Never Mind the Buzzcocks: Preston-gate
- 18 February 2007, BBC2, 10pm
A priceless chance to see Simon Amstell's spat with BB indie boy Preston
This was the moment when Simon Amstell would be anointed as our greatest TV host. When he took over Buzzcocks last year it was a tired idea stumbling weakly to bed. One and a half series later it is the most exciting show on TV - less a quiz, more a platform for Amstell to mock pompous celebrities. In Preston he found his ultimate target, a man whose opinion of his own genius could not be further from public perception of him as a reality TV chancer.
In the end, it could have been much worse (or better, depending on how much you enjoy humiliation). A few jokes about the Ordinary Boys' lack of popularity, a dig about Preston not writing their songs and then, the final nail, an excerpt from Chantelle's book. With that he was gone. Fyfe from Guillemots, the always-rather-amusing Ed Byrne and Madge from Neighbours took their fair share of grilling but, if anything, seemed to rather enjoy it.
Preston better get over his days as 'the next Paul Weller' and start getting
used to his current role as 'the next Kenzie'. As for Amstell, he seemed
to be genuinely shaken by the incident. Maybe he'll realise the effect national
humiliation can have and tone his act down from now on. Let's hope not.
Josh Widdicombe
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