana stand. Though I was nearly there from the first time Lucille opened her elegant mouth ('Look what they've done, Michael! Look what these homosexuals have done to me!')

Doctor Who: Matt Smith's ridiculous hand-flail-wiggle-dance when saying hello to Amy Pond in Utah ('Did you see me?' 'Of course' 'Stalker!'). 'The Impossible Astronaut' was the first Who episode I watched. For all of the others shows, I started with the pilot.

Green Wing: How can you say no to opening credits like that? The shortest pitch any show has ever had to make to me.

Misfits: The first scene with the ASBO kids and the community support officer. It's beautifully framed: an unsightly group in bright orange jumpsuits against the dull backdrop of Thamesmead. To say nothing of Nathan's gobbiness.

Modern Family: Q: Why the face? A: It's Phil Dunphy, yo.

The Office (UK): Speaking of faces, David Brent's 'camera face' is genius. And the line? Only that niche genre in the music world of manager-rap: I can make that dream come true, too, AKA, for you.

The Office (US): I didn't like the pilot which is unsurprising because it was a scene-by-scene remake of the UK pilot. But one episode later, Michael Scott had his own camera face and his own dreams ( 'Why don't we go around and everybody, everybody say a race that you are attracted to sexually...')

The Thick of It: 'I can see that you've all got very big stiff hard ons about this...', Teri says about seven and a half minutes into the pilot. A camera sweeps across the men, Glenn squeaks 'Teri!' and we're in the Boys' Club. Chris Langham's masterful delivery soon after of what is basically an MP's whine about his driver, finishes the job.

Yes Minister: It's trademark Humphrey Appleby: a long, confusing speech about private secretaries, private sectaries, under-secretaries. And then trademark Hacker: 'Can they all type?' Pause. 'None of us can type, Minister. Mrs Mackay types: she's the secretary.'

BBC's mini-series Sherlock is the only notable omission; with it's larger scope and budget, it's unfair to compare it with, say, Doctor Who which doesn't even have enough money to make an Atraxi spaceship not look like a crown for Miss Universe (2). Incidentally, Who is the only listed show I haven't watched all the episodes of. It's been on air since the beginning of time (3) and a lot of the 'classic series' is missing or difficult to find. I've watched some of it, though, and everything since the 2005 revival.

So there it is. Six from the UK (Arrested Development, Modern Family and The Office aren't); eight comedies (bar Who); only three currently on air (Who, Misfits, Modern Family). The plan is to write something about each of them at some point. Or will I?

The plot thickens like milk in a plot.

Sherlock/Hello

This is as good a place as any to start a blog about things I watch, or have watched, on television. Steve Thompson, I was not expecting that. Good for you.

I've just finished watching The Reichenbach Fall- the last episode of the second series of BBC's Sherlock. I'm in minor shock, not just because of the events leading up to the end but because the episode is so taut and well-paced that it doesn't let you breathe at all. I'm breathing in double-time now.

Hello. I hope you like television and I hope you like puns.