Analysis of the audience pleasures of The Quiz show 'QI'

·         state the genre of the programme

 A quiz/panel show.

·         state the names of the host and panellists

Chairman: Sandi Toksvig. Panelists: Alan Davies, Susan Calman, Josh Widdicomb and Matt Lucas.

·         As the host, how does Sandi Toksvig relate to the other panellists? Consider if the term 'genial' applies.

I believe Toksvig fills the role of ‘Host’ exceedingly well due to a number of factors, but mostly the playful relationship she has with the other panellists. She will involve and play along with the jokes thrown into the conversation but will also guide it back if the main topic is lost. She often views herself as an equal to the other panellist for example when she agreed with Alan on the struggles of untangling Christmas lights but at the same time she holds a higher level of knowledge, sometimes blowing them away with her extensive information on subjects like Nordic Christmas traditions.

·         What is 'quite interesting' about the extract that you watched?

Verbal humour is important: ‘quite interesting’ facts are more important in order to entertain than getting the right answer. For example when talking about the thirteen Santas in Iceland One of the Santas was called ‘window peeper’ and a joke was made: ‘I would be worried about the window peeper I think it would be more of a gift for him’.

In addition, the quiz show is unique as it follows its own philosophy. Every day, boring things such as ‘the word people in the Philippines use for guava’ are turned into ‘quite interesting’ topic when looked at in a different way. Panellists win points for thinking outside the box and contributing or offering interesting input.

·         What makes you laugh in the episode?

Firstly, all panellists on the show come from a comedian background, this allows conversation on the show to be full of banter and quick witted, with the aid of a live audience which reacts positively to such humour. Many of the topics brought up in the quiz branch off into playful conversation for example when a picture of Christmas lights was shown, while talking about them blocking Wi-Fi signal, the female comedian goes off talking about her neighbour changing her channel on her tv.

Another factor is the simple element of slapstick comedy which, due to the programme being of mainstream family viewing, can be funny for everyone. A good example of this is when all the comedians play a game of ‘Moriarty’ where they essentially hit each other on the head with a rolled up newspaper (with the help of Alan’s hopelessly obvious cheating).

·         How is Sandi Toksvig erudition (the extent of his knowledge) shown?

Answers are designed to expose myths therefore using humour, one can laugh themselves clever. Sandi Toksvig aids this by using her own knowledge to justify an odd answers about a nun. ‘A nun makes solemn vows and a sister makes simplistic vows so they reserve the right to reclaim their property’.

·         Are the audience passive consumers or active participants?

There are essentially two audiences for the programme: the studio audience and the television audience. Both of which are active participants to an extent because the television audience feel as though they can answer the questions too.

·         What is the role of Alan Davies and how does he contribute to audience pleasures?

Alan Davies is a comedian, film actor and TV actor, therefore a familiar face even for teenage audiences (Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging, Jonathan Creek). He fulfils the role of ‘the bloke next door’, the common man, the Everyman, who "rushes headlong like a puppy into the wall of ignorance." Therefore, to an extent, his stereotypical caricature may help audiences to relate or share the values that a certain target audience may have.

Alan adds to audience pleasures due factors like a running gag that he always loses. For example a question may be asked a question (in which he confidently answers) only to get it wrong. It is also this sense of confidence in himself that the audience also may relate as he often answers with the most obvious answer- one many may have thought to be correct. This helps audiences develop a relationship with Alan as the show goes on. Despite this common theme of Alan loosing he wins the quiz because ‘It’s Christmas’.

·         How far does the programme fulfill its Public Service Broadcasting remit to inform, to educate and to entertain?

This show, due to its high comedic input is extremely entertaining for mainstream family viewers as it contains many parts of humour both witty and simple slapstick. This is all cleverly tied in with an element of ‘did you know?’ when interesting topics are brought up (which viewers may believe they knew a lot about) and elaborated on in the form of highly knowledgeable, humorous discussion. It informs audiences on topics they knew about; It educates them on new and exciting elements of sciences, history and culture; and it entertains due to panellists all being comedians, resulting in many jokes being made!

·         How is the audience positioned: as omniscient or powerless?

Overall, Alan Davies manages to make mistakes on the audience’s behalf, answering with the same thing as we would have done or simply answering wrong. However, compared to the host, Sandi Toksvig, we are powerless compared to her high educated input.

Channel Idents: Channel 4

Channel idents are created for the purpose of the channel attracting an audience. They work by branding the channel with a certain identity that is exclusive to that channel so it can stand out from all the others. Although short, idents create a sense for the viewers of the type of things that the channel may broadcast or the values the channel embodies. They show these factors by using colour, sound and objects that may represent a value of the channel.

