Topical talk show on channel 5 presented by Mathew Wright
I watch this program every single day, so I obviously enjoy it. It fills the gap perfectly for those of us who don’t have the time or inclination to read newspapers every day, but would still rather know what’s going on in the world. As far as I’m aware there aren’t any other daytime shows with serious political discussions.
So this is what it’s about: Mathew Wright introduces the panel – 2 intellegent, outspoken and mildly famous people who are there all week; (regulars are Lowry Turner, Vanessa, Dr James Bull, Henry Bonsu, Kate Silverton) and a daily guest who usually has a dvd or book to plug. (But not likely to see someone like Jordan with an autobiography or anything).
They then talk through some of the stories in the day’s newspapers. Following on there are three topics which are discussed amongst the panel and then callers and the audience are given chance to air their stories and opinions. Topics recently have been about whether Prince Harry was too young to know better with his fancy dress costume; whether drugs are seen on the street more in rural areas lately; whether we should carry ID cards etc. You can also e-mail and text and vote in a daily poll.
It’s also not as boring as it may sound – there’s plenty of good humour and the last topic discussed is usually light-hearted. Today’s was whether having sex with someone too soon could ruin a relationship.
My biggest problem with the show is the way Mathew Wright completely dismisses anyone who phones in with less intelligence than him, or holds the opposite opinion to his own. It’s nice not to see an impassive presenter for a change, but for a program relying on the public phoning in, he’s got to be more open minded to callers. He regularly cuts people off or dismisses them with a quick ‘Thank you for your call, let’s have another one Korin’, and quite often argues with people and talks over the top of anyone who doesn’t agree with him. He also has an annoying habit of relating everything to do with the government to the Iraq war.
It’s also on at the wrong time. Channel 5 has for some reason changed it from 9:30 am to 9, and that’s too early – it doesn’t give chance for us to get back from school after dropping the kids off. It’s perfect for me in a way because I have Sky+ so I’ve series linked it to record every day, and then I get in and fast forward through all the adverts and repeats of what’s ‘coming up in the show.’ And I manage to get through an hour program in 40 minutes which is good!
Quite likely to hear: The government are advising the nation to eat more fruit as it is good for us – but can we trust them? After all, there were no weapons of mass destruction.
Least likely to hear: Thank you for your call – I’ll give you plenty of time for us to hear your opinion even though I don’t agree with you.