It’s pretty sad when talented people get involved with bad ideas, but that’s what has happened to David Mitchell if the first episode of The Bubble is anything to go by. My guess is that he was hungover, or under the influence of ether when he was asked by BBC 2 bods about programme ideas.
The basic idea is that Mitchell locks three comedy celebs – Frank Skinner, Reginald D Hunter & Victoria Coren in the first episode – in a remote house without mobile phone, t’internet or tele for a week before dragging their bewildered pie chops in front of a TV audience to ask them whether or not news stories that he shows them are real.
It’s not the fact that the show is sort of pointless and a bit rubbish that makes it so bad, it’s the fact that both Mitchell and the contestants know that it’s sort of pointless and a bit rubbish and have sheepish, embarrassed looks on their faces the entire time.
Despite the basically bad concept of the show, you can’t take anything away from genuinely funny people, so their is the occasional laugh, but the look of knowing soon replaces the funnies and you’re back to cringing a bit.
A part of me feels for David Mitchell as the BBC announced a week before filming that it would not let any of its presenters do any stories for the show, fake or reel, so he was left with newspaper clippings and the odd scrap of two from ITV & Sky. However, even with the full might of the BBC news team behind it, The Bubble would still struggle for any level of class.
Maybe next week will be better, but I wouldn’t make any bets. One of the guests is going to be Germaine Greer (unless the John Terry thing wasn’t actually a joke) and she’s not massively funny. However, she used to be fairly sexy back in the day if the photo I’ve just found of her in the nud in 1971 is anything to go by.
The Bubble, David Mitchell, BBC 2 review: 2/5
