The Late Show (BBC2 TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Late Show is a British television
arts magazine programme that was broadcast on BBC Two
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 series originally featured a round-table discussion hosted by Clive James
on Friday nights. However this format was dropped after the second season.
The show pulled in heavyweight popular music
acts live or pre-recorded, including Van Morrison
, Leonard Cohen
, Public Enemy, Joni Mitchell
, The Stone Roses
, Dick Dale
, and Jeff Buckley
. 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 set in Lime Grove Studio D
until 14 June 1991 - when it then transferred to 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 perform 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
. Amongst the directors who worked on the series are Paul Tickell, David Upshal
, Sheree Folkson, Mark Cooper
, David Evans, Anand Tucker
, 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 1991 Jackson left the series to become Head of Music and Arts at the BBC; he later became Controller of BBC Two in 1993. 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 popular music acts. As Controller of BBC One, Alan Yentob began to revamp that channel's arts coverage which also competed editorially with The Late Show.
The series was cancelled, by Jackson, in 1995, though weekly review programme remains to this day in a similar format. It is now a stand alone programme called The Review Show
, produced by the team that makes Newsnight. Later with Jools Holland is also still running. Former Editor Roly Keating
is now the BBC's Director of Archive. Janice Hadlow
is now the controller of BBC Two
.
Regular presenters included:
Occasional Presenters:
Regular Reporters:
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
arts magazine programme that was broadcast on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
weeknights at 11.15pm — directly after Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
— often referred to as the "graveyard slot
Graveyard slot
A graveyard slot is a time period in which a television audience is very small compared to other times of the day, and therefore broadcast programming is considered far less important. Graveyard slots are usually in the early morning hours of each day, when most people are asleep...
" in terms of television scheduling.
The series was commissioned by BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
Controller Alan Yentob
Alan Yentob
Alan Yentob is a British television executive and presenter who has worked throughout his career at the BBC.-Early life:...
, who had a background in serious arts documentaries, but the production team — led by Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson (TV)
Michael Richard Jackson is a British television producer and executive. He is notable for being one of only three people to have been Controller of both BBC One and BBC Two, the main television channels of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and for being the first media studies graduate to...
— were mostly from youth programming backgrounds including Network 7
Network 7 (TV series)
Network 7 was a short-lived but influential youth music and current affairs programme screened on Channel 4 over two series in 1987 and 1988...
. The series combined a number of format elements from earlier BBC arts magazine programmes such as Monitor
Monitor (TV series)
Monitor was a BBC arts programme that was launched on 1 September 1958 and ran until 1965.Huw Wheldon was the first editor from 1958 to 1964. He was also the principal interviewer and anchor...
and Late Night Line-Up
Late Night Line-Up
Late Night Line-Up was a pioneering British television discussion programme broadcast on BBC2 between 1964 and 1972. Late Night Line-Up returned for a special one-off edition on BBC Parliament in 2008.-Background:...
. 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 series originally featured a round-table discussion hosted by Clive James
Clive James
Clive James, AM is an Australian author, critic, broadcaster, poet and memoirist, best known for his autobiographical series Unreliable Memoirs, for his chat shows and documentaries on British television and for his prolific journalism...
on Friday nights. However this format was dropped after the second season.
The show pulled in heavyweight popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
acts live or pre-recorded, including Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
, Public Enemy, Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
, The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, Dick Dale
Dick Dale
Dick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.-Early life:Dale was born in South Boston, Massachusetts and lived in nearby...
, and Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
. 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
Arena (TV series)
Arena is a British television documentary series, made and broadcast by the BBC. It has run since 1 October 1975, and over five hundred episodes have been made. Arena covers all manner of subjects, from profiles of notable people such as Bob Dylan to the Ford Cortina car...
programmes.
The forty and sometimes fifty-minute programmes were presented mostly live
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
from a bare black set in Lime Grove Studio D
Lime Grove Studios
Lime Grove Studios was a film studio complex built by the Gaumont Film Company in 1915 situated in a street named Lime Grove, inShepherd's Bush, west London, north of Hammersmith and described by Gaumont as "the finest studio in Great Britain and the first building ever put up in this country...
until 14 June 1991 - when it then transferred to BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre at White City in West London is the headquarters of BBC Television. Officially opened on 29 June 1960, it remains one of the largest to this day; having featured over the years as backdrop to many BBC programmes, it is one of the most readily recognisable such facilities...
in White City
White City, London
White City is a district in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, to the north of Shepherd's Bush. Today, White City is home to the BBC Television Centre and BBC White City, and Loftus Road stadium, the home of football club Queens Park Rangers FC....
, west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. 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 perform 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
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
week, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
week and, in 1995, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
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
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
. Amongst the directors who worked on the series are Paul Tickell, David Upshal
David Upshal
David Upshal is an Executive Producer for Lion Television, one of Britain's largest independent television companies.His work includes Victorian Farm, Victorian Pharmacy , Edwardian Farm , Tales from the Green Valley , The True Face of War , Days That Shook The World , Gordon Brown's Missing...
