Presenter AnalysisU37 PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES FOR BROADCASTING

1. Billy Connolly

1. Presenter: Billy Connolly   Role: Stand up Comedian- “An Audience with Billy

Connolly” for broadcast on ITV1 in 1985.   This hour and a half episode was broadcast on ITV1 in

1985 when many would say Billy Connolly was at the height of his fame. It is part of a series ITV produced where they had a famous host perform a set in which they were skilled. Other episodes include singers and different comedians and entertainers of the time. The twist in the show was that it was performed in front of an audience of their famous piers.

  Connolly was seen as the best in his area at the time of

release. His stand up shows would sell out across the country and his act was deemed as edgy, observational and most importantly… funny. This ‘an Audience with’ episode must have been a slight departure for Connolly. He was asked to produce a set of his work, which would be suitable for broadcast on prime time TV. This must have been a departure to the uncensored material he would have previously used in his stand up shows. It is personally why I feel that this is one of his

1. Billy Connolly

Verbal Techniques: Being from Govern in Glasgow, Connolly has a prominent Scottish accent. By this stage of his career he had slightly slowed down the pronunciation of his words so that English audiences could understand him more. However, this did not detract from the pacing of his jokes and delivery style. His jokes and anecdotes are still fast and frantic, when he warms to the occasion. He even makes a joke at the start that it takes him a while to get going into his routine.

  Throughout the performance, Connolly uses a wide range of voices

and styles to engage the audience. He shows his wide range of singing, voices and swearing techniques, and has several members of the audience crying with laughter at the resulting performance. Although he shouts some lines of his set, it is never done in an angry or malicious way. It is done to highlight the stupidity or importance of the topic he is speaking about. The performance would work equally as well if it where broadcast for radio.

 

1. Billy Connolly

Visual Techniques: The studio set that Connolly performs on is simple enough. His name is in huge pink lettering on the stage behind him, and there is plenty of room on the stage for his active performance. The audience are in fairly close proximity to Connolly, which makes the show feel more intimate.

  As for his actual style, Connolly is wearing a loud shirt, which was a gimmick of

his at the time, (maybe it was just his actual dress sense, it was the 80’s after all). During his delivery, he is very animated. Connolly uses almost every inch of the stage, doing funny walks and acting out the events in his stories. His long hair bounces about with his active performance, which visually lends to the comedic effect. He is also motionless when he needs to be.

  Context: Shot in a TV studio in front of a live audience, the famous audience is

shown more frequently than a normal audience would be for this type of show. There is also a question and answer session with the audience toward the end, which makes them feel very involved. The target audience for this show would be for 18-60 year olds due to the adult themes and content of the performance.

Watch the performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHYdUxVSiJo

2. Alan Partridge

2. Presenter: Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan)   Role: A fictional Chat Show host from the mind

of Steve Coogan. Knowing Me, Knowing You was broadcast on BBC 2 between 1994/95.

  The programme was the brainchild of popular

circuit and character comedian Steve Coogan. It lampooned the chat show format of the time like “Wogan” and “Aspel” and in some points takes on a slightly surreal twist.

  Coogan’s character Alan Partridge had

appeared as a fictional sports reporter on “The Day Today” in 1993. The popularity and potential of the character was evident, and this was his first foray into helming his own show. Although Partridge is skilled and confident in hosting his own programme, when he is mocked or scorned by his own guests, things generally take a turn for the worse. Although the show is scripted and the majority of the guests are played by actors, there is a lot of improvisation during the interviews.

2. Alan Partridge

Verbal Techniques: Each episode starts with Alan making a confident and musical introduction to the stage. The audience are greeted with his welcome and catchphrase “Ahaa!” whilst finishing the line of the popular Abba song. He talks quite quickly but very clearly, and is a fan of using clever word play to describe or introduce a guest. Rather than keep his scripts clear, precise and with as few words to describe people or events as possible, Partridge almost adopts an opposite approach. He will use obscure descriptions and double meanings to talk about any given subject. This is all done quite deliberately to lend to the comic effect of the character.

