The brilliant and eccentric Richard Ayoade nailed it in the IT Crowd and Travel Man, but the role of quiz master may be his best yet.
It seems likely that had Richard Ayoade not existed, we would have had to invent him. In a business in which almost every mildly eccentric performer who comes along is described as “one of a kind”, Ayoade stands as that rare thing: an artist who is genuinely not at all like anyone else.
An exterior that somehow combines nerdiness and world-weary ennui, a self-deprecation that blends seamlessly with a general disappointment with the world for not living up to his standards, a sizzling intellect with a lightning wit and a worldview just a few degrees askew of reality: it’s difficult to sum Ayoade up except to say that he staunchly refuses to do anything expected, stereotypical or predictable.
Every time he appears on a panel, he takes conversations in unexpected directions and blows up the conventions of whatever form he’s participating in. To see him host a panel game, therefore, is a treat long thirsted after, and that treat has arrived in the form ofOne would expect nothing less of Richard Ayoade than that when he hosts a panel show, it’s one that deconstructs the very nature of panel shows.Travel Man starred Richard Ayoade, left, with guest Stephen Merchant.
But the format is strong enough to hold a viewer’s affections even through flatter bits, and the host is magnificent enough to make one keep coming back for more. What’s more, on this show Ayoade smiles and laughs probably more than he has on any other, and the sight of the master showing his appreciation for the efforts of his colleagues is a rather heartwarming sight. But even when those colleagues are firing on all cylinders, there’s no doubt thatOne hopes it hits big, for the more Ayoade on our screens, the better.Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees.
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