Fancy half an hour of whining about crap that annoys you? (Room 101)

Member Name: bruffyboy

Product:	Room 101
Date:	05/02/09 (55 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: funny

Disadvantages: sometimes not funny

WHAT IS IT ABOUT:
Paul Merton hosts this show where celebrity guests complain about the things in life that annoy them the most. If Paul is convinced, he puts them into Room 101, but they'll have to make their case strongly first. The concept of room 101 comes from George Orwell's 1984; it's basically a torture chamber, so you only want to put things in there that you really really hate.

IS IT ANY GOOD:
A show like this is make or break due to two factors. First off, the presenter. Paul Merton is a very funny guy on Have I Got News For You, but seems to struggle with having the big man's job. Yes, he's funny, but his best quips in HIGNFY are improvised and off the cuff, and this show doesn't allow this so much. Because of this, his comic powers are neutralised, and the result is an average job of hosting.

Secondly, it all depends on the guests. At its best, these are great - funny, convincing and enjoyable, they give anecdote after anecdote with passion, humour and (where appropriate) anger. Sadly, the opposite is also true, and some weeks they are really scraping the barrel, pulling out any old crap. When Ann Robinson wanted to put the Welsh into room 101, it caused a fair old bit of controversy I can tell you! She argued later it was because she was jealous of them, that they always succeeded in everything they did!

I have to say that this show will appeal to those people who gripe at a lot of things, and can then enjoy the realisation that they're not the only ones. If you're of more of a positive disposition you should probably watch something else, like Eastenders (that's a joke).

TRIVIA:
Ben Elton has been put into room 101 twice (and rightly so in my opinion).

IF YOU LIKED IT:
You can watch Paul Merton in much better comic form in the BBC's Have I Got News For You, a topical news quiz. The series 'Grumpy Old Men' follows a similar theme too.

Summary: whinge whinge whinge