Gambling on our talent pays off
THIS Saturday, TV3 will unveil the first episode of its biggest television gamble to date in the form of Ireland’s Got Talent.
It was a commission by new head of programming Bill Malone and was, well, a career-deciding decision considering that RTÉ had already passed on the chance to pick up the contract for the franchise, made famous by Simon Cowell and David Walliams.
He was right to be worried. I have been covering Irish talent shows for over a decade and the one resounding conclusion I have come to is that Ireland does not have enough talent to sustain a comprehensive search.
For a start any act worth their salt is surely going to head over to England where the prize pot is bigger. And secondly, I remember covering The All Ireland Talent Show and being trapped in the green room where they had somehow managed to turn back time. It was like an episode of Dr Who where the good Doc is forced into a studio to watch musical acts from the ’70s play in a groundhog day loop.
It was one bad traditional act after another with a set about as glitzy and showbiz as the credits for The Sullivans.
IN short it was parochial Ireland which attracts a certain type of act which unfortunately does not make for good television. There were times I sat there open-mouthed wondering how my life had ended up here, as another bad uilleann pipe player murdered a pop song while John Creedon clapped along with delight. I won’t even go into the trauma I suffered over Celebrity Jigs ’n’ Reels (the psychiatry bills still mount up).
So on Wednesday I trudged reluctantly to a hotel for a private screening of IGT. I sat at the back in the dark waiting with clenched teeth as the credits rolled and the music we all know from BGT began to stream out. In front I could see the top of Bill Malone’s head steeped low, arms crossed as he waited like an innocent man for the jury to reach a verdict. And here it is: Ireland’s Got Talent is, without question, the best Irish version of a bought-in format we have ever produced.
For a start the staging is incredible. It is a direct replica of the English set and even though it is filmed in a Drogheda theatre, it stands up to all scrutiny.
The judges are exceptional. Michelle Visage is by far and away the best signing of any talent show. Her years on Ru Paul’s Drag Race have given her a keen insight into the technical side of performing. She gives insightful critique and warm, caring words of support. Denise Van Outen is like the stage mom you wouldn’t mess with. She wears her heart on her sleeve but does not suffer fools — and there are a few of them — gladly. Jason Byrne adds the comic relief and his sharp and witty one liners give a welcome break to some of the emotional tension. Louis Walsh, is, well, Louis Walsh. He brings that innate charm and heart to the panel.
But what really makes this show better than anything we have produced so far is the contestants. On Saturday night prepare to be blown away by the most incredible singing you will hear from a 13year-old girl. Or the family act that brings comedy puppetry to a new level. There are half-naked Irishmen with beach towels and a ridiculously corny comic from Belfast who manages to win over the audience and the judges.
There is however, one final act, an 81-year-old great grandmother. Her name is Evelyn Williams and come Saturday night, the whole of Ireland will be rooting for her. I won’t give away any spoilers, but in a roomful of hardened hacks, I was one of a number who were fighting back the tears. What really sets IGT above all others is the warmth of the direction. When the crazies take to the stage (and they inevitably do) they are not ridiculed or shamed, they are encouraged.
This is warm family entertainment with a star-studded judging panel and a heart of gold.
So hats off to Bill Malone and all at TV3. The risk has more than paid off and more importantly we can move on from the ghost of talent shows past to embrace what is top class talent TV to rival any other format around the globe.