Credit — https://www.flickr.com/photos/126933801@N04/32670603645/
The Last Leg was the first live TV show I had seen in person, not counting what I had done through my college studies involving learning how live TV was done. This was a very key learning moment for me since I got the chance to see how a professional production such as Channel 4 filmed their live productions. It was very cold on the day I entered London, so even though I was wrapped up warm, it doesn’t always make for the best experience for an event. I was lucky that I had been to London enough to know my way around the Underground, making it easier to navigate. One thing I’d mention away from the event is that the Underground needed more renovations, which was noticeable by how rundown the other stations were starting to look.
Tickets for the event were not very hard to get and were free; however, most of the expenses came from the train travel along with the cost of the hotel, which is where most of the bigger costs come from when it comes to my trips down to London. I recommend booking your train tickets through Trainline for the best deals. For hotels, it’s best to look through multiple sources for where you want to book. If you are booking a Premier Inn or another hotel chain, keep in mind that you pay for the quality that you get. For one-night stays, I do recommend a Premier Inn for the quality; however, for the lowest price, a Travelodge can work just as well.
Away from the event, London was very nice to see again after only seeing it after my Loreen event. Walking rather than taking the Underground was something I did often while there since it let me see most of London instead of choosing to trap myself within the gloomy Underground. I recommend anyone who comes to London to do the same. Once arriving at the hotel, which was a Premier Inn. It was something I missed after being in Travelodges for most of my trips. I was grateful to finally get a hotel such as a Premier Inn, and yes, it’s not the most luxurious hotel, but it was comfy and had everything I needed to sleep well, which is nothing I could say for the quality of sleep I would usually get in a Travelodge.
Skipping to the day I decided to line up early because I underestimated how busy the line may have been from the beginning. What I didn’t expect was the very cold weather that was paired with line prep, which sadly wasn’t placed inside, making everyone freeze outside for hours. I wished at this moment that there was more communication from the staff explaining how long it could take to go in. They did, however, from what I had been told, let us go in early due to how cold it was getting. I had decided it was a good idea to have my coat on my lap the entire time while I was inside to keep myself warm before the show. Back to the line, arriving early had given me a good spot, seeing as later on more and more people were slowly arriving.
Upon entering the event, I saw that the room looked bigger then what I had seen on TV. This may have been done by the very creative set designers to make the set look cosy and welcoming to anyone watching the show on TV or streaming. The set had two to three cameras near the audience section, with more along the sides and the back. The start was to set up the prerecorded segments not just for the non-live segments but also since they also air within Australia, so they had to film segments for that part of the world. This is also due to some copyright issues when it came to the music played in the intro within Australia, resulting in the need for them to re-record.
The event itself started very smoothly with a comedian who was actually very good at keeping the audience set up for the main show. Once the comedian was done, the first host, Adam, came out and introduced himself and made the audience feel very welcomed through professional but also very friendly interaction. Soon, the two other hosts made their way out onto the main set and practiced before the show started. What was clear to me was the chemistry each of the three hosts had. This is what made the show so appealing to me while watching it on TV, and that’s what made it even more amazing to see that aspect in person.
The show was both entertaining and made me really appreciate how live TV is done behind the scenes, especially getting to see different people do their roles and communicate effectively. The organisation shown once I had gotten inside the event was excellent, with this not only extending to the hosts but even the runners as well. The downside to this was one thing that couldn’t be controlled, which was the weather. However, I did wish that there was more indoor queuing space, especially with the filming base being the BBC. It surprised me that the queuing area was mainly outside. Yes, this wouldn’t have bothered me if it was only an hour in the cold, but it was a lot longer than needed.
What drew me to The Last Leg when I first started watching it was the fact that the hosts were disabled apart from one, which added a level of diversity and showed a perspective on politics not normally seen on British TV. When it comes to the guests, the show tends to bring on people of differing opinions, making the show diverse within its conversations as well. It is important to have more diverse programmes such as this, not only to highlight voices from underrepresented backgrounds but also to have different ways to portray the news. With shows such as The Last Leg, it lightens the harshness of the news through a comedic and friendly tone. This can be a welcome break from the normal news.
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