User:Yickbob/The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross
The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross was a late-night chat show that debuted on January 10, 1987 on Channel 4 in the UK and became an almost instant hit. It was Jonathan Ross's on-screen debut. He was a co-producer of the show who only stepped into the role of host because no-one else had been found when the show was set to air. The first show included interview guests Amanda Burton and Donald Sutherland, with the comedy act The Looneys and music performance by Martin Stephenson. The show's popularity meant it was quickly able to attract more high-profile stars as well as increase the popularity of up-and-comers.
If the format of the show was based on it's Hollywood counterparts The Tonight Show and Late Night with David Letterman, the style of the show was more irreverant and unflinching, leading sometimes to controversy but often to comedic brilliance. An example of this was when, in the 6th show of the 1st season, Jonathan tried to get guest Donny Osmond to sing his syrupy childhood Osmond's hit Puppy Love. Osmond, trying to make a comeback as a rocker at the time, refused. Ross kept on mercilessly at the increasingly miffed Osmond, who finally cracked and sang the song, even with the accompaniment of the out-of-tune host.
For it's last of 4 seasons the show became [[The Last Resort#REDIRECT The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross]] which ran from September 16 to December 23, 1988.
References
[edit][1] BFI Film and TV Database