Thursday 4 November 2010

Next stop, D-list

Channel 4's hit show Coach Trip has always been a rather downmarket affair. Everything, from the casting to the itinerary, seems designed to make viewers feel as though all that's missing is Reg Varney.

So forgive me for feeling a little cynical about the recently announced 'Celebrity Coach Trip'. We're all fully aware of just how debased the word 'celebrity' has become, so it stands to reason that the new edition of the travel/game show isn't likely to be attracting too many A-listers.

Not that anyone seems to have told host Brendan Sheerin. In an interview with Digital Spy, the camp coach commandant talks viewers through the illustrious roll-call of names we can expect to see queuing to use the chemical toilet on board.

After several years of playing peace-keeper to a bunch of argumentative chavs and horny teenagers, it's clear that Brendan is delighted to have a bus full of stars to raise the tone of the show. He says "There's great excitement about it. My first feeling was, 'well what celebrities will we have?' If there are a lot of egos, it might be a problem. But they weren't like that at all. They just do extraordinary jobs, you know."

Extraordinary jobs? Really? Given that the most famous people taking part in the new series are the Chuckle Brothers, it's safe to assume that Brendan is a less than reliable witness.

Imogen Thomas and Bianca Gascoigne? Carol Harrison and Ingrid Tarrant? Raef and Ben from The Apprentice? They don't even have jobs, never mind extraordinary ones.

Funnily enough, despite Brendan's glee at playing host to this glittering array of stars, it's clear that he's already got his eye on making the leap from audience member to participant. Asked if he'd be willing to appear on a celebrity reality show, he answers "I'm too busy doing Coach Trip really, but I would, I would. I'd be up for anything, within reason. I think it would be a lot of fun actually."

At this rate, we'll soon have celebrity editions of some of our best loved shows featuring anyone who's been seen jamming a screwdriver into an ATM on CCTV. Or anyone who's had a letter printed in their local weekly free paper. 

Join me in the race to the bottom - we're almost there...

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