Confused tale likely Tarzan’s last crusade
BHolt to channel a long-timebrewing interest in politics. ‘‘I read a lot of the blogs and articles and all the discussions and Facebook, but there was never really an outlet for it. ‘‘This job has now given me an excuse for doing it, so it’s good.’’
The show was originally aired live when it was a TVNZ production.
It is now filmed ‘‘as live’’ (in one take) at about 6pm on Wednesdays, and airs at 10.30pm on Prime.
Chapman admits Holt is far more natural as a host than he was in his first few weeks on the job.
‘‘Because it’s like, you’re here, in a pub, people are yelling or cheering and you’ve got all these extra factors that you might not have sitting in a nice, quiet studio, with nice notes and an ear piece.
‘‘But Hayley’s really used to live TV, which is why she was quite an asset on the show and why she got picked.’’
One of the key traits to being a successful Back Benches host, Chapman says, is not to overprepare, because anything can happen.
For Holt, having very little shame is also an advantage.
‘‘I get nervous, yes, but I also have had a long career even before I was on TV, with dancing and performance, where I have done some very embarrassing things.
‘‘I don’t have too much shame left, so I’m not too worried about
‘I don’t have too much shame left, so I’m not too worried about looking like an idiot, which I think really helps.’
looking like an idiot, which I think really helps.’’
One of Holt’s main jobs is being the crowd wrangler, a task Chapman says never really gets easier.
‘‘How do you know they’re going to want to talk? In a normal show, you’d ring them up ahead of time and the usual media slogan is ‘they’re good talent’, but the fact here is that you don’t know what you’re going to get.
‘‘Last week, we found out five minutes before that a woman named Jules had come from Florida especially because she’d heard about this random show.