I have researched Channel 4 idents especially those broadcast more recently due to a major rebranding scheme put together on Tuesday the 29^th September 2015. Here, they shaped a brand new look and feel for their channel solely using carefully planned idents.

As well as this Channel 4 also decided to go for a different approach on their logo inn the idents, Channel 4 achieved this with the help of Academy films.

One may be perplexed as to why, in the new idents for 2015 that scenes (to name a few) show frames of growing pink crystals in a river and monkeys running across a barren desert land. As I look further I began to realise that the sharply cut crystals are a recurring theme in many of the idents showing the crystals as being the blocks that built up the Channel 4 logo before. It almost tells the story of the origin of Channel 4 and, for example on the ident with the scientists searching for the crystals in the rocks, how it makes a difference in the world around them. In addition this sense of curiosity that these idents bring to the audience gives an idea of what the channel is all about. The Channel values are focussed on throughout the idents that show innovation, originality and the courage to take creative risks. It is that courage that allowed Channel 4 to successfully renovate a brand that has more or less been in its original form for more than ten years.

The head of marketing at channel 4, James Walker commented: “Channel 4’s main channel identity has been running for ten years and has been hugely successful. This ground breaking brand refresh pushes it forward once more, reflecting our public service remit to be diverse, challenging and innovative.”

B323 Section B Media Topic: Television and/or Radio comedy

Question 4 b): Discuss in detail how one programme offers audience pleasures. Give examples from the programme.

I have chosen to analyse the audience pleasures of watching Miranda (BBC 1). I will give specific examples by close reference to episodes and by quotation. 

Miranda is mainstream family viewing, aimed at a target audience who would relate to middle class life. Miranda is a TV sitcom: socially inept Miranda always gets into awkward situations when working in her joke shop with best friend Stevie, being hounded by her pushy mother, and especially when she is around her crush Gary.

A comprehensive review of all four BBC TV channels by the governing trust (July 2014) found that BBC 1 could feel “middle class in focus and target audience" with Miranda cited as an example. They also found that the BBC is falling out of favour with younger people and BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic viewers). The average age of BBC1 viewers is 59, compared with 56 in 2010/11. However, the character of Miranda is also quite like a big child as she is unmarried, always making a fool of herself and getting into trouble with her mother, so I think that audiences such as younger audiences possibly in their 20s who are beginning to experience full independence but to the point where they are still finding their footing and rely on other people (such as their mum) sometimes.

 Audiences also relate to her relationship with Stevie (her best friend) who she seems to compare herself and look up to. This is because Stevie is almost the complete opposite of Miranda as she is :petite,blonde and more attractive. In addition, Stevie also sees herself as more successful socially and romantically, boasting about her 'allure' comparing Miranda with mearly having 'Wiles' in season 1 episode 6. Miranda constantly finds herself competing with Stevie for men, being a running gag in many more episodes.

Miranda offers the pleasures of the sitcom genre, such as characters that are recognizable that the audience can relate to, who are stereotypes. Miranda's mother, for example is shown as a stereotypical middle aged woman from surrey. 
Miranda's mother makes us laugh because of her over exaggerated representation of the snobbish stereotype with factors such as marked RP accent and her determination of hiding emotions (keeping a stiff upper lip). However, not only for herself. The character of Penny also tries to push here stereotypical values of the ‘middle aged woman from surrey’ onto her helplessly socially awkward daughter.
Miranda's group of girl friends are stereotypes. For example, sitting for lunch they all pretend to be pained by the choice of ‘bad’ foods such as pizza but end up choosing a type of salad. Showing them as being the typical girls watching their weight.
Her girl friends often make us laugh at Miranda, such as in the episode when her friends say " she is probably half-naked in public somewhere as we speak" when ,at that moment, Miranda was exactly that.
However, in many ways, Miranda is an anti-stereotype because she is not the typical stylish and cool thirty year old that would be the sitcom ‘heroin’. She plays the character of an awkward 6ft joke shop owner who struggles in social occasions and like to have quirky but competitive competitions with her feisty co-worker Stevie.
There are many points of recognition for middle class audiences in the ways in which the sitcom addresses audience’s lifestyles, concerns, hopes, such as Miranda's conflict with her mother as she is determined control Miranda in social occasions even going as far as disowning her as her daughter. She insists on preparing Miranda for a tricky social event (something a middle class audience may recognise) and once again uses stereotypical missle class conversation to spark humour in ironic recognition (such as talking about gardens and workmen). Another narrative strand that makes audiences relate to her is her trouble love life. To explain: she is shown as being on the search for a husband and has a crush on her friend Gary however struggles to confess her feelings to him. In addition she chases a man who lost his wallet in her shop however she ends up making a fool of herself infront of him. I feel this narrative strand is something audiences could relate to if they are single and the struggles of dating (confessing feelings or good first impressions).

