Will's comments are spot on.

As Dave says, it wasn't about instrumental technique, or particularly the sound (which I found awful too)...it was about a missed opportunity to show people making excellent music together and really enjoying it.

Even one of the participants implicitly admits above that it was under-rehearsed and if done again would be done differently.

The comparison with say Transatlantic Sessions DOES hold water IMO...not just for the great sound and fine playing, but for the sheer joie de vivre from the participants that comes acoss when you watch it. Look at the expression on Aly McBain's face or the twinkle in Phil Cunningham's eyes as a tune "gells".

That was sadly missing here...to me the participants were going through the motions. It doesn't matter whether it was a "bit of fun" or not...they were going out on national TV and ought to have come across as being at least a *bit* "fired up" by it.

I persuaded a young friend to watch it and she was bored silly by it...in contrast to a Ralph McTell gig I took her to a few weeks ago...she'd never heard of him before, but came away enthused by his mastery of voice and guitar, but in particular by his sheer joy in performing.

There's a big difference between carping and reasoned criticism and I think most of the comments on this thread fall into the latter category.