Wherefore art thou Letterman? (The Late Show with David Letterman)

Member Name: kevin121

Product:	The Late Show with David Letterman
Date:	16/01/09 (101 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: One of the best chat show presenters

Disadvantages: Isn't currently broadcast on any UK TV channel

David Letterman, for those not familiar, is probably one of the United States best known tv chat show hosts. His show used to air in Britain on ITV2, but they dropped it from their schedules a few years ago.

~ Some background~

David Letterman started off his tv career as a weather reporter in his home state of Indianapolis in the late '70's, and within a few years of moving to Los Angeles, he started making regular guest appearances on Johnny Carson's evening show. He previously hosted an evening chat show on CBS before he moved station. His existing show has been on the NBC channel now since 1993.

~Where is it? ~

The Late Show is filmed in New York City at the Ed Sullivan Studios on Broadway. There isn't much worth noting on the studio floor for television viewers, except the large windows behind David's seat showing a night-time view of the City. I don't personally think this is the actual view as seen from the Studio's windows, given the Studio's location.

~ The Show ~

David sits behind a desk, with seating for his guests on his right. There is also a house band with a leader called Paul Schaffer who perform during the show, when the guests walk on and to emphasise something funny David has said. This style has been copied by Jonathan Ross for his latest show, with the seating arrangement and the Four Poofs and a Piano band. Although the show is scripted, and as such a large amount of the humour is down to the scriptwriters working behind the scenes, David Letterman genuinely seems to enjoy hosting the show and chatting to the guests he has on. Some of the regular female guests including Sarah Jessica Parker and Drew Barrymore become notoriously giggly when being interviewed by him.
The show itself has different sections. David spends time chatting to the house band, as well directing some of the banter towards the studio audience, which they invariably find funny. There's also a Top Ten List every day which he talks through. Having checked the Late Show's website, a recent list was Top Ten Tips for making it in Hollywood. This list included tips such as: 'Don't hassle the Hoff', and 'Make a sex tape. Folks love to see famous people doing it'. This is part doesn't always hold my interest, depending on the nature of the List.

~ So who's on? ~

The main attraction of the programme for me is watching David interact with the guests he has on, although the time allocated for this is probably only half the entire show. As with other chat shows, the guests on the Late Show tend to be actors or actresses who are there to promote their latest film or show. One recent interviewee was Paris Hilton. Despite David's best endeavours, the interview left me cringing. Is she really that stupid? I came away feeling embarrassed for Paris and also for David, having to interview someone who could barely string a sentence together.

The programme is also a great showcase for lesser known bands as they are given an opportunity to perform in front of a large TV audience who aren't already familiar with their music. One of the most recent bands to play on the show were Glasvegas.

~ Where can I watch it? ~

Sadly, it's not broadcast in the UK at the moment, unless it's being shown on an obscure satellite channel I'm not aware of. The only opportunites I've had to catch his shows recently have been when I've been on holiday to the States, although because The Late Show doesn't start until 11.30pm Eastern time, I'm not always in a position to watch it even then. There are quite a few of his interviews on Youtube though, and I do occasionally watch them if the guest appeals to me. He comes across as a very hospitable host.

Incidentally, the last time I was in New York I stayed at the Ameritania Hotel on West 54th Street, and I found the hotel was right next door to the Ed Sullivan theatre on Broadway. From our room in the evenings, we could hear a warm-up act getting the studio audience to cheer while they were queuing outside.
I wanted to get tickets to be in the audience while I was there, and I did try ringing the designated phone number, but on the few occasions it was convenient to use a phone booth, I could never get through to anyone. Should the opportunity ever arise for you, be advised that the studio is said to be remarkably cold even in summer, so wrap up warm.

Seeing as the Daily show with Jon Stewart is shown daily here (the day after it airs in the States), I can't understand why The Late Show is not. Although Jon Stewart's show is witty, it's probably considered more satirical in the way Jon handles the news, and I can't help thinking he comes across as being very impressed with himself. Letterman's appeal, on the other hand, lies in the fact that he doesn't mind coming across as goofy or foolish on occasion, and the humour is generally harmless and irreverent. David also comes across as a very hospitable host, taking a genuine interest in his guests and making them feel at ease.

Please let's have him back on a UK channel soon!

Website: http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/

Summary: The cream of the crop !