  Partridge’s hosting (however tacky and ill judged) is an

improvement on his interview skills, which leave a lot to be desired. He is deliberately rude to his guests if they in any way try to joke or fool him.

2. Alan Partridge

Visual Techniques: Partridge’s style is another opportunity for Coogan to extract more laughs from his audience. He is normally sporting an ill fitting blazer with different coloured chinos and a poorly matched shirt and tie combo. His hair is combed to one side and he has a tan and TV white teeth. Partridge would say he is dressed smartly and practically, but to the majority of the watching public, he looks out of date and unfashionable.

  The set is typical of a chat show from the 1990’s. It is on a large studio stage in front of a live

audience. The set itself looks like it was afforded a reasonable budget. It has sliding doors for Alan in make his appearance through, and his guests come through a side door and down a set of steps. The house band are situated above the entrance doors and Alan generally exchanges some banter with them at some point in the programme. When interviewing, there is a seat for Alan and a sofa for his guests. There are just enough items scattered around the set to add an element of garishness and to lend to the illusion of Partridge being out of his depth and behind the times. The water fountain and dry fruit baskets are evidence of this.

Context: The show was shot in a TV studio in front of a live audience. It was originally broadcast on BBC2 in the primetime slot. It was very successful at the time of release and spawned many more Alan Partridge TV series such was the publics love of the character. Although I was in my late teens at the time, I did not discover the show till my mid twenties. I was fascinated by Partridge as a presenter even though he is purely fictional.

  Watch some of the first episode of “Knowing Me, Knowing you” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIMY_niu-oc  

3. David Attenborough

3. Presenter: David Attenborough   Role: Nature and wildlife programme host for the

BBC (and more recently Sky) for the past half a century.

  Although there is an endless catalogue of

programmes and footage I could have looked at for David Attenborough, I have decided to concentrate on one of his more recent productions. The series in question is “Galapagos” which was produced by Sky TV.

  The programme uses cutting edge techniques and

scientific research to bring the story of what makes this particular bunch of islands in the Pacific Ocean so important to the natural world.

  It is no secret Attenborough is in the twilight of his

career and is no longer able to be as active in his presenting techniques. However, Galapagos sees the presenter more involved and on screen than we’ve seen him in many a year. The series probably would not have got made without Attenborough’s weight behind it, as the crew were granted permission to film in places that were previously out of bounds for conservational reasons.

3. David Attenborough

Verbal Techniques: Attenborough is famously soft spoken, as if not to disturb the wildlife he is surrounded by. He delivers the information we require as a viewer in his posh English accent, and there is a trustworthy feeling to everything he tells us.

  He likes to pause and punctuate to add to the

importance of what he is telling us, and it is a technique that has worked well for him down the decades. There is still an excitement and enthusiasm in his voice when he describes a little known or recently discovered fact about the wildlife he is talking about. His enthusiasm transfers to us as viewers, which is why he is rightly regarded as the best at what he does.

3. David Attenborough

Visual Techniques: Although not as active as he used to be, Attenborough still likes to be seen in the thick of the wildlife and the action. Most of his presenting now is to record voice work from the comfort of a sound studio, however Galapagos sees the presenter deliver monologues on site or near the habitat of the creatures he is describing.

  He will sometimes use hand gestures and in some rare cases pick up and

handle the wildlife, to give the viewer a better visual indication of what he is talking about. He is normally casually and practically dressed to suit the environment he finds himself in, sporting short sleeved shirts, combat trousers and hiking boots.

  Context: David Attenborough’s wildlife and natural history programmes are

aimed at all ages. I personally remember watching them as a child, and I still find myself enjoying them till this day. Galapogos is no different. His presenting style is now legendary and has been mimicked and copied by many other presenters and impressionists.

  Watch a segment of “Galapagos” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czpPbDGHOZA

4. Gary Lineker

4. Presenter: Gary Lineker   Role: Host for football highlight series

“Match of the Day”, usually broadcast on Saturday nights during the footballing season.

  During his playing career, Gary Lineker was

said to have taken an active interest in the media side of the sport. It is said he always stayed around for post game interviews longer than most, and was always asking questions as to what the film crews where doing. During his actual interviews also, he was confident and articulate.

