On nights like this a man can feel like he’s slipped through the looking-glass. I’m sitting on the sofa watching the TV, poised to make some gags about the prime minister and the mayor of Liverpool, who are themselves sitting on a sofa at No 10, poised to make some gags about what they are watching on TV. Life doesn’t get more meta.
The saving grace is that this episode of Gogglebox is a charity special for Stand Up to Cancer. Andy Burnham has requested that any journalist writing about the programme makes a donation to SU2C. Cancer is costing me a great deal more than money.
Meet Andy Bloke and his best mate, Steve Bloke. Two career politicians who still manage to look and sound vaguely normal. Not totally normal, mind.
In real life, Steve Bloke would have said to Andy Bloke: “This is a total shithole you’re living in.” And Andy Bloke would have replied: “I know. It’s been a complete tip since Boris was here. You can’t get rid of the stains.” You can’t deny that Andy Bloke and Steve Bloke are naturals at this.
Not so bland that you want to turn off, a genuine connection with one another and a sense of fun that can’t be faked. Kemi Badenoch is reportedly annoyed she wasn’t invited on the programme. The reality is that she’s dodged a bullet.
Kemi just doesn’t have the woman of the people shtick. It’s something you’ve either got or you haven’t and she really doesn’t. If you let her on Gogglebox the only laugh you would get from her would be if she was livestreaming an execution from the US.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
