For those unfamiliar, The Big Fat Quiz of the Year is an annual panel quiz show of the sort the Brits do so well where a panel of funny people answer questions about the year’s news and viewers want to kill host Jimmy Carr whenever he laughs. Not all of the panelists are professional comedians, but all are witty and fun, even if I don’t get all the jokes because I’m a 'Merkin. Not this year, though. For some reason the role of Witty and Fun Non-Comedian was played by former Spice Girl, Mel B. She was bitchy and unfunny. She was clearly out of her element, unfamiliar with the format or what was expected of her, and apparently unpleasantly drunk. Why was she even on? From what I’ve seem of her over her extended fifteen minutes, like America’s Got Talent, she’s a stuck-up, humorless, prig. I mean, if they needed a Spice Girl, how about Baby Spice, who has done some comedy?
I was so disturbed I had to watch The Big Fat Quiz of the Eighties, where Witty and Fun Former Engineer was played by Carol Vorderman, with whom I was unfamiliar but who is now the love of my life.
No, you are quite wrong about this. Honestly, don’t watch it unless you are a big fan of cradling your head in your hands and contemplating jumping out of windows.
Maybe there was a mix-up and they meant to hire the other Melanie from Spice Girls, the welsh one, who has been on other panel shows and is quite Witty and Fun.
Well, it’s more likely I’ll be subjected to Russell Brand from now on, so if watching this somehow casts him in a better light, it could pay off in the end.
Melanie C’s a scouser*, actually, but I agree, she is fun. She was on 8 out of 10 Cats recently, was brilliant, and it seems a logical progression to then cast her in the Big Fat Quiz. Silly Channel 4.
Haven’t watched this episode yet, am reluctant to after hearing everyone’s complaints about Mel B, but I will be giving it a go tomorrow.
*From Liverpool, though it is next door to Wales so the accent has some similarities
She’s not the best possible guest, but she doesn’t kill the show. If nothing else, it’s worth watching just for the bit where the entire panel do nothing but quote Spice Girl lyrics at her for several minutes.
OK, I’ve watched it now. It wasn’t too bad. I definitely got the impression that she didn’t get on with her partner and possibly some of the others. She seemed a bit bemused for a lot of it and she seemed weary of being made fun of and possibly not aware that the others cop just as much and take it with better humour. Agreed with Miller, she didn’t kill the show, and whatever was going on in the background with her was amusing in itself.
She was a bit dull, it’s true. I’m not sure she was following most of it.
On the other hand, just watched the 10th Anniversary Big Fat Quiz, which was broadcast on 2nd Jan. Not the best one of the 10 years, but it was not bad at all. Definitely an improvement on this year’s normal quiz.
Well, I’ve watched it all now and she really wasn’t that bad. A bit of a wet blanket (and I wonder if she was just trying to maintain a scary persona) but not even in the same universe as the great bursting pustule of suck that was Russell Brand.
It’s got to be hard to find six good guests for a once-a-year gig. It would be a smart business decision to get commitments as far in advance as possible. Perhaps their long-term strategy is to have Mel C. on next year, thereby establishing a pattern to carry them through the next 23 years (provided the supply of Mels holds out).
Yeah, not so bad as the build up led me to expect. Thought it did feel like someone maybe had a chat with her during the second commercial break. Her tone seemed a bit different after that.
At times she reminded me of my wife who is really bad at being funny about being mean. When she tries it just goes poorly.