, Sheree Folkson, Mark Cooper
Mark Cooper
Mark Nicholas Cooper is an English former footballer and most recently manager of Darlington. He was a midfielder as a player....
, David Evans, Anand Tucker
Anand Tucker
Anand Tucker is a film director and producer based in London. He began his career directing factual television programming and adverts...
, Mary Harron
Mary Harron
Mary Harron is a Canadian filmmaker and screenwriter best known for her films I Shot Andy Warhol, American Psycho and The Notorious Bettie Page.-Overview:...
and Sharon Maguire
Sharon Maguire
Sharon Maguire made her name as a film director when she landed the job of directing Bridget Jones's Diary. The film was based on the book by her close friend Helen Fielding, and one of the main characters - Shazzer - is actually based on Maguire.Raised as a Roman Catholic, Maguire studied English...
. Later in the series' run a regular panel discussion — Late Review
The Review Show
The Review Show is a British discussion programme dedicated to the arts which airs on Friday evenings at 11:00pm on BBC Two. The programme features a panel of guests who review the week's developments in the world of the arts and culture.-Background:...
— was introduced looking at new films, books and plays and other arts and cultural events. Regular contributors to this included Tony Parsons
Tony Parsons (British journalist)
Tony Parsons is a British journalist broadcaster and author. He began his career as a music journalist on the NME, writing about punk music. Later, he wrote for The Daily Telegraph, before going on to write his current column for the Daily Mirror...
, Tom Paulin
Tom Paulin
Thomas Neilson Paulin is a Northern Irish poet and critic of film, music and literature. He lives in England, where he is the GM Young Lecturer in English Literature at Hertford College, Oxford.- Life and work :...
and Allison Pearson
Allison Pearson
Allison Pearson is a Welsh author and newspaper columnist. Her novel I Don't Know How She Does It, published in 2002, has sold four million copies and has been made into a movie of the same name starring Sarah Jessica Parker...
, and it was chaired by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
journalist Mark Lawson
Mark Lawson
Mark Gerard Lawson is an English journalist, broadcaster and author.-Life and career:Born in Hendon, London, Lawson was raised in Yorkshire and is a Leeds United fan. He was educated at St Columba's College in St Albans and took a degree in English at University College London, where his lecturers...
.
In 1991 Jackson left the series to become Head of Music and Arts at the BBC; he later became Controller of BBC Two in 1993. From 1992 The Late Show was joined by the follow-on weekly music slot Later with Jools Holland
Later with Jools Holland
Later... with Jools Holland is a contemporary British music television show hosted by Jools Holland. A spin-off of The Late Show, it has been running in short series since 1992 and is a part of BBC Two's late-night line-up, usually at around 11pm to 12 midnight...
that also drew away the programme's appeal to popular music acts. As Controller of BBC One, Alan Yentob began to revamp that channel's arts coverage which also competed editorially with The Late Show.
The series was cancelled, by Jackson, in 1995, though weekly review programme remains to this day in a similar format. It is now a stand alone programme called The Review Show
The Review Show
The Review Show is a British discussion programme dedicated to the arts which airs on Friday evenings at 11:00pm on BBC Two. The programme features a panel of guests who review the week's developments in the world of the arts and culture.-Background:...
, produced by the team that makes Newsnight. Later with Jools Holland is also still running. Former Editor Roly Keating
Roly Keating
Roland "Roly" Keating is the current Director of Archive Content for the BBC.-Education:Keating was educated at Westminster School, an independent school for boys in London, followed by Balliol College at the University of Oxford, where he read Classics.-Life and career:Keating joined the BBC in...
is now the BBC's Director of Archive. Janice Hadlow
Janice Hadlow
Janice Hadlow is a British television executive. She is the current controller of the BBC television channel BBC Two, taking over this position in November 2008 having previously been controller of BBC Four....
is now the controller of BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
.
Presenters
The Late Shows 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 MorleyPaul MorleyPaul Morley is an English journalist, who wrote for the New Musical Express from 1977 to 1983, during one of its most successful periods, and has since written for a wide range of publications...
- Presenter of first episode - Tracey MacLeodTracey MacLeodTracey MacLeod is a journalist and broadcaster who has presented a range of BBC arts and music programming, including The Late Show 1989-95 and its musical offshoots New West and Words and Music, Edinburgh Nights The Booker Prize and The Mercury Music Prize...
- Michael IgnatieffMichael IgnatieffMichael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...
- Sarah DunantSarah DunantSarah Dunant is the author of many international bestsellers, most recently Sacred Hearts, the completion of her Italian historical trilogy....
- Clive JamesClive JamesClive James, AM is an Australian author, critic, broadcaster, poet and memoirist, best known for his autobiographical series Unreliable Memoirs, for his chat shows and documentaries on British television and for his prolific journalism...
