3. The Morgana Show (Channel 4, 2010)
I dont know how this comedian (I couldnt bring myself to write that without inverted commas) managed to get a high profile slot on Channel 4 with no big roles behind her but for some reason they saw fit to give her a widely seen platform, being scheduled just after Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights. Making that particular hour a double dose of disappointment. The usual flaw of a surfeit of one-joke characters is largely avoided which is always a plus but this doesn't stop almost every sketch from being painfully dull. That's the most obvious and prominent problem. But also, some of Robinsons celebrity impressions (particularly her Boris Johnson) are so over the top that they completely bypass amusingly silly and hit tediously stupid. As well as that, her sketches parodying pop culture figures have not stood the test of time. One of them is about Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole sniping at each other in a dressing room before recording The X-Factor. Those sketches were broadcast in November and December 2010. Cole and Minogue both left The X-Factor in 2010 (which is referenced in the future tense at one point), making the sketch outdated by the time it was broadcast and now just two and a half years later it has become practically a period piece. Especially since one of the sketches includes a mention of Gamu Nhengu, a then current X-Factor contestant who received press coverage when her family were arrested on suspicion of benefit fraud. In 2013, only people with a wide knowledge of The X-Factor still know who she is. Meaning that, upon repeat viewings, that particular joke fails completely.
Also, like Al Murrays Multiple Personality Disorder, Robinson is pretty much carrying the entire show with her appearing in several of the sketches alone. And she doesnt have the experience or charisma to carry an entire sketch show single-handed. But my real bone of contention with The Morgana Show is a sketch featuring a teenager named Gilbert who makes YouTube videos that are filmed by his grandfather. Sounds harmless? It would be if Gilbert wasnt written as clearly suffering from some kind of mental handicap thats played for laughs. Stupidity has always been a staple of comedy. Its why characters like Baldrick and Alice Tinker are so enduringly funny. But, at least as I personally see it, this characters mannerisms, tone of voice, and general demeanour cannot be caused by anything other than some kind of ambiguous mental disorder. And, as far as I'm concerned, thats just appalling as well as being crashingly unfunny. Its an offensive cherry on a cake of disappointment.
What Are Its Redeeming Qualities? Robinsons Fearne Cotton impression is uncanny.