Each episode also features predictable running gags such as, for example, the competitions between Stevie and Miranda. In Episode 6 Miranda addresses the audience telling them about ‘Another one of me and Stevie’s silly competitions’. While cutting to a scene of them eating spaghetti with chopsticks. While strengthening personal relationships with the audience this also makes the gag funnier because of the recognition of it happening again. 
Miranda always manages to lose her clothing, such as in the episode when she accidently takes of both her shirt and jumper at an important social event.
Stevie and Miranda always compete for boyfriends, such as the episode when they fight over a man who left his wallet in the joke shop. Both go to extreme lengths, such as buying dogs, to gain his attention.
Miranda always embarrasses her friends socially, such as laughing inappropriately at someone’s death when she thought they were laughing about a joke in front of other ‘important’ people.

The sitcom addresses audience’s lifestyles, concerns, hopes about relationships. Miranda always fails to explain her true feelings for Gary, such as when he is about to leave for Hong Kong Miranda is asked if she is pleased ,when Gary is nowhere to be seen, and she confesses “Of course not!”
She competes with, quarrels and makes up with Stevie, for example, when they both buy dogs to impress the guy who left his wallet in the joke shop But end up with neither of them choosing to go out with him.
She gets scolded by her mother, such as in the episode when her mother says "You haven’t been blessed by the goddess of socialising." 

In most sitcoms, the audience is passive consumer but this show is filmed before a live studio audience. In addition, Miranda establishes a relationship with her audience by using an aside and facing directly to the camera. She confides in us, the audience her feelings, saying:  "The girls always underestimate me”

For Blumler and Katz, audiences use media to gratify needs (the uses and gratifications model of audience behaviour). Miranda offers the pleasure of entertainment, escapism and diversion by making us laugh. In particular, both slapstick humour and verbal humour entertain us. Examples of these include firstly, her plain clumsiness or physical humour when she manages to kick a plate of salad out of the waiters hand when she wants to demonstrate something or when she simply pushes her petite friend Stevie off her chair in one of their ‘Silly competitions’. Another example is her helpless social skills when she is asked about her opinion on the Chinese Human rights record, she comments on, oblivious to the embarrassment, her sweaty thighs. Finally, humour is also used with the unfortunate timing where Miranda seems to humiliate herself. When people are talking and she tries to get their attention, she thinks no one is listening so she shouts out something embarrassing. At which point everyone happens to hear when she thought they couldn’t.

Audiences also like to relate to the characters in programmes; I have shown that Miranda offers many points of recognition in its characters. It s also important that Miranda is a likeable character who does not hold grudges. For example, when Stevie changes the wrong song at the party where she and Gary finally get to dance together, she doesn’y get angry at stevie and instead lets it go and tells her she ‘Did good’.
Audiences pick programmes with actors that they know and like. It is also significant that Miranda Hart is a well-known comedian as well as the character Chummy in the popular drama ‘Call the Midwife’.

Audiences tend to favour programmes that support their values and their sense of their own identity. Part of our sense of self is informed by making judgements about all sorts of people and things. This is also true of judgements we make about TV and film characters, and celebrities. The shows we watch, the stars we like can be an expression of our identities. One aspect of this type of gratification is known as value reinforcement. This is where we choose television programmes or newspapers that have similar beliefs to those we hold. Therefore, equally important is the upbeat, comic atmosphere of the show. Despite  set-backs such as her friend (one of the Girls) seeing her with her trousers down in the park Miranda bounces back, for example, then ‘hanging out with her homies’ and making light of the situation by making new friends.


Finally, audiences like to know what is going on in the world (surveillance). This relates to Maslow’s need for security. By keeping up to date with news about local and international events we feel we have the knowledge to avoid or deal with dangers. In a sitcom, the characters face all sorts of situations that we can experience vicariously, some of which are challenging, such as Gary leaving to Hong Kong. Miranda feels happy for him that he is leaving but isn’t saying what she truly feels. Leaving us the questions: will she tell Gary? Or will he be gone forever? In addition we also see the part of the story that Miranda herself doesn’t see for example Gary leaving without saying anything to Miranda at the end The audience is placed at a point of importance as we everything that is going on.

In conclusion, Miranda is a humorous, relatable and out of the ordinary sitcom. It includes both stereotypes, which are recognisable for most of the target audience of the BBC (diverse but older and leaning towards middle class) but also anti-stereotype which is refreshing and is what makes the sitcom interesting. Miranda is not the kind of main character that most audiences would see in a sitcom and look up to or aspire to be like meanwhile on the other hand, this makes her character so much more relatable and moreover encourages the audience that relate to embrace their flaws. Overall it pleasures the audience in all aspects of surveillance, personal relationship (with Miranda when she breaks the fourth wall), values and escapism