- Waldemar JanuszczakWaldemar JanuszczakWaldemar Januszczak is a British art critic. Formerly the art critic of The Guardian, he now writes for The Sunday Times, and has twice won the Critic of the Year award...
- Matthew CollingsMatthew Collings-Life and career:In one of his books on art, Collings states that, in his early teenage years, he ran away to Canada. This act was preceded by a period of hanging around in a house in Oakley Street, Chelsea, whose residents included members of various rock bands including Mighty Baby and Family...
- Kirsty WarkKirsty WarkKirsteen Anne Wark is a British journalist and television presenter best known for fronting the BBC Two's news and current affairs programme Newsnight since 1993, and its weekly arts annexe Newsnight Review which is now relaunched as "The Review Show".-Biography:Wark was born in Dumfries to Jimmy...
- Francine StockFrancine StockFrancine Stock is a British radio and TV presenter and novelist, of part-French origin.-Early life:Born in Devon, and with early years in Edinburgh and Australia, Stock later attended St Catherine's School, Guildford, where she was head girl, and is a graduate of Jesus College, Oxford, with a...
- Mark LawsonMark LawsonMark Gerard Lawson is an English journalist, broadcaster and author.-Life and career:Born in Hendon, London, Lawson was raised in Yorkshire and is a Leeds United fan. He was educated at St Columba's College in St Albans and took a degree in English at University College London, where his lecturers...
Occasional Presenters:
- Melvyn BraggMelvyn BraggMelvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg FRSL FRTS FBA, FRS FRSA is an English broadcaster and author best known for his work with the BBC and for presenting the The South Bank Show...
- Jeremy IsaacsJeremy IsaacsSir Jeremy Isaacs is a British television producer and executive, winner of many BAFTA awards and international Emmy Awards. He was also General Director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden .-Early life:...
- Fintan O'TooleFintan O'TooleFintan O'Toole is a columnist, assistant editor and drama critic for The Irish Times. He has written for The Irish Times since 1988 and was drama critic for the New York Daily News from 1997 to 2001. He is a literary critic, historical writer and political commentator, with generally left-wing views...
- Susan SontagSusan SontagSusan Sontag was an American author, literary theorist, feminist and political activist whose works include On Photography and Against Interpretation.-Life:...
Regular Reporters:
- Benjamin WoolleyBenjamin WoolleyBenjamin Woolley is an author, media journalist and television presenter.- TV programmes :Woolley presented Games Britannia, a documentary on the painting An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump for BBC Four, and an episode of the The Late Show, Libraries and Civilization. Youtube. Uploaded by...
- Tom BrookTom BrookTom Brook is a journalist working for the BBC, mainly seen on BBC World News and is the main presenter of Talking Movies.Tom Brook was born in London, went to school in Hertfordshire and London, then to Cambridge University where he graduated with a degree in Economics. He joined the BBC in 1976...
Notable moments
- Outburst by comedian Keith Allen (eventually directed at a producer on the studio floor) during a round-table discussion on comedy. He mocked Farrukh Dhondy who was sitting at the table saying "you don't have a chip on your shoulder, you've got a vindaloo"
- Host Michael Ignatieff barking at a guest "Don't patronise me!"
- Studio power was accidentally cut-off during a performance by The Stone RosesThe Stone RosesThe Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
. As presenter Tracey Macleod struggled to cover and link to the next item lead singer Ian BrownIan BrownIan George Brown is an English musician, best known as the lead singer of the alternative rock band The Stone Roses, which broke up in 1996 but are confirmed to reunite in 2012. Since the break-up of the Stone Roses he has pursued a solo career...
could be heard repeatedly shouting "Amateurs". - The autocue freezing on Matthew Collings and him saying "I haven't got my script"
- Matthew Collings talking to artist Michael Craig-MartinMichael Craig-MartinMichael Craig-Martin RA is a contemporary conceptual artist and painter. He is noted for his fostering of the Young British Artists, many of whom he taught, and for his conceptual artwork, An Oak Tree...
discussing one of his works on display in the studio: a glass of water on a high shelf which the artist claimed was an oak tree. - Sarah Dunant interviewing Salman Rushdie whilst he was still officially in hiding following the fatwaFatwaA fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
condemning him to death. - XTCXTCXTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...
performing 'Books Are Burning' from their NonsuchNonsuch (album)Nonsuch is the eleventh studio album by XTC, released on 27 April 1992. In a 1992 MTV interview, Andy Partridge said that he had selected the name of the album after encountering a drawing of Nonsuch Palace and, thinking that the archaic word "Nonsuch" meant "does not exist" rather than, as he...
album in 1992. After the group had stopped playing live ten years previously, it was a rare live performance from them.
External links
- The Late Show, BFIBritish Film InstituteThe British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
database, with episode listings