  It came as no surprise then, when Lineker

turned to presenting shortly after he announced his footballing retirement. What was a surprise however, was how the BBC placed so much trust in him having had no previous experience in the role, and especially as he was replacing a well liked and respected veteran in Des Lyman.

4. Gary Lineker

Verbal Techniques: Lineker has a clear and precise voice without a posh accent or condescending tone. He is a jovial presenter who is never afraid of cracking a joke or straying from his script and adlibbing slightly when the moment calls for it.

  He also has a good dynamic with some of the shows longer

serving guests like Mark Lawrenson, Alan Shearer and until recently, Alan Hansen. They almost knew when Lineker would have a pop at them about the lack of trophies or mistakes during their playing career or their weekly fashion faux pas, and they would retaliate in turn.

  Gary’s voice has been impersonated on a number of

occasions such is his popularity.

4. Gary Lineker

Visual Techniques: No matter what format Lineker is presenting, he is always smartly dressed. For Match of the Day he generally wears a smart plain shirt and trousers, when hosting a live match he sometimes can be seen sporting a suit, and when presenting big events like the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards he goes for a full suit and tie combo.

  He generally hosts the start of the show standing up in the studio, and when analysing

the games with his punditry team, he is seated around a desk / table set up with them. He sometimes uses hand gestures when making a point or highlighting an issue, and always appears friendly when on screen.

  Context: Match of the Day is filmed in a studio with no audience present. On a live

match day game, Gary could be seen in a TV viewing area of whatever stadium the game is taking place in. The audience range this would appeal to would be male / female football lovers from all age categories.

  It is difficult to now imagine Match of the Day without Gary Lineker helming it. This has

been acknowledged and rewarded by his BBC bosses as he is now one of the best paid presenters within the organisation.

  Watch an early MOTD clip here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3PsoPWCInI

5. Ed Sullivan

5. Presenter: Ed Sullivan   Role: Host of the legendary Ed Sullivan

show, which ran on American TV from 1948 until 1971.

  If any act was to appear on the Ed Sullivan

show in the height of its popularity, it was the general consensus that they had made it. It was the go to show if you wanted to be seen by the majority of the American market. The Beatles famously appeared on the show after Sullivan had seen the hype around them when he was at Heathrow airport. They negotiated a deal for the Beatles to appear three times on his show giving them major exposure to the American audience. One of their appearances was viewed by almost 70 million people, and reports state that crime actually dropped in the major cities during the time of broadcast.

5. Ed Sullivan

Verbal Techniques: Sullivan’s unique presenting style has been impersonated and copied countless times over the years. He perhaps wasn’t the most naturally gifted presenter to have ever graced the small screen, but he was charismatic and likeable.

  His speech was punctuated and staggered, and he

always gave his guests a fitting introduction, sometimes taking time out mid performance to have brief interviews with them. However, this did not stop Sullivan from heavily censoring some of his guest’s performances, (most notably Elvis). An endorsement from Sullivan would almost legitimize an act to an older and more mature audience.

5. Ed Sullivan

Visual Techniques: Sullivan’s stance and mannerisms were famous. In his early career he almost seemed nervous through his body language. He seemed quite rigid and uptight and almost always folded his arms at some point in his delivery.

  Later in his career, his presenting style was a lot more relaxed, generally

standing with his hands in his pockets. Whether this happened through the confidence he gained over time, or something that had to be coached and taught we will never know but he certainly relaxed his style in his latter years.

  The studio set was typical of the time and was filmed in front of a live studio

audience. There was a section were Sullivan would perform intimately in front of some stage curtains, which would generally open up to the reveal the act.

  Context: The Ed Sullivan show set the standard for most chat / entertainment

shows we see now. The appeal of the show was one in which the whole family could sit and watch, knowing that there would be no controversies or anything risky. For the acts appearing on it, it became almost a status of their success and to appear on it guaranteed fame however briefly or long lasting.

  Watch Ed sing with Peter O’Toole here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ-HwrRnMJc