The Late Show (BBC2 TV series)
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The Late Show (1989–1995) was a British television arts magazine programme broadcast on BBC2 weeknights at 11.15pm — directly after Newsnight — often referred to as the "graveyard slot" in terms of television scheduling.
The series was commissioned by BBC Two Controller Alan Yentob, who had a background in serious arts documentaries, but the production team — led by Michael Jackson — were mostly from youth programming backgrounds including Network 7. The series combined a number of format elements from earlier BBC arts magazine programmes such as Monitor and Late Night Line-Up. With the cancellation of The Old Grey Whistle Test the series became one of the few spaces on BBC television for live music performances.
The show pulled in heavyweight acts performing live or pre-recorded, including Joni Mitchell, Dick Dale (who performed the music for the film Pulp Fiction). At the time, The Late Show came under the now defunct Music and Arts Department at the BBC, which also produced the long-form Omnibus and Arena programmes.
The forty and sometimes fifty-minute programmes were presented mostly live from a bare black studio at the BBC Television Centre in White City, west London. The regular format was for a single presenter to provide links for a number of filmed features and hold an interview or panel discussion in the studio. In some editions there would be a live music act that would perfom a set during the programme. Some editions were given over to in-depth coverage of a single topic, for example a whole programme on National Poetry Day.
Some weeks would be given over to one subject across the week, such as Italy week, Berlin week and, in 1995, Ireland week. Some outside broadcasts were made at the time by The Late Show team including the Booker Prize and the Mercury Music Prize. Most items were shot on videotape, but longer pieces would be made on film in a format similar to Yentob's Arena. Amongst the directors who worked on the series are Mary Harron and Sharon Maguire. Later in the series' run a regular panel discussion — Late Review — was introduced looking at new films, books and plays and other arts and cultural events. Regular contributors to this included Tony Parsons, Tom Paulin and Allison Pearson, and it was chaired by The Guardian journalist Mark Lawson.
In 1992 Jackson left the series when he was made controller of BBC Two. With his departure the series lost some of its freshness. Also the series fell into a pattern of having a rotating line up of the same subjects. From 1992 The Late Show was joined by the follow-on weekly music slot Later with Jools Holland that also drew away the programme's appeal to music acts. As Controller of BBC1 Alan Yentob, began to revamp that channel's arts coverage which also competed editorially with The Late Show.
The series was cancelled in 1995, though the weekly review programme remains in 2006 in a similar format as a stand alone programme but now produced by the team that makes Newsnight. Later with Jools Holland is also still running. Former Editors Roly Keating and Janice Hadlow are now the controllers of BBC Two and BBC Four respectively.
Presenters
The Late Show's presenters were mostly picked from up and coming writers and critics rather than professional broadcasters or journalists. For many it was their first exposure on mainstream television.Regular presenters included:
- Paul Morley - Presenter of first episode
- Tracey MacLeod
- Michael Ignatieff
- Sarah Dunant
- Matthew Collings
- Kirsty Wark
- Francine Stock
Memorable Moment
- Studio power was accidentally cut-off during a performance by The Stone Roses. As presenter Tracey Macleod struggled to cover and link to the next item lead singer Ian Brown could be heard repeatedly shouting "Amateurs".
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