The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #124261 Message #2743531
Posted By: Nick
11-Oct-09 - 12:43 PM
Thread Name: Transatlantic Sessions Mistake?
Subject: New Ideas for Transatlantic Sessions 5
With so much moaning and grumbling about Transatlantic Sessions here's a chance to participate. I probably need to think about this a bit more but I have few thoughts as to different ways that this could go.
A few initial ideas but once I am sure I will no doubt pass them on to the BBC -
FIRST
A league. Each musician and singer over each of the programs across the series is scored on an agreed formula and the person who picks the best and highest scorers wins. (Some example categories that might score are - 3 points for making the other players on the tune smile with pleasure; 2 points for most starling rework of an old tune; etc etc)
SECOND
A bit more in the X factor/pop Idol mode. The viewers can vote someone off each week. Could be some interesting play offs - the bagpipe player versus the drummer.
THIRD
On this one we forget totally about the music and just judge people on their looks and you get points for the best or worst makeovers.
FOUR
Each week they play a new tune or song and the audience have a chance to vote whether it is folk or not. Huge possibilities for late night spin offs chatting into the small hours on this one.
FIVE
We see the rehearsals and viewers who think they can play come along and try to play in time and tune with the people they love to criticize and grumble about. This one has enormous potential I think and hours of fun watching people struggling to do what the players do so effortlessly (AN ASIDE: should the current programme be made to look as though it's harder - should they perhaps make more mistakes - should we see the engineers using Antares to sort out all the bum notes - should the singers and players be better at lip/instrument syncing?)
SIX
This may be the one that I am tempted with -
Either get rid of the Americans or get rid of the UK people. In an attempt to chop down on the costs (which has been suggested why the standards are so dropping) we get production teams to tour East Europe and the Far East and find unknown folk musicians who are brought here and who can then join in. Again the audience has the chance to vote them off.
Huge chance to get this one on prime time TV I reckon. The audience probably won't like or be familiar with the music which will allow for prejudice to run rife; the audience can warm to people because of their hardships; hopefully language differences so that the performers can be ritually humiliated so much more successfully; and the huge benefit that the losers can be deported which should bring in the BNP viewers.
The BBC are missing a huge opportunity.