Peter Kay's return to mainstream British TV after a gap of four years was hugely anticipated with considerable fanfare beforehand.All positive elements were there;a large production budget,big names in cameo roles,and a chance to make biting comments at the current state of UK television.So why was Britain's GOT THE POP FACTOR....(I will decline to quote it's full title in it's elongated form in the name of saved writing space) such a disappointment?
The main problem is that the genre Kay was sending up (THE X FACTOR,POP IDOL,Britain's GOT TALENT,etc.) has as already been stated by others, more or less a parody itself,with it's weekly parade of selfish,whiny,maudlin,deluded talent-free egomaniacs being grossly exploited and providing more laughs than this programme.There were funny moments alright,particularly at the beginning with the display of failed auditionees,and some decent observation of the style of these shows,but eventually BGTPF... was overburdened by it's length,big names who had little to do (among them Rick Astley,Lionel Blair and Sir Paul McCartney),a deliberately facetious but not particularly clever title (as overlong as the programme itself) and the irresistible feeling that we had been here scores of times before with the original hybrid.The songs and choreography were quite amusing,but again went on rather too much,and the wheelchair-laden act was an obvious borrowing from Kay's PHOENIX NIGHTS.There were plenty of opportunities for mordant satire here,but Kay instead wastes such chances and settles for a half-hearted spoof (albeit laced with occasional profanities) which basically would have played far better as a ten-minute sketch.One of Kay's comic heroes,the late,great Ronnie Barker,would most certainly have done wonders with such material in such form alongside his partner Ronnie Corbett,and it probably would've been far funnier and much more cutting.
As it is,BGTPF... disappoints immensely over the disposal of such promising opportunities,and it's misjudged final scene (Geraldine collapsing while performing 'The Winning Song',it's literal title) rather summed up the whole programme.
RATING:5 and a half out of 10.
The main problem is that the genre Kay was sending up (THE X FACTOR,POP IDOL,Britain's GOT TALENT,etc.) has as already been stated by others, more or less a parody itself,with it's weekly parade of selfish,whiny,maudlin,deluded talent-free egomaniacs being grossly exploited and providing more laughs than this programme.There were funny moments alright,particularly at the beginning with the display of failed auditionees,and some decent observation of the style of these shows,but eventually BGTPF... was overburdened by it's length,big names who had little to do (among them Rick Astley,Lionel Blair and Sir Paul McCartney),a deliberately facetious but not particularly clever title (as overlong as the programme itself) and the irresistible feeling that we had been here scores of times before with the original hybrid.The songs and choreography were quite amusing,but again went on rather too much,and the wheelchair-laden act was an obvious borrowing from Kay's PHOENIX NIGHTS.There were plenty of opportunities for mordant satire here,but Kay instead wastes such chances and settles for a half-hearted spoof (albeit laced with occasional profanities) which basically would have played far better as a ten-minute sketch.One of Kay's comic heroes,the late,great Ronnie Barker,would most certainly have done wonders with such material in such form alongside his partner Ronnie Corbett,and it probably would've been far funnier and much more cutting.
As it is,BGTPF... disappoints immensely over the disposal of such promising opportunities,and it's misjudged final scene (Geraldine collapsing while performing 'The Winning Song',it's literal title) rather summed up the whole programme.
RATING:5 and a half out of 10.