Enough Rope with Andrew Denton

Denton is a funny man, he is a wit, there is no doubting that. He needs to relax and let his interviewee talk though. His direction of the conversation is at times most annoying. When Toni Collette was on the show recently she when off on some very interesting tangents that Denton cut prematurely. One of which was Collette talking about her Oscars experience, with the funny encounter with Keanu Reeves. This is a show that I want around. I just hope Denton finds the courage to let go of his nerves.

Denton's interviews don't just skim the surface: they dig down and tug at the heartstrings and the humour at the same time. He also tends to take people and their stories beyond what the viewer expects.

Denton interviews the famous, the infamous, and everyone in between. He uses his wit to allow his guests to make fun of themselves and in doing so, reveal their stories in a way and with a depth that is rarely seen.

Interviews happen every day on shows like "Good Morning Australia" and "Rove [Live]", but the difference can be staggering: for example, Hugh Jackman's interview on Rove was positively light and fluffy in comparison to the more meaningful interview presented about a week later on Denton's "Enough Rope".

It is said that the fact that Denton's interviews are broadcast after editing allows for a greater variety of questions to be asked and answered, with the guest secure in the knowledge that they can request the removal of any section. While spontaneity is lost through this process, if it is required to attain such high-quality, insightful and interesting interviews, then I am more than glad to lose the novelty of a live broadcast.

Four out of Five Stars.

Enough Rope with Andrew Denton is the best Australian, nay, the best talk show in the world. He is the best interviewer I have ever seen, even better than Parkinson.

Andrew just is Andrew. He does not try to imitate any other talk show host, his style is unique. He doesn't use any cue cards, autocue... any of that. He just learns his questions before hand and also just follows the interviewee wherever they go. He has this uncanny knack of getting his subjects to cry, which I think shows how GOOD he is.

The most annoying thing I have found with other (especially American) talk show hosts is that they all ask the same questions. It's like they all meet up and pool their questions. A prime example of this is Hugh Laurie. YES we know that he's English and that he puts on the accent for House. And yet EVERY.SINGLE.INTERVIEW he's done, they've gone, "so you're British?" Andrew doesn't ask the same questions as everyone else, and I think that's what makes him such a good interviewer. The audience/viewers really gets heaps of information from watching the show

It is a great show, and Denton is a fine interviewer. However, there are two small criticisms I should make, only for balance, and I hope they are constructive.

Firstly, Denton promised the hard interviews - he wasn't going to do the usual round of airhead celebrities and dull authors. Unfortunately, I think he's discovered that it is air-head celebrities and dull authors who prefer these shows. With notable exceptions (John Elliot and Rene Rivkin - and a very few others), I get sick of pop-stars, actresses with a barrow to push and 'celebrities' selling their latest wares. I don't blame Denton per se - he has a show to run. I would prefer less Enough Rope, with better guests, rather than 'Rove Live' on the ABC. (Rove is a great show, too, but different.)

Secondly, the first season was a bit patchy. It has improved immeasurably. I wish Denton well.i have been a fan of his since he was 'Andrew the Boy Wonder' on Sydney Morning Radio. If we can get the type of guests he wants (and I know they are difficult), he will enter his place in the pantheon of Australian Television

This show just gets better and better. One could call Andrew Denton Australia's Michael Parkinson, but I reckon he's better! Being on the ABC, Denton has no need to suppress his natural style, or to any way play the celebrity game; no show tunes or dumbing-down here, I'm pleased to say.

What makes this show special is Andrew Denton himself, and the fact that he's free to use his natural intelligence and wit, even his exuberance, to drive the show. The subjects of his interviews seem to open up naturally as a result of the space they are given, and the depth of research which is obviously done prior to the show. It's way more than: Tell us about your new movie/book/play, etc, which is the tedious grind of interviews on commercial TV.

May ABC-TV be wise enough to allow the bespectacled one to be the master of his own show for many years to come.