Press clippings Page 35
Germaine Greer takes a pop at computer pop-ups (she has no idea what they are) and fun runs, but reveals she's so out of touch with public opinion she gets heckled. Just as well comedian Ross Noble and pop star turned businesswoman Jamelia have more of a common touch as they aim health & safety and txt spk at Frank Skinner's sparkly chute of oblivion. But they're all upstaged by a stonking turn from folk street dancers Time Gentlemen Please!
Carol Carter, Metro, 10th February 2012Four episodes in and the panel format is working so well it's hard to remember Room 101 in its previous incarnation. Frank Skinner's consummate ease with a one-liner helps. And it's Skinner's quick-witted to-and-fro with Ross Noble that propels the show as the panel discuss Noble's beefs with folk dancing and health and safety measures: "The reason we have danger is to get rid of idiots," claims Noble.
Also up for dissection are Jamelia's dislike of text speak and Germaine Greer's hatred of computer pop-ups and fun runs: "Why don't they just write a cheque?" she asks. We think she has a point, but will Skinner agree?
Emma Perry, Radio Times, 10th February 2012Free-wheeling Geordie comic Ross Noble, award-winning R&B singer Jamelia and the academic and journalist Germaine Greer are Frank Skinner's guests on tonight'' edition of this long-running comedy show. They give good value for money, campaigning for a wide range of items to be sent to their doom in Room 101 - including health and safety, actors, text speak and folk dancing.
Pete Naughton, The Telegraph, 9th February 2012The celebrity booker's net trawls and catches Ross Noble, Jamelia and Germaine Greer - who might just be the first recipient of a Room 101 audience heckle. A bland heckle, but for a couple of vaguely seditious seconds it wobbles the cosy carapace. As does host Frank Skinner's unexpectedly serious and prolonged defence of English folk dancing in the face of Noble's lame and obvious put-downs. That said, Noble's observation of recumbent cycling seems pretty spot-on: "Handy, cos you're already in the coffin position."
Ali Catterall, The Guardian, 9th February 2012For anybody wondering how comedian Kevin Bridges bagged himself a whole BBC1 series, tune in and the answer will reveal itself as the 25-year-old Scottish funnyman splices clips from his stand-up show with visits to some of the key figures in his meteoric rise to fame. These include his mother, father, Frank Skinner and a chap called Chad Hogan - a fictional character with a real-life namesake.
Colin Kennedy, Metro, 8th February 2012A little like Billy Connolly's early travelogues, this lazily formatted affair dispatches the young Scottish comic - the most recent beneficiary of the small-screen stand-up boom - back to Glasgow to tell us about the roots of his comedy, interspersing the nostalgia with stand-up clips. The latter is sound, unsurprising observational fare, although Bridges has great stage presence for one so young, and his foul-mouthed bonhomie covers a few cracks. Off-stage too he seems a nice chap, getting some mileage out of a chat with Frank Skinner (who inspired him to go into comedy) and a trip to Utah to meet a real Chad Hogan (the source for a popular skit), but a contented guy with a secure upbringing and a happy life rarely makes compelling television.
Gabriel Tate, Time Out, 8th February 2012Scottish comedian Kevin Bridges has had a rapid rise to stardom, and he's now a regular on the panel show circuit, as well as stuffing venues across the land. But as far as the tortured upbringing and that string of crap jobs most standups endure, there's not a great deal to go on. He was 17 when he first gave it a crack, inspired by Frank Skinner's autobiography, and it all went pretty swimmingly. So it's no surprise this look at his career is a tad slim on backstory, and heavy on clips of his assured stagecraft.
Ben Arnold, The Guardian, 7th February 2012The best bits are generally not the guests railing against things they hate - insurance adverts, parrots, and so on. The best bits are when host Frank Skinner disagrees or tries to win them over. Tonight he comes to the defence of reality TV stars, Chris Moyles ("I see him as a cheeky Jabba the Hutt") and Jedward. The finest moment comes when guest Alice Cooper tries to condemn balloon sculptures and our host introduces a man with a riposte so jaw-droppingly impressive, even Cooper has to bow in mock-worship.
Also airing his peeves is Chris Packham, revealing an unexpected resentment - in the series' broadest swipe yet - of the entire human race.
David Butcher, Radio Times, 3rd February 2012Another chance for celebrities to whinge on national television. The new format of this comedy talk show, back after a five-year hiatus, sees three guests putting their gripes to Frank Skinner. The programme has done away with the easy banter and intimacy of previous series. But the gags keep coming, and this week's guests are certainly an eclectic mix: rock god Alice Cooper, TV presenter Chris Tarrant and Springwatch presenter Chris Packham.
Josephine Moulds, The Telegraph, 2nd February 2012Room 101: do Frank Skinner and the new format work?
The comedy show is back on a new channel after a revamp - so what do you make of its new host and format?
Stuart Heritage, The Guardian, 1st February 2012