Unless you’ve been living on another planet for the last several weeks, you can’t have failed to notice that we have a piece of ‘tv history’ to look forward to tonight – the first UK pre-election debate between the three main party leaders. They’re going to face big questions about the economic situation and how best to get out of it, health, education etc. We know all the questions have been agreed in advance and the audience aren’t going to be allowed to cheer, heckle or otherwise respond. So I’ve got a few questions for you: Are you planning to watch?; and if so, what are you expecting? Perhaps more to the point, what would you like to see?
When it comes to any kind of presentation, I was always taught that ‘It’s all in the preparation’, but as I watch, listen to and read the media promotion – dare I say hype – of this evening’s show, I’m asking myself: is it ever possible to be too prepared?
Making any kind of live programme can be real seat of the pants stuff. Even recording in front of a live audience, with the knowledge that you can edit afterwards is hair-raising at times – as I know from experience. The golden rule is to expect the unexpected. Sometimes that comes in the form of solid gold – sometimes it’s a massive clanger, dropped just at a point in the proceedings which makes it particularly difficult to remove afterwards. Tonight’s programme is going out live, so it has to be carefully stage-managed, to avoid it degenerating into a free-for-all . That might be quite fun to watch, but might not add much to our knowledge of the candidates. Although, perhaps it would. You often only see someone’s true colours in a crisis, don’t you?
I’m at least as curious about the fall-out from this as I am about the show itself. We know a large percentage of the UK population is disillusioned with party politics. “I don’t trust any of ‘em!” is an oft-heard cry and has been for years – just look at the declining turn-out across successive general and local elections. The tv debate is, of course, supposed to help rekindle our interest and enthusiasm, by allowing us to engage with the three candidates as directly as possible – to see them outside their natural habitat – the zoo which is the Commons! I’m not sure this particular format will facilitate that.
I asked you what you’re expecting to see. As for me, I have to say I’m expecting something quite sterile. Maybe I’m being cynical, but I can’t help thinking the live studio audience is no more or less than a prop in what I’ve already called a ‘show’. Yes, there must be structure; yes, there must be preparation; but I have a nasty feeling that what we’re going to get is the equivalent of one of my contributors who came into the studio for an interview, clutching his pre-scripted answers, resulting in a stilted exchange which was at least as uncomfortable to listen to as it was to produce and in which his true personality and core message were lost. I always send my interviewees the questions in advance and I have no issue with them bringing notes with them on the day – but scripts will be confiscated! Of course tonight’s contributors won’t physically read from a script, but I’ll bet they’ll know their lines pretty thoroughly and rather than showing us the policies behind the people, what we’re actually in for is a political ‘beauty pageant’ – yes, I am using that term in its loosest sense! It could well come down to who ‘performs’ best on camera. I was at A Women In Business lunch yesterday. The network has just launched its own online video channel and it was interesting to see how many of the members were scared witless at the prospect of having a camera pointed at them. The likes of Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg are obviously quite used to that, but they have very different styles and I’m afraid this evening might come down to style over substance. The big debate is supposed to be about the issues, but for me at the moment, it’s about the ‘event’ itself.
I don’t know if there will be any research afterwards into how viewers and listeners respond, but I’d be fascinated to find out whether those watching on tv and those who listen on the radio come away with different impressions. Body language is an incredibly powerful communication tool, but the unadorned human voice can often give away what a winning smile and carefully choreographed gestures conceal.