10 O'Clock Live gets second series
10 O'Clock Live, the weekly satirical comedy show presented by Charlie Brooker, Jimmy Carr, David Mitchell and Lauren Laverne, is to return for a 10-part second series early in 2012.
The first series, which launched in January 2011 and ran for 15 episodes up to the end of April, was met with a mixed reaction from press and public. The show also saw a slump in viewing figures - falling from 1.37m to 650,000 by the end of the 15 weeks; however at the time Channel 4 moved to defend the show, pointing out with 4oD and repeat figures added, the show was averaging 1.8 million viewers a week.
Broadcast on Thursday nights as an 'alternative' to Newsnight and Question Time, the show featured Charlie Brooker, Jimmy Carr and David Mitchell delivering individual monologues, plus a round-table discussion of the news and the following day's papers, chaired by Laverne. David Mitchell also hosted two interview slots during the hour, in which politicians and commentators were invited to share their opinions.
Much of the press criticism focussed on the hour running time, which stretched the writers, left the show covering too many topics in too little depth, and saw the attention of some wandering away towards the end. Channel 4 appears to have taken note of the criticism, with the second series restricted to a 45 minute slot, including advert breaks. A spokesperson told The Guardian that this will "still allow for an in-depth look at the news stories but will mean we're less dependent on the news cycle".
All fifteen episodes of Series 1 were broadcast live from BBC TV Centre. Although settled and comfortable by the end of the run, in the first few episodes the team were visibly nervous, with Charlie Brooker admitting in his Guardian newspaper column that he urinated during the original 2010 General Election coverage special that inspired the series. He wrote: "Only a little one - a mere eighth of a teaspoon at most - but nevertheless: I did a piss. Not backstage either, but right there on the set, nanoseconds before I was due to start speaking. Fortunately, I was wearing black trousers and sitting down so I got away with it, but inside my head it was pure nuclear war."
Channel 4's Darren Smith, speaking to The Guardian, said: "After learning from the first series, we're keen to cover the same kinds of stories, with a similarly acerbic angle but will be making efforts to make the running order a little more flexible. That means we will have regular items but you perhaps won't see them every single week. It's a slightly more bespoke approach to the news agenda that gives the show room to breathe, and hopefully room to be even funnier. We're thrilled to be back in this territory again, especially with such an enormously talented line-up. I don't think a show like this could exist anywhere else but Channel 4."
Ruth Phillips, Head of Comedy at production company Zeppotron, added: "We're delighted to be back with our exceptional cast delivering weekly live satirical comedy alongside an in depth look at current affairs. We're also grateful that we'll be on air just in time for the collapse of the entire western world."
Series 2 of 10 O'Clock Live will be broadcast on Channel 4 in early 2012.