TV Expert's Reason Behind Why Leaders Debates Are So Dull This Year Is Hilariously Relatable

Sarah-Louise Kelly

12 June 2024 at 11:24 am·2-min read

<span class="copyright">Handout via Getty Images</span> — Handout via Getty Images

If you follow politics closely, you’ll be familiar with the format of the televised debate between leaders from each political party.

During these debates, leaders will often bring some fire, character and promises to win the electorate over to their parties ahead of an election.

However, at the recent leader’s debate between Labour leader Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the anticipated drama was nowhere to be seen. As HuffPost UK reported at the time, “There were jokes about the two failing to offer any entertainment value at all as conversations soon moved into what people ate for dinner.”

Which isn’t quite as tantalising as challenging one another’s political stances and moral values, really.

Richard Osman explains the TV secret behind why it was so dull

On his podcast The Rest Is Entertainment, hosted with journalist Marina Hyde, Richard Osman revealed that the reason that this debate, frankly didn’t make for entertaining viewing, is down to how uncharismatic the two leaders are.

Osman admitted: “It was a very, very boring piece of television, by design really. There’s nothing there, is there. Neither of their strength is an on-screen performer.”

He said that while he was filming his show House Of Games, he bumped into the producer of the leader’s debate, and thought to himself, “I wouldn’t want your job today.”

He elaborated that he felt the producer wouldn’t get any credit for the work that they’d done and added: “You’re working with two bits of talent, who, if you were making a TV show, you would not work with. You’ve got nothing, really.”

Hyde added that being a good on-screen performer was something that worked in Donald Trump’s favour as he knew how television worked, how to work with the cameras and audience in a way that our current leaders don’t.

Here is the remaining debate schedule:

June 12, 7pm on Sky News
June 13, 8.30pm on ITV
June 20, 8pm on the BBC
June 26, 9pm on the BBC

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Richard Osman explains the TV secret behind why it was so dull

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