Richard and Judy are back (Richard & Judy)

Member Name: Vicki H

Product:	Richard & Judy
Date:	03/12/01 (705 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Richard and Judy host

Disadvantages: Set

Richard and Judy are finally back on our television sets with their unimaginatively named show ‘Richard and Judy’. The show is on every weekday from 5:00pm – 6:00pm on Channel 4. Whilst the show is still in its early days, I felt that there were a few things that were not quite right with it so far.

Firstly I don’t like the time slot that the show has been given. For those of us that work it is totally wrong. I sometimes catch the last 10 minutes of it after I have braved the rush hour traffic but that is if I’m lucky. That led me to examine what other sorts of show are on at this time and of course it is prime time for kid’s T.V. so I guess that rules most parents out from the viewing figures too. Perhaps 6:00pm – 7:00pm would have been a more appropriate slot, the time when every channel seems to go news mad, a talk show would be a refreshing option.

I think that the production team need to do a lot more homework as there are some real clangers occurring right now. Has anyone else noticed the shaky camera work? Suddenly without any warning the camera will zoom in and decapitate poor old Judy with all the accuracy of my Dad using his camcorder. The camera work is less than perfect and I’m sure Richard and Judy are used to better standards too.

The wardrobe department don’t seem to have got it quite right either. Judy looked shocking for the entire first week, whereas on ‘This Morning’, she always appeared stylish and well groomed. Her make up was barely visible leaving her looking pale and tired. Today she wore a garish green suit which might not have looked bad had it not been for the set which I will address in a minute. Richard’s hair hasn’t looked its usual immaculate self either, he has appeared rather windswept in fact. He also looks as if he has had a row with the costume department and far from looking dashing, his outfits look more eccentr
ic. Today he had a bright purple shirt on teamed with the most ghastly purple/pink tie – Oh dear!

The set is the worst thing about the show, it is hideous. It is all colours under the sun including green, purple, rust and red and I’m afraid our hosts’ outfits clash with it terribly. When they interview guests, the audiences eye is naturally drawn away from the interview by the loud colours which compete for your attention in the background. The sofa is a dull cream which appears dirty because of the number of other colours that it has been contrasted with. The set is cluttered with ornaments here and there all of which I find distracting to the eye. I think what was needed was a homely looking set rather than this ultra-modern approach. Richard and Judy sit around a glass coffee table which make the most awful noise whenever anyone puts on a cup on it and also reflects. Today they interviewed Simon Cowell and I was distracted throughout by his reflection in the table. The background to the titles are also garish in a sort of purple colour with circles running across them. They are not distinct in the slightest and certainly not eye catching.

Having said all this, Richard and Judy are still the King and Queen of chat. They are easy to watch and provide entertainment with some intelligence. I think that they would benefit from having a schedule within the show so that the audience knows what is coming up and when. I like to nip in and out making dinner and would find this useful. I also think that they need a definite break between each item as at the moment they seem to ramble from one feature to another with little clarity.

I love the game ‘You say, We pay’ which involves a photograph being shown and the caller having to describe it. Richard and Judy then have to guess what it is and the caller is rewarded with £1,000. Judy gets a bit agitated during this slot as Richard is so quick that she d
oesn’t get much of a chance to answer. I don’t think that the fab duo have found their feet yet in this show. They skirt around the issue too much when interviewing celebrities which is very un-Richard like. For example when interviewing Adam Holden and her husband Les Dennis, they conducted the whole interview without referring to Neil Morissey who we all know was the reason for the marriage break up!

The show does wheel out experts but the nation had grown to love the ‘This Morning’ experts and as of yet I haven’t warmed to the new ones. They also have weird features on that for me are just not working. Tonight’s was all about people with long tongues and a bloke measuring his courtesy of a web cam – not exactly compulsive viewing.

I suppose my real problem is that the show isn’t ‘This Morning’. The nation adored this show and it had everything sussed. The set was stylish and Richard and Judy fitted into it, it complimented them. Their wardrobe department must have dealt with them for years and knew what suited them without a problem. Make up was easy as the artists worked with them each day and the same with the hair stylists. They had built up a good relationship with all their staff and it showed. The show ran smoothly each day and the experts became Richard and Judy’s and our friends. I can see what they are trying to do in that they are making a conscious effort not to just lift the framework of ‘This Morning’ and take it to another channel. I really hope in time that these problems will be ironed out as it is great to have this popular couple back on our sets. If you’ve not checked the programme out then switch on but don’t forget to wear those sunglasses!

Thanks for reading.

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