torkelsenmagnus

Question: as a commissioner, what would you do if you got a pitch for a drama that could get a disgraceful miscarriage of justice onto the front pages, but might lose you £1 million in the process?

ITV said "pick it up", and accepted that this was a show that needed to be made. Commission it, film it and air it in New Year in a slow news period. Also: sign on some big stars who will give award-winning performances. And you have a hit.

Except one thing: this is one of those shows which doesn't translate well outside of Britain. Especially as other countries' news broadcasts eventually covered this for about 2 minutes as filler. And in an era in which international sales matter most for TV drama, nation-specific dramas like this don't get picked up very often.

But this made it all the more special. Stellar performances from every cast member put an issue which people had looked at and shrugged into the headlines. I can't remember a drama which had such a large impact, and thoroughly deserved it. It's just a great shame, then, that those featured still haven't been compensated yet. Shows as good as these don't come around too often, so savour this one while we have it.

It was a tall order for David Broncano to topple El Hormiguero but - somehow - he's done it. And it's easy to see why. La Revuelta loves to take risks. Even better - TVE has let them take as many risks as they need.

This show took advantage of the fact that a lot of viewers of El Hormiguero hate it, but watch it to see just how badly Pablo Motos does. La Revuelta appealed to those who did so by continuously bashing the other side, and it's won. Broncano might not be the best interviewer, and this show might not be the most family-friendly. But La Revuelta has done what Crónicas Marcianas did way back in 1997 - it provided a different style of humour for late-night programmes: in 1997 it was Crónicas' laid-back style and curious collaborators; in 2024 it is Broncano's offbeat and dry style which truly makes the format. If you watch EH after La Revuelta, El Hormiguero seems staid and much duller than this one.

Babylon Show was supposed to be Carlos Latre's big comeback to Telecinco, after having left the network for a few years, but this was a format that promised so much yet delivered very little of substance.

This was supposed to be an ambitious show for Telecinco, but this only materialised in the guests being brought on. Luis de la Fuente is a nice guy, and the manager of the national football team is certainly an A-list booking, but booking quite a niche guest alienates a lot of potential viewers, and was also not a fantastic guest either.

The sad thing: it could have been absolutely brilliant. A less Telecinco format (i.e. Less celebrity gossip, more anarchic fun) and it could have been the new Crónicas Marcianas. Look at Late Night Lycett in the UK, which this show felt like it wanted to be, but was limited by some very poor production decisions.