I went to the ITV pilot of Chat Show Roulette last night at the RADA Theatre (formerly the Drill Hall). I'd never seen cameras in there before (only radio recordings) so it was pretty cramped.
The format worked really well with some great performances by the cast. Each performer was visibly surprised as the card was drawn to declare their given profession and background - and you could sense the comedy cogs whizzing as they were put on the spot. In that regard, you could see a difference between those who were at ease with improv, flying from the start; in particular Rebecca Front and Cariad Lloyd quickly got into their characters whereas Simon Day and Matt Lucas seemed a little less comfortable and took a while to build their characters. The production doesn't go easy on the cast, expecting them to make up songs on the spot. I was impressed by all of them in that regard - albeit not in the class of Josie Lawrence perhaps!
Justin Edwards acted as host and found good timing in drawing the random cards to interject in the interviews - although I think he needs to be a little slicker in making the interviews flow in each case. It's the kind of role that I can imagine Frank Skinner or David Mitchell pulling off really well.
On the evidence of last night's show, I can see this running. I do suspect though that the visual element is important - the visible reaction of the guest to being thrown off guard would be missed on radio. And the drama of the random cards being drawn is also an important